The Sage Informer

The book Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, is the first of two in this series for young adults. The fantasy book follows six different characters as they work together to make a living and survive the dangers of the trading city of Ketterdam.

The characters’ journey gets even more dangerous when they accept a job from a rich merchant looking to retrieve a valuable asset from another country. This mission not only includes breaking into the most impenetrable fortress in existence, but also has very high stakes. 

The main characters choose to risk this trip that is so important that failure could mean society falling apart. While all the characters come from different backgrounds and have many differences, they have a great chemistry with each other.

Personally, I like when books are told from different viewpoints, and the author did a great job with this. Being able to read from all of the characters’ perspectives gives you better insight into their personalities and thoughts, which allows you to feel more connected to them. Through this writing style, you also get to learn people’s backstories and understand why they are the way they are and why they interact in a certain way.

I picked up this book while on vacation because the description sounded interesting and the cover art was cool. It was a very quick read for me as I got into the book super fast. Perfect for reading on the beach as the plot will most definitely distract you and make you forget the heat. The sequel to Six of Crows is also just as good and I would recommend it as well. 

The book is positively reviewed by The New York Times, saying, “Bardugo dives deep into this world, with full color and sound. If you’re not careful, it’ll steal all your time.”

Bardugo also wrote the popular Shadow and Bone trilogy, which takes place in the same world but has a different focus and some extra characters. That series was just recently made into a show on Netflix, which I liked a lot. The show portrays the characters very similarly and accurately to how they were described in the book and being able to see the fantasy world come alive on screen was entertaining. 

If you enjoy alternate worlds, plot twists, and complicated characters then you would love this book series and this author.

Kate Goodman, Staff Writer
gooka22@sages.us