“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is the first novel in a duology, which is the second series penned by this author. It takes place in the same universe, two years after the events of the Grisha trilogy, but it isn’t necessary to read this series first, as the Six of Crows duology features a different cast of characters and a whole new storyline. Kaz Brekker is a criminal, plain and simple. He’s the second-in-command of the Dregs, a gang in Ketterdam that was once near the bottom, but has risen to the top ranks after Kaz joined less than five years ago. Cruel, ruthless, and amoral, Kaz doesn’t care about much except for getting paid – and getting his revenge for events in the past that have shaped him into the black-hearted villain he is today. When offered a high-stakes, near impossible job with an even higher payout, Kaz amasses a team to help him break out a scientist from the most heavily guarded prison of this world. Inej Ghafa is his spider, ‘the Wraith’ that prowls the rooftops of Ketterdam gathering information, whether that be by eavesdropping or by her daggers. Jesper Fahey is a sharpshooter with the Dregs who has incredible aim, but poor luck in the gambling houses. Nina Zenik is a Heartrender, a Grisha able to soothe a man’s heart or make his blood vessels burst, depending on how she’s feeling. Wylan is a demolitions expert, a new recruit to the Dregs with a secret in his past that makes him invaluable to the mission. Matthias Helvar is a drüskelle, a soldier of Fjerda sworn to the country’s holy mission of hunting Grisha, who has a deep grudge against Nina and is the only one who knows the layout of the Ice Court, the impenetrable prison and location of this deadly heist. With distrust and suspicion heavy within the group, this motley crew must forgive old ghosts and band together, lest they get captured or worse, killed.
“I have been made to protect you. Only in death will I be kept from this oath.”
Bardugo delivers a showstopping story in this duology. Six of Crows is the perfect introduction to the duology, with beautiful introductions to the settings and world it takes place in to the diverse set of characters brought to life. The writing is exquisite in it’s grace and simplicity, and morals of loyalty, trust, and doing whatever it takes to succeed are prominent. You see each character’s point-of-view and understand their personal beliefs and motives for getting involved in this insane situation. There is no huge endgame here. The fate of the world is not at stake, and no empire will fall if the job isn’t completed. It’s a simple transaction for them: complete the job and get paid, which makes it all the more interesting when certain events unfold to make this story so much bigger than this one assignment. As the six characters travel to Fjerda and the Ice Court to carry out this heist, you fall in love with one and stay hooked to every word, all the way up to the steep cliffhanger Bardugo creates, which will leave you in anticipation of reading the next book. With hauntingly lovely dialogue and varied characters, Bardugo displays a powerful understanding of humanity and life, and just how powerful the heart truly is.
“The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.”
