Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (+ the sequel, Crooked Kindom)
Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he’ll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:
Break into the notorious Ice Court (a military stronghold that has never been breached)
Retrieve a hostage (who could unleash magical havoc on the world)
Survive long enough to collect his reward (and spend it)
Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done – and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable – if they don’t kill each other first.
modern-typewriter says: Well, this series made me read everything else that Bardugo has ever written, if that counts for something. Kaz Brekker is an amazing villain/morally grey protagonist, and all of the characters in this are so unique and well developed. They really are the highlight, I struggle to pick my favourite, and the antagonists are also good. I love them all so much and the dialogue and relationships are fantastic. And this has such epic moments. I liked the second one more, but the first was still great! Although it is part of the same fantasy universe as the author’s other works, you do not need to have read these to follow on as I hadn’t. Fantasy heist and go.
It’s also worth noting that while the protagonists are YA age, as someone older than them who doesn’t particularly enjoy teenage or teenage-feeling protagonists, this did not detract. They felt very universal. I would have assumed them older if the author didn’t tell me otherwise.
If you liked this try/you might like this if you liked: Her other books! I am currently working my through them because I liked this duo-series so much.
A villainous/morally gray protagonist…interesting.
Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
modern-typewriter says: This is a popular fairly recent release, so you may have heard of it. If you have heard it and are debating whether or not you want to read, or haven’t heard of it but like stories about fey/faeries – read it! I loved this book. I think it balanced the danger and the beauty of faeries well, and every character felt like they had their solid motivations. The antagonists were good. I admit, I am skeptical of magical bad boy set ups, but this one actually worked for me. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series to see how everything develops! May always seems like a fairy time of year for me, so have at as the weather warms!
If you liked this try/you might like this if you liked: “The Darkest Part of The Forest” also by Holly Black, The Shades of Magic series by V.E Schwab, numerous other fairy tale feeling stories.
Monsters and Villains 