Six of Crows

‘No mourners…’ ‘…no funerals.’ Among them, it passed for good luck. ” This quote is a perfect description of the tone set throughout this entire novel. A hopelessness so ingrained in a group of people that their phrase for good luck is hinged around the idea of no one mourning or honoring their deaths. Having read the Shadow and Bone trilogy, I was familiar with the Grisha universe prior to reading this novel. If you’re wondering which you should read first, I suggest reading the trilogy prior to the duology — it will get you a lot of historical context that lays the foundation for the problems, war and ultimate state of the world this book is set it. I will say, I enjoyed the Grisha trilogy but found myself frustrated with the direction the story ended up going. Leigh Bardugo is a phenomenal writer but it felt like the end of that trilogy took the easy way out — but that review is for a different day. Six of crows shows Bardugo’s redemption in making the difficult but correct plot choices, in my opinion. This entire book is thrilling because the reader (presumably having read her previous Grisha trilogy) goes into the story assuming they will have some idea of where the story will go, having explored this world before. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Six of crows follows the dark and dangerous mob-lifestyles in the Barrel of Ketterdam, far away from the Golden Palace of Prince Nikolai and the worshiped Sankta Alina. Bardugo does not shy away from the dark and gruesome reality of the mob lifestyle, she embraces it. Readers are shown vivid descriptions of call-girls, gambling rings, mistakes punishable by death and ruthless leaders capable of lethality at any second. Despite such a horrific environment, Bardugo’s character development leaves the readers connecting, loving and rooting for characters with truly horrible qualities. One thing I appreciated was the pacing of this story – you’re shown an enticing and mysterious scene right off the bat, completely immersing you into this story as you crave to find out more behind what happened. Immediately, you’re pulled away and shown the humble beginnings of Kas Brekker and the Dregs from the Crow Club, learning about their personalities, roles, and motives for the dangerous job that takes up most of the story. Readers learn details slowly — not so slow that they’re bored — but slow enough that they’re kept hooked to the plot, hoping the next page turn will provide the answer they need. Just when you might become a bit bored by the plot, a twist or exciting, unexpected wrench gets thrown into the mix bringing you back in. As you go along in the story, you’re introduced to more details about each member of the Dregs, their pasts that led them to this journey they take together, and the secrets that shape their relationships. These details are done brilliantly, as readers are able to see these memories and experiences from each characters point of view. This brings a human quality to the characters and allows readers to empathize with their situations, thus creating a bond between reader and character that allows them to continue to love and support the Dregs despite the horrible things they do to each other and others throughout the journey. You’re rooting for them to get the endings they want and deserve and hoping they won’t choose to lie, cheat, kill and steal in order to get there, but ultimately accept that that is just who they are. The only time this aspect of the characters was frustrating was at the end of the book. The relationship between Kaz and Inej is tantalizingly frustrating throughout the story, but the end of the book is where we really see Kaz’s nature and I found myself so frustrated that he couldn’t be better for her and that because of him, Inej gets placed in the worst case scenario. I’m hoping that he redeems himself in the second installment. Overall — there’s no denying that Leigh Bardugo has talent and if you loved the first trilogy, I guarantee you’ll love this one even more. If you had mixed feelings on the first Grisha trilogy, I urge you to give this duology a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Stay tuned for the review around book two!

