Six of Crows
by Leigh Bardugo
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price---and no one knows that better than 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
Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction---if they don't kill each other first.
While it was a little slow at first, this book soon sucked me in and had me wanting to read more and more. It's the best book I've read in a while. Extremely well written in my opinion, not flowery with description but also not drab and dull, good, strong characters who all had very differing personalities and good development. It felt fairly well balanced, not staying too long on a certain scene while also not rushing through them. The plot was actually phenomenal as far as making things connect and why this or that was the way it was or why such and such happened. The author also did an excellent job on creating an entire world from scratch, down to the geography, languages, laws, the differences between different regions. It felt very real for being a fictional world. The setting sort of reminded me of a mix between Skyrim and The Hunger Games, some medieval fantasy mixed with futuristic dystopian. In fact I'm pretty sure the author is probably an Elder Scroll's fan because sweet rolls were mentioned. XD
So basically, I loved this book and definitely recommend it! It did, however, have some very graphic violence, some "disturbing images", language, nudity, and slightly suggestive themes, so if you're the squeamish sort and can't handle blood and gore this isn't the book for you. I'm usually pretty fine with that stuff but there was a scene that made even me uneasy. Also, there was the hint of a gay relationship but it was kept toned down and didn't go too far at all, but just an FYI.
