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.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction–if they don’t kill each other first.

So, as ubiquitous as Six of Crows is over on Bookstagram, I honestly had no idea what this book (or any of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse books) was all about. I knew the names Kaz & Inej from seeing them quite frequently, but really beyond that, I went into this book completely blind.

And I ate it up. Six of Crows was just so fucking cool!

Bardugo’s writing pulled me in straight away. Ketterdam felt so vivid & real & grimy & dangerous…a city steeped in shadows, with crisscrossing canals & gambling houses & sketchy pubs & & &…this is how I like my fantasy cities, for sure! And almost to a character, each introduction is incredibly memorable. When I think of Inej, it will always be her, drenched in shadow, leaping across rooftops, all her knives accounted for & watching over Kaz. I absolutely LOVED the vibe between these two characters. They almost both assume sort of a guardian angel role to the other. And although Kaz is presented as the somewhat cold & inscrutable gangster, the connection that he shares with Inej is this crackling, living, breathing thing. Oof…these are two characters that just play off one another so well!

Another pair of characters that just fascinated me were Nina & Matthias. I mean, fucking hell…Matthias’s introduction is BANANAS!! Bardugo manages to keep ratcheting up the tension between these two for almost the duration of the book, and giving us bits & pieces of their complex backstory along the way.

The book moves at an extremely quick pace, and takes on this killer heist movie/jailbreak vibe. To that end, one of my only complaints about Six of Crows was it moves so damn quick that it felt like we didn’t spend nearly as much time in Ketterdam as I would’ve liked (though I’m assured most, of not all of Crooked Kingdom is set within the city). Kaz organizes his band of misfits & thieves and quickly sets sail to attempt a daring heist, breaking into the (supposedly impenetrable) prison at The Ice Court. Each member of the crew has a vital role to play, and I honestly thought this was the biggest strength of the book; although Kaz & Inej are ostensibly the two “main characters”, nobody feels superfluous in this book.

Six of Crows has over 25,000 reviews on Goodreads, so I’m sure I’m not bringing anything new to the table! But I’m really glad to have read this! I found this world to be fascinating…the magic system felt really unique, with all the different abilities a Grisha might possess. Knowing there’s five more novels & a collection of short stories set in this world tells me I’ve only just scratched the surface of what the Grishaverse has to offer, and I’m for sure planning on reading more set in this world!

Big thanks to my friend Tes for not only sending me a copy of this book, but for relentlessly hounding me to read it! I really fucking dug this one!!

No mourners.

No funerals.