Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult

Publisher: Indigo

My Rating: 

Synopsis: Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he’ll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:

Break into the notorious Ice Court (a military stronghold that has never been breached);

Retrieve a hostage (who could unleash magical havoc on the world);

Survive long enough to collect his reward (and spend it).

Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done – and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable – if they don’t kill each other first.

My Review (Spoiler-free)

I was hoping Six of Crows would live up to its insane hype. Did it? Definitely.

I read Shadow and Bone (although my early edition is called A Gathering of Shadows), the first in the Grisha trilogy, when it was originally released. I liked it, but I didn’t like it enough to immediately pick up the sequel. As a result, it fell to the wayside and I just never got round to finishing the trilogy. Then along came Six of Crows. I saw so may rave reviews, saw so many people gushing about it, that I decided to give the world of the Grisha another go.

Bardugo’s writing has certainly improved. Smooth, decorated with emotional flourishes, but not pulling any punches when it came to some of the more gory aspects, I loved every minute of it. Bardugo keeps the plot moving along at a steady pace and there isn’t a single word that feels unnecessary. And whilst the plot itself was unique and interesting, a kind of mashup between Ocean’s Eleven and Peaky Blinders in a world of magic, it was the characters that definitely stood out for me.

They’re all unique and diverse. Perhaps Wylan fell a little bit by the wayside, never getting a chapter dedicated to himself which I would have liked to have seen, but other than that they’re all exceptionally crafted. My favourites, however, were Kaz, Nina and Jesper. Kaz in particular was very complex and, as I’ve mentioned before, is basically a teenage Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders – both dress in smart suits, both have their hair shaved at the sides (which is a staple for the Shelby brothers), both are very good with words, and both have a troubled, traumatic past that affects them in the present. Oh, and they’re both gangsters, of course. If you love Kaz, go watch Peaky Blinders now, I can’t recommend it enough; I’d be very surprised if Bardugo wasn’t watching the show when writing Six of Crows. However, that’s of course where the similarities end; Kaz is his own person (although it was hard not to read his dialogue without a Brummy accent). I really liked learning about his childhood and discovering more about his habits and quirks. Whilst his choices were perhaps sometimes hard to swallow, you can see what drove him to it.

The standout character for me, however, was Nina. I really loved Nina. She was witty, headstrong, loved to eat and didn’t care who knew, and powerful yet compassionate. My favourite chapters were definitely hers, whether it was discovering more about her or learning more of her relationship to Matthias. Their journey together was one I really enjoyed finding out more about.

There are also a fair few twists and turns in this book and, I have to say, I didn’t see any of them coming. Normally, these things can be quite obvious, especially in YA. I don’t know if some authors just think readers of YA are dumb, but I can assure you we’re not. Thankfully, Bardugo isn’t one of those authors. All the twists caught me by surprise and kept me reading.

As for the world-building, I really enjoyed it, and it made me consider going back and trying the Grisha trilogy again. However, and this is a big however, I’m 99% sure there is a mahoosive spoiler in Six of Crows for that series. So now I’m a little bummed. I’m not going to mention what it’s about because even hinting at it will probably spoil it for those who haven’t read the first trilogy. You find out early on that this book takes part after the events of the original trilogy, so I can’t complain too much for skipping that trilogy and going to Six of Crows, but it was still a bit disappointing; I didn’t expect such a major spoiler. Anyway, you have been warned.

So, overall, a seamless story with excellent, complex characters. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, then do it! It certainly deserves all the hype it gets. I’ll probably wait a little bit until I get Crooked Kingdom, allow myself to digest this book first. In the meantime, I still have the last episode of series 3 of Peaky Blinders to watch…

Have you read Six of Crows or the Grisha trilogy? Or are you planning to read them? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Advertisement

The Sunshine Blogger Award

A big thank you to Demetra @ bookstraveller for nominating me for this, it’s my first award since I started blogging in March so I’m pretty excited! If you don’t already follow her blog, go check it out!

