Book Sketch: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

SIX OF CROWS
By: Leigh Bardugo
Published By: Henry Holt & Company
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Series: Six of Crows
Pages: 452
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Bought
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he'll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:

Break into the notorious Ice Court
(a military stronghold that has never been breached)

Retrieve a hostage
(who could unleash magical havoc on the world)

Survive long enough to collect his reward
(and spend it)

Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done - and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable - if they don't kill each other first.

First Thought After Finishing: WOW! I need more now!

Even though Six of Crows has been out for a while, I hadn’t gotten around to reading it because I’m about 382,746,988 (yes, that’s an EXACT count) books behind on my TBR pile. I actually started listening to this book on a trip with my family, and may I just say that the audiobook is phenomenal! Needless to say, I was immediately sucked into the story and continued to read furiously once out of the car.

Set in the Grishaverse, Six of Crows tells the story of Kaz “Dirtyhands” Brekker and his exploits in Ketterdam. Known for his shrewd cunning and ruthless deeds, he has become the de facto leader of The Dregs, one of Ketterdam’s rival gangs. After (unknowingly) displaying his skills to a council member, he is approached with an impossible proposition: to rescue one of the most-wanted people from the most secure place in the land. Together with a hand-picked team, Kaz sets out on what might well be a suicide mission, but one that offers riches only dreamed of if he succeeds.

If it’s not obvious, I love Kaz. He definitely qualifies for book-boyfriend status. He has a troubled past—because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a bad boy with a troubled past?—but I don’t love him for the sympathy angle. Kaz is a schemer and a visionary. How could anyone help but fall for his skill with tactical maneuvers and the way he takes the weight of everything onto himself? If that sounds unromantic, it might be because Kaz struggles with emotions himself.

Enter Inej, the Wraith. She might technically be second to Kaz, but she earned her reputation with skills that Kaz could never have. Inej is the master of stealth and gathering secrets, which fuel many of Kaz’s plans. I loved Inej’s strength and her devotion to her Suli saints even in the face of everything that said she had no reason to believe in the good anymore. At this point, I hardly think it’s a spoiler to say that everyone knows she and Kaz should be together, but as with all good stories, it could hardly be that easy.

The rest of the cast of characters is also wonderful. From Nina, who embraces who she is and is willing to make sacrifices for those she loves, to Mathias, the strong, stoic, somewhat silent type, who shows what you have to risk to pursue what’s right, to Wylan and Jesper, who bring much-needed comedic relief but are no less heroes in their own right. I loved this subsection of the Dregs and would read about any of their adventures any day.

Six of Crows might be a fantasy, but it’s also an action-packed thriller. Plot twists came with every turn of the page, but the conversations and development of the characters were woven so thoroughly into the adventure that I never felt like anything was sacrificed. The only thing that bothered me (aside from wanting MORE) was the fact that Kaz was supposed to be 17. I know it’s YA, and I know it’s fantasy, but in this book it bothered me more than normal, because his character just seemed to be so much older. But all of my feelings on that subject will be in their own post soon.

With every book she writes in the Grishaverse, Leigh Bardugo proves why she is a storytelling sorceress. “Loved” hardly seems to be a sufficient description for how I felt about this story and these characters. It has earned a place on my favorites shelf, and I’m only delaying reading Crooked Kingdom because I want the magic of the story to last a little longer. But I have no doubt it will be just as magical as Six of Crows.

Most Memorable Aspect: Kaz. Inej. All of the Dregs.

Book Sketch: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

RUIN AND RISING
By: Leigh Bardugo
Published By: Henry Holt and Company
Release Date: June 17, 2014
Series: The Grisha Trilogy #3
Pages: 422
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Bought
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

First Thought After Finishing: Dear Leigh Bardugo, I love you, but I hate you. But I love you.

Final books in trilogies are always bittersweet. I always want to know how everything ends, but it’s hard to say goodbye to characters that we’ve known and loved for so long. I wasn’t sure what to expect in this book—which was par for the course with this trilogy—but it was full of adventure and surprises.

Alina is once again recovering from a battle with the Darkling, and the Apparat wants her to finally embrace her identity as the Sun Saint. Only Alina has a different destiny in mind—hunt the third amplifier and stop the Darkling once and for all. In the midst of realizing her destiny, she barely has time for love, but that does not mean that her choices aren’t there. In this final installment, Alina has tough decisions to make, and every second counts in trying to restore light to the world.

