Six of Crows.
Leigh Bardugo.
Henry Holt and Company, 2015.
479 pages. Kindle Edition.
Trigger Warnings: drug addiction, extreme violence, murder, sexual assault, and prostitution
About the Author: Leigh Bardugo is a New York Times bestselling author of young adult fantasy novels. Her Grishaverse, the world her books take place in, encompasses the Shadow and Bone Trilogy as well as the Six of Crows Duology. Leigh graduated from Yale University with a degree in English and has worked in many different fields including advertising and journalism. She currently lives in Los Angeles where she writes novels and is the singer in the band Captain Automatic.
“We are all someone’s monster.”
The underbelly of society is personified through Kaz Brekker and his crew of thieves and misfits. When Kaz receives a request from a rich noble to break an inventor out of the impenetrable Ice Court across the sea, he knows he’s dealing with both a trap and a difficult task.
The heist requires the efforts of five other crew members, each with their own skills and shadowed past. If they can avoid killing each other before it’s over, they’ll be rich enough to escape the slums they’re trapped in.
The novel is brutal. It doesn’t shy away from the torture, deception, and corruption that goes on underground. Although it takes place in the fantasy Grishaverse where the author’s other books take place, the world feels as real as our own. Rich history and descriptive mannerisms and culture bring the cold but lusty night world of the slum area known as the Barrel to life. Coupled with the contradicting intentions and origins of the characters, each of whom is willing to kill or be killed for their goal, and the novel is alive. It lives as a frightening but captivating monster. As you stare captivated, it moves to swallow you whole into a darkness riddled with stars.
PRR Editor, Kayla Wactor
