Six of Crows (but I… haven’t finished the book)

This post is spoiler free!

Here’s the thing. I am just about to start part five of Six of Crows, beautifully labeled as “The Ice Does Not Forgive,” and I am nervous.

I last read on Wednesday, less than forty-eight hours ago, but since then I’ve only had the odd half hour where I could actually read (because of work… laaaame), so I have gathered every ounce of self-control that I have in order to NOT pick up the book. The next time I read, I’m going to cease life until the book is finished. I need to make sure I have an adequate amount of time, because I do not want to start reading, get super into it, then have to stop. Besides, I want some time after finishing the book to allow everything to sink in… and maybe start Crooked Kingdom!

So… no reading for me… I think until tomorrow after my shift at the café… but that won’t stop me from gushing about this book!!! (I promise it is all spoiler free, though.)

Leigh Bardugo is a BRILLIANT writer! This is the first book of hers that I have read, but if all of her other ones are only written half as well, they still will be well worth the read. Like, honestly—the reader in me is crying in appreciation for how well this book is crafted, and the writer in me has found an idol to bow down to. This book will be one that I reread to study. Then reread to fangirl over. Then maybe reread again. I am so happy that there is still 140 pages left in this book, and then also a whole entire sequel! And she has written even more of the Grishaverse?? AHH!

Let me start off by saying how beautifully Bardugo writes each voice. Each chapter is written from a different character’s point of view (though it is all third person), much like Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus or Michael Grant’s Gone (there are a lot of books out there that adopt this way of storytelling). In any case, Bardugo does it amazingly well. I literally could open up to any part of the book and tell you whose chapter it was just by the voice of the narrator. I think my favorite of the voices might be Jesper’s, but Kaz’s comes super close.

I am going to keep this relatively short, mainly because I haven’t finished the book yet, but before I go I want to add something about how backstory is written into this book. Have you noticed how a lot of books have this dump of information within the first few chapters that is just… hard to comprehend? Yeah, not Leigh Bardugo. To be honest, you don’t even get backstory until WELL into the middle of the book it feels like (though I’m sure some was snuck in/foreshadowed in the earlier chapters). Bardugo relied on her visceral description of the world to carry her readers through the beginning of the story where we don’t get the true depths of our characters’ motivations.

Then, like a master, Bardugo weaves in the backstories of the characters during the part of the story I always get most bored of—the traveling scenes. You know… the ones where the characters just aren’t doing anything and inexperienced authors just write a time skip or make the amount of time that the characters were traveling unrealistically short? Or you’ll get another information dump that is just… kinda hard to process? Once again… Yeah, not Leigh Bardugo. I swear, she tells the backstories in such a way that makes you feel like the characters are living it for the first time. And always in the perfect proportions. There’s never too much backstory, and there is never too little. It’s introduced at the exact right time in the exact right way. If you don’t believe me, then read the book. I dare you. Just read it, and you will see.

I think that’s all I’m really going to get into right now, but just know that I love Leigh Bardugo’s writing, and I love ALL of the characters (though Jesper, Kaz, and Inej are probably my favorites). I just love this book. So much.

I’ll be done ranting for now, but let me know if you’ve read the book, and what your thoughts are (but please… no spoilers, I’ve managed to stay away from them for this long!). Maybe tell me who your favorite character is, or what part of Bardugo’s writing is the best!

P.S. I caught a little crab spider in my house the other day. I named her Inej, and I’m making her a little home because I didn’t want to take her outside and have her freeze out in the mountain snow (hah irony). I will be giving updates about her on my blog. I really want her to survive through the winter!