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Six of Crows

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Six of Crows
First Edition Cover
AuthorLeigh Bardugo
LanguageEnglish
SeriesSix of Crows duology
GenreFantasy, Young Adult
Published2015 Henry Holt and Co.
Publication placeUnited States
ISBN978-1522609735
Followed byCrooked Kingdom 

Six of Crows is a fantasy novel written by Leigh Bardugo.[1][2] Six of Crows takes place in the Amsterdam-inspired city of Ketterdam.[3] The new series takes place in the same world as the Grisha books but is set in a different location and time frame.[4][5] Six of Crows is set in a world loosely inspired by the Dutch Republic of the 17th century and based on a magical system.[6] The plot is told from the close third-person viewpoints of six different characters, plus a first and last chapter from the point of view of two minor characters.

The book is the first in a duology, followed by Crooked Kingdom.[7]

Plot

Kaz Brekker, an infamous thief known as "Dirtyhands" to some in Kerch, is promised a very large sum of money to kidnap Bo Yul-Bayur, a scientist, from the Ice Court. However, the Ice Court is the most highly protected place in Fjerda, and Kaz can't infiltrate it by himself; he needs a crew. He recruits Inej Ghafa, a Suli acrobat turned Dregs spy; Jesper Fahey, a sharpshooter with a penchant for gambling; Nina Zenik, a Heartrender from the Ravkan Second Army; Matthias Helvar, a former Fjerdan Drüskelle thrown into Kerch jail; and Wylan van Eck, a merchant's son with some skill at demolition. The task isn't so easy however, so in order to win they'll need to work together and trust in each other.

Characters

  • Kaz Brekker, a thief and lockpick with a reputation for doing anything for the right price, also known as Dirtyhands. He's described as always wearing black leather gloves and carrying a cane with a crow's head on it. He is part of the Dregs.
  • Inej Ghafa, a Suli acrobat who has a talent for sneaking around. She was kidnapped and forced to work in a brothel known as the "Menagerie" until Kaz bought her contract. She is also known as the Wraith.
  • Wylan van Eck, a merchant's son with some talent for demolition, who Kaz takes on as a hostage, in hopes of using him as leverage against Jan Van Eck. He's unable to read due to his dyslexia.
  • Matthias Helvar, a former Drüskelle (witchhunter from Fjerda). He has a history with Nina, as the two of them helped each other after a storm destroyed their ship. They trust each other, until Nina betrays him when they reach Ketterdam to save him, leading to his incarceration at Hellgate. He hates Nina for her betrayal and for his initial prejudice against Grishas, but he also loves her. Kaz frees Matthias from Hellgate because of his knowledge of the Ice Court as well as for his skills as a soldier.
  • Nina Zenik, a powerful Heartrender who worked in a brothel named "White Rose". Soldier of the Ravkan Second Army, she was captured by Fjerdan Drüskelle, leading to her first encounter with Matthias. She betrays him to protect his life and chooses to stay to Ketterdam in the hopes of finding a way to free him from prison. This would result in her being acquainted with Kaz.
  • Jesper Fahey, a dark skinned Zemeni sharpshooter with a gambling problem. It is revealed he is a Fabrikator as well later in the plot. His father believes that he is studying in university at Ketterdam.
  • Jan Van Eck, a rich and prominent merchant who sits on Ketterdam's Merchant Council. He makes a deal with Kaz Brekker to retrieve the creator of Jurda Parem from the Ice Court.
  • Pekka Rollins, Kaz's ultimate adversary after he stole from him and ruined his life. He’s the rich owner of a successful casino in Ketterdam and is always up to no good in one way or the other.

Reception

According to The Guardian, the plot of the book is filled with action. It is fast paced with an urgency in the change of point of views and plot twists throughout the book. It is further added that although the book is structured to the typical format, it is rather unpredictable as it transcends towards the end.[8]

NPR books criticized the characters claiming that the characters do not have the mind set according to their described age, that is, the characters display the wisdom and traits of much older people.[9]

According to The Times of India, different perspectives in the book each provide an in-depth view of the each character’s traits and backgrounds. It further says, Bardugo’s language and her intelligent storytelling effectively makes The Six of Crows a white-knuckle page-turner.[10]

References

  1. ^ Wappler, Margaret (2015-10-23). "Y.A. Crossover". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  2. ^ Nava4 (2016-01-21). "Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – review". the Guardian. Retrieved 2016-02-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Press, Daily (2016-01-25). "Criminals attempt intricate heist in 'Six of Crows' - HRBooks review". dailypress.com. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  4. ^ "'Six of Crows' continues Leigh Bardugo's streak of smart fantasy novels". Washington Post. 2015-11-16. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  5. ^ "Leigh Bardugo Talks Six of Crows, Heist Movies and Skinny Dipping". The Huffington Post. 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  6. ^ Bardugo, Leigh (2015-09-24). "Leigh Bardugo reads from Six of Crows". the Guardian. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  7. ^ "Leigh Bardugo: Author of The Grisha Trilogy: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising". www.leighbardugo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  8. ^ Nava4 (2016-01-21). "Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – review". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-06-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "'Six Of Crows' Is A Well-Turned Heist Tale". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  10. ^ "Micro review: 'Six of Crows' moves beyond genres - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
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