Ketterdam, a bustling commercial city. Grisha, with his specific powers. Children who were forced to grow up suddenly. Powers that shake the world. Poverty, tragedies, politics… It sounds gloomy, but the Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is by no means.

Leigh Bardugo takes us into a world that could certainly be real if we only add a little magic to it. Kaz, Inej, Matthias, Nina, Jesper, and Wylan are waiting for us there, each with their own sad fate. They’re almost children, practically from the very bottom of society, determined to make their own decisions about their own lives, and each with their hopes and wishes. Ambitious, charismatic, but also mysterious Kaz will gather them around an impossible mission: someone will need to be rescued from the most strictly guarded place in the world. Everything is against them: the guards, the army, other cruel gangs, even their own beliefs—but the reward is massive and could change their lives forever.

Is this group of rejected children able to win, alone against the whole world? Kaz is convinced that it is. But high walls and armed guards will be the least of their obstacles . . .

Six of Crows is a tense, exciting, imaginative, and beautiful story about trust, perseverance, strength, and love—the kind that binds families that are not related by blood, but you choose them yourself. But that’s not all: through the tense plot, the author also talks about prejudice, fascism, discrimination, injustice, sexuality, xenophobia . . .

Bardugo has created a world that is both beautiful and terrifying at the same time, to such an extent that you will unquestioningly believe that it really exists somewhere. Fantasy fans may already be familiar with the GrishaVerse, as it previously spawned The Grisha Trilogy. However, Six of Crows was the first to be translated into Croatian in the form of a duology, which is quite important to point out for all those who (dis)like sequels.

Fantasy fans with Crows will definitely be on their turf and I believe they will enjoy it, and I can only say that I can’t wait for the sequel.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Henry Holt and Co (September 29, 2015), 479 pages

ASIN: B00UG9LC4I

$9.99

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.

Crooked Kingdom: A Sequel to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Henry Holt and Co (September 27, 2016), 561 pages

ASIN: B01BBXF0HM

$9.99

When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.

Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, The Language of Thorns, and the King of Scars duology—with more to come. Her other works include Wonder Woman: Warbringer and Ninth House (Goodreads Choice Winner for Best Fantasy 2019). She lives in Los Angeles and is an Associate Fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University.

This review was written by Martina Frka Milotić, originally in Croatian, on her book review site, Books and Blanket: Book, Blanket, Joy. The review has been translated and adapted to English by McKenzie Lynn Tozan with permission from Martina Frka Milotić to share with Lit Shark’s community.