Six of Crows

Six of Crows
First Edition Cover
Author Leigh Bardugo
Country United States
Language English
Series Six of Crows duology
Genre Fantasy, Young Adult
Published 2015 Henry Holt and Co.
ISBN 978-1522609735
Followed by Crooked Kingdom

Six of Crows is a fantasy novel written by Leigh Bardugo.[1][2] Six of Crows takes place in the Amsterdam-inspired city of Ketterdam.[3] The new series takes place in the same world as the Grisha books but is set in a different location and time frame.[4][5] Six of Crows is set in a world loosely inspired by the Dutch Republic of the 20th century and based on a magical system.[6] The plot is told from the close third-person viewpoints of six different characters, plus a first and last chapter from the point of view of two minor characters.

The book is the first in a duology, followed by Crooked Kingdom.[7]

Summary

Kaz Brekker, an infamous thief known throughout the streets of Ketterdam as "Dirtyhands", is promised a very large sum of money to rescue Bo Yul-Bayur, a Shu scientist, from the Ice Court in Fjerda. Bo Yul-Bayur has discovered jurda parem, a lethally addictive drug that greatly enhances the powers of the Grisha, people with magical abilities. However, the Ice Court is the most highly protected place in all of Fjerda, and Kaz can't infiltrate it by himself; he needs a crew. He recruits several members of his street gang, the Dregs. Inej Ghafa is a nimble and stealthy Suli spy whom Kaz rescued from the Menagerie, a brothel. Jesper Fahey is a sharpshooter with a penchant for gambling. Nina Zenik is a Heartrender from the Ravkan Second Army with the ability to control the bodies of others. Matthias Helvar is a former Fjerdan drüskelle thrown into Kerch jail after being framed by Nina. Wylan Van Eck is a merchant's son with some skill at demolition. The task isn't so easy, so in order to win, they'll need to work together and trust in each other.

Plot

In Ketterdam, the capital of the island nation of Kerch, Councilman Hoede tests a drug called jurda parem, a lethal drug to humans and an addictive substance to Grisha, on Anya, a Grisha Healer indentured to his house. The experiment goes wrong. Anya gains extraordinary abilities, including the power to control the minds of the guards around her, something that a regular Healer would not normally be able to do. She leaves the Hoede house but is eventually found dead a few days later.

A week after the incident at Councilman Hoede's house, Jan Van Eck, a wealthy merchant, approaches Kaz Brekker, a 17-year-old criminal prodigy and second-in-command of the gang, Dregs, with an impossible task. Van Eck shows Kaz what Grisha exposed to jurda parem could do. While the drug enhances the powers of a Grisha, it is highly addictive and the craving has a major debilitating effect on them. He informs Kaz that the inventor of the drug, Bo Yul-Bayur, is being held in the Ice Court in the Fjerdan capital, a military stronghold that had never been breached before. Van Eck needs Kaz to rescue the scientist and prevent the secret of jurda parem from getting out into the world. Kaz agrees to the price of thirty million kruge and starts recruiting a crew. He enlists the help of Inej Ghafa, widely known as the Wraith, his right-hand and spy whom he had saved from a pleasure house called the Menagerie two years ago. Next, Kaz seeks out Nina Zenik, a Grisha Heartrender, who agrees when she learns that Kaz also plans to enlist Matthias Helvar, a former Fjerdan drüskelle (a Grisha-hunter) who is currently serving a sentence at Hellgate Prison. It was Nina's testimony that sent Matthias to prison, and she has been trying to set things right. Along with Inej and Nina, Kaz also brings in Jesper Fahey, a Zemeni sharpshooter with a gambling problem. Together, they manage to break Matthias out of Hellgate. Despite his initial protests, Matthias agrees to help in exchange for a pardon that would enable him to be a drüskelle again. Kaz rounds up his crew with Wylan Van Eck, the runaway son of Jan Van Eck who will also serve as the crew's leverage against the latter.

As they are about to sail from Ketterdam, the crew is ambushed by rival gangs. They manage to safely get aboard their ship except for Inej, who is gravely wounded in the midst of the skirmish. Kaz rescues her, and upon torturing the man who stabbed her, they learn that Pekka Rollins, leader of the Dime Lions, is after the scientist as well. Kaz holds a deep grudge against Pekka for running a con on Kaz and his older brother, Jordie, when they were young, eventually leading to Jordie's death and setting Kaz on a dark path. Under Nina's care, Inej recovers during the voyage.

