Six of Crows

I had a great time with Six of Crows. Like many people, I thought it was the most fun of the Shadow and Bone books, and I would recommend it to anyone. Reading the original trilogy is recommended but not required, and it could be a standalone “heist story” even if you didn't really like the originals. It feels a bit like Oceans Eleven or the first Mistborn with a solidly character-driven plot.

I really appreciated the variety and depth of the characters. From reading the original trilogy you have a few conceptions/stereotypes about the various peoples, but this feels like a fully cosmopolitan book, which is fitting for its trader city setting. I also appreciate/respect that she wasn't just showing off different in-world cultures for the sake of vague “worldbuilding,” but that the characters' backgrounds strongly shape their motives. She shows two different characters who are earnestly but not cartoonishly patriotic for their own countries, and I thought their Romeo/Juliet dynamic was very good and a strong step up from most YA.

Different characters have different things to bond over or fight about, and it truly drives the plot and their motives. Having tension within the group AND against other groups (inter-and intra-) makes all of the decisions matter and truly kept me guessing; I had no idea what would happen. There were lots of little twists, and a few really good ones.

Have fun!