Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - Review

Writing - 5/5 stars // Characters - 5/5 stars // Plot - 3/5 stars // Intensity - 3/5 stars // Engagement - 3/5 stars // Overall - 4/5 stars

I don't understand the hype. I decided to try this book because everyone was talking about how amazing it was on their social media platforms. So many people said it was their "favourite book ever" but I don't really understand why. Yes, the book was very good and I liked it, but it was not as good as everyone made it out to be. One review said "The best magic universe since Harry Potter."! The world created in this book is very cool but saying it is the best since Harry Potter made my expectations way to high. I also don't agree with that statement, the world is not as good as the world created in Harry Potter and saying that set the book up for failure. I also didn't read the Shadow and Bone trilogy because Leigh Bardugo said you didn't have to. That was a HUGE mistake! I couldn't understand the world at all for a good chunk of the book which made it less enjoyable and it took a lot of brain power to figure it out. That was my mistake. I think that if I had read Shadow and Bone I would have understood it a lot better and maybe I could of had more success with this book.

Writing

Leigh Bardugo's writing style is stunning. The way everything in the book is described really paints a beautiful picture. It flows wonderfully and really helps you connect with the book.

Characters

I love the characters in this book! They have so much depth but you can't tell at first. They are each so unique and very different from any characters I have seen before. It took a while but I fell in love with all of them. There is so many strong characters and they are all so different but fit together perfectly.

Plot

The plot is good but it starts off very slow. I don't really like slow books so this was almost a deal breaker for me, but I managed to push through and finish it. Like I said, it does start slow but once the book gets going it picks up the pace drastically. It is exciting and full of plot twists. You can never guess what is going to happen next. That was one of the things I did like about this book. I could never tell what was going to happen next!

Intensity

I wouldn't say this book was very intense. I was expecting it to be a lot more intense than it was. It was very slow at the beginning and not much happened. However, there is a lot of descriptions of blood and wounds that can be fairly intense at times but I don't feel like it is enough to change whether you read the book or not.

Engagement

Overall the engagement was okay. I have already mentioned this a few times but the book was very slow at the beginning. I struggled to stay engaged through the first half of the book. However, once I got to the second half I couldn't put the book down. If you are a person that struggles with getting engaged in a book I don't recommend.

Overall

Overall this book was enjoyable. If you are a patient reader I recommend this book. It's not an easy read. It takes a ton of brain power and time to read this book. I don't recommend reading it if you are looking for an easy read. If you like longer books, and are okay with a slow start this book is great. Six of Crows has wonderful characters, an enjoyable plot and is set in an intriguing world. If you end up reading this book I hope you enjoy it more than I did!

Content Warning: Blood, Violence, Death, Sexual Assault, Drug Addiction, Abuse, PTSD, Genocide.