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Book Ramble - Six of Crows [SPOILER FREE]

Hello everyone! Welcome to Nox Reads, I'm "Nox", and at the end of 2018 I decided to join the Leigh Bardugo hype train and read Six of Crows, which I've decided most definitely earns a DESERVES ALL THE HYPE!

Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)

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

TRIGGER WARNING: Graphic Violence, Death, Slavery, Sex Trafficking, Emotional Abuse

REPRESENTATION: POC, LGBTQ+, Plus-Size, PTSD, Disabled Character

I read Six of Crows because I am incredibly excited for King of Scars to come out at the end of the month! I was a bit scared because this is a heavily hyped duology, but I am absolutely loving it.

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S P O I L E R - F R E E  T A L K 

What makes this book amazing is the characters. The story focuses on a cast of six characters: Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Wylan, and Jesper. Out of these six characters, one is plus-sized, two are people of color, three are LGBTQ+, and one has a physical disability and PTSD. This book is heavy with representation and I am all for it!

To say that the book starts off slowly is a bit of an understatement. It takes about a hundred and twenty pages for all six of the main characters to be introduced and for the main plot of the story to start. The pages before are used to develop most of the characters and their relationships with others (Most of Wylan and Jesper's development comes after the group is all brought together, if at all). This helped me care about them more, keeping me invested in the story as they continued on the quest. 

Here are some of my quick feelings about each character. Inej and Nina are both strong characters and seem to be foils of each other in one aspect. Nina is considered flirtatious, and certain scenes show that she isn't shy of showing herself off. Inej, on the other hand, is known for being able to make herself invisible, and her behavior is more modest than Nina's. The best part of this though is that neither of the girls is considered to be lesser than the other because of this. Inej isn't labeled a "prude" and Nina isn't considered a "slut", something I feel is incredibly important. They are both strong, well-developed, and these differences don't stop them from being friends. These behaviors aren't their main character traits, but it was something I noticed and thought was nice. I also enjoy that the flirtatious and confident one is Nina, who is plus-sized. As a plus-sized girl, it makes me incredibly happy. Both Nina and Inej are amazing characters who can totally kick my butt any day and I'd thank them for it. They are fierce and steadfast in their emotions and beliefs, and I love them.

Wylan and Jesper are the two characters that the book spends the least amount of time on. Almost everything about Wylan is a spoiler so I won't go in depth about his character. Jesper seems to be the stereotypical flirtatious and cocky sidekick in the beginning. To be honest, that opinion didn't exactly change for me in this book, but I still fell for him. He's the comic relief, like Thorne in the Lunar Chronicles, and he's important to the heist. I hope these two both get more time in Crooked Kingdom because I absolutely loved them, despite the lack of focus on them.

Kaz and Matthias are heavily focused on. A lot of Matthias' development comes from flashbacks of him and Nina, and he grew on me. Kaz is the main character of the story. He has the heaviest and longest backstory, and he is the character that's focused on the most. I loved learning about both of them as the story continued, but if I had to pick a favorite between the two, it's Matthias. He has an incredibly strong (yet skewed) moral compass, while Kaz (supposedly) has none. I also enjoyed reading about Matthias' internal struggle between his mission and Nina. Their interactions were heartbreaking and I loved every second of it. Kaz is definitely a strong and amazing character though. He refuses to let anything about him be seen as weakness, something he had to learn in order to survive the Barrel. Unfortunately, this has definitely put a wall around him, and it's interesting to see his internal conflicts throughout the book.

 I absolutely adore these characters and their quest, and if you haven't read Six of Crows yet, I highly recommend it. It takes a while to get into the actual plot, but if you care more about character-driven stories, like me, then it shouldn't be a problem. And if you find yourself waiting for the plot, then it starts about a hundred and twenty pages in. You're welcome.
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I actually decided that I don't want to write a spoiler talk for this one! I think this is an accurate summary of my feelings about the book and the characters. I seriously hope that you enjoy it as well.

Which six fictional characters would you take with you on a dangerous heist? I'm picking Cress from The Lunar Chronicles, Ronan from the Raven Cycle, Wolf from the Lunar Chronicles, Alucard from A Darker Shade of Magic, Barry Allen from the Flash (comic books are books too), and Psylocke from X-Men.

Have a great day!

~ Nox

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