Good to Be Working With Proper Villains Again
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Not gonna lie, I first picked upward this book based purely on the cover and those gorgeous black edges:
Seriously, it'due south one of the most beautiful books I've seen in a while. But every time I picked it upward in store, I hesitated to purchase it based on the fact that it'due south set in the aforementioned world as Bardugo's previous Grisha trilogy, which I haven't read yet. And so instead I bought Shadow and Bone – the starting time in that series and recommended by pretty much the ENTIRE internet. And it was…ok? I didn't hate information technology, only for some reason information technology but didn't captivate me. Something well-nigh the main graphic symbol, mayhap. Simply, the globe of the Grisha was absolutely fascinating, so I finally caved and bought Half-dozen of Crows.
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right cost―and no one knows that ameliorate than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a gamble at a mortiferous heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he tin't pull it off lone.…
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged by.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Six unsafe outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only matter that might stand betwixt the earth and destruction–if they don't kill each other first.
(From Amazon)
If you have read any other reviews for this book, it'southward pretty much guaranteed they all compared information technology to Sea'south 11, and as much as I want to be a special snowflake, I'k going to have to ditto that comparison. The story revolves around a heist – a main thief assembling a crack team of criminals to steal something from a super secure location that's never been breached before, in exchange for lots and lots of money.
Every bit with any good heist story, it'due south all well-nigh the team. An uneasy brotherhood betwixt thieves, murderers, and misfits, each with their own motives and very particular prepare of skills…
Our ringleader here is Kaz Brekker: high-ranking fellow member of the gang "The Dregs", nicknamed "Dirtyhands", and known for his ruthlessness. He'southward the best thief in the Barrel (basically the slums in the city of Ketterdam), and has a gift for planning. When we first meet Kaz, he'southward on his way to a parlay with a rival gang, where they attempt an ambush. It turns out Kaz is one jump alee of the hitmen, and he skillfully turns the tables on the thugs. It's an first-class introduction to the character, letting the reader know exactly how close he plays things to the chest, not even telling his second-in-command what was going to become downward. Throughout the novel, we also get to learn more about Kaz, how he became "Dirtyhands", and what drives his desire for money and revenge.
Other members of the Dregs recruited for this job include Jesper Fahey, a sassy sharpshooter with a gambling problem, and Wylan Van Eck, a newbie to the Butt, who's along for his skill with explosives too equally his value as a hostage. These two guys provide nigh of the comic relief, non to mention some first-class flirty banter.
Added to the mix is Nina Zenik, a gorgeous Heartrender who works in the Butt and provides Kaz with information on her rich clients. Nina is a former soldier from Ravka, but she'south biding her time in Ketterdam in the hopes of freeing the man she sent to prison. Which brings united states to Matthias Helvar; when we first encounter the Fjerdan Grisha-hunter, the gang is breaking him out of prison in the hopes of gaining his insider knowledge of the Ice Court. However, Matthias is less than thrilled to see Nina, then now the gang has to convince him non to kill her on the fashion due north.
Nina and Matthias are the volition-they-won't-they of the book, simply information technology's washed in a very understated fashion that I appreciated. Both characters have strong reasons to hate the other, but some added history and sexual tension makes it harder for them to resist the attraction. There's enough of angst, but at least it's valid and, praise the YA gods, there's no stupid love triangle.
Last but definitely not to the lowest degree, my favourite character, Inej Ghafa. Known throughout the Barrel as "The Wraith", this diminutive quondam-acrobat was taken from her circus family and sold into slavery, forced to work in a pleasure firm for those with a taste for the exotic until she offered to assistance Kaz and he bought her freedom. Now Inej is a silent shadow, discovering the secrets of Ketterdam and reporting them to Kaz for his own employ (usually bribery). This diminutive badass is known for her insane climbing skills and her deadly knives, only I found her to be the most human of the agglomeration. Her growing friendship with Nina also provided some excellent girl-power moments.
The first few capacity were a bit hard to go into, every bit they were pretty much a giant info-dump. It might be easier for fans of her previous piece of work to follow along equally Bardugo sets up the world in the aftermath of the Grisha war, merely for a newbie like me it was a lot to have in. Once Kaz gets the job offer though, things choice up speed. My favourite matter near this book was the varying tertiary-person viewpoints throughout. Each member of the squad, save Wylan, gets their ain chapters, which allows for character motivations and backstories to be revealed bit by bit, instead of just dumped on the reader at the beginning. It was especially helpful with Nina and Matthias, as information technology provides the perspectives of both characters as they debate whether to kill each other or brand out. Bardugo manages to give each character their own way and vocalization, while keeping the tone of book cohesive. Also, kudos to the author for putting together such a variety of characters – the cultures may be unique to this globe, simply the physical descriptions leave no incertitude as to the multifariousness of the grouping.
As for the heist itself, this is mainly where the Body of water'southward Xi comparison comes in, as Bardugo uses the same type of framework to reveal the details of the job every bit they happen, as opposed to laying out the entire plan for the reader. This allows the suspense to build, considering you lot tin never be certain if things have actually gone to shit or if everything is just going co-ordinate to Kaz's main plan.
SPOILER-ISH Alert:
The book ends on a cliffhanger, so it's best to just become alee and buy the sequel, Crooked Kingdom, if yous're enjoying this one.
Tl;dr: I really enjoyed this book and I can't look to see what kind of stuff this crew pulls off in the sequel.
Check out Cannonball Read for more reviews.
Source: https://kendraverse.wordpress.com/2017/02/14/it-will-be-nice-working-with-proper-villains-again/
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