April 16, 2021  |    1 Comment

I was first introduced to Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse several years ago when I read her flagship trilogy Shadow and Bone. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but then Life got in my way, and the Grishaverse dropped off my radar. Imagine my surprise when Netflix announced that it was making a TV show for the Grishaverse and it will include not just the original trilogy, but the duology as well. What duology‽After a quick Google search and a short discussion with my book club, I had Six of Crows in my hands.

Kaz “Dirtyhands” Brekker is the criminal mastermind of Ketterdam, a city equal parts cosmopolitan and dangerous. And he has his sights set on a prize bigger than any he has ever gone after before. To achieve his goal, he’ll need the best crew: the trusted and deadly Wraith, a sharpshooting sidekick, a spunky Heartrender, an escaped prisoner still loyal to his country, and one mysterious runaway. Together, this young crew seeks to pull off the greatest heist the world has ever seen. But they are not the only ones after the prize, and when dangers from both past and present start coming to light, the chances of survival may be too slim for even Kaz to pull off.

I have to admit that when I sat down to write this review, I struggled to find the words to describe how Six of Crows and the Grishaverse felt to me. I have an interesting relationship with the books and characters: I am a huge fan, but I spent a good five years away from them. After some reflection, the words I settled on were ‘complete’, ‘honest’, and ‘refreshing.’

When I say complete, I don’t mean finished or exhaustive. There are actually quite a few gaps left for the reader in worldbuilding, characters, story, etc. But Six of Crows is complete in that it felt like such a polished presentation of a world. In the simplest scene, I am presented with multiple languages, a complex economy (legal and illegal), history’s influence on present-day activities, everyday use of magic, and cultural nuggets from across the nations. Do I know everything? No, but I don’t need to. I don’t need to spend five hundred pages in Ketterdam or even with Kaz and his merry band of misfits to feel that I have been given a complete picture of both. That’s masterful worldbuilding at work. As writers, we create infinite details for our worlds and only get to share a fraction of those with readers. The skill comes in choosing which details to include to make a reader feel like this world and its people are real. Bardugo has chosen correctly. My imagination was piqued with every word, and I never had an issue picturing the people, places, and things I was reading about. Bardugo’s excellent presentation on each page is truly inspiring.

But I think what really polished the novel for me was the honesty Bardugo employed in presenting characters. Bardugo took the time to flesh out each and every character, going the extra mile with our gang of six. She gave them their own POV chapters, full-length flashbacks to their pasts, focused action, and took the time to sprinkle in quirks when the characters were just sitting around chatting. And they’re not sugarcoated. In fact, some of the six are downright annoying and stupid and unlikeable at times. They are a picture of what it means to be human teenagers. In the back of my copy, there is an interview with Bardugo, and the interviewer expresses amazement that these characters are supposed to be teenagers. I agree with Bardugo’s response: I don’t find it implausible at all. Kaz and the others possess skills and commit actions that are plausible for the world. And they are most definitely, frustratingly, honestly teenagers. They are moody and selfish and absolutely abysmal at communicating anything that might resemble a feeling. And they’re open and hopeful and resilient and sharp. Teenagers get a bad rap, sometimes for good reason, but like every stage of life, these years and people are beautiful in their own way. I am glad to see an honest and shameless representation here.

My third word is ‘refreshing.’ It actually came as a double-edged sword for me. This is a Young Adult book. I hadn’t read YA for a few weeks, and coming back to the style was very liberating. YA tends to be very fast-paced and unapologetic about it. That can be great, especially coming off lengthy adult novels with lots of exposition. I read Six of Crows very quickly and easily because the style allowed me to. But at times it was almost too fast paced. This could just be because I am not the target audience, but sometimes, in the rush of the style, certain things were brushed passed that I felt merited a pause for deeper insight. Most of those moments came during the flashbacks of various characters’ pasts. These past stories are very important to understanding the characters in the present, and these are fascinating stories. But for some of them, there is minimal payout for the tension created. Understandable for certain stories as there are limitations placed on adult topics presented to a YA audience, but unfortunate for others as I believe further exploration could have garnered an even richer experience for the reader.

Fortunately, there is so much more to explore! I am reading Crooked Kingdom right now, will probably re-read the Shadow and Bone trilogy afterward, and plough through everything else Bardugo has ever written because she is a masterful writer and I want to learn from her and enjoy amazing stories. I highly recommend giving Six of Crows a read. You do not have to be familiar with the Grishaverse to enjoy it, but you will miss out on some nods to the trilogy. I’m also very excited for the Netflix series to launch, but content with the original books as I wait. Fantasy lovers, young adults, new adults, regular adults—the Grishaverse is waiting for you.

  • Title: Six of Crows
  • Author: Leigh Bardugo
  • Publisher: Square Fish Books
  • Year: 2015
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Age Range: Teen+

Check out my fellow book club member’s take on Six of Crows HERE

Learn more about Leigh Bardugo HERE

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