It took me quite some time to get to this book, mostly because I never managed to read the original Grisha trilogy, I tried several times to get started with it, but there was something about it that didn’t quite suck me in. Eventually though, I gave up that series and decided to dig into Six of Crows even though I had not read the Grisha trilogy in advance. And I am happy that I did because Six of Crows was an easy read that pulled me in rather quickly. In Six of Crows we follow a group of six criminals from a gang called the Dregs, and when their leader, Kaz, gets a job that would change their lives forever, he can’t say no, despite the job being as impossible as it gets. So, in this book, we get to come along on the quest as they set out to break into one of the most secure prisoners in Fjerda. There’s a lot of things that I really enjoy in this book, but also a few things that slightly annoyed me. But for the most part this is a great read and the way the author has managed to keep the reader invested in all three characters and their separate POVs is impressive, not once did I feel like any of the characters were unnecessary or flat. Every character is well developed with interesting backstory and there’s also a lot going on in their relationships and thanks to the separate POV’s you get a very intimate connection to each an ever characters emotions and reasons to what they do. It’s, like I said, beautifully crafted and the writing too is beautiful and vivid. The wordbuiling is great and Bardugo manages to incorporate details of the world and the scenery in the story without it feeling heavy with information. It all flows very well, and as I read it was easy to picture the scenes. The plot was interesting, full of twists and turns and seeing the team’s job take shape from the eyes of multiple POVs made for a very interesting read and also gave the heist that sense of mystery and surprise that we’re used to seeing on tv and in movies. As for the things that I didn’t quite like it was not bad enough to really make a difference in the overall rating, but it was still things that stuck out to me. The first being that I felt like the heist sometimes got overshadowed by massive bits of backstory. The backstory itself didn’t bother me because they were interesting and great, and they made me understand and connect with the character a lot more, but I didn’t feel like they were necessary for the story in that elaborated manor they had been written in, less information had been enough and kept the pacing of the main plot more consistent. So, even though I enjoyed learning about the characters pasts and the reasons they ended up in the gang, I would have preferred more focus on the heist itself. The second thing is the beginning. It was unnecessary and pointless. Why make us invested in Joost and Anya just to basically never mention them again? I get the point of showing what the drug could do, but there must have been a better way to do it. The third thing is related to the Fjerdans and primarily their language. The Fjerdan’s are, according to what I’ve read from interviews with Leigh Bardugo, heavily influenced by Scandinavia, and more specifically Sweden and Norway. As a swede, I can totally see that, and I knew that it is a fictional language and that my own language has been used as inspiration. But I couldn’t help feel a bit thrown off when there was suddenly words that I knew from my own language being used when there was so many other words used that didn’t fit at all with the way we’d use those words. It’s hard to explain, and truly it doesn’t really matter since it’s fiction and not real, but it was something that stood out to me, like a hiccup that broke the flow of my reading. I think it would have bothered me less if the Fjerdans had actually spoken any of the Scandinavian languages, or at least had a more reasonable structure to their sentences and words that would have fit well with the use of actual words from our language. And in this same line are the names of the Fjerdan Drüskelle. There were typical Scandinavian names at a lot of the times, but then there were these names that stood out and didn’t fit in with the rest we’d been told. But, I’m not going to let any of this affect the rating since this is just a personal thing that most likely wouldn’t bothered anyone else, and if does not in any way affect the intensity and greatness of the story. So, overall, this book will get a solid 4/5 stars from me, and I can’t wait to dig into the sequel. I can also highly recommend this book to basically everyone, it’s a great read and the way Leigh Bardugo handled all six POVs is reason enough for every author to pick up this book.

