Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo ~Plus pictures from the last couple events!

                Hello everyone!  Okay so first let me say I’m sorry about skipping out on my Friday post.  I ended up staying in Atlanta and extra day and came home Friday and by the time I got home and settled it was much too late to post (and I hadn’t prepared one able to post by phone for Friday, bad planning on my part).  Bright side is I have a review of an amazing book for you today and photos from my trip so score!  Today is the first day back to work in a week so I’m getting back into the swing of things.

                Today I’m going to be talking about another book that the author was on the Fierce Reads team, Leigh Bardugo with Six of Crows.  Now some of you know I only read the Grisha trilogy earlier this year but that I really enjoyed them.  My past reviews can be found here: Shadow & Bone, Siege & Storm, and Ruin &Rising.  Before I go into the review a couple things in case you didn’t know.  Six of Crows does take place in the same world as the Grisha trilogy.  You do not need to read them in order to understand or enjoy Six of Crows but there is mention, very briefly, about a couple of characters from the trilogy and the after events of the trilogy that might spoil you.  That’s all the notes now onto review, I’ll try to keep it as spoiler free as possible.

Rating: 5 Stars

                Six of Crows in short is about a heist.  It’s about so much more but it starts in Ketterdam, the place known for crime.  Our leader is Kaz, criminal prodigy who is offered a HUGE payday for a specific heist.  He can’t do it alone so he assembles his team.  To steal someone from the impregnable location that could ruin the world.  A convict with a thirst for revenge, a sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager, a runaway with a privileged past, a spy known as the Wraith, a Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums, and himself a thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.  All six of them are dangerous in their own right but together they could be the perfect team or a hot mess.  Many different personalities fighting for different purposes.

                I have to say this: I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!  It was amazing!  I was captured from the start.  First can we talk about the dark and beautiful cover…and the black edges?  Are they important to the story?  Okay not really but we all first see a cover and it just adds to the feel of it.  A little added touch.  Plus two maps!  One we are familiar with in the world if you’ve read the Grisha trilogy and one of the Ice Court which is all new and shiny!  Again just added details.

                There are also several POV’s.  We get to see inside the heads of out different team members.  This really adds to the perspective of seeing what is pushing each towards this apparent suicide mission as well as what in their past has brought them to be the criminal they are today. With this you also get to see how one thing can be seen in different ways and how ones prejudices and past experiences influence their thought process.  While sometimes I wanted to stay in certain characters longer, needing answers to my questions, I was just as eager to read from someone else.  I hated putting it down but I stayed with my read-along plans (until the day before I was meeting Leigh and HAD to have it finished).

                 There is so much happening in this story both in the world, the characters, and the overall plot. There is some serious plotting and scheming going on and it.  I’ve heard someone reference Oceans 11 meets Game of Thrones and I love that!  I did get a very master thief vibe.  It was masterful.  With a larger core group of characters for me no one felt under developed.  I felt like I got to know each one of them, some a bit more than others but as this is a new series I hope some will be developed even further in the next book.  Still I knew enough about them to be invested in them.  For those who are familiar with the Grisha world as this story doesn’t take place in Ravka but in a much different place where thoughts on Grisha are vastly different. 

                I can’t really discuss what happens in the story without fear of giving much away so I will simply say you are constantly going.  There is a ton of action from chases, fights, gun fights, and explosions as there is subtle thievery that uses more stealth.  I was never bored.  I just adored this book.  It ends in a way that left me frantically trying to turn the page for more and not finding more.  My most important question at the event was asking when could readers expect to see their next books out?  Mostly it was for Leigh and Josephine as they are involved in series that left you hanging in a serious way but still.  No confirmed dates but Leigh did say her first draft went to her editor so cheers to progress.  Also side note Josephine Angelini stated the next World Walker book should be out next September so an almost date there.

                So my review is finished let’s enjoy some beautiful pictures.  All the ladies were super sweet and engaging.  They were happy to sign books and take photos and jabber for a bit without rushing.  Yay!  Also I didn’t take a photo of it, because I forgot, but Fierce Reads gave out these awesome tote bags with a really long and wide strap!

Bogdana and I waiting to go up!  Plus the penny floor!  How cool!

Our #fiercereads ladies on the couches and introduced by the one and only Kim! <3 Little Shop of Stories

Josephine Angelini & Leigh Bardugo answering some fan questions!

Marie Lu did a chat, reading, and Q&A before signing and photos!

Stuart Woods and his dog Fred #7 (I believe)!  I love dogs so score plus Woods...this was his 61st fiction book out! OMG! Thank you Eagle Eye Books