Questions

1. What Hogwarts house are you in?

I’ve admitted before on this blog that I only ever got as far as Chamber of Secrets so I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to the Hogwarts houses! However, I’ve seen all the films, and I’ve always felt a strange attraction to Slytherin. I’m not quite sure what that says about me…

2. What Ilvermorny house are you in?

I had to google this and I had no clue it was another Harry Potter thing! Sorry, Demetra! I found the houses though and I like the sound of Thunderbird the best as it ‘favours adventurers’ and I’d like to think I’d be an adventurer if I had magical powers and all that.

3. Have you read Harry Potter and The Cursed Child already or planning to?

Seeing as I never made it past Chamber of Secrets, I don’t think I’ll ever read The Cursed Child, although it does sound interesting!

4. Is there a book you own more than one copy of?

I own two copies of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. I read it for fun and loved it, then had to read it again at university, but I needed a particular edition of the book because this one had an introduction. Other than that, I don’t think so, but I’ve almost finished my ARC of Goldenhand by Garth Nix and seeing as it’s my favourite series I want a finished copy too, in case there are any changes! So I’ll probably have two copies of Goldenhand soon.

5. What kind of book or movie related merchandise do you own?

I picked up a bunch of bookish freebies from YALC so I have loads of excerpts and postcards and badges! I have some movie-tie-in editions of books, like my copy of Never Let Me Go and I also collect those 1 litre special edition movie cups from Vue cinemas (this won’t make any sense unless you’re British) because I’m a sad person. They’re giant cups with a movie poster printed on and they have little figurines on top and I feel like such a child asking for a Katniss or Bucky Barnes figurine. (Although I desperately wanted a Bucky Barnes one). I even have a dinosaur one from when I went to see the new Jurassic Park. I used to love dinosaurs as a child, okay. However, I have no shame buying the big special edition cups for Marvel films. Marvel rules all.

6. If you could have personally witnessed anything, what would you want to have seen?

I’ve always had a fascination with the World Wars, but I think it would be much too harrowing to go back and witness any of that. So probably a happier event, like the coronation of Elizabeth I or something. Or, I’d go back to when dinosaurs roamed the planet, as long as someone could guarantee I wouldn’t be eaten.

7. What’s your favourite TV show?

This is really difficult to choose, so I’ll pick a few: The 100, Mr. Robot, The Returned (the original French version, of course), The Bridge (the original Scandi version), Game of Thrones and of course Peaky Blinders. There’s definitely more but my mind has gone blank!

8. What’s your favourite movie?

Once again, how can I choose?! Anything Marvel, especially the Captain America films. And I’ve always loved The Lord of the Rings films, they’re just perfection. I’m not even gonna mention any more because I’ll be sat here forever.

9. If you could be any book character, who would you be and why?

I think Sabriel from the Old Kingdom series, although I don’t know if I’d be very good at fighting the Dead, I’d probably pass out from fear. But then again, if I was Sabriel, I’d pretty much be fearless.

10. What do you look at first: the book cover or the blurb?

Book cover, definitely. I try not to judge a book by its cover but you can usually tell if something isn’t your cup of tea just by the cover. Even still, if the title catches my eye or I’ve heard great things, I’ll check out the blurb.

11. Which book should everyone read?

The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix! Or anything by Virginia Woolf! I’m a broken record on this blog.

My Questions

1. Who are your three favourite protagonists?
2. What’s your favourite book cover?
3. Is there an antagonist you’ve ever sympathised with? Or even liked more than the protagonist?
4. Do you write books as well as read them?
5. Do you prefer Sci-Fi or Fantasy? Or do you not like either?
6. Do you like books being adapted for film/TV, or do you hate it?
7. Do you prefer paperbacks or hardbacks?
8. If you could compete in any Olympic sport, which one would you choose?
9. If you could be friends with any character (book, film or TV) who would you pick?
10. Is there a book or series you think is underappreciated?
11. If you could be a superhero, what powers would you have?

