Well, this is both a long overdue read and review, but it’s definitely a recommendation if you’re looking for a great fantasy adventure!

Earlier this year, the lovely Sophie at Beware of the Reader and I challenged each other to read some books a little outside of the norm for us. Good fantasy reads are always hard for me to find, so she chose for me to read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, and in turn, I wanted her to read one of my favorite audiobooks of last year, Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I’m excited to say that our little challenge was a win-win for both of us!

~ Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo ~

Release Date ~ September 29, 2015

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

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

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

Six of Crows was a bit of a slow-go for me at first, but I’m not as accustomed to the world-building in fantasy reads. I actually think it’s one of my biggest challenges with this genre, and while I enjoy watching them on TV or in movies, I have a hard time imagining them when actually reading the stories.

Once I got rolling though, I was so consumed in this well developed and rather action-packed story. It definitely kept me on my toes and combined with the depth for each of the characters and how their pasts were slowly revealed throughout really played with my emotions. With that ending, of course, I had to dive right into the second book in this series, Crooked Kingdom. It was yet another fun and wild ride, although its own ending left me with a bit of a sad heart for certain characters.

As I’m mainly a romance reader, I think overall, I would have liked more plot development into the romance aspect in the series, however, I am very impressed with Bardugo’s writing and glad I stepped outside of the box found a new author and fantasy read to enjoy. I see that at some point, we’ll also get a third book in this series, so I’ll have to put on my patient pants while I wait for its release!

I’m excited that I did manage to at least get a few fantasy reads under my belt for the year, and yes, I’m headed into the King of Scars Duology next – I really need more Nina!

Start The Six of Crows Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo today!

Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels and the creator of the Grishaverse (coming soon to Netflix) which spans the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows Duology, The Language of Thorns, and King of Scars— with more to come. Her short stories can be found in multiple anthologies, including the Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy. Her other works include Wonder Woman: Warbringer and Ninth House (Goodreads Choice Winner for Best Fantasy 2019) which is being developed for television by Amazon Studios. Leigh was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Southern California, and graduated from Yale University. These days she lives and writes in Los Angeles. For information on new releases and appearances, sign up for her newsletter.

She would be delighted if you followed her on Twitter, elated if you visited her at LeighBardugo.com, and fairly giddy if you liked her selfies on Instagram.

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