#bilbiophile

5 STARS: This book made me laugh harder than any book in the past couple years. THE LAUGHS WERE SO UNEXPECTED THAT I SNORTED. Before WNTY, I knew that Irby's essays were popular but didn't know enough about them. Her takes on culture and social phenomena are so fresh and amusing. It was a joy to read - I am a lifelong fan now. This book also got me interested in reading more essay compilations in the near future.

2.75 STARS (let’s round it up to 3 for Goodreads’ sake): I DNF’ed this one 22% of the way in. I wasn’t relating to the characters at all and didn’t find the mystery compelling. A lot of the characters fit tropes common to YA historical fiction: the bookworm/studious daughter, popular/pretty daughter, misfit love interest, strict maternal figure, etc. Although I was interested in the setting, I have read more interesting books about the Gilded Age. Even though I DNF’ed it, I am hesitant to give it one or two stars because I may have just caught this book at the wrong time. I would be interested in reading it again in case my tastes change. 

Rating: ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕

Title: Six of Crows Author: Leigh Bardugo Series: Six of Crows Publisher: Square Fish, Macmillan Publishing Group Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult Pages: 462 Format: Paperback

“’That’s what he wants, not what he needs,’ said Kaz, ‘Leverage is all about knowing the difference.’”

“The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true”

“The deal is the deal”

“But it was only impossible until it wasn’t…”

     I can’t even count how many book reviews and how much hyped up talk I’ve heard for “Six of Crows” way before I even got my copy. Everyone was talking about this book so, naturally, I had to read it for myself. I must say that I enjoyed the story and finished the book feeling relatively satisfied but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it was life changing or a memorable favorite. But let’s get into the details shall we?       Like all of the greats this book had very strong, realistic, deep, and memorable characters. Making each chapter a different character’s point of view is a perfect way to add depth and dimension to a story. No single character felt like they were the main character which I found appealing. Aside from Kaz being the leader, I would say that the reader’s attention was divided nicely. This group of misfits fit together like pieces of a puzzle. The different personalities had something relatable to almost every personality type, plus their backstories were terrific. There was a perfect balance between story plot and personal histories. The overarching plot was fairly easy to understand and the plot twists used were absolutely delicious. Lastly, I was a huge fan of the ending. It left so much more to be discovered; another mission underfoot. The next adventure sounds just as exciting, and important, as the first and it feels more like a “to be continued” which is a lovely touch.       One of the biggest flaws with this book has to be how confusing the beginning was. I haven’t read her any of her other book series so I was very confused with the world she built as an entirety. The locations, countries, languages, abilities, names, cultures, currencies, etc. took a VERY long time to understand to the point where I almost decided to put the book down. Helping unfamiliar readers understand your universe is a must, especially, if you are starting a different series where there is a good chance a new reader may decide to pick it up. The maps in the beginning also didn’t aid in helping my understanding. I’m not sure if it was because of the unique lettering pattern in the names was throwing me off or if it was the map being a little plain and lacking details. Nothing seemed to help me with visualizing this universe, even down setting the scenes it would be difficult. There could have been more details and descriptions about the settings and scenery. An author needs to paint the picture before starting the story and this all seemed like a rushed sketch. Please just take the few minutes to help the readers along because with such a great story it is a shame to miss anything just because we don’t understand the universe.       The writing style was good. It wasn’t the greatest style that I have ever read but it was far from being the worse. Maybe if I read some of her other works I can get a better idea of Bardugo’s style, I would really like to see more of her work.       This book contains some violence, implied sexual content, drugs, and gambling. If any of these are triggers for you I would encourage you to make sure that you understand what you might be getting into before picking up this book.       My rating for this book is a 4 out of 5 coffee cups. I enjoyed reading this book once I was able to understand what was going on and I do look forward to reading more of Leigh Bardugo’s work. Would I recommend this book? Yes, but I would warn the readers that if there haven’t read any of her other books that it may be confusing to begin with. Overall, I was glad that I finally got to read this book and add my thoughts to pool of other readers who have shared their thoughts about this book.

Summary: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker, Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…

A convict with a thirst for revenge A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager A runaway with a privileged past A spy known as the Wraith A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes