‘Six of Crows’ by Leigh Bardugo is probably one of the most impactful books I’ve ever read. It’s an easy read, and quick if you’re determined enough. It’s by far among the best of the Young Adult fantasy genre. In honesty, the feat can be achieved by any book that doesn’t just focus on meaningless sex scenes that somehow pass for entertainment; but what makes ‘Six of Crows’ special is the distinct worldbuilding quality and clever prose.
The book kicks off in Ketterdam, a nasty place in the greed-ridden country of Kerch that views work and earnings as salvation. One of the main characters named Kaz Brekker is called many names among the streets of Ketterdam: Dirtyhands, The Bastard of the Barrel, Demjin, etc. He is also widely regarded as the most dangerous boy in the city, with his ruthless tactics and cunning mind.
Kaz Brekker is a thief, and throughout the entirety of the book, he leads his crew to a 30 million kruge, a type of Kerch currency, reward for capturing the creator of jurda parem, a dangerous and addictive drug, from people that plan to misuse the drug for personal gain. The drug enhances the powers of the grisha, who can manipulate the different matters of the world depending on their specialty. An unfortunate side effect, however, is that the drug makes quick work to destroy its consumer after just one use; they become malnourished and sickly, craving more of the drug.
It is a book unlike any that I have ever heard of. The sneaky foreshadowing is so subtle that still, on my third re-read, I notice new foretellings in things that previously struck me as irrelevant details. Perhaps they were to make the world more imaginable, but they were secretly pointing directly towards incredible plot twists. Bardugo’s impressive writing immerses the reader entirely, leaving them turning pages instead of doing other, perhaps more productive, things.
The perspectives switch every chapter, something that, if done poorly, may result in the readers’ confusion; but here, it only helps them understand and relate more to the characters. Every character feels real; they don’t only have one main plot point, nor are they mere love interests to one another. Whether it’s revenge, freedom, or bliss, each character has something that not only makes them unique but truthfully lifelike.
‘Six of Crows’ is part of a duology and is paired with Crooked Kingdom which continues on the same plot. Bardugo has also written the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, creating the universe that these books take place in which is set two years prior to ‘Six of Crows.’ It follows Alina Starkov, a girl with the ability to summon the power of the sun, in political turmoil that unfolds over the course of the three books.
For all my snobbish reading habits, I must say that I find myself more than satisfied with the entirety of this book. Reading it three times over may not be enough, but if I spend any more time bonding with it, I’m sure it will start to fall apart beneath my fingers.
