Introduction/General information about the book

Title: Six of Crows

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Date first edition: 2015

Genre: fantasy

Setting

The story is set in another world where several kingdoms coexist around a vast sea
named the True Sea. It is mostly inhabited by humans, however some powerful sorcerers
named Grisha also live there. Several countries are at war against one another. Ketterdam,
the city where most of the action happens, is a very active trade hubble inspired by
Amsterdam. Although the time is not specified, it seems like the action could happen during
the Middle-Ages, because the characters use wood and steel weapons such as daggers or
bows. In addition, the Drmskelle, witch-hunters, burn their victims alive, just as people did
at the time. However, they also have guns, which didn't exist during the Middle-Ages. Some
elements of the story almost act as anachronisms, for example the presence of tanks.
The description of the setting is quite vivid, tugging at all of our senses, making it
seem very realistic. Furthermore, the Ice Court, the goal of the quest, is described in a way
that makes it sound unbreachable indeed, which increases the dramatic tension of the story
because of the great number of obstacles the characters have to face. Moreover, the city of
Ketterdam is important for the developpment of the plot. Indeed, the past of all the
characters intertwines tightly with the bustling city; if the story had taken place elsewhere, it
would have been entirely different. The part of the story that takes place in the northern
country of Fjerda also contributes to the developpment of Matthias's character, knowing that
he spent his youth there and that he is quite attached to his origins.

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Map of Ketterdam, the most important city of the book
Map of the world described in Six of Crows

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 Main character

Main Character: Kaz Brekker

Kaz is probably one of the most complex characters that I have ever
encountered. This seventeen-year-old dark teenager, nicknamed
Dirtyhands, is the most famous thief of Ketterdam, and he was only caught
by the police twice during his entire life, when he was just a boy. He is the
leader of a criminal band known as the Dregs. He uses a walking stick
decorated with the head of a crow ever since he fell off a roof during his childhood. This
crook doesn't seem to hold any doubts or remorse, and won't hesitate to commit any crime
as long as he gets rewarded for it. Sometimes, it even looks like he can't feel any kind of
love, affection, friendship or happiness; he is only driven by his thirst for power, fortune and
vengeance. The young man always holds up a strong facade that hides his actual feelings
or his eventual weaknesses, making him seem unbreakable. However, as the story
progresses, he shows signs of weakness, of vulnerability. As we learn more about his past
(which often haunts him), we almost come to pity him, and we understand his actions a lot
better. Furthermore, he proves to the reader that he actually cares about his friends, and
that he holds to his principles, in his own twisted way.
Kaz is outstandingly smart. He can evaluate odds or come up with a plan in an
eyeblink, makes sure that there are no weak spots in his schemes, and he never fails to
provide a backup plan. In addition, he is always one step ahead of everyone, whether it be
the reader, his companions, or his ennemies. The young con artist also learned many
magical tricks, which increased his agility, stealth and art of illusion. Like all of the other
characters except for Matthias, he uses a great deal of sarcasm and irony, which turns out
to be most of the time dark humour.
The main character changes from a ruthless, slightly arrogant criminal prodigy to a
perhaps-in-love-with-a-girl-that-he-will-never-truly-be-able-to-date criminal prodigy by the
end of the story.

Other characters

Another character: Inej Ghafa

Details:
Inej is a sixteen-year-old kind, compassionnate and incredibly brave spy -enough to
scale a scorching incinatory shaft as smooth as a frog's skin... She is Kaz's right hand, and
possibly the only person that he trusts. When she managed to sneak up on the criminal
without him noticing despite the bells attached to her ankles, he delivered her from her
enslavement and taught her everthing that he knew, so that she would steal information
from the highest ranks. She also understands him more than anyone else; she keeps
looking for his hidden light side, whereas all that the others see at first is the cruel thief.
She is the most righteous character of the group, driven by her religious beliefs and her
moral compass. Inej can scale just about any building; her discretion and agility would
shame a cat. The quote that best applies to her is She was the Wraith -the only law that
applied to her was gravity, and sometimes she defied that, too. Inej longs for freedom; her
dream is to return to her native land in order to look for her parents, then to become the
captain of a ship that would hunt down slave traders -however, because of an indenture,
she cannot leave the Dregs yet.

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Another character: Jesper Fahey

Details:
Jesper is a sharpshooter -he could pierce a coin in the heart of a
battle. Just like Kaz and Nina, he is seventeen. He was raised in a family
of farmers. Initially, he came to Ketterdam in order to attend university;
however, his attraction towards wagers drove him into debt, which forced
him to join the Dregs. He loves gambling, even though he keeps losing.
Therefore, he isn't afraid of attempting any mission, even when the odds
of successing are seemingly inexistant. He is funny, witty and never
misses an opportunity to make fun of Wylan.

