Six Of Crows By Leigh Bardugo Review - Book 3 of 2017
SIX OF CROWS BY LEIGH BARDUGO - 500/5 STARS
HOLY SHIT.
Okay. So, I finally read Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and it is now my #1 all time favourite book in the history of time. Let me talk a little bit about why.
When I read a book one of the main factors that drive the story and dictates my enjoyment of the book is CHARACTERS. Every book I've hated was because I hated the characters and every book I've loved is because I loved the characters. Of course, plot and representation and writing style all have an impact on my enjoyment of the book as well, but the most important thing for me is characters. The characters in this book are PHENOMENAL. Let's go through them shall we?
“Oh it’s worse than that, Van Eck. If I fail, I don’t get paid.”
Kaz Brekker is a complete and total bastard but his character is developed and written in such a way that makes me want to give him a hug and some hot chocolate. I loved the slow introduction of his backstory and having a character like this lead a YA book. He's a complete badass and not only that but hes a disabled badass. When I heard this book was #ownvoices and that Kaz was disabled and had a cane it only made me want to read the book more. Come on, an antihero with a disability and a knack for doing the impossible. Who doesn't want to read that? Kaz Brekker has a way of capturing your heart with his failed flirting and extreme intellect. Kaz always seems to have a brilliant solution and trying to follow the way his mind worked was incredibly fun.
“I’ll die on my feet with a knife in my hand”
Inej Ghafa is a brown skinned goddess with so much depth to her character I could dive into it and not have to worry about cracking my skull open on the bottom. Too much of a visual? Sorry. Anyways, Inej is definitely one of the most badass female characters to exist in YA. Her crazy stealth and everything in her past that she's overcome made her a fantastic addition to the story. I couldn't possibly want more from a female protagonist.
“It’s not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall and yet here you stand”
Nina Zenik. I have never seen myself more accurately among the pages of a book until Nina Zenik. She's curvy, she's got boobs and just genuinely likes food. I also read her as bi only to find out that Leigh wrote her that way. I'm so attached to Nina and I would SO love to play her in the movie or TV show if it ever happened. (Only if it was good though lol). She had so many memorable sassy quips and I just related to her so much. #NinaZenikProtectionSquad
“You’re all horrible”
Ah Matthias Helvar. Once you get past his unchecked rage and bitterness he's actually a complete bean. I loved the progress of his character arc in this book, from bitter Druskelle to realizing that he may have gotten some things wrong about the world, and accepting Grisha and their gifts, trusting Nina and becoming a proper part of the group. Matthias is the perfect example of how being brought up with a certain mindset your whole life doesn't mean you can't change once you experience other's point of view. A great metaphor for people being brought up homophobic or racist and then experiencing the real world and changing their ways. (If only everyone brought up that way would change *agressive sigh*)
“No. Not just girls.”
Jesper is my small son and nobody can tell me otherwise. I love him. I'm pretty sure every single one of my Goodreads updates whilst reading SoC was just OKAY BUT I LOVE JESPER because I love Jesper. He's such a flirt and incredibly sassy and also "No. Not Just Girls" IS THE BEST PART OF THE WHOLE BOOK. I ship those two more than I ship pretty much anything else. Everytime Jesper said anything I just wanted to tweet it. I love him and I pretty much don't have anything else to say about it. OH except how much I loved how casual he was about his obvious bisexuality. "NO. NOT JUST GIRLS" (I will quote that til the end of my days I SWEAR).
“I feel like I’ll never know enough”
Okay, so Wylan is ACTUALLY my small son. In a literal sense. He's so small and so cute and I love him. So Wylan. I love Wylan's character because it's taking someone who grew up with extreme privilege and putting them in a shitty situation and making them have to fight for their survival and overcome the odds of not having grown up doing that. Also, he's so gay it's just perfect.
OKAY, moving on.
Now that we've talked about characters let's talk about PLOT. The plot was amazing, so twisty and turning and pretty much every damn page was a plot twist. What with all the readjustments of the plan during the heist, Jesper being a fabrikator and Nina taking Parem?! I was consistently on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. The plot was intriguing and the perfect mix of action and emotion, the dialogue was either witty, profound, moving, or all of the above. I can't get enough of this world and story and it's my new all-time favourite book. Leigh's writing was extraordinary and I can't wait to devour the rest of her books!
“No Mourners, No Funerals ”
