'Six of Crows' Book Review

Growing up, I always wanted to be that kid who loved reading and always had their nose in a book. Unfortunately, no book could grip me quite enough. That issue never really went away for me and I still find it very difficult to settle down with a book and not get distracted. Leigh Bardugo, however, managed to grip my attention from the very first page of her book Six of Crows.

Quick review: Truly enjoyable and fun for any reader, with the only drawback being that you will want to read the next book straight away.

This book—which I will say is screaming out to be made into a television series—has just about everything I could want in a book. It has fantasy, magic, romance, strong characters, characters of varying races and sexualities, and a strong and intriguing plot which keeps you on the edge of your seat. Once I started reading, I found it near impossible to put this book down.

The tale it tells is truly intriguing and leaves the reader desperate to know all there is to know about the events that are unfolding. Bardugo manages to hold information back from the reader in a way that makes you feel like you know everything there is to know, just before huge new points that you could never have predicted are introduced. There are also very open elements of mystery—hints at stories that you just have to wait to hear more about. This makes for a very entertaining read that keeps you gripped to the story.

Bardugo’s writing style involves character-centred chapters, which makes it very easy to follow the story and keep track of who’s who. It helps to create a mental timeline of the events of the story and keeps everything on track throughout. She has a way of writing that is simply and utterly enjoyable.

One problem I did have was that, at some points during the book, I had to stop to double check who the main characters actually were. I had in my mind from the title that there should be six main characters and I couldn't bring myself to stop searching for them constantly, as I was waiting for them to be introduced. That made the process of reading the book slightly more difficult for me and bought the reasons I don't read very often to light. But I stuck with it and forced myself to forget about searching for who the Six of Crows were. Once I got passed that, I managed to enjoy the book for everything that it is.

The characters are all lovable and relatable in their own ways, with some heart-breaking glimpses into their backgrounds to give them a sense of realness. With the entire of the Grishaverse, Bardugo has created a world in which readers want to submerge themselves and learn all about and has put characters in this world that readers want to get to know and understand. This book does not fail to deliver on that and has made me desperate to read all of the other books in the series.

Like I said, my biggest issue with this book is that, as soon as I put it down, I had to buy the next in the duology—The Crooked Kingdom—because I simply was not ready for the story to be over. The cliffhangers of the story simply make it impossible to put down throughout, and the end is no different.

I would find it difficult to rate this book any less than 4/5 stars. Anybody who enjoys fantasy worlds and complex characters are sure to love this book. This is a perfect next read for any fans of Harry Potter.