I recently read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, and it was one of the most refreshing Young Adult fantasy’s that I’ve read in some time. The author shows such expertise in her word craft and sentence structure that this didn’t even read like a young adult novel. Or it could be that some of the YA I’ve read in recent times are more juvenile in their approach.
It’s difficult to put a finger on one thing that made me enjoy Six of Crows so much. Instead, here’s a short list of things that really stood out to me.
Six of Crows is great as a stand alone
Okay, so the book does end with a cliffhanger, but my point here is that you don’t need any prior attachment to Leigh Bardugo’s work to enjoy this book. Six of Crows is set in the same world as her Grisha series, but I’ve never read a word of those books. Six of Crows is a great pickup for those who just want to read a single fantasy experience, without any pressure to continue the series. But my guess is that by the time you finish the book, you’d have enjoyed it so much that you’ll pick up the follow up to Six of Crows, as well as the Grisha series.
Leigh Bardugo’s prose
Leigh Bardugo’s voice shines in this book. Her prose is sharp and not too flowery. Many times while I reading I found myself wanting to write down quotes from the book. She has some of the most creative descriptions I’ve read in YA fiction. They’re worded with such attention to detail that it’s as if she’s planting images directly into the reader’s mind.
The character driven approach
The premise of Six of Crows is that six outcasts get hired by a gang leader to pull a heist job. The heist involves kidnapping a person of interest. It’s a simple but interesting synopsis on its own; however, it’s the main cast of characters that really carry this story. The story almost completely takes a backseat as we get a deep-dive into each of the six characters and their personal history. Each of them is so strong a character that they could carry an entire novel on their own. The story shifts to one of these six perspectives throughout the book, and each character is so unique that you can immediately identify which of them you’re reading. My personal favourite is Nina Zenik, who is a part of the Dregs gang and has Grisha powers.
The author’s personal touch
Author Leigh Bardugo has a degenerative condition called Osteonecrosis, which is a bone condition that causes each step she takes to be somewhat painful. As written in her Acknowledgements, she sometimes needs to walk with a cane. That’s why the Crows gang leader (and main protagonist), Kaz Brekker walks with a cane in the book.
This stood out to me, because I feel that it’s important for authors to put just enough of their own personal struggles into their characters. I’m also writing a piece of fiction that includes a protagonist with Sickle Cell —a condition I’ve lived with my whole life— so It touched me to know that Leigh Bardugo was able to empower those who also suffer from Osteonecrosis by writing such a badass character.
If you’ve read Six of Crows, share what you liked (or disliked) about the book below!
