This book got me back into reading after what, without exaggeration, might’ve been a multiple years long reading slump. I loved reading as a kid, but then life happened and I just didn’t have the energy. I also didn’t find any books I enjoyed the way I enjoyed my favorites from childhood. Then, I decided to give reading in English a try, and picked up this book. I was hooked immediately. While I have to admit that it took me a while to understand the rules of the world it’s set in because I hadn’t read the original trilogy this duology is a companion-novel of, I loved it nonetheless. Without giving too much away, Six of Crows follows six teen misfits with dark pasts and a whole lot of secrets and baggage as they try to pull off a heist which, really, should be impossible. If they don’t kill each other first, that is. We get to see the characters develop and grow to rely on and trust each other, all the while they try to do the impossible. This book introduced me to one of my favorite authors as well as my favorite trope: found family. There’s something so incredibly comforting about characters who were randomly thrown together becoming a family. Maybe it’s the (slightly) lonely queer person in me, but I just adore the idea of finding your people. It also includes very casual, well done representation for POC, queer people, disabled people and plus-sized people. There’s also implied representation for neurodivergent people as one of the characters can be interpreted to have ADHD. I’d recommend this book to people who like high fantasy young adult books with an engaging plot, unexpected twist and turns, well-done representation, found family and great characters with natural character development.
