Six of Crows

Nothing better conveys my enjoyment of this book than the fury and disappointment I feel right now. You see, I read the Kindle version, and was humming along around 77% through the book, seeing some new threads develop, the building blocks of a Crowning Moment of Awesome for the hero, some kickass action, and delicious plotting.And then THE END.So yeah, the Kindle version has tons of sample material, acknowledgements, and so on at the end of this FIRST HALF of the story. So be warned. If you're into the story and you want to know what happens next, have [b:Crooked Kingdom 22299763 Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2) Leigh Bardugo https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456172607s/22299763.jpg 42090179] on deck!So, why did I like it? It's a well-constructed heist story, set against a compelling world where some people have magical abilities (think air/water/blood/metal bending a la Avatar), and their mostly workaday powers become a pivot point for global conflict. The motley crew assembled to retrieve a vital player from an unbreakable prison all have their own backstories that brought them to this caper, and those stories slowly come to light as the adventure progresses. Each character is well-drawn, and the potential romances and URST add some spice. (This is YA, so nothing more than PG-13, but the tension is artfully written.)This reminds me of [b:Head On 35018901 Head On (Lock In, #2) John Scalzi https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497994548s/35018901.jpg 45415409], despite them having nothing in common on the face of it. Both use standard storytelling structures (SoC a heist, HO a police procedural), but they use the tropes well, and set them in a world that raises interesting questions about the human condition. Add in fun, relatable characters who get us invested, and you've got a story guaranteed to keep the pages turning.Better wrap up so I can go dive into The Crooked Kingdom and neglect all my worldly duties till I finish!