Es gibt kein gebündeltes Adjektiv für all die Gefühle, die in mir toben. Die Geschichte begleitet mich bei jedem Schritt. Ich liebte schon die Grisha-Trilogie und nun folgte dieses Buch, in welchem man schon vor dem eigentlichen Lesen war. Im Internet tummeln sich unglaublich viele Bilder der Charaktere und man will dieses Buch einfach nur lesen, in der Hand halten und lieben. Durch all die Zeichnungen kannte ich die Charaktere schon eine Ewigkeit, aber wusste ich dennoch nicht, wie genial sie und die Geschichte sind. Manchmal denkt man, es könne sich nicht steigern. Dieses Buch zeigt das Gegenteil. (Und ist einer der großen Sterne für mich, deshalb entschuldige ich, sollte jemand diese Rezension als zu schwärmerisch empfinden.) Nach Grisha hat Leigh Bardugo noch einmal einen sehr großen Schritt gemacht und man merkt, dass sie selbst sehr viel in dieses Buch gesteckt hat. Zeit, Energie, Liebe. Auch wenn es nicht immer zutrifft, so sieht man hierbei, sich viel Zeit für ein Buch zu nehmen, schafft einen ganz anderen Stil und Charakter. Obwohl wieder die gleiche Welt verwendet wurde, so war es nicht, dass sie es sich dadurch leicht gemacht hat. Wenn man mehr aus der Welt der Grisha erfahren wollte, den anderen Ländern, dann findet man genau dies in diesem brillanten und atemberaubenden Buch. Es wird nur sehr wenig der vorherigen Trilogie aufgegriffen. Eher wird die Welt noch einmal neu geschaffen und auf andere Art und Weise, erwachsener erzählt. Es ist wirklich faszinierend, wie Leigh Bardugo es geschafft hat aus auktorialer Sicht, sieben Hauptcharaktere spielen zu lassen. Kein Chaos entsteht in dieser unglaublichen Komplexität, sondern bringt es Spannung mit jedem Kapitel, was einen blättern und blättern lässt, das Herz hört nicht auf schnell zu schlagen. Der Schreibstil aller Kapitel, immer ein wenig auf den jeweiligen Charakter angepasst, verfließt ineinander wie Wasser und bringt dunkle, magische, romantische, liebevolle und amüsante Stimmungen durch bloße Worte mit sich. Bardugo weiß es wirklich, wie mit den Gefühlen des Lesers gespielt werden kann. Wie ich sagte, reizten mich schon vor Beginn die Charaktere und dies auch noch beim Lesen des Buches. Alle sechs waren so unterschiedlich voneinander und definitiv keine Stereotypen. Sie waren verschiedenen Geschlechts, Abstammung und vor allem ihre Geschichte, die ihre Person formte. Durch die Erzählweise erhält man eine gewisse Distanz zu ihnen, die nach und nach verschwindet. Man möchte nur wissen, was mit ihnen ist, wie sie denken. Langsam, ohne es richtig zu merken, schleicht sich die Vergangenheit von ihnen in die Erzählung und man stellt eine starke Bindung zu ihnen auf. Trotzdass man sie zu kennen scheint, überraschen sie einen jedes Mal aufs Neue. Es ist zudem ihr echtes Sein, das mich an sie band, und ihr realistischer und authentischer Umgang untereinander. Nicht jeder mag jeden, alte Verbindungen können noch tief in der Seele sein, Vergangenheit und Taten lassen sich nicht einfach vergessen. Das Buch ist nicht überzogen mit Liebesgeschichten, wenngleich man die Liebe spürt, wie die heiße Glut unter der dunklen Oberfläche einer Kohle, kurz davor hervorzubrechen. Es sind unausgesprochene Worte, die zwischen den Personen bestehen und man kennt sie, nur durch eine winzige Tat, es stimmt schlichtweg. Hier wird die Liebe der unterschiedlichen Ebenen aufgegriffen. Freundschaftlicher und romantischer Sicht. Es ist so schön Nina und Inej zusammen zu sehen, wie sie in dieser tiefen und vertrauten Art miteinander sind. Matthias und Nina, wie Liebe und Hass zu gleicher Zeit herrschen. Jesper und Wylan mit ihrem ganz eigenen Sein. Und schließlich Kaz und Inej, wie Grenzen fallen. Die Gruppe der Sechs harmoniert mit ihren Stärken und Schwächen, der Tiefgründigkeit. Mir ist jeder einzelne Charakter fest an mein Herz gewachsen, vor allem einer. Kaz Brekker. KAZ. Es ist schwer zu beschreiben, wie er eigentlich ist. Man fühlt es. Ebenfalls haben andere handelnde Personen ihre Tiefe und eine unausgesprochene und dennoch so gut bekannte Geschichte. Man könnte meinen, in Kaz, Inej, Nina etc. zu schlüpfen und ihre Erinnerungen und Gefühle zu ihnen zu kennen, sodass keine weiteren Erklärungen nötig sind. Sogar merkte ich mir sofort jeden der Namen, wenngleich sie gänzlich unbedeutend waren, was selten bei mir der Fall ist. Und so als würde die Zeit wie in der des Buches vergehen, treten andere in den Vordergrund und andere blendet man aus, sodass man wie die Dregs nicht mehr mit ihnen rechnet oder auch von ihnen getäuscht wird. Zu den außergewöhnlichen Charakteren kommt eine einzigartige