Another character: Matthias Helvar

Details:
Matthias is the eldest of the group, aged 18. He is a Drskelle (a
witch-hunter) who fell in love with Nina after they were forced to
collaborate, following the wreck of the ship on which they were both
navigating. Because of her betrayal, he ended up in the prison of Hellgate,
which is why he hates her and longs to kill her, even though some hidden part of him still
loves her. Kaz breaks him out of prison because he spent most of his life in the Ice Court;
therefore, he knew all about the protocol, traps and plans of the military stronghold. In
addition, his almost inhuman strength allowed him to win the fights he had to go through to
survive. His deep loyalty towards his country, along with his sense of honour, often leads
him to severe dilemmas. He only accepts Kaz's offer and joins the mission because he
won't allow Grisha drugged by jurda parem to destroy the world (see plot).

Another character: Nina Zenik

Details:
Nina is a powerful Grisha, a Heartrender Corporalki: she can make
anyone suffer deeply, or even kill people by the force of her spirit. She can
stop their hearts or make them suffocate without even touching them. She
can also heal certain wounds, even though that demands a higher effort and
that she isn't very skilled at it. The young woman used to be a soldier
fighting against Drskelle. Nina is guilty about Matthias' imprisonment; she tried to withdraw
her charges against him several times, however it would never work. She still loves him
despite their tormented past. Like all of the others, she is resilient, brave,
witty and amusing.

Another character: Wylan Van Eck

Details:
Wylan is the son of the rich merchant who asked Kaz to organise
the rescue of Bo Yul-Bayur (see plot). He ran away from his house after
having an argument with his father. Kaz asks him to join the quest because he can be used
as a hostage to negociate the reward. His ability to create explosives proves to be quite
useful to the group. Furthermore, he is very intelligent, smart, curious and educated. He is
unused to violence, as he grew up in a wealthy family.

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 Theme

In my opinion, the author seeks to show us that a fantasy world can be a mirror to
our own. It proves that human nature remains the same throughout time and space, that
mankind is bound to fight useless wars. Furthermore, it demonstrates that humans are
complex; it is never easy to guess at one's motives, because the explanation to one's action
often depend on several factors, including his past experiences, his perception of the world
that surrounds him, his feelings and personnality. In addition, things are not always as they
seem; a faithful friend can turn into a fiendish foe, an ennemy can become an invaluable
ally. Someone who seems ruthless can prove to be kind and compassionnate. Humans are
capable of the worst crimes, however they can also accomplish good deeds when they are
offered the opportunity to do so. We are built up of several aspects, several sides that
entertwine and that can be hard to uncover or differenciate; there isn't a dark side and a
light side, but a mix of the two, with many different shades and nuances. Ultimately, our
personnality all revolves around the chances that we get in life: where we are born, how we
are educated, how many tragedies or how much happiness surround us... After that, it is up
to us to determine the right reaction.
If we are betrayed by someone, we should not judge them too hastily, but think about
their reasons instead. That person might be weak, wrecked, lost, or even blackmailed; in
other words, forced to do so. Perhaps with a little compassion and understanding, they
could be redeemed.
Moreover, I believe that the author's lesson in life is that stark choices await us
during our life. Some of them seem insignificant, whilst others determine our future, or even
that of other people. Sometimes, we may have to deal with tormenting dilemmas between
love and glory, fortune and fame, friendship and freedom; other times, we need to consider
if the risks we take in order to do what we believe to be the right thing are worth the shot, or
if putting our life at stake isn't a good option.
In addition, this story shows us that under grave circumnstances, unlikely alliances
can be formed and lead to new friendships, that romance blossoms in the most remote
corners, that the shadow of hope can be found in desparate situations, that a brilliant idea
can save one's life, that thieves can actually have a moral compass, and that anything is
possible as long as your will is strong enough.
This story deals with the themes of courage, identity, love, friendship, survival, and
doing the right thing, among many others. Throughout the novel, all of the characters defy
impossible odds; they have to face their worst fears in order to accomplish their mission,
thus they stand out for their bravery. The quest for one's identity also plays an important
role in the story; Matthias' struggle between his roots as a Drskelle and his love towards
Nina take an important part of the plot, as well as Inej's longing for freedom, or Nina's
bounds as a soldier to her country. The characters all have different origins, which add up
to create a special atmophere in their team. Love stories add more thrill to the novel, even
though they don't have a predominant role in the plot -the theme of homosexuality is also
briefly mentionned, along with that of sacrifice: how much are we willing to give away for
our beloved one? Friendship also builds up throughout the novel, proving that people
sharing common adventures or strives tend to knit closer relationships in a short amount of
time.
Furthermore, the author deals with the theme of fighting for one's survival; indeed,
the characters were in severe danger during their entire childhood. Kaz was left alone after
his older brother died, therefore he became a criminal; Inej was stolen from her parents and
sold as a slave in a pleasure house, and later turned into a spy; Matthias received a harsh

