Six of Crows: The Rise of the Outlaws
- by Elvira Dimitrova
- Dec 30, 2018
- 3 min read
“Crows remember human faces. They remember the people who feed them, who are kind to them. And the people who wrong them too. They don’t forget. They tell each other who to look after and who to watch out for.”
Sometimes the book we find through the recommendations of our friends turns out to find a special place in our hearts. Well, this is exactly what happened with Six of Crows. It was recommended by someone who reads fantasy and to be honest, it was a bit difficult to find the book here in Bulgaria, but it worked out. So what I did is I read both Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo in less than a week. Who needs sleep anyway...?
SIx outlaws set out on an impossible quest. They need to break into the Ice Court, the most well-guarded prison in Fjerda, and help a very important prisoner escape. Kaz Brekker is the leader who has to assemble the gang of outlaws: people who will be ready to sacrifice their lives for the mission and whose skills he can count on. He's a thief and a killer but he's also incredibly smart which allows him to form various strategies for execution of their quest. The best part is that the reader acquires a glimpse within his mind and eventually begins to understand his logic at least to some extent.
Kaz, Inej, Nina, Mattias, Jesper and Wylan all have their past and as they journey towards the Ice Court, the reader gets to know each character better. Will they manage to pull off the impossible heist though? And even if they do, what kind of consequences might await them at the finish line?
What is different about this duology and probably the most attractive about it is the fact that it is not the typical heroic story where one is chosen to be the hero and to win in the end. No. Every character in the book is flawed. Everyone has done something that has turned them into criminals. They are part of a world in which if you don't adjust to the criminal atmosphere, you will not be able to survive. So they do. They adopt and they become oulaws. So it was extremely intriguing to have a peek behind each of these people's minds and memories. They might not be perfect but yet they are still human and behind everything they do resides a specific reason for it.
Another thing that impressed me about the duology was the depth of the world. You can find everything there. Slaves, merchants, drugs, murder, and magic. Different parts of the world of course have different understanding of each of the above mentioned things. Hence, the exploration of the varied comprehension becomes even more alluring. Just like in our world, there are cultural differences and different races. The Grisha are those who have magic powers and those who play a significant role in the book as people fear them or despise them. You can find more about the world here: http://www.grishaverse.com/
Overall, I strongly recommend the duology to every fantasy fan. It is a read worth adding to your list and taking the time to go through. It has a well-developed world, complicated and fascinating characters and some unexpected twists.
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