Upon reaching Fjerda, two Grisha on jurda parem attack the crew. While they emerge victorious, Nina is shocked to discover that one of the Grisha is an old acquaintance. However, the Grisha was so far gone by the addiction that he did not even recognize her, only begging for more of the drug before succumbing to his wounds. Troubled by the Grisha's deaths and believing that they would have survived were they not drastically weakened by the drug, Nina stays to bury them. Matthias helps her, giving them a moment to finally talk about her betrayal. Nina was a Grisha soldier of the Ravkan Second Army who was captured by Matthias and his team, all Fjerdan drüskelle, trained to hunt Grisha whom they believe to be unnatural monsters. Along with other captured Grisha, Nina is put on a ship to Fjerda. The ship sinks during a storm, and only Matthias and Nina survive. Nina was able to cut herself free because of a cup Matthias had earlier given her to drink water from. She saves Matthias' life, thus repaying her debt. They helped each other survive until they find their way back to civilization. Along the way, they fell in love. However, when they reach a city, Nina was waylaid by Grisha spies who wanted to take Matthias prisoner. To save him, she approached a Kerch trader and accused Matthias of being a slave trader, securing safe passage to Kerch but not knowing that Matthias will be thrown in Hellgate as soon as they docked. Instead of going home to Ravka, Nina stayed in Ketterdam to try and free Matthias. Matthias softens upon hearing her story and agrees to help Nina kill Bo Yul-Bayur, both deciding that jurda parem is a threat to Grisha and Fjerdans alike.

The crew intercept a cart of prisoners being taken to the Ice Court and take the place of six of them. Kaz loses consciousness, as a part of his past is revealed. As a child, after he and his brother were conned by Pekka Rollins, the Lady's Plague swept through Ketterdam, killing many residents of the city including Jordie. Kaz caught the plague but was able to recover. However, he was mistakenly thought for dead and was tossed in the river with the bodies. The experience created an intense, lingering aversion to any sort of physical contact with others, prompting him to wear gloves nearly all the time. He wakes up as they enter the Ice Court, discovering that the men Pekka Rollins must have sent ahead of them have been captured, their bodies mounted on pikes above the courtyard.

The crew are split up, as males and females are taken to different cells. After knocking the other prisoners out using a chloro gas, Jesper, who is revealed to be a Grisha Fabrikator, then fashions a lock pick from the cell bars using his powers. Kaz unlocks the door, then proceeds to free Nina and Inej from the female section while Matthias and Jesper look for as much rope as they could find. Kaz, however, deviates from the plan and goes with Nina to search the other holding cells for Yul-Bayur. They split up, with Kaz pursuing his own agenda and finding Pekka Rollins in a cell. In the meantime, Nina is spotted by guards, who manage to raise the alarm before she could kill them. She hurries to the basement where the rest of the crew is gathered. By then, Inej had miraculously scaled a six-storey incinerator shaft, securing an escape route for the rest of the crew. Kaz arrives last, and they all manage to get to the roof.

With the alarm triggered, the crew come up with a new plan to get to the center of the Ice Court, the White Island, where the scientist should be. Inej and Nina get in by knocking down two Menagerie girls and taking their place. However, only Nina gets through the guards; Inej is held back. Matthias and Kaz get in through a secret bridge known only to drüskelle. Jesper and Wylan move on to destroy the ringwall gate and trigger the Ice Court's Black Protocol alarm.

While trying to coax information from a Fjerdan official, Nina is shocked to see Jarl Brum, a notorious Fjerdan commander she had presumed to be dead but had apparently also survived the shipwreck. Nina takes a risk and allows Brum to show her around the prison cells that were especially constructed to detain Grisha. Brum, however, knows who she really is and locks her in a cell. Matthias, who appears to have betrayed her, shows up, but he turns against his old commander and frees Nina, making the sacred Fjerdan drüskelle vow to keep her safe until he dies. They start looking for Bo Yul-Bayur, but they find that the scientist is dead. His son, Kuwei Yul-Bo, is alive and is being forced to replicate his father's research. Nina refuses to kill him as he is just a child and also a Grisha, an Inferni. She and Matthias take the boy and leave, blowing up the lab as they go. They meet up with Kaz, and they all escape through a waterfall.

On the other hand, Jesper and Wylan succeed in destroying the gate and triggering the alarm but are attacked by Shu Tidemakers. Jesper once again Fabrikates metal and ends up killing the Tidemakers. Meanwhile, Inej is spotted by the leader of the Menagerie and her old employer, Tante Heleen, who informs the guards of Inej's true identity. The guards march Inej back to prison through the glass corridor. Jesper and Wylan rescue her, and using the diamond Inej stole from Tante Heleen, they cut the glass and hijack a Fjerdan tank. Inej, Jesper, and Wylan use the tank to ram through the walls and escape, eventually rejoining the others. They head toward the dock where they are supposed to rendezvous with their ship, but to their horror, they find a large Fjerdan party waiting for them, a Heartrender at the fore. Without any other choice, Nina takes jurda parem and subdues all of the enemies. Jarl Brum and a team of drüskelle make an appearance, but before she could kill them, Matthias intervenes and begs her to let them live. Nina relents.

