9 March 2016

Review #364: Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) by Leigh Bardugo



My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“...some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”

----Michael Caine



Leigh Bardugo, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, pens her new YA fantasy novel called, Six of Crows that marks the first book in the Six of Crows series. This book unfolds the story of a world where notorious criminals roam its streets taking care of dirty businesses. Among these blatant herd of criminals, there is a rising star, who wants to pull of an impossible mission along with five others that will change his life forever.


Synopsis:

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.



Kaz Brekker, the 17-year old criminal, also known by the name of Dirtyhands, as there is no such dirty job that he can't pull of diligently. But when a councilman presents him with an opportunity to rescue a chemist from the prison to break into Fjerda's Ice Court, the prize of which is 30 million kruge, Kaz couldn't say no to the offer. But the given task is not impossible but challenging and for that he needs a team to pull it off. So along with the five companions- Inej, the Grisha Nina, Matthias, Wylan and Jesper, who are also criminals belonging from diverse fields- some with magical abilities, some with strength, some with intelligence and some with skills, Kaz embarks on this impossible mission that might either change his life or take away his life.

This is the first ever book that I read by this best-selling author who has created quite a sensation with her previous, The Grisha trilogy. Having never read her previous series, filled my heart with a doubt on whether I'll be able to comprehend with her world or not as this story too, is set in the Grisha universe, hence I was bit skeptical. But trust me, if you are new to the Grisha universe just like me, do not worry, as the author explains her universe and the city where the story is set in intricately. And I did not face any trouble to understand the fantasy world. On that note, the world building is strong and done skillfully. The details of this world is explained with depth and strikingly that let me imagine this world right in front of my eyes.

Ketterdam is a city in the Grisha universe, which is extremely feral, violent and dark city ruled by an equally corrupt councilman. This corrupt land is the home to some of the notorious criminals, among them is the 17-tear old Kaz- who is the ruthless criminal. His greed for money is challenged when he has to do an unimaginably risky task to get his hands on the money, who is haunted by an excruciatingly painful past, that gives him dynamism to his demeanor. He is brave, fearless and intelligent who is the leader of his team of criminals.

The writing style of the author is brilliant and extremely flawless. The narrative is exceptionally engaging and kept me turning the pages till the very end. Told in a third person POV, gave me an opportunty to look at the story with my own perspective. The progress of the story is quite fast paced, even though I was left baffled with the preface so many characters. But as I started comprehending with the plot, I skimmed over the pages of this book with anticipation. Reading Kaz's mission felt like riding a roller-coaster ride filled with adrenaline-rushing action scenes and drama and romance.

The characters are the gem of this book as the author has featured a myriad set of characters who excel in their own fields. The characters are so villainous yet thoroughly good in what they do, that I formed a love-to-hate-them kind of bond with the characters. Every other character are supported with lots of backstory thus making them look rich and deep in the eyes of the readers. Each and every character hold their own plan to get their hands on that large sum of money, despite of their ring leader's wishes.

There also bit of teen romance that is not too highlighted in the story line and not once the story line moved away fro m its main theme. The book also deals a lot with social issues that add an extra layer to this intriguing plot, which are explained with lots of realism.

Inej is an intense spy, Nina is the magical powers bearer with a funny bone, the Grisha is the guy with lots of strength, Matthias is a stubborn convict, Jesper is a sharpshooter with a funny bone and Wylan is a runaway misfit. These five characters along with Kaz, lit up the whole story like a fourth of July night and added a mystifying as well as enthralling aura with their dashing colors.

As the book ends with a shocking cliffhanger, it made me looking forward to read the next book in this compelling as well as captivating YA fantasy series.

Verdict: A must read for all the YA fantasy lovers.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Leigh Bardugo's publicist, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
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Author Info:
Leigh Bardugo is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Grisha Trilogy (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising).
She was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University, and has worked in advertising, journalism, and most recently, makeup and special effects. These days, she’s lives and writes in Hollywood where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band. Her new book, Six of Crows, arrives fall 2015.
Visit her here


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1 comment:

  1. OOoh nice review! I still need to read this one! But thinking I might try waiting to binge the duology later this year! Glad to hear it was awesome! Great review!

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