Opening Doorz

By Geneive D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | December 06, 2021

Book Review: Six of Crows Duology
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Rating: 4.5/5

The Essence: Leigh Bardugo outdoes herself when it comes to Six of Crows and the Crooked Kingdom. Her writing is engaging and enjoyable, making these books a delightful read. I was never a fan of the fantasy genre, but a friend recommended this duology I decided to give it a go. I was thoroughly immersed in the Grishaverse and couldn’t put the book down. 

Six of Crows Duology Book Review

Six of Crows Duology contains two books, the first being Six of Crows, and the second, Crooked Kingdom. Through these two books, Leigh Bardugo, the author, builds up the story for the reader. The first book ends at a sort of a cliff-hanger, which made me immediately order the second book, which is essentially a continuation of the story in Six of Crows.

Six of Crows is an introduction to this new world for the readers, the Grishaverse. It didn’t take very long for me to get used to the different names of people and places, which are heavily influenced by Slavic culture in this new universe. The Crows, a gang of hardened criminals have been offered a huge reward to break into the Ice Court, a heavily secured military stronghold. They have to get back a scientist, who has just invented a powerful and consequential drug for Grisha, who are essentially people from the Grishaverse with genetic special gifts. The scientist is being held prisoner there. 

The need to trust each other

Throughout the story, we are made aware of the fact that the only way for The Crows to succeed with this heist is if they all trust each other. This proves to be difficult with each of them being con-men themselves, but what keeps them going is the thought of what they would be able to do with their large rewards. 

Crooked Kingdom continues from where we left off at the end of Six of Crows. The Crows are now hiding from the law and plotting revenge, after being double-crossed by the merchant who sent them on this heist and promised them the huge reward. At last, our six Crows come to realise that they wouldn’t have survived so far if it wasn’t for each other. We may not get an entirely happy ending, but it does satisfy the reader in some way because after all, things often don’t turn out the way we want them to.

After reading Six of Crows, I didn’t know if Crooked Kingdom could get any better; but it was indeed. It evoked so much emotion, something which I have rarely found in books. You can have books that make you feel things, but getting so invested in the characters, their stories, and their feelings is another experience altogether. 

A journey to the beyond

Leigh Bardugo takes us on a journey with these con-men. How he weaves a story on how they learn to trust, sacrifice and love, and what it means to each of them is what keeps the reader invested in the book. She uses her chapters to allow the reader to get a look into how each of them thinks and feel, unbeknown to the rest of the group as well, through the point of view of each character in the third person. 

We get to know each of their backstories, why they are what they are right now, what gave them that thirst for revenge to make them criminals, and what their life could have been like had they not made certain decisions. She gives them a very human quality rarely seen in writing; greed. Greed is what drives them. And it does not say whether it is good or bad. It does exist and is very much the reason for many things people do. The unwillingness to forgive is also another thing we see when we are introduced to the backstories. 

Leigh Bardugo and her genius

Bardugo outdoes herself when it comes to Six of Crows and the Crooked Kingdom. Her writing is engaging and enjoyable, making these books a delightful read. I was never a fan of the fantasy genre, but a friend recommended this duology I decided to give it a go. I was thoroughly immersed in the Grishaverse and couldn’t put the book down. 

Leigh Bardugo is best known for her young adult fantasy novels and series, not unlike the Six of Crows Duology. She has written the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, King of Scars Duology, Ninth House and many more. Her most recent work is Rule of Wolves, the second book in the King of Scars Duology, published in March 2021.

I strongly recommend reading both these books back-to-back, even if you’re not a big fan of the fantasy genre. A good book is based on the writing, and not the genre, and the Six of Crows Duology has one of the best writing there is. In this universe, there are “No mourners and no funerals.”

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