I Nominate

• Cate @ Midnight Biblio Blog
• Megan @ Bookslayer Reads
• Laura @ Reading Lust
• Cait @ Bathtime Reads
• Shouni @ Through the Book Portal

Discussion: Does a Character’s Name Affect Your Opinion?

There are some names that have been completely tarnished by people I know in real life.

There was a girl I knew called Jade who was pretty horrible, so now I’m not a fan of that name. (Sorry to all other Jade’s, I’m sure you’re lovely). Also, George. I’ve known too many George’s and too many of them have annoyed me.

As a result of this, it can sometimes be a little harder to connect with characters who have names with bad connotations for me. Writing this out, it sounds silly really. I shouldn’t be judging a character simply because a girl I knew when I was ten was mean. It’s one of those things that sticks with you but I try not to be so judgemental of a character because it reminds me of someone I know; that would just be petty.

But what about when you just don’t like the name? Or the name doesn’t seem to suit the character?

For example, what about Four in Divergent? I think the nickname really fits. But what about his given name? (If you haven’t read the books and don’t want to know his given name, even though it doesn’t spoil any plot points, then skip to below the book covers).

His given name is Tobias and as soon as I read that all the mysteriousness of Four disappeared. For some reason, the name just killed the mood. It just doesn’t sound very tough when the whole point of Four is he’s meant to be tough and strong and confident. He’s meant to instill bravery in Tris and represent the endurance and heroism of the Dauntless faction. Four does that, Tobias doesn’t.

On the other hand, I recently reviewed an ARC of Girl Detached by Manuela Salvi. I adored it and you can check out my review for it here. I won’t give anything away, but the antagonist of the novel is called Ruben. I’ve always loved that name but after reading this book my opinion has changed slightly. I still like the name, yet it now reminds me of a manipulative man. I guess I won’t be naming any future sons ‘Ruben’ anymore!

Of course, that’s a slight exaggeration, but you get my drift. There will always be a slight association with that name. Just like the name ‘Angelina’ will always make Angelina Jolie spring to mind. Or how names like Chandler and Rachel will make many people think of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to take someone named ‘Chandler’ seriously.

However, what about the idea that characters with names you like will make your opinion of them increase? One name I’ve always liked is Sam. In Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series (which I’m always talking about on this blog), there’s a character called Sameth, Sam for short. He’s one of my favourite characters and after reading the novels I liked the name ‘Sam’ even more. If Sam had been a horrible character, my opinion of the name might have gone the other way, yet instead the name will forever make me think of this character and have good connotations for me.

I know this post was brief, but it was only a thought and I wanted to hear some other opinions on it. So, what do you guys think? Are there names you’ll always dislike because of someone in real life or someone in a book? Are there names you like more because of some of your favourite characters? 

Let me know in the comments below!

 

 

A Novel Discussion: How Important Are Characters Clothes?

I recently reviewed Carrie Ryan’s YA Mystery Daughter of Deep Silence, which I gave 3/5 due to its lacklustre characters and plot. However, one thing I didn’t like about the novel that I didn’t actually mention was the style of one of the characters. Sounds petty, I know, but as soon as Greyson Wells, the love-interest, was described as wearing ‘pressed khakis and a light pink button-down shirt’ to a posh fundraiser, I knew I would never grow to ‘swoon’ over this supposedly handsome love interest. Not a chance.

Who wears khakis to a respectable event? What are you do wearing those monstrosities? I immediately imagined the short khakis, not the long trousers, which I’m presuming he’s wearing because it’s summer and they’re by the beach, but still. Unacceptable. And khaki with pink? Don’t even go there.

