My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Bookshelves: fantasy, magic, ya, love-the-cover, steampunk, lgbt-inclusion, multiple-povs, this-is-the-stuff-right-here, witches-and-wizards
When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.
Finally got that fantasy fix I was wanting.
I had posted my negative review of Mistborn and was reading through other reviews. One fellow negative reviewer referred readers to Six of Crows instead, and I’m so glad she did.
This is another of those YA books that doesn’t really read YA, to me. The language isn’t simplistic, nor is the plot. The only thing really “teen” is that sexual content is circumspect, and I’m fine with that. Few things are more awkward for me the reader than a detailed sex scene that has obviously been laboured over that leaves me cold or unmoved or even cringing. I’d rather a writer allude to what’s going on and leave the rest to my imagination, which is probably our biggest erogenous zone anyway.
So, back to the book. Six badass outcasts of society come together for the one big job that will buy them all freedom:
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.
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
Lots to love here, along with the little bit of love that is fallen into. I love these characters, kids who don’t read like kids, forced to grow up too fast. I love the world of the Grisha, which reads like a fantasy Scandinavia with modern elements, magic and witchhunting, and a steampunk vibe. The dialogue is fresh, the pace is galloping, and the plotting is tight, no loose ends here even if it is a cliff-hanger at the end. (Sequel coming right up!)
What I might have liked most of all, though, is the actual, physical book. The physical object, all black and goth with the black-edged pages, how arty and stylish and sexy is that? The pages of the sequel are red. These books make me happy just looking at them.
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99 Monkeys 