How the Six of Crows Duology Got Me Into Reading Again
Have you ever wished you could be pulled into a fictional world and live like your favorite characters do? That’s exactly how the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo makes me feel. Bardugo has written many fantasy YA novels and multiple books in this same universe. Her Six of Crows installation specifically is the kind of adventure everyone hopes to have, yet it took me a whole six months to decide to pick it up.
I bought the book a long time ago because it sounded like the type of book I would read. A heist in a fantasy world? I’m there. But, admittedly, it had been a while since my last read. With classes, a job, and the idea of binge-watching an entire show in one weekend weighing on my mind, I convinced myself there was little free time for a good book. It’s hard to sit down and get myself to read, even when I know that once I actually begin, I won’t be able to put it down.
One evening at home, I had nothing to do. I considered my options before realizing I had Six of Crows sitting on my desk. Even when I had just begun, I immediately knew it would become one of my favorite books. It’s set in the same universe as Bardugo’s other trilogy, Shadow and Bone, which includes people with magical powers known as the Grisha. The plot focuses on a cunning teenage thief, Kaz Brekker, and his plan to steal an important prisoner responsible for creating jurda parem, a drug that turns the Grisha into all-powerful soldiers. With the help of a hand-picked, charming crew, Brekker sets out on the mission to earn a large sum of money in return.
The best part of the series is undoubtedly the characters, Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Nina Zenik, Matthias Helvar, Wylan Van Eck, and Kuwei Yul-Bo. The writing develops them all as complex individuals and establishes them as important members of the team. Throughout the book, we get to see snippets of their pasts intertwining with their thoughts in current time, and it helps us see their power and growth.
While reading the book, I realised that I felt protective over these characters because of how easy it was to relate to some of the things they had been through, like their relationships or inner struggles, and how incredible it was to see their character arcs complete at the end of the sequel, Crooked Kingdom.
Every scene is full of action and plot twists. The reason it’s so hard to stop turning the pages is because at the end of every chapter, it feels like a curveball was just thrown at you and the only way to recover was to keep reading. The fight scenes are really well crafted and easy to visualize, and the scenes where two or more of the characters bond are even better. As a reader, you can actually feel the emotions of certain characters changing and the gears in Kaz Brekker’s head-turning as he formulates a new plan time and time again. As the crew scrambles to fix their mistakes, it’s easy to imagine their emotions and exciting to know how they’ll recover. There’s a moment of realization every few chapters when more of the plot slides into place.
The book also deals with intense subjects through the lens of fantasy. There is a rich social commentary on classism, racism, and sex trafficking. For example, they delve into how the rich merchants live versus the poor men on the streets, and talk about pleasure houses that specialize in prostitution. In terms of the characters, there is a decent amount of representation when it comes to people of color and disabled, female, or lgbtq+ characters. Personally, I loved to see some aspects of my Indian culture represented in the novel. For example, one of the main characters, Inej, is “Suli” which is heavily based on Indian culture today. It is inspiring to read about someone who looks like me accomplishing such amazing things and I wish I would have had more books like that growing up. I think this is very important because not only are important topics brought to light, but there is a diverse group kicking ass which I love to see. It shows readers that no matter who they are, they are destined for great adventure like the characters are.
Another aspect I really enjoyed was the romance. There are three major romances, and I won’t spoil them, but each relationship is written with a lot of care. There is never a dull, tension-less moment, which I honestly ate up. Each romance is also unique, with its own struggles and very distinct dynamics between the characters. One of the relationships is also between two lgbtq+ characters, which gets a bulk of its development in the sequel. I found all of the relationships, even the platonic or familial ones, to be written really well. There’s amazing banter throughout, and every conversation had me on the edge of my seat; the action has such high-stakes and as the reader you want to see everything have perfect closure, praying that all the characters make it out at the end.
When I first bought Six of Crows, I was sure it’d be exciting, but I never knew just how much it would come to mean to me. It’s one of the most fun journeys I’ve read about, and has reminded me precisely how exciting reading can be if I actually give it the time of day. I already have a list of books lined up to read now that I’ve finished this duology, and it’s because of this series that I want to explore more books and that I’ve fallen back in love with reading. If you’re looking for a diverse set of characters and an exciting heist story, I highly recommend you try Six of Crows.