Six of Crows Book Review

“Six of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo is a fantasy book that has been an exciting and fun ride as I joined the crew from Ketterdam on an impossible heist.

So, I was introduced to the Six of Crow characters through the popular Netflix show Shadow & Bone. I also know through the grapevine that there are spoilers in the second season of Crooked Kingdom—the second book in the Six of Crow series. So clearly, I wanted to do a chapter-by-chapter summary on my podcast before watching a show.

The first thing that really grabbed my attention is the cast of characters and how they play in this impossible heist.

Kaz: leader of the group

Inej: the wraith, able to get secrets, super stealth, and knows how to use a dagger

Jesper: sharpshooter for the team

Wylan: bombmaker

Nina: Grisha and Heartreander

Matthias: ticket to get in the Ice Court

What also stood out to me was the heist. The heist has never been done before and takes a special crew to break into it.

So this story takes place way after the Sun Summoner in Shadow & Bone has died and now years later, Grisha is being made into a slave or hunted down by Druskelles.

So there is this drug, jurda purem that once taken can enhance the powers of a Grisha to insane levels. But unfortunately, it is also the reason that Grisha is becoming extremely addicted and in some cases dying after one dose. So, Van Dck who comes on behalf of the council of Ketterdam decided to commission Kaz and his crew to break into the Ice Court and grab the man who invented jurda purem. If Kaz is able to grab the scientist, then there is a big reward.

So Kaz assembled a crew, even going as far as breaking someone out of another prison. Each person in this crew has plans on what they do with the money once they completed the job. 

What I like so about this is that as you go through the chapters, as you read each person’s POV, you find out who they are, what their background to their story and what they are going to do with the money once they get it.

So Kaz’s crew isn’t the only one going after the prize as they come across rival gangs competing for the enormous prize. This is where a lot of the danger starts to happen at this point. As they have to defend themselves and have crazy plans to get to the next phase of the heist. Which to get into the Ice Court as criminals. They have to go to jail.

But of course, things don’t go as planned once they get into Ice Court. The crew had to learn to adjust quickly because their lives depended on it. Even though their lives were at risk, they decided to follow the original plan and kidnap the scientist.

Loyalties are tested and unfortunately many betrayals in this one. 

This book did leave you on a cliffhanger as betrayals are made and the steaks of jurda purem become even higher. 

I love the unpredictability of the whole story. Some things go wrong and you read in angst as they work quickly to get themselves out of it. There were times that I thought, well this is it. The heist is over. But somehow, Kaz pulls out of his bags of tricks and somehow saves the crew.

No Mourners, No Funerals.