How are you all? Today is 28th October, which is a national day here in Czech republic- Czechoslovak Independace Day. Eventhough in the current situation we can't talk about freedom much (or democracy or freedom of movement). I had another reason to left home today and join my family for a little family celebration. My future brother-in-law (in case you missed it on my Instagram, I am going to get married in July 😍😁!!!). Anyway my future brother-in-law just turned 30 today. So I cooked a lunch and my future mother-in-law made a quick homemade cake. It was a nice family afternoon and when I got home, I finally had a time to finish my current read- SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo.
I have to say that this book was on my TBR for so long that I am really ashamed I haven't read it earlier. I really don't know why it took me so long to read it. I loved the first Grisha trilogy (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and rising), I loved the whole setting and the characters of the Grishaverse and I was so eager to start the second duology. I took me very long but I am really happy I finally got to read it.
This book was amazing! As I said, it is the first part of a second Grishaverse series by Leigh Bardugo and eventhough I loved the first series very much, I think that this one was even better. But don't get me wrong. When I say better, now I just mean better written (I am not talking about the plot right now). It seams the author gets better and more experienced with every book and it is visible in her writing style. She is very good at describing the surroundings, the detailed plans of buildings and cities and the description of nature. I always appreciate it because I love to picture the world in my head as I read. It is even better if there is a map in the book too (voilá! There are even two of them 😍!).
I was glad to see also other background than only Ravka as in the first trilogy. In Six of Crows we move from Ravka across the True sea to a smaller island named Kerch, there is a detailed description of the city of Ketterdam, its layout and the city's rules. The second part of the book takes place in Fjerda, we follow the frozen northern nature and very detailed plan of the Ice Court.
Aside from different setting, there is also a diversity of characters and I loved that very much. Among the six main characters we can see almost all nationalities (Kerch, Zemeni, Ravkan, Suli, Fjerdan) and in the end even Shu. It added a kind of variety to the story, because every one nation has its own traditions, Saints and qualities they value. It gave me a chance to understand the characters a little more (their behaviours, natures and reasons for doing things). I also always enjoy books with multiple points of view which was a plus here. We could follow the story through the eyes of six different people so we often got a different POV on the same event or we could follow two people doing different jobs at the same time.
All POVs are told in the third person (not by the character itself) and the narrator is omniscient, that means that the narrator knows everything about the characters. Since I have studied literature I always thought that the omniscient narrator was the hardest (for the readers to get to know the character). It is so much easier to empathize with a character who tells the story himself (first-person narration), if you can follow their feelings, moods, emotions and inner world. So according to me, not each author can achieve this through a third-person narration. But Leigh made it and that I really call a Writer with a capital W! When I read it, I felt like I knew those people, I knew their fears, their qualities, their limits and their emotions.
I hate it when I can't emphatize with the characters, the story feels incomplete, shallow and I really can't enjoy the reading. But this definitely was not that case!
The theme of criminals was very interesting to me because basically they are bad people but I saw them as the good ones (eventhough they were killers and thieves, selfish and cruel). I usually read about good people so this was a refreshing change. I have to say that some parts were hard for me, I am a sensitive person (I admit I often cry while reading 😁) so it is hard for me to read about the cruel conditions the children have to endure (such as Kaz when he is thinking back about his arrival in Ketterdam) or the girls being forced to slavery. It always makes me sad to see the contrast between poor people fighting to survive every day and the rich who often don't deserve it. A book that reflects those conditions is always a strong experience for me (even if it's fictional).
WARNING- POSSIBLE SPOILER!
I think that there is only one minus that I have to point out- and that is the Grisha. I loved the topic of powerful gifted people in the first trilogy, how they used their power and all the incredible things they were capable of. But in this book, there was only one Grisha that could do something. All the others who were mentioned in the book were pictured as weak slaves under the effects of some addictive drug so it kind of ruined my image about the powerful and dreaded Grisha army. And because of that I will take a half star down. I expected more Grisha power as in the first trilogy but this book is mostly about "ordinary" people who are skilled but not in the supernatural way.
The beginning was a bit slower and it was hard for me to catch on what was going on. Partly it was because the English was a little bit more difficult than I am used to. But when I adapted, it was thrilling and I just kept reading.
In the end, it was a very well-written book full of interesting characters, dangerous and thrilling twists during this impossible quest.
I highly recommend!
MY RATING 4,5⭐/5⭐
