Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy 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.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction―if they don’t kill each other first. (Summary from Amazon.com.)

I wasn’t totally enamored with Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy when I read it earlier this year, but I liked the writing style and world-building enough to try Six of Crows, which is set in the same world as the Grisha books but in a new country and with new characters. And I’m very glad I gave it a chance, because I found this book to be a vast improvement on the Grisha trilogy! First of all, I really liked the multiple POVs; each of the six members of Kaz’s crew is given a chance to tell his or her own story, which means I legitimately cared about all of them. I don’t even know that I could pick a favorite, since all six are so fleshed-out and have such compelling backstories. The heist plot was a lot of fun and had appropriately high stakes — not to mention the requisite detours and double-crosses along the way! And of course, there are multiple romances to root for…I can’t decide whether I’m more invested in Matthias and Nina or Kaz and Inej. 🙂 Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book if you like dark fantasy and/or a good heist story.