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Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows was one of the books I had the most fun reading last year, so when I heard the sequel was coming out, I couldn’t wait to read it. I debated buying it vs. ordering it from the library and had decided not to break my wallet, when my mom went over my head and bought a copy at Costco. Thank goodness for Costco and their low prices! One of the reasons I had been considering buying it was because I made my dad read Six of Crows and I knew he wanted to read the sequel as much as I did.
So, when we left our heroes, one of them, Inej, had been kidnapped by the evil Jan Van Eck. Bo Yul-Bayur was no longer living by the time they had broken into the Ice Court, but his son, Kuwei Yul-Bo was. So the team had taken Kuwei and all his notebooks, but they won’t give him to Van Eck until Van Eck pays the money he promised them. Van Eck captured Inej instead and told Kaz he has one week to turn over Kuwei in exchange for Inej, or else.
Of course Kaz isn’t going to play Van Eck’s game, so he comes up with another way to get Inej back. Meanwhile, Inej is no damsel. She tries to escape, but Van Eck anticipates it and she ends up back in her cell, waiting for Kaz to come get her, although she’s not entirely certain he ever will. The reader knows how much Kaz loves Inej, but he has worked very hard to maintain his convincing front of not caring about anyone because people are only worth what they can do for him. We can’t blame Inej for wondering.
Of course they get Inej back and then start working on a plan to destroy Van Eck’s business, as well as his reputation, and get the money he owes them at the same time. Unfortunately, Van Eck anticipates them and foils their plan. There are a few chapters half-way through the book that were real page turners as they described all the ways our heroes were put in danger as their whole plan blew up in their faces.
But Kaz is nothing if not resourceful. He quickly comes up with a new plan and immediately starts setting it in motion.
I love the way Bardugo tells the reader just what we need to know and nothing more. It makes the book so much more exciting as the mission appears to fall apart, only to have it turn out that it was all part of Kaz’s plan all along.
I also appreciate that Bardugo’s characters are not actually invincible. It’s tempting to be sure that Kaz has anticipated every single possible outcome. But, as smart and determined as he is, Kaz is still only human and I’m glad Bardugo gave him a chance to slip up. It was a small mistake, but it almost cost them all their lives and it required the team to start all over again.
By the end of the book, everything is neatly tied up and I don’t think there’s going to be another sequel. I was fully satisfied with the ending, including the way in which Kaz finally got his revenge on Pekka Rollins. I think it gave him the closure he needed without trying to show that it really made Kaz feel any better.
What did you guys read this week? Any other sequels that lived up to their predecessors?