Six of Crows

Photo credit: Ravages via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

I was sick of everyone raving about how good this book is, so despite the many, many books still sitting on my shelf/in my kindle waiting to be read, I ordered Leigh Bardugo’s latest book from the library and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it came in. I was also glad that this book is every bit as good as everyone has been saying it is.

I have not read Bardugo’s other series, the Grisha Trilogy, and wasn’t aware until I was half-way through this book that they take place in the same world. However, it looks like the two series have completely different sets of characters and I didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not having read the first series.

This book hits the ground running and doesn’t stop. In this world there are Grisha, which are people born with certain powers. The Corporalki work with the bodies and there are Healers and Heartrenders. The Etherealki can influence the weather and Fabrikators can mess around with elements and minerals (metals, jewels, etc.).

Anytime you have people who can do things others can’t, you’re going to have people who are afraid of those people. The drüskelle call themselves witch hunters and their job is to hunt down and capture Grisha and bring them to the Ice Court for “trial.”

In addition to being the seat of the royal family of Fjerda, the school for drüskelle, and the embassy, the Ice Court is also the most secure prison known to man. The main characters have been hired to liberate a scientist who has developed a formula for something called jurda parem. Jurda is a plant that contains a stimulant and people use it much like we use coffee. Jurda parem is a variant on that stimulant and is a highly addictive drug that makes Grisha powers exponentially stronger, but it also wears down their bodies until it kills them or withdrawal from the drug kills them.

The scientist who developed jurda parem, Bo Yul-Bayur, is being held prisoner in the Ice Court, where the Fjerdans are allegedly trying to get his formula out of him, assuming he’s still alive, which is not a certainty at all. The main characters need to liberate Bo Yul-Bayur and bring him back to the Merchant Council of Kerch so the effects of his new drug don’t cause chaos in the markets and the world.

Our main characters are a group of six thieves and murderers from a gang called the Crows (hence the title of the book). It’s fun and fast-paced, full of humor and great characters. I never wanted to put this book down.

Be warned: this book ends on a cliff hanger. I totally cannot wait until the next book comes out, so if you’re not a fan of books with cliff hanger endings you might want to avoid this one/wait until the next book comes out.

What did you guys read this week? Anything else that’s been talked up? I want to hear all about it!