“Six of Crows” takes place in a world filled with affluent merchants, pirates, magicians, gang lords and witch hunters. Kaz Brekker, infamously known as Dirtyhands, is an expert thief and lockpicker who creates a team that sets out on an impossible heist that roughly consists of breaking a scientist out of the most secure prison in the world: the Ice Court. The members of the team Kaz assembles for the mission come mostly from the gang of which he is the lieutenant, the Dregs.
This story is truly remarkable and it is definitely a worthy addition to the incredible fantasy genre for which I feel a great amount of affection. Although there is an intriguing plot, the author obviously concentrated on developing the characters, which makes the book unforgettable and extremely satisfying. Many of the chapters in “Six of Crows” are dedicated to adding to the backstory of each of the main characters, namely the six members of Kaz’s crew, including Inej the spy, Wylan the weapons expert, the witch hunter named Matthias and Nina, the talented sorceress. These six characters are each very unique in their own right, and together they have the potential to achieve what no one else had even imagined to be possible.
This book definitely has a little bit of everything that a great novel requires: effective character development, action, suspense, mystery, and, of course, just the right amount of romance (three couples emerge from the six main characters). In a story such as “Six of Crows”, balancing all of these “ingredients”, if you will, must have surely been a challenging feat for Leigh Bardugo, the author of the tale. And luckily, she was able to accomplish just that with resounding success.
Another interesting thing to take note of in regards to this book is that every chapter is written in the third person perspective of a different character. Changing the point of view frequently was at times refreshing and at other moments frustrating, especially if there was something very exciting and compelling going on with a particular character throughout the events of the plotline. Switching the viewpoint from one character to the next did have its advantages, though, such as having access to more information that proved to be helpful in deciphering what certain things meant as well as predicting future events.
So, if you have been looking for a good book to sit down and enjoy a pleasant and relaxing time, I would strongly recommend that you pick up “Six of Crows” as soon as possible and immerse yourself into the grim yet fantastical world of Ketterdam with Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Matthias and Nina, who are the best of the best at what they do as they attempt to carry out their most difficult crime that could possibly be a death wish in disguise.