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training as a Drskelle after his parents were murdered, then ended up in prison, killing
others in order to stay alive; later on, he and Nina were forced to collaborate in order to
survive in a frozen desert... Throughout the book, we also wonder about what would be the
right thing to do: kill Bo Yul-Bayur on the spot to prevent jurda parem from spreading, bring
him back to retrieve the money, keep him in order to rule the world? (see plot) Rescue
your allies while putting your own life in peril, even when you hate them, or leave them
behind? Allow yourself to love again, even after having suffered a horrible betrayal, or hate
that person for the rest of your life?
This book showed me how people living miserable lives can be resilient, grow
stronger after having been broken, and to what extremities they can go in order to survive
or to improve their existence.

Plot

In the beginning of the story, Kaz is offered the opportunity to win a reward that could
turn him from a vulgar slum to a wealthy noble. In order to do so, he must break into the
safest military stronghold that was ever built (the Ice Court), then retrieve a hostage named
Bo Yul-Bayur, and bring him back alive, without getting caught. This mission is vital
because Yul-Bayur has developped a drug named jurda parem that boosts the capacities
of any Grisha sorcerer who takes it, but ultimately kills them; if the scientist accepted to
reveal the formula, the world would be thrown into turmoil, havoc and chaos. A heist of this
importance has never been accomplished before. Kaz accepts the challenge, and recruits a
team made up of six people, including himself: a thief, a spy, a sharpshooter, a
heartrender, a Drskelle, and the son of a rich merchant.
During their quest, they need to fight several ennemies: other teams coming to
rescue Bo Yul-Bayur, thugs who hate Kaz, and mostly the Drskelle at the Ice Court.
Several times, they even fight against one another...
After crossing the True Sea, then part of a frozen desert, the team reaches the Ice
Court, in the middle of a national celebration that turns in their favour, as many guards have
to supervise the party. The six allies enter as convicted criminals... It is now up to them to
rescue Bo Yul-Bayur and exit as heroes, or to die trying...

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 Evaluation of the book

What did you think of the book?

I thought the book was amazing; the suspense was perfectly mastered, the author kept us
guessing about several issues until we found out that the answer was completely different
to the one that we imagined... It was clever, complex but not overwhelming, full of twists,
turns and revelations. Furthermore, the author's style is quite enjoyable.

What did you like about the book?

I appreciated the humour, wit and nerve of the characters, the numerous, thrilling sub-plots,
the originality of the story, the different perspectives and the flashbacks that give more
depth to the characters, the fact that Kaz could be considered as an antihero, and the
unpredictable story arc. I particularly enjoyed the complexity of the characters.

What didnt you like about the book?

I didn't like the rare scenes of violence that were described: a moment when Kaz is driven
mad by his grief and brutally kills someone after blinding him, or when the group finds out
three Grishas on a burned pyre, one of which is still alive. Some of the descriptions were
way too vivid...

Was the story confusing?

The beginning of the story was slightly confusing because I did not understand who each of
the characters was right away; however, I got accustomed to it after a short while, and from
that moment onwards, I enjoyed the whole novel.

Was the story predictable (could you guess what was going to happen?)

The story was completely unpredictable; even when I thought I guessed something, it
turned out that I was completely wrong. For example, when several characters got into a
precarious situation, it turned out that Kaz had planned it all along. The reason why Wylan
left his house also surprised me a lot.

Was the story believable?

The story was built up in a way that made it seem realistic despite its setting. The
descriptions were flawless, making us feel as though we were there. The author also did a
lot of research in order to find out more about magic tricks, thief techniques, government
buildings, high-security facilities, knife wounds, Dutch words, which made the plot even
more realistic, including the unlikely or extreme methods that the characters use in order to
accomplish their mission.

The ending was totally unpredictable ; it provides several answers, while raising up
even more questions... The story ends on a terrible cliffhanger.