5 Reasons To Read Six of Crows

Have you read Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology? If not, here are some reasons that you really should…

 

It’s Described As “Games of Thrones Meets Ocean’s Eleven”

Do you wish more fantasy novels were about a ragtag bunch of loveable rogues undertaking a dangerous heist to make a fortune? Well, then, you’re in luck as that’s exactly the premise of Six of Crows and its follow-up Crooked Kingdom. The books have a great balance between world-building – it’s set in a 19th century-esque world where people with special abilities exist – and the stylish, twisty-turny plot of the best heist movies.

 

It Has a Cast of Diverse, Well-Developed Anti-Heroes

The driving force of the novel is the titular bunch of criminals who hail from the Crow Club. Despite being teenagers, these six are some of the toughest, most capable rogues around. There’s sharp shooter Jesper, rich boy runaway Wylan, heartrender Nina, shadowy spy Inej, ex-soldier Matthias and, at the head, the fierce Kaz Brekker. What’s wonderful about this team is how diverse they are, both ethnically and sexually, which makes them such an interesting bunch.

 

It Goes To Some Pretty Deep, Dark Places

There is a common misconception that just because YA is mostly aimed at teenagers means it is lighter or less substantial than “adult” novels. That is completely false, and a case in point is Six of Crows. Each of our six heroes has had some trauma they have had to deal with: from addiction to human trafficking to racism to poverty. That said, the novel never feels preachy and the difficult subjects touched upon organically grow out from the character’s stories.

 

The Writing is Addictive

At about 500 pages apiece, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom aren’t short novels, but you will be hard pressed not to finish them in one sitting. That’s all down to author Leigh Bardugo’s terrific command of character and plot development, as well as her exquisite style of prose and zinging dialogue. If you haven’t been moved to hilarity and tears by the end of reading this book, then you are not human, my friend.

 

There’s Plenty More Where That Came From

The Six of Crows duology is actually a spin-off of Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy. However, it is completely standalone from those books and is generally thought of as a stronger series in its own right. You could well read the Grishaverse books in order of publication (the original trilogy starts with Shadow and Bone) but we’d recommend starting with the best first, especially if you are someone skeptical about YA.

 

Shout out to Dwelling in Erised for indirectly reminding me that I wanted to write a post about this series!