What do you get when you take six teenage gang members in a fantasy world and have them pull off that world's most intense, dangerous heist? The book that got me back into reading during my first semester of college, Six of Crows. Here are some reasons you should read it, too!
1. Leigh Bardugo
An author who has grown in talent and popularity since the debut of her first novel, Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo is a Hamilton-loving, The 100-watching, woman after my own heart. She's interactive with her fans on tumblr and twitter which l have always adored. Sometimes she'll go on ask-answering binges, and other times she'll reblog fanarts! If that's not good enough, she supports her fellow authors as well. She's also strong minded and beautiful, which are just bonuses to her amazing writing skills.
2. Six points of view
Somehow Bardugo manages to switch between the five of the six main characters' points of view in an extremely effective manner. It doesn't give everything away, but doesn't make the story confusing either. She deliberately leaves out one of the characters, but that doesn't take away from the story at all! Instead you get to really know the characters and believe me, you get attached to them.
3. A great setting
Set two years after the events of The Grisha Trilogy- which you don't have to read in order to enjoy Six of Crows immensely- the world of Ketterdam and beyond is full of danger and magic. There's even a different language that Bardugo made up! From the very beginning, you can feel the environment and throughout the entire plot each area gives you a strikingly different experience.
4. A diverse cast
This novel has people of color, queer characters, different body types, people with disabilities and addictions, and all sorts of other interesting histories and personalities. If that's not enough to sign you up, I don't know what else you need!
5. Kaz "Dirtyhands" Brekker
The kind of character you think you probably shouldn't like but inevitably do: the leader of the group called the Dregs, the cold and clever Kaz Brekker isn't who everyone thinks he is. He manipulates people into doing what he wants, and there's no job too much for him. He's called Dirtyhands because of it, but also because of the mystery of the gloves he always wears. He also carries a cane with a crow head on it because (similar to Leigh, but in different circumstances) he has a disability!
6. Inej Ghafa
The Wraith- Inej moves in the shadows like she doesn't exist, a dangerous assassin that works with Kaz in the Dregs. She's religious and loyal, but fiercely independent. She isn't the usual stone cold strong female character, she feels deeply and she does what she has to (which she does well). She's incredibly complex, but that makes her relatable. Her specialty is her daggers and stealth.
7. Jesper Fahey
The lanky sharpshooter with a gambling problem, you may be tempted to brush Jesper off as comic relief. He is not. He's every bit as interesting and compelling as the rest, and he has his own secrets to be discovered. I like him because he starts off seeming kind of two-dimensional, and by the time I realized I really cared about him, it was too late to prepare myself.
8. Nina Zenik
The Dregs' own Heartrender, which is a kind of magic user known as the Grisha, Nina is fiercely loyal and caring. She has a history with Matthias and a great friendship with Inej. She uses her magic for survival only, she looks after those around her. She's celebrated for being a beautiful and chubby character, but to reduce her to just that, or to just being a Heartrender, would be a disservice. She's strong and intelligent as well.
9. Matthias Helvar
The grumpiest of the Dregs, Matthias is hardened by his past and has a hard time opening up to others. Even his relationship with Nina is strained because of it. He's out of his element, he's moving away from everything he's ever known, but the great question for him is: can people be redeemed? And is he even the one that needs redemption? He's a warrior, through and through.
10. Wylan Van Eck
The new "merchling" of the Dregs, Wylan is timid but intelligent, a boy who has run away from home for reasons unknown to everyone but, it seems, Kaz. He is innocent and the youngest of the group, but that doesn't stop him from being useful and brave. His specialty is explosives or anything with numbers.
11. Romance never takes the lead
There's a lot of subplots of romance in this novel, but none of them are love at first sight, and none of the characters let love take over their stories. For those who hate the usual YA love story, you'll find that Bardugo does not give you tropes; instead she gives you compelling romances that you'll almost regret aren't more obvious because they're just so good!
12. There's going to be a sequel!