"Beauty was your armor. Fragile stuff, all show. But what's inside you? That's steel. IT's brave and unbreakable. And it doesn't need fixing."

If I haven’t said it before, I will say it now: Leigh Bardugo is brilliant. From the world to the characters, she has crafted a masterful story that will stick with you long after the final pages. It’s not easy to write characters you hate to love and love to hate, but she does. Alina went through some major changes in Siege and Storm, but here, we get to see some of her friends come into their own and start to shine. I loved getting to see all of them again, and it made me happy to know that their stories had resolutions as well. Bardugo also has tricks up her sleeve that keep changing the game with every chapter. Although there are some slower moments, the overall story is so gripping that it makes the 400+ page book fly by. I stayed up most of the night to finish it!

And about that ending. I won’t spoil it in case you haven’t read it, but I’ll just say that even two weeks later, I’m still trying to decide how I feel about it. You may not love it (there’s always that risk, right?) but I have to admit that it’s fitting for the characters. Regardless of which characters you ship, you are bound to have an emotional experience while reading this book—and you will have the full range of emotions throughout the story. I know I did!

Most Memorable Aspect: Yes. The characters, the story, the feelings—this is an epic fantasy trilogy that you won’t forget.

Book Sketch: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

SIEGE AND STORM
By: Leigh Bardugo
Published By: Henry Holt and Company
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Series: The Grisha Trilogy #2
Pages: 435
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Bought
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.



First Thought After Finishing: I need more Nikolai!

Lately I have been kicking myself for falling off the face of the YA book earth for a couple of years! I loved (okay, had a love-hate relationship with) Shadow and Bone when it was released. Fortunately, I remembered enough of that book that I was able to pick up Siege and Storm without too much confusion. I am so glad I committed to finishing this series!

Siege and Storm picks up just after Shadow and Bone. Alina is plagued with guilt over how events unfolded when she last faced The Darkling, and for a time she finds herself at the mercy of others. However, with the help of a certain tracker and an interesting privateer (not pirate, he thanks you very much), Alina comes to realize that her strength is far more than what she wants to believe. Despite this, The Darkling is not going to give up without a fight. And in order to restore peace to Ravka, Alina must be willing to embrace a destiny far bigger than anything she ever imagined for herself.

"I tried to turn away, but he reached out and took hold of my chin, forcing me to look at him. He was so close I could feel his breath. 'There are no others like us, Alina,' he whispered. 'And there never will be.'"

Second books in trilogies can occasionally make me wary. Either they can be full of action, competing with or even outdoing the first, or they can fall short of a reader's hopes and seem to stagnate just to prolong the arrival of the third book. But an author as talented as Leigh Bardugo could never fall into that second category. This book did not develop in the way I was expecting, but that is all the better! Alina is given a chance to shine in this book. Although she is still new to her Grisha powers, she comes to use and appreciate them in a way she never did before. She learns from those around her and grows into someone worthy of being a leader and a heroine.

That is not to say that this book is all about character development without some action. Trust me, there is plenty of action--and who doesn't love a good swordfight? Or a good magic battle? Better yet, both at the same time! The fight scenes are balanced with more introspective moments, ones that do challenge the relationship between Alina and Mal. Although I know that Mal was the "first boy," I have to say that he was never my favorite. They may have been childhood friends, but sometimes life changes. I have an idea what direction this may take in the third book, but with this author, you just never know!

Then there is The Darkling. Oh, The Darkling. (Funny story...I put that in my review of Shadow and Bone as well!) Leigh Bardugo shows her skill as a writer when you can love and hate a villain at the same time. He still has his role to play, and he does so in a way as mysterious as ever. In addition to contending with him, Alina becomes embroiled in Ravkan politics. I've always found royal court life fascinating, so I enjoyed this aspect of the novel as well. All in all, there is never a dull moment, and I found myself turning page after page, eager to move deeper into the story and discover what happened next.

Most Memorable Aspect: I did mention Nikolai, yes? He intrigued me from the moment that he walked onto the page. Gotta love him!

Book Sketch: This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

THIS ADVENTURE ENDS
By: Emma Mills
Published By: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Release Date: Oct. 4, 2016
Series: None
Pages: 240
Genre: Contemporary
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Netgalley
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.



First Thought After Finishing: Did I just read my biography?

