Bardugo's prose is awesome, and there are some truly gorgeous quotes from here. Then again, it doesn't feel as if she's trying too hard or using purple prose. And for people who claim to be the most open minded fandom who support every kind of freaking diversity known to man, some of you sure aren't what you'd like to believe lol.

Jesper lol the guy is supposed to be some kind of sharpshooter who starts crying for a medic when one of his friends is shot. Real gangster right here dude. They hadn’t even left Ketterdam, and Wylan already seemed completely out of his depth. He wasn’t much younger than Kaz, but somehow looked like a child – smooth-skinned, wide-eyed, like a silk-eared puppy in a room full of fighting dogs.” And the characters. Kaz was obviously my favourite character, and he was extremely well developed, his many sides revealed through out the first and second books. Personally, Jesper was always my close runner up. I have always loved funny and sarcastic characters, and Jesper is just so perfect with his brilliant digs and remarks. Inej, Wylan, Nina and Mathias were close behind, but my heart still lays with Kaz and Jes. It’s everything the genre should be. It’s creative and immersive and unique. It’s stylistically great without being overly stylized. The plotline is nearly nonstop exciting. There is a MAP.All things considered this book was amazing and beautifully written! It’s a piece of art that kept me captivated from the beginning to the very end and I think throughout this journey I actually became a part of the crew! The first ones had better be 'Thank you, oh great Nina, for dedicating every waking moment of this miserable journey to saving my sorry life'." Kaz fell into step beside him. “Why don’t you pay someone else to pay someone to burn your kruge for you? That’s what the big players do.” and just last night, i decided to rewatch Fantastic Mr. Fox while eating peanut butter cup ice cream. so that's a high bar. Now that I got this off my chest I’m finally able to write the actual review and since you all know me you also know what to expect. ;-)

The story is captivating, full of whirls and cliffs. It got me excited and wanting more, all the way until the end. The development of the characters is so well done, that you can't just finish the books and not fall in love with a few of them. Kaz tumbled through the dark. He was colder than he’d ever been. He thought of Inej’s hand on his cheek. His mind had gone jagged at the sensation, a riot of confusion. It had been terror and disgust and – in all of that clamour - desire, a wish that lingered still, the hope that she would touch him again.” Criminal prodigy Kaz is offered a chance at a job that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Ruin and RisingYou want me.” She turned the words over. Gently, she squeezed his hand. “And how will you have me, Kaz?” The fate of the world is in the hands of six teenagers, six street rats with no family and no one to look for them. They have to break in an impenetrable fortress, free an important prisoner and try not to kill each other. Each of them has his own goals and ambitions, his own agenda, his own life story full of misery and pain. And everything depends on them. how could i ever do this book and its characters justice with my review. i’ve been meaning to read this duology for ages now, almost 4 years, and safe to say this delivered like nothing else. the plot of this, the pacing, and best of all: the characters. the way they were fleshed out, the way all of them had so many layers to them, i adored every bit of reading this because of them. i love the way all the characters had their own motivations and nothing was clear-cut and straightforward — they were all so morally grey, and you know what we do with those characters? eat them up. 😋 i’m so attached to each and every single one of these characters and i could never choose one favorite of all time because all of them had their own charm to them and it was just so… refreshing. 🥺

matthias helvar. the way he has this threatening, honorable, brooding thing going on that we all love 😌 but inside is just such a cinnamon roll? i’m so in love with him i will protect him with my LIFE if need be. i loved the way he overcame his prejudice against the grisha so realistically because if there’s one thing i love to see, it’s true development like that. the growth he showed with that is everything. there were so many moments he made me mad but i got his pov because it was so understandable. he’d been raised a certain way and he couldn’t just change that in one go — as much as i’d like for him to. “yellow tulip” still has me gasping ngl i love him sm. I was scared to start Six of Crows. The hype surrounding it has been HUGE, the blurb sounded intriguing, I've been eagerly anticipating it, and I liked but didn't love Shadow and Bone. Honestly, though? I needn't have worried. This book is fantastic.

Summary

The ship listed gently. The lanterns swayed. His eyes were blue fire. “Everything,” he said, as he turned to go. “Everything.” Well, damn, damn and more damns. I love it when books pretty much leave me too incoherent to write a comprehensive review. And this book just did that. What it comes down to is the fact that I rarely truly like even a single character in a book. So to like THREE!! IN ONE NOVEL! Unbelievable.