If you are searching for a way to escape thoughts about this pandemic, then you’ve come to the right place! Here is my book review on the Six of Crows book, part of a duology, and has also been adapted into the successful Netflix series “Shadow and Bone” this year! If you loved the Netflix series then, trust me when I say this book is all that you need! 

Imagine…

You are standing on a dirty wooden ship port, with a heavy coat on your shoulders, an old black hat, and a dark, brown suitcase to your side. Standing at the edge of a city, you can already see busy shops from every corner of your eye. You can hear men and women, albeit too far to see, laughing too loudly. There are people testing their luck on cards and magic shows at every turn. Though the flickering lights threaten to go off, they never do.

The noise, mayhem and smell of sewage consume you while your eyes are crowded with the vision of plain, organised chaos.

However, despite the commotion, you cannot help but notice the six people standing in front of you. Well, they aren’t really “people” yet.

The first with brown skin, curly hair, is dressed in a colourful suit and is wearing a charming smile with shining pearl revolvers hanging on each side.

The second has long curls of copper-coloured hair and you see her abnormally flirting with several plates of waffles whilst wearing an unusually kind and familiar smile.

The third with long black braids, has daggers stuck to every inch of her acrobat body, yet you hear no sound of clanging metal.

The fourth is a tiny boy scribbling uncontrollably on his notebook with fear gripping his averted eyes.

The fifth has a strong built and tall frame, whose face looks like that of a young boy, one much too young for a body like his.

The last one stands steady with eyes sharper than knives, gloved hands, and a crow headed cane…

A group of teenagers, each with their own history to rewrite, this is the story of a group of problems, finding their solutions. A story where man and magic fight together, live together, and take a special place in every, single reader’s heart. 

The Six Of Crows is a duology, made for those who love a great heist, however, it carries more than just the brilliance of a heist. Leigh Bardugo, the author, shows us one story from the eyes of six different lives. 

It’s a mixture of smiles, laughs, cries and moments of awe, all in one of the best fantastical worlds. A mixture of brilliance which perhaps Mr. Park, Ms. Madhuri, Ms. Alison nor Einstein could possibly understand.

It is fast-paced, and will not test your patience during this tough quarantine, and it is the characters, more than the plot itself, who get you going with the book. Each character is authentic and relatable, fun and dangerous, and the perfect balance to keep you entertained on every page.

If you have too much work, today might not be the day for you to step into this world, cause it requires quite a lot of commitment. But if you are dying to escape your pile of work, the Six Of Crows is the type of adventurous duology that I guarantee will lift your spirits up.

Padma G10A

Six dangerous outcasts, one impossible heist: A review of Six Of Crows