Geschichte hinzu. Sie hatte ihre Ruhepunkte, aber bleiben bei mir die Aussetzer des Herzschlages, die Atemnot und pure Gefühle in Erinnerung. Es passiert wahnsinnig viel in diesem Buch, trotzdem ist es nicht zu schnell erzählt oder zu langsam. In den teils am wenigsten erwarteten Momenten, hat die Handlungen eine plötzliche Wendung, die man nie vorhersehen konnte. Man war hin und her gerissen und konnte nicht glauben, was gerade geschehen war. Das bedeutet jedoch nicht, dass man mit dutzenden Fragen zurückgelassen wurde, denn fügte sich alles zusammen. Aspekte, wie winzig sie manchmal waren, hatten ihre Bedeutung und einen nachvollziehbaren Grund. Nichts war nur eine zeitschaffende Aktion für mehr Seiten zum Lesen, eher wollte man mehr und mehr. Die „WTF“-Momente nach einem dieser Plottwists, rissen die Gefühle mit und warfen alles durcheinander, dabei waren sie immer bewegender. Und dann der Schluss. Warum? Ich konnte nicht mehr. Es war so zerstörend und erschreckend. Das Buch brach das Herz wie es eine Person normalerweise nur kann. Es löste ganz versteckte Gefühle aus, eine Sehnsucht und Liebe. Wer glaubt, dies ist ein typisches Jugendbuch, der irrt sich. Es ist eine Zusammenfügung aus den Gefühlen des Lebens auf erwachsene Weise erzählt und gänzlich extraordinär. Es ist wie die Sonne am Himmel oder der strahlende Vollmond. Eigentlich kann man es mit dem Himmel bei Nacht vergleichen, bei dessen Anblick man alles empfindet, eine gewisse Ehrfurcht aufgrund seiner Ausstrahlung und die Inhalte sind wie die einzelnen Sterne, einzigartig und nicht unterdrückt. Tiefen herrschen vor, die neugierig machen, doch auch Furcht auslösen und den Wunsch nach Ergründung bringen. Die Sterne blenden nicht, aber man kann sie nicht übersehen mit ihren Konstellationen. Ich kann nicht beschreiben, wie viel mir dieses Buch mit all seinen Worten, den sich einprägenden Zitaten verborgener Tiefe, bedeutet. Mich erinnert es an Red Rising in der geballten Gefühlsaufwirbelung und ebenso werde ich es nicht mehr vergessen können. Dazu muss gesagt sein, dass ich mir Monate dafür Zeit nahm, immer wieder eine kleine Dosis wie eine Droge zu mir nahm, aber trotzdem nahm es mir die Luft zum Atmen, jedes Mal, tränkte meine Träume. Wenn die Art es so zu lesen schon derart schön schmerzhaft war, ist alles zusammen ein Tsunami größten Ausmaßes in mir. (Ich beginne lieber nicht bei den Gedanken an Kaz Brekker und der Dregs).

Tenho a leve impressão de que nunca vou estar pronta o suficiente para resenhar esse livro. Nunca li nada parecido, ele realmente parece ter sido muito, mas muito estudado mesmo, criado nos menores detalhes. Talvez eu até esteja exagerando um pouco, dizendo que não dá para descrevê-lo, mas eu tinha as maiores expectativas e ainda me impressionei. Eu sabia que gostaria dele antes de ler, porque já sabia qual seria seu ponto alto: os personagens. É minha parte favorita de qualquer livro (ou, pelo menos, a que considero a mais importante). Mas a Leigh Bardugo ainda conseguiu me impressionar durante esse livro. Nunca imaginaria que era possível criar tanta história, tanta profundidade para tantos personagens em um livro só. Muitas vezes, na verdade, esse jeito dela de contar um pedaço da história deles no meio de uma cena me incomodou. Mas dá para ver a força que isso trouxe à personalidade deles e às decisões mais essenciais que eles tomariam dali para a frente. Dá para ver todos os milhares de detalhes que ela foi amarrando durante a trama perfeitamente. Acho que eu nunca tinha visto ninguém fazer isso tão bem. Mas, na verdade, até a metade do livro, eu ainda não sentia que ele entraria para a minha lista de favoritos. A autora - que, na minha opinião, já tinha escrito a trilogia Grisha muito bem, - subiu completamente o nível dos seus livros e do universo Grisha nesse livro. Ela fez tudo maravilhosamente bem, somente as informações necessárias nas horas certas, tudo conectado, sigiloso e intrigante na medida. Acho que nunca li um livro tão bem criado, tão meticuloso e desenvolvido com tanta maestria. Mas, infelizmente, isso não é o suficiente para fazer um leitor amar de verdade um livro. Quer dizer, alguém realmente ama de paixão Ulysses? (Até deve ter algum louco por aí, né?) E, mesmo assim, a genialidade dele é inegável. Até a metade do livro, eu sentia a história um pouco pesada. Tive vários momentos em que sentia uma ligação linda pelos personagens, mas não eram tão recorrentes quanto eu queria, em meio à tanta complexidade e tantos detalhes. Mas aí, passando da metade, tudo parece ter se intensificado. A história ficou mais rápida, os detalhes de histórias do passado dos personagens ficaram mais raros