YA Fantasy Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Format:  Hardcover
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Number of Pages: 480
Date Published: September 29th 2015
Source:  Purchased

Synopsis from Goodreads "Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price--and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

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.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first."

One of the first things that I heard about Six of Crows was it being compared to the movie Ocean's Eleven.   I was already familiar with Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy having read Shadow and Bone, but when I read about how there was going to be a team of criminals coming together to pull off a seemingly impossible heist, yep I was in.  Each chapter of Six of Crows is written in the alternating views of  Kaz (thief), Matthias (convict), Nina (Heartrender), Inej (spy), and Jesper (sharpshooter)  picking up the action where the previous part left off, while developing the characters back story in effortlessly.  Most times I'm not a fan of this style, typically I'll find a character that I enjoy reading about and want to stick with their POV.    But, I felt Bardugo used this style in a way that brought the story together seamlessly.  Each of the characters are so well written that I can't say that there is one character that I didn't want to learn more about,  and  grew to care for each one of them as I learned more about their past.  Each one has their part to play in the heist and not one persons role is more important than the other.  Although, I couldn't help be curious why Wylan (the runaway) doesn't get his own chapter, but that's just one of my pondering's while reading.   The Six of Crows was never short on action, with plenty of twists and turns, magic and wonderfully crafted world that made this an excellent beginning to this series and one that I would highly recommend.  Did I mention there is romance too? For which I love this line...    

       “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.”