Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo | Review + *flailing*

asdfghjklpoiuytrewqzxcvbnm (translation: this book is going directly onto my favorites shelf)

Even almost a week after finishing this book, I still have trouble talking about it cohesively. This is hands down one of the best books in YA fiction and definitely one of my favorite books of the year thus far. The only thing that I didn't enjoy about this book while reading it was that at a certain point in the novel, the flashbacks were happening every chapter from every character's POV. However, those flashbacks all served the purpose of successful character building and then the next chapter after I had that thought, the flashbacks were pretty much done and the action really started. So, honestly, I don't really have that much of a problem with it.

A few of my favorite things I loved about this book:

- Nina's sass and unapologetic dedication and belief in herself. I definitely see why everyone loves Inej (she will appear later on this list) but while I was reading this book, I could feel myself latching on to Nina's character and her story and her history. I felt myself relating so much to her, and I love that there's more than one female main character to read about.

- Matthias's narrative was the reason Matthias was my favorite character to read from. I think this is why Six of Crows doesn't come across as super info-dumpy. He also had by far the most unique voice out of all of the characters and I absolutely adored reading through his eyes. Fantastic job.

- I've never actually read a heist story before, but from what I've heard (and from what Leigh has said) it follows the basic structure of a heist story. We see our characters struggle and we see how they react under that insane pressure. Whether they grow or break or become more vulnerable or create new walls.

- I actually enjoyed all the relationships in this book, which if you know me and my tastes, will probably come across as a surprise. I am incredibly picky when it comes to reading about a romance between characters because most of the time it's just incredibly ridiculous in YA books. However, the fantastic thing about the majority of the relationships in this book are either preexisting or have been simmering for a good while. We do get the excitement of a new relationship and a bit of flirting between those characters. They're all so cute!

- We have a diverse cast of characters! Our main character, Kaz, walks with a cane. Throughout the story, we find out why he has a limp, but the stand-out part about Kaz to me is that Leigh Bardugo writes in her acknowledgments:

"I have a degenerative condition called osteonecrosis. This basically translates to 'bone death,' which sounds kind of gothy and romantic, but actually means that every step I take is painful and that I sometimes need to walk with a cane. [. . .] I often felt that Kaz and I were limping along this road together."

Alongside Kaz, we have characters of color, and we also have diversity of body type and sexuality. - The use of humor in this book is done incredibly well and Jesper is my baby. I love him dearly. No one touch him.

- The discussion topics this book brings up are fantastic, especially the ones surrounding Kaz's character. I would label him probably as a chaotic good character, and then we have Nina who is probably more a lawful/neutral good character. And we have a discussion amongst the characters, notably Nina and Inej, about whether what he does and how he does it is right or not.

- Inej. Her past and her determination and her true level of skill. Her belief in herself and how much she grows throughout this novel. She's brilliant. I could go on for hours. My book is underlined and written in and made me cry, oh did it make me cry.

FAVORITE QUOTES

By far my favorite from the entire book:

“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you'll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower, your favorite song, your favorite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won't matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.”

A classic:

No mourners. No funerals. Among them, it passed for 'good luck.'

This is why Matthias is my favorite (with Jesper as a close second):

Jesper knocking his head against the hull and cast his eyes heavenward.
"Fine. But if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I'm going to get Wylan's ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so that I can annoy the hell out of your ghost."
Brekker's lips quirked. "I'll just hire Matthias' ghost to kick your ghost's ass."
"My ghost won't associate with your ghost," Matthias said primly, and then wondered if the sea air was rotting his brain.

A conversation between my favorite couple:

“It's not natural for women to fight."
"It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.”

Classic Kaz:

“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”

Have you read this yet? I just got Crooked Kingdom on Friday and haven't had time to read it yet, so don't say anything about it! If you've read SOC, tell me your thoughts down in the comments!