The crew safely reaches Ketterdam, with Nina already suffering from withdrawal. They leave her behind with Wylan, while the rest of the crew take Kuwei to Jan Van Eck. Van Eck, however, reveals that he only wanted the formula for jurda parem and profit from the fallout of its release to the world. He sinks the crew's ship despite Kaz's warning that Wylan is aboard. As it turns out, Van Eck deems his son unfit to inherit his business empire as Wylan cannot read or write. Kaz, however, still has the upper hand, revealing that the boy Van Eck thinks is Kuwei Yul-Bo is actually Wylan, whom Nina had tailored to look exactly like the scientist's son. Furious, Van Eck kidnaps Inej with the help of Grisha under the influence of jurda parem and gives them seven days to bring him the real Kuwei. Unwilling to endanger Inej, Kaz lets the merchant go.

In the final scene, Kaz and his remaining crew go to Pekka Rollins. It is revealed that Kaz had set him free back at the Ice Court, and the man had somehow found his way back to Ketterdam. Kaz sells his shares in the Crow Club and the Fifth Harbour in order to raise the money he needs. Then he starts to hatch a new plan to get Inej back - and their money - from Jan Van Eck.

Characters

  • Kaz Brekker, a master thief and lock pick with a reputation for doing anything for the right price. He is also known as Dirtyhands. He is described as always wearing black leather gloves and carrying a cane with a crow's head on it. He is part of the Dregs.
  • Inej Ghafa, a Suli acrobat who has a talent for sneaking around. She was kidnapped and forced to work in a brothel known as the "Menagerie" until Kaz bought her contract. She is also known as the Wraith.
  • Wylan van Eck, a merchant's son with some talent for demolition, who Kaz takes on as a hostage in hopes of using him as leverage against Jan Van Eck. He is unable to read due to his dyslexia.
  • Matthias Helvar, a former Drüskelle (witchhunter from Fjerda). He has a history with Nina, as the two of them helped each other after a storm destroyed their ship. They trusted each other, until Nina accused him of being a slaver, leading to his incarceration at Hellgate. He hates Nina for her betrayal and for his initial prejudice against Grisha, but he also loves her. Kaz frees Matthias from Hellgate because of his knowledge of the Ice Court as well as for his skills as a soldier.
  • Nina Zenik, a powerful Heartrender who worked in a brothel named "White Rose". She was a soldier of the Ravkan Second Army who was captured by Fjerdan Drüskelle, leading to her first encounter with Matthias. She betrayed his trust to protect him from Grisha spies, choosing to stay in Ketterdam in the hopes of finding a way to free him from prison. She was initially recruited by Pekka Rollins to join the Dime Lions, but after meeting Inej, who brought a counteroffer from Kaz, she decided to join the Dregs instead.
  • Jesper Fahey, a dark-skinned Zemeni sharpshooter with a gambling problem. It is revealed he is a Fabrikator as well later in the plot. His father believes that he is studying in a university at Ketterdam.
  • Jan Van Eck, a rich and prominent merchant who sits on Ketterdam's Merchant Council. He makes a deal with Kaz Brekker to retrieve the creator of jurda parem from the Ice Court.
  • Pekka Rollins, Kaz's ultimate adversary after he conned him and ruined his life. He is the rich owner of a successful casino in Ketterdam and is always up to no good in one way or the other.

Reception

According to The Guardian, the plot of the book is filled with action. It is fast paced with an urgency in the change of point of views and plot twists throughout the book. It is further added that although the book is structured to the typical format, it is rather unpredictable as it transcends towards the end.[8]

NPR books criticized the characters, claiming that the characters do not have the mindset according to their described age. That is, the characters display the wisdom and traits of much older people.[9]

According to The Times of India, different perspectives in the book each provide an in-depth view of the each character's traits and backgrounds. It further says, "Bardugo's language and her intelligent storytelling effectively makes The Six of Crows a white-knuckle page-turner."[10]

References

  1. ↑ Wappler, Margaret (2015-10-23). "Y.A. Crossover". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  2. ↑ Nava4 (2016-01-21). "Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – review". the Guardian. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  3. ↑ Press, Daily (2016-01-25). "Criminals attempt intricate heist in 'Six of Crows' - HRBooks review". dailypress.com. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  4. ↑ "'Six of Crows' continues Leigh Bardugo's streak of smart fantasy novels". Washington Post. 2015-11-16. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  5. ↑ "Leigh Bardugo Talks Six of Crows, Heist Movies and Skinny Dipping". The Huffington Post. 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  6. ↑ Bardugo, Leigh (2015-09-24). "Leigh Bardugo reads from Six of Crows". the Guardian. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  7. ↑ "Leigh Bardugo: Author of The Grisha Trilogy: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising". www.leighbardugo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  8. ↑ Nava4 (2016-01-21). "Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – review". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  9. ↑ "'Six Of Crows' Is A Well-Turned Heist Tale". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  10. ↑ "Micro review: 'Six of Crows' moves beyond genres - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
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