Book Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

This week I was fully sucked into the world of Ketterdam and the delinquents of the barrel with Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows. If you’re into atmospheric settings, high-stakes heists, and a crew of morally questionable misfits, this book is your next must-read.

Picture this: A ragtag group of six outcasts, each with a troubled past and a dangerous skill set, gets roped into pulling off the impossible heist in the gritty, magic-infused city of Ketterdam. And naturally, things do not go as planned.

But is it worth the hype? Let’s break it down.

🐦‍⬛ What Made Me Love It

1. The Atmosphere & Setting: Welcome to Ketterdam

Leigh Bardugo didn’t just create a setting—she built a whole mood.

Ketterdam is filthy, corrupt, and absolutely mesmerizing. Think of a cross between Amsterdam, Victorian London, and a gangster’s playground. Every alleyway is packed with secrets, every deal is laced with betrayal, and every character is one bad decision away from getting stabbed (or doing the stabbing).

The city is a character in itself, and Bardugo’s descriptions make you feel like you’re walking its rain-slicked streets, ducking into gambling dens, and desperately hoping Kaz Brekker doesn’t notice you owe him money.

2. The Crew: A Band of Chaos Gremlins

The real magic of this book? The characters. The Dregs are a six-person disaster squad, and I adored every single one of them. If you love a good found family trope, this book is your jackpot.

Meet the team:

• Kaz Brekker – Criminal mastermind, king of scheming, allergic to emotions.Would rob you blind and then send you the bill for it.
• Inej Ghafa – The deadliest acrobat you’ll ever meet. Also, could kill you in 12 different ways before you blink.
• Jesper Fahey – Sharpshooter, troublemaker, full-time disaster. The embodiment of “bad decisions make good stories.”
• Wylan Van Eck – Soft boy with bombs. Enough said.
• Nina Zenik – Grisha magic user, lover of waffles, and chaos incarnate.
• Matthias Helvar – The broody ex-soldier who’s in denial about his feelings. Nina’s personal headache.

Their banter is top-tier, their chemistry is gold, and every interaction is packed with tension, humor, and depth. One moment, they’re threatening to kill each other; the next, they’re risking their lives for one another. Found family at its finest.

3. The Humor: Yes, It’s a Dark Fantasy, But It’s Also Hilarious

For a book about crime and betrayal, Six of Crows is funny. Jesper’s quips, Kaz’s deadpan one-liners, and Nina’s shameless flirting? Absolute perfection. The witty dialogue, Jesper’s terrible decisions, Nina and Matthias’s will-they-won’t-they (fight or kiss?) dynamic—it all keeps the story from feeling too heavy.

"Our hopes rest with you Mister Brekker. If you fail, all the world will suffer for it."
"Oh, it's worse than that, Van Eck. If I fail, I don't get paid."

🐦‍⬛ The Heist – Does It Deliver?

Absolutely. It’s fast, smart, and full of twists. If you love watching a plan come together—only for everything to go horribly wrong and force the crew to improvise—this book delivers in spades.

However, don’t expect everything to wrap up neatly. The ending will leave you screaming, so maybe have Crooked Kingdom ready to go.

"We're all someone's monster."

🐦‍⬛ Where It Might Lose Some Readers

Alright, let’s be real—Six of Crows isn’t a light, breezy read at 491 pages.

• The first few chapters throw you into the deep end. You get a ton of names, places, and politics with little explanation. Stick with it—once you get past that, it flows.
• No single main character. If you’re used to one central protagonist, juggling six perspectives might take some adjusting. Leigh uses this wonderfully with leaving you on a cliffhanger at the end of each character's chapter. This one is a stay-up-late-in-the-night read.

"Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday, you'll meet a boy who will learn your favourite flower, your favourite song, your favourite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won't matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart."

🐦‍⬛ Final Verdict - Should You Read It?

📖 Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Atmosphere & Setting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Moody worldbuilding!)

Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (I love all of my gremlin children)

Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (There are a lot of flashbacks to characters' pasts, but as this is needed, I'll give it a pass. It can sometimes pull you out of the immersion of the action, though.)

If you love:

✔️ High-stakes heists
✔️ Incredible character dynamics
✔️ A setting so vivid you can almost smell the damp streets
✔️ Banter that makes you laugh out loud

Then Six of Crows is absolutely for you.

If you prefer:
❌ Simple, straightforward plots
❌ One main character to focus on
❌ Standalone books with no sequel commitment

You might struggle with this one.

🐦‍⬛ Final Takeaway & Where to Go Next

This book exceeded my expectations by far. The world is rich, the characters are unforgettable, and the dialogue is top-tier. I loved every moment of it. This book has everything—an immersive world, a heart-pounding heist, and a crew you can’t help but root for. I loved the atmosphere, the humor, and the way each character was so brilliantly crafted.

I'm not usually interested in stories about heists, book or movie. So I was initially sceptical about this one, but boy am I glad I gave it a go. This is the first book in a long time where I ended up reading half of the book in a couple of days. I just couldn't put it down!

If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for?! And if you have—tell me: Who’s your favorite crow? (It’s okay, you can say Kaz. We all love a traumatized, ruthless mastermind.)

📖 Next Month's Read:

We've finished two chunky books in a row, and honestly, I'm feeling a smaller book is just what I need to take it a bit easier next month. We're going from a dark-fantasy heist to a possibly heart-wrenching memoir about three rescue dogs. I've been eyeing a book called Three Wild Dogs and the Truth by Australian Author (bonus points!) Markus Zusak, known best for his novel 'The Book Thief'. I'm always down for a dog story, so I'm excited. 🐶

If you didn't see last month's book review, where we read Memoirs of a Geisha, you can find that here.

✍️ Hop to it and keep writing! 🐸 - Krystal