I’m pretty ashamed of how long it’s been since I posted a review, but I have some valid explanations I think I should tell you guys. Firstly, as I stated in my most recent post, I’ve been prepping for my AP exam these past two months, leaving little time for recreational reading. Secondly, even when I have found time to read, I haven’t found a book that’s really captured my interest. For a while, I was in a bit of a reading slump, then I saw that my sister purchased the second TOG book on Kindle, so I did finally had something good to read, but you guys know how much I hate reading on Kindle. So safe to say, my inner book nerd has been starved of good fantasy and romance for too long.
That is until my mom managed to get a copy of Six of Crows about a month ago, when, like always (I think I’m seeing a theme), my sister snatched it right up. To be fair, I’d already read it and she was leaving soon and didn’t want to have to bring it with her. But, still, come on?! She didn’t even give me a chance!
Anyway, after she was done with it, I finally got to dive back into the Grishaverse, one of my absolute favorite book worlds, apart from the ACOTAR universe. I highly recommend Leigh Bardugo’s books because they’re generally geared toward a younger audience than me, and Shadow and Bone is a great introductory to fiction that makes you fall immediately in love with the genre. I was so ecstatic to get a real copy of SOC because I’d only read a borrowed version, but also because I’ve recently finished the second season of Shadow and Bone! If you guys haven’t seen it, GO WATCH IT NOW!!! It is 100% the best book-to-screen adaptation I’ve ever seen, hands down. And, the crows are in it, so: AGHGHHGH!
So, I had a lot of the show’s visuals fresh in my mind when I read SOC, which made it so enjoyable—highly recommend. The book is just fantasy perfection: worldbuilding (check), romance—but not overt and plot-driving—(check), found-family (check). Also, it’s one of the only fantasy books I’ve ever read that isn’t based around a “chosen one” plotline. What I mean is that a lot of fantasy books have an MC that has a special power/mysterious fate/dark past, but SOC isn’t like that at all. It’s about a group of teenage criminals, none of them supernatural, who manage to pull off a never-been-done-before heist. SOC really introduced me to that narrative style, and I definitely feel that it’s one of my favorites; there’s just something about feeling like the MC could actually be you and isn’t some far-fetched person you can’t relate to.
This book is just perfection and was exactly what I needed to get out of my reading slump and give my book-loving soul a balanced meal. Granted, I didn’t finish it immediately—I’m still doing school, so it’s not like I don’t have any responsibilities—but I still loved every minute of escaping into my room and curling up with that beautiful cover and one of my all-time fave books.
Genre: fantasy, Y/A
Age: 11/12+
Rating: 9/10