In the world of Leigh Bardugo, or the Grishaverse, there is a kingdom called Kerch, based on Holland/Germany. Around this kingdom are the kingdoms of Ravka and West Ravka (based on Russia), the kingdom of Shu Han (based on Mongolia), the kingdom of Fjerda (based on Scandinavia), the nomadic Suli (based on Middle-Eastern cultures), and the country of Zemen (based on Ethiopia). In Kerch, there is a city called Ketterdam, sort of like the London of this fictional world. It is filled with crime, grit, and madness from the dirty, raw Barrel to the refined neighborhoods of the aristocrats. Kaz Brekker is a criminal with a knack for narrow escapes, Jasper Fahey is a prodigious sharpshooter, Inej Ghafa is a spy, the Wraith. Wylan van Eck is a talented chemist escaping his father, Nina Zenik, a woman with the power to stop hearts. Lastly, Mattias Helvar, a man in prison because the alternatives were much worse. Kaz and his team follow a string of leads to discover a shocking secret about how the powers that exist in their world can be enhanced and the people under the effect of the enhancement drug completely controlled. Worst of all, the recipe to this drug and the inventor of it was stolen by the Fjerdans, who are out to end all people with powers, or the Grisha. The Six of Crows adventure across the world, dodging death at every turn to try to save the Grisha.
This book, overall, was an amazing read, though quite long. I finished this book in two days, but kept re-reading it due to the incredible amount of detail Bardugo has put into it. The previous series, the Shadow and Bone trilogy was built upon perfectly in this book, effectively making a completely new aspect of the world that is understandable by new readers, and yet still incorporating ideas from the books that came before in a way that flows smoothly from sentence to sentence. The author really exposes readers to differences of opinions and the backing of each of these ideas, not writing in a bias towards one or the other, but rather letting the characters argue their case. Bardugo has written her characters as beautifully flawed antiheroes with their own personal stories, managing to share a spotlight between six very different individuals. Six of Crows changed my opinion on strength and weaknesses, leading me to reevaluate what I saw as a “good” versus “bad” character trait in a person.
I do not and will never regret reading Six of Crows. In the time that we were given to read one book, I have read the Six of Crows duology as well as the King of Scars duology. Bardugo’s writing keeps me coming back for more, and I had spent forever trying to find Six of Crows after reading the first trilogy in the Grishaverse book series. To future readers, I would recommend reading the Shadow and Bone series first, then Six of Crows to better understand the main plot points, and exactly why some things are truly as bad as they seem in the book. This is a book that I one-hundred percent recommend.
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