The second best book of my adulthood

The first two places of my favorite books were tough to decide. I have two favorites, and while they are both fantasy, it feels like they couldn’t be more different, and I like each for something completely else. What they both share is that they trigger a whirlwind of emotions in me, and I keep coming back to them, always discovering more.

After some pondering, though, the second place, and the silver medal goes to…

Ok, this is a bit of cheating, but there’s no way I can choose between the Six of Crows duology books (Six of Crows, The Crooked Kingdom), as both blew my mind. Then again, if there are books that are allowed to cheat, it’s these because – as one of their famous quotes says – “When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.”

“A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse," the Six of Crows duology follows six people from the underbelly of the world’s dirtiest, busiest city where trade is worshipped. Money means status. Status means power. Power means… well, for Kaz ‘Dirtyhands’ Brekker, the possibility for revenge. So when he’s offered a heist job and is supposed to break into the world’s most guarded prison in exchange for quite a wealth, he puts together a team of exceptional criminals, and off he goes. (I keep thinking, though, that one reason he took the job was to prove that he could pull off the impossible. He’s got a bit of an ego, our Kaz, and that’s one of the reasons we love him.)

The books take place in what is known as the Grishaverse – Grishas are humans with supernatural talents who are haunted and enslaved for their gifts. Through that, Bardugo says quite a few things about oppression, freedom, and finding power in the most horrible circumstances.

The books are dark and dirty and cheating and deliciously dangerous. And yet, the author somehow manages to offer hope through unbelievably real characters. I keep coming to the duology whenever I want to learn more about writing rounded characters and character arcs. (And dialogues!)

The book’s incredibly quotable too. I vaguely recall highlighting long-ass passages, but here’s a short one showing the well-loved bite:

“It’s not natural for women to fight.”

“It’s not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.”

I chose Six of Crows for my second place but to be fair, Leigh Bardugo’s King of Scars duology (King of Scars, Rule of Wolves) is just as good. I just think that Six of Crows is a tad better introduction to Grishaverse. So if you liked one, definitely don’t skip the other!