e logo passaram a ser inexistentes, mesmo assim provando sua importância nas partes mais cruciais. Aquela leve ligação que eu criei com os personagens só ficou mais forte e eu passei várias e várias páginas seguidas repetindo para mim mesma o quanto amo eles e a história. Aliás, passei várias dezenas de páginas sem nem olhar para o número delas (o que tinha acontecido muito antes). A primeira metade, que eu tinha me esforçado para ler, se transformou na segunda, que eu li em uma madrugada, com sono e dor de cabeça, porque me recusava a não terminar. A história fica emocionante o suficiente para você cancelar o resto do mundo só para ler. Aí, sim, percebi o carinho e o amor que desenvolvi pelo livro que lhe garantiam um lugar na minha lista de favoritos. Sem contar com um ritmo um pouco mais arrastado do que eu desejaria no começo (não se engane, não é que nada de interessante acontecia. É só o passado mesmo dos personagens que cortava um pouco os acontecimentos), só tenho uma única outra crítica para a história. Pode falar que eu não estou nunca satisfeita (apesar de que dou cinco estrelas se eu amar o livro, independente de ele ter defeitos ou não), mas em alguns momentos eu senti mesmo que o livro era um pouco perfeitinho demais. As peças encaixaram todas bem demais. Senti um pouco mais de falta de cuidado em alguns momentos (que tipo de crítica é essa?). Nem tudo precisava ser tão bem alinhado, sabe? Mas isso realmente é crítica de privilegiado, porque o livro é maravilhoso e nada é deslocado de propósito. O ponto alto, além dos personagens, é a relação entre eles. Meu deus, a amizade da Inej com a Nina foi maravilhosa. A última coisa que a Inej fala no livro pro Kaz foi maravilhosa também, o que ela pensa logo antes deveria ser ensinado em escolas para todo mundo - como se dar valor, não aceitar migalhas de atenção, como se amar primeiro. Jesper e Wylan me deixaram completamente curiosa para o segundo livro, me apaixonei pela relação da Nina com o Matthias logo no começo, a complexidade de todas as crenças dos dois e como eles as quebravam, mas as mantinham. Gente, que desenvolvimento incrível. Que capricho, sério! Até o Kaz, que não caiu tão bem para mim no começo (principalmente por aquilo da perfeição que falei, ele me parecia um pouco gênio demais de vez em quando), se mostrou digno de líder desses seis loucos desvairados que foram para o fim do mundo por luxúria e, vamos admitir, seus próprios sonhos. E o final, meu deus, não vou conseguir relaxar até ler o próximo livro, que promete ser ainda mais perfeito! Pelo menos, espero que seja, agora que a autora não precisa nos ensinar mais quem os personagens são. Aliás, um último comentário: a escrita da Leigh Bardugo nunca foi nem um pouco ruim, mas, como tudo nesse livro, ela subiu muito de nível desde a trilogia Grisha. Já sei que vou ler qualquer livro que ela escrever daqui para a frente.

Nice and neat

"Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo is a gripping fantasy novel that brings together a diverse cast of characters, each with their own unique abilities and backstories. Set in the richly imagined world of the Grishaverse, the story revolves around Kaz Brekker, a cunning thief with a dark past, who assembles a team to pull off an impossible heist. The novel excels in character development. Each member of the crew, including the fierce Inej, the sharpshooter Jesper, and the enigmatic Nina, is fleshed out with depth and complexity. Their interpersonal dynamics are as captivating as the overarching plot, making readers invest emotionally in their journeys. Bardugo's writing is both lyrical and immersive, painting vivid scenes that bring the world to life. The blend of action, suspense, and intricate plotting keeps the pace brisk, ensuring that readers are on the edge of their seats. Themes of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption are woven throughout the narrative, adding layers of meaning to the thrilling escapades. Overall, "Six of Crows" is a masterful blend of heist adventure and character-driven storytelling. It's a must-read for fans of fantasy and those who appreciate well-crafted, multi-dimensional characters. With its cliffhanger ending, it leaves readers eagerly anticipating the sequel. 🌟📚✨

Il libro arrivare dall' estero, perciò sappiate che i tempi di spedizione sono un po' più lunghi, ma sappiate che ne vale assolutamente la pena, il libro è avvincente e ti fa amare tutti i personaggi, la copertina è da collezione ed è già esposta nella mia vetrina, la lettere iniziale, i capitoli con tutti i pov, le immagini di fine libro, se potessi dare più stelle di 5 lo farei assolutamente!