This Adventure Ends had a lot of things in the premise that I loved. It’s a book about friendship, there’s a road trip, and it promised witty dialogue. And this book delivered on everything.

Just before her senior year, Sloane’s family moves from New York to a small town in Florida. Her father, a romance author, needs inspiration for a new book, but to Sloane, it’s just a new city to attend high school until she can go to college. She misses her voice teacher in New York, but little else. She never expected to start putting down roots in Florida, but that was before she met Vera, Gabe, Remy, and Frank. This group of friends has a closeness that she’s never had before, and she can’t help but begin to open up to them. Her search for a painting by the Vera and Gabe’s mother takes her around the East Coast, but really, she is on a journey to discover who she is and who she wants to be.

“'You’re like weirdly passionate about this.'” I smile. 'We should all find something to be weirdly passionate about, don’t you think?'”

This book hit close to home. Before Vera, Sloane was mostly a loner. She reads, she sings, she does not lead an exciting life. But one invitation to a party—and a social butterfly named Vera—change all of that. Suddenly Sloane has a circle of friends, ones whom she would do anything for. She also has a crush, even though she doesn’t want to admit it. I loved, loved, loved this circle of friends. They had some issues, yes, but they also supported each other and had so much fun. And even though there were relationships, they were not the main focus.

Sloane’s wit is so similar to mine, and it was sometimes fun, sometimes alarming to see it on the page. I enjoyed seeing how she showed her friends that she cared. Vera is the kind of friend that everyone wants to have (and I am lucky enough to have a friend like her). Vera brings out the best in everyone and just generally makes you feel happy. Remy is proof that it is possible to have a great guy friend, and I wanted to see him find his happy ending too. Frank is someone I wished I would have known in high school. And finally Gabe conjured old memories—it’s likely that everyone has a Gabe in their past. This book definitely has dynamic characters who will make you celebrate your own friends.

"I think about that kind of love as we increase in altitude. How maybe it doesn’t just stand for romance—maybe it works for friendship, too. Maybe there’s a kind of friend love that opens you up—maybe you didn’t have a place for it within you before, but once it finds you out, crawls inside, and makes space for itself, you can’t live without it ever again."

Most Memorable Aspect: I’m going to remember this book as the first one where I didn’t just relate to the main character—I felt like I WAS the main character.

Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

SHADOW AND BONE
By: Leigh Bardugo
Published By: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Series: The Grisha Trilogy (#1)
Pages: 368
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: ALA Midwinter
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.



Every once in a while I read a book and have to wait for days to write the review because the book has left me speechless. Shadow and Bone is one of those books. So much happens in it that I am still not completely sure what to say, but I'm going to give it a try.

Alina Starkov is a cartographer for the army, traveling with her regiment to cross the Shadow Fold, a barrier separating Ravka. When she can, she spends time with Mal, a tracker for the army and a lifelong friend from the orphanage where she grew up. When the time comes for the army to cross the Fold, they are attacked by volcra, winged monsters who feast on humans. One attacks Mal, triggering a long-dormant power in Alina...a power which does not escape the notice of anyone. Soon Alina is brought before The Darkling, the head of all the magical beings in Ravka, and told that she is the country's hope for salvation. Alina finds herself in a new life in the Little Palace, being trained to harness her power and growing closer to the mysterious Darkling. But in a warring country filled with magic, secrets are everywhere...

I haven't read high fantasy in a long time, and I am so glad that I chose Shadow and Bone to get back into the genre. I loved everything about this world. From the well thought-out concepts and magic to the Russian influences, I felt like I was truly in another country with Alina and Mal. Beyond that, this book took me through so many emotions and provided so many unexpected twists. I think Leigh Bardugo must be a master manipulator with the journey that she took us on in this book. My heart broke for Alina when she believed that Mal had deserted her, but I was so proud of her when she finally realized her own strength. And the Darkling...oh, the Darkling. What a character he is. He is very well developed, and I am curious to see how he plays into the next books.

There is so, so much more that I want to say about this book, but I don't want to give anything away. This is one book that you have to read for yourself and allow yourself to get lost in the magic of the world. There is so much happening that you will find yourself debating whether you should race ahead to see what happens next or savor the story as it unfolds. Finally, I will say that I appreciated that this book was wrapped up in a way, but I am still can't wait to see what comes next for Alina.

In Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo has crafted a fantastic debut novel. I am eager for more of this world, more of these characters, more of this trilogy!