Six of Crows book review

Six of Crows is a teen fiction novel, following six criminals trying to infiltrate the secure fortress of the Ice Palace, in a mash up between a fantasy and heist book that delivers. Unfortunately, I must warn all you bird lovers out there, this book does not include any crows (I know, I was disappointed too).

My favourite part of this book is the characters, they are by far some of the most interesting that you will find (apart from the Minions in Despicable Me, who are truly masterpieces of our era). I think my favourite character would have to be the protagonist Kaz Brekker, who is this ruthless gang leader that trusts no one. But as you start to learn more about him (through flashbacks to before the heist) you start to uncover the human behind the mask.

This book lingered on in my mind for a long time after reading it because of the deep and complex
themes it explores. For example, it talks about what crime does to people and racism in a very refreshing way that doesn’t seem forced at all. With all this extra baggage going along with the characters, it makes them extremely memorable and gives the story lots of layers to unpick. Though, as I said earlier, it doesn’t discuss the theme of ornithology in the book which is very disappointing (for those that don’t know, ornithology is the study of birds, don’t ask me how I know that).

However, my one small grumble with Six of Crows is that the very start and very end of the novel to the rest of the book are like what the prequels are to the main Star Wars story (I still have flashbacks to Jar Jar Binks *shudders*). The start can leave you confused about who people in the book are, what a ‘Grisha’ is and what is even is going on (I think I read some sections of the chapter at least three times before giving up and just going with the flow). The ending also feels very contrived, predictable and anti-climactic compared to the wild uncharted story that had come before it.

But the start and the end are by no means representative of the rest of the book. The plot switches between flashbacks and the heist and drip feeds you information that leaves you craving for more (like me after I have eaten a chocolate bar, Toblerone are my favourite). It feels almost perfectly planned, with things that you thought weren’t important coming back to be pivotal plot points almost like a detective story.

Like I have said before (and I will say it again to anyone I can find), I really really love Six of Crows. I think it is one of the best heist let alone fantasy novels I have ever read, and I will sing its praises from the rooftops. So, if you haven’t gone and bought this book after all of this, then what are you doing?
P.S
See, I have made it easy on you, this link will take you straight to Waterstones so you can buy the book straight away
P.P.S
I promise, I wasn’t payed to make this review. I promise…
P.P.P.S
Still annoyed there wasn’t any crows in the book.