The first Friday Favourites is for the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. Book one was released in 2015 and the second one, Crooked Kingdom, in 2016. This is one of those series that captures you right from page one and you laugh and cry with the characters. Why do I love these books so much, you might wonder. Well… first of all: the main characters:
- Kaz, a disabled mafia boss. He is extremely smart, knows how to fight, strategist. Has a lot of secrets. Also knows everyone’s secrets.
- Inej, former prostitute, now one of the most dangerous people in the city. Could kill you and you’d probably thank her. Has an affinity for knives.
- Nina, Grisha heartrender a long way from home. Loves waffles more than anything else. Big heart.
- Matthias, a convict from the north, Grisha hunter. Dry humor. Pretends to be the bad guy, is actually one of the sweetest people.
- Jesper, gay sharpshooter and card player. Always in debt. Has much fun, has a cool dad.
- Wylan, merchant’s son, doesn’t know how to read. Very gentle soul. Knows how to draw.
The plot is brilliant as well. Kaz is hired to break into a military fortress to retrieve someone. He gets his friends (and Matthias, who is not his friend but he’s from the Ice Court aka military fortress) and the journey to the North begins. On their way they encounter a lot of dangers, they need to sort out who to trust. And even though that heist is impossible to do, the reward they could get is high enough to make them do anything. And theoretically, with their skills they could do anything. Even something impossible. Book 2 is a lot about revenge, saving people and the main characters finally getting freedom.
I loved that plot so much! And I loved the narrative. The story is told from six point of views, and each main character has their own priorities in telling the story. In that way a lot of what’s going on is explained, as well as the protagonists being characterized. The books never stops to be exciting, powerful sentences mixed with easy sarcasm. It was so much fun to read and Crooked Kingdom was my favourite book of 2016!
I cannot recommend this series enough.
Have you read it yet? What did you think about it?