Yes, I am well aware that I sound like the fashion police right now, but of course I’m exaggerating (just a little). I’m pretty sure ‘pressed khakis’ are much more popular in the USA (where the novel is set) than the UK, so khakis might sound extremely normal to any American reader. In fact, when I google ‘pressed khakis’, there are only results for American retailers, no British ones. But for me, it just sounds like a fashion disaster. Invest in some nice suit trousers, Greyson Wells, not khakis. I think of khakis and I see Donald Trump, and I really don’t want to imagine the love-interests in novels as young Donald Trump’s.

So, this got me thinking; how important are the clothes characters wear? Clearly Greyson Wells’ fashion sense was enough to put me off him a little, but his personality wasn’t great either. Sure, if he’d had a great personality, I’d have forgiven the khakis, because I read novels to learn about and enjoy these fictional people, not lament over their dress sense. But still, it clearly affected my overall attraction to him as a character.

Of course, in Fantasy or Sci-Fi novels, clothes are often used to convey status, such as the use of flashy armour, family insignia’s, jewellery. Even today, clothes still convey status. A man wearing an Armani suit? Must be rich. Maybe a businessman. Or a celebrity.

Let’s use a TV programme as an example here. Arya Stark in Season 1 of Game of Thrones wears a thick cloak, a fresh dress, her hair clean and plaited. Arya Stark in the most recent Season is wearing rags, her hair limp and greasy, her skin dirty. You don’t need to watch Game of Thrones to understand that something bad has happened to Arya between these two stills. Clothes show status, but I don’t like Arya any less for being dirty and in rags. So why did Greyson Wells’ outfit put me off him?

Maybe I expected him to dress well because his father is a rich senator, but wealth doesn’t equate fashion sense (yes, Donald Trump, I mean you). Or maybe, because he’s the love-interest, I expect him to dress in a style that I like on men. Just a normal suit would have sufficed. But I can’t expect every girl in every book to dress how I do, or every boy to dress how my boyfriend does.

However, you do expect a love-interest to be one thing: handsome, in some way or another. I don’t expect every man in every novel to look like Tom Hardy, although I can dream, but they do need to have something that’s attractive about them. Whether that be their face, their personality, their physique or style, you want to be attracted to them, you want to root for them to end up with the other main character, be they man or woman, if there’s a romance.

Let’s take another example from a TV series, Peaky Blinders:

Now, let’s ignore the fact that Cillian Murphy is very pretty and focus on the clothes. Clean, sharp (I’m not talking about the razor blades in their caps here), layered. You know they’re organised, that they care about looking good, that they have money. Their suits say power and confidence. Clothes tell us immediately what someone is like before they’ve even opened their mouth. John, on the left, hat slightly askew – what does that imply? That he breaks the rules? You’d be right about that, but then again they all do. Tommy, in the middle, hat straight, arguably a nicer waistcoat than John’s – he’s the leader. Arthur, right, coat buttoned-up – things he wants to hide? Yes, but I do watch the show, so I’m probably just reading into it. But still, you see what I mean, their clothes can tell us what they’re like. And also, those suits are way more attractive than khakis and a pink shirt. I’d make my boyfriend dress like the Peaky Blinders if I could (yes I would, Mark).

So how important are the clothes that characters wear? In my opinion, quite important. They tell you something about the character. Even if it’s a knight in armour, you know they’re strong and respected. Clothes will tell you if someone conforms or rebels, what their personality may be like, how much they value their appearance.

On the other hand, some authors never tell us what their characters are wearing. Do I mind? No, I just imagine them how I like, or how I think best fits their personality. Yet this still proves the importance of clothes; not just as something to cover people up with, so characters aren’t running about naked in our heads as we read a book, but so that we can project what clothes we like and want onto them. It gives us a sense of ownership, makes us like them more. In the end, clothes, to me, are an important factor of characterisation. But does it matter a lot? No, unless your character is personality-less and dresses like Donald Trump, in which case, yes, it matters a lot.

So, over to you; how important are the clothes characters wear? Let me know in the comments below, whether you agree or disagree with me, I’d love to hear some other opinions!