Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Published: September 29th by Henry Holt and Company

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 

Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

This book was basically the Italian Job run by Captain Jack Sparrow – AND I LOVED IT!!! This book was a “just one more chapter…” kind of book which ended up with me 250 pages later questioning everything I know! I absolutely loved this book!

I think my favourite part of this book was the mix of flashbacks and current time. I loved the way it intertwined with everything they were doing and it showed the reasons as to how and why they ended up where they were (aka the Dregs). I also think it definitely helped with characterisation and understanding them much better – because it creates the reader/character bond, which I think is essential to any book! Kaz’s back story was my favourite  and I totally understood the gloves thing and I felt so sorry … can we just wrap  him up in some bubble wrap?!?

The plot was also AMAZING!! As I mentioned in the opening, its like the Italian Job being run by Captain Jack Sparrow. When we find out what the job is, and things begin to unfold about just how impossible success seems… It will take a mad man to pull it off!! I never normally do this… but I feel like this occasion calls for it…

Kaz’s plan to achieve the impossible seemed just as impossible as the heist itself! I loved it! I loved the way his mind worked and the way that his plans kept developing as things started unfolding at the Ice Court. The events had me turning page after page and I literally could not put the book down! Losing sleep was totally worth it.

Another thing I think made this book stand out was the fact that, despite having multiple POV’s, each and every character had their own voices. If I put the book down to do something, and came back to it, I didn’t have to go back and see whose perspective I was reading. It was easy to tell from the prose itself and I loved each and every individual voice. Each character brought something different to the book and nothing was there unnecessarily.

Can I also just mention that I ship everyone!! I got all the feels with our different couples and I totally want everyone to work out just fine! Also, that ending!! OMG!!! I was left speechless and I literally couldn’t sleep afterward because my mind was just reeling…

I absolutely adored every aspect of this book and I cannot wait to start Crooked Kingdom! I am hoping we get to read from Wylan’s perspective as well, because I would love to get inside of his head! I am absolutely looking forward to continuing this series! I gave this book 5/5 stars.

Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme hosted here. In order to participate, choose a random book from your TBR pile and show it off! Don’t forget to link back here and link me up so I can see what you guys picked!

Hey guys! Before I launch into this, for those of you who participate, would you guys be interested in a link up bit So that others can also check out what you guys picked, even if they don’t take part themselves?

Anyway, this weeks pick for me is a fandom that I need to join. It has been hyped up so much and people absolutely love the books! I recently read the Grisha trilogy in preparation for this book because it was set in the same world! I ordered it the other day from the Book Depository and I cannot even wait for it to arrive!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Published: September 29th 2015 by Henry Holt and Company

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 

Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

I have heard a lot about this duology and I can’t wait to check it out for myself!!

What did you guys pick? Have you read this? What did you think?

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Published: June 17th 2014 by Henry Holt & Co.

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

To say I really enjoyed this book would be an understatement. I absolutely loved the world that was created and all of the plot twists in between! I was dissatisfied with the ending, but that is because it wasn’t the ending I was rooting for! It was still an enjoyable ending, however, just not what I wanted.

The book started where the previous one left off. They were stuck underground with the Apparat, who was refusing to let her go because she was too valuable and she couldn’t summon. I think within the first 10% of the book, I already wanted to kill the Apparat off because he was just such an annoying character. He literally bugged me half to death and he was a very roll your eyes constantly character because he was just that stupid. Plus, he treated Alina really badly, which just made everything worse!

I really liked Alina in this book. She definitely changed a lot from the previous book because she became a stronger version of her old self. I loved the ways that she developed her power and the ways in which it grew. I also loved her reactions with the other people around her. She became friends with some of the people she was with and it was a refreshing change from the way she was in the previous book when she didn’t trust anyone.

I still did not get the relationship between Mal and Alina. I’m sorry, but I just do not get the spark or any of those warm fuzzy feelings you’re supposed to be getting when you read two characters in love. I got them between Alina and the Darkling, but not between the two people that really matter. I guess this is where I didn’t like the way the story went. I was expecting something more – maybe some redemption somewhere, but I just DIDN’T GET IT!! ugh…

I loved all of the plot twists that came about!! There were so many moments where I was just left with my mouth dangling open and I just didn’t know what to do with my life because they were just that good! I was not expecting the Darkling to do what he did to Nikolai (Poor sock) and I was not expecting Mal to be what he was! PLUS THAT ENDING!!! That was probably the most heartbreaking bit, but also so clever!!

All in all I really enjoyed this book and this series as a whole! I cannot wait to get a copy of Six of Crows at some point because so many people have told me that it is even better than the Grisha Trilogy!! I gave this book 4/5 stars.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Published: June 4th 2013 by Henry Holt and Co.

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I had a couple of issues with it like any book, but I was so hooked! It took me a little longer to read this book then it really should have and that was my fault, but I am so glad that I have this book in my life! Bardugo has created such an amazing world and characters that, whilst I have already started the last book, I don’t want this series to end!! Although… Six of Crows I’m coming for you soon!

I loved Alina’s strength in this book. She has definitely come into her own in a way that she wasn’t in the first book. She begins to accept who she really is and she begins to love the fact that she is a Grisha. She also becomes stronger in the sense that she becomes a leader and she owns it! However, she still had her moments of weakness in private and that is what kept her relatable to the readers as a whole, I think. You could still tell that the old Alina was still in there somewhere, despite being hidden by a really strong face.

I wanted more from the Darkling!!! I know he is supposed to be evil and whatnot, but I actually missed him. We did get him for the first part of the book and sometimes he showed up to Alina (which was kinda creepy), but I wanted more from him. I definitely could have used a POV from his side to see what he was getting up to. I do think that, whilst Alina is getting stronger, the Darkling is getting weaker. I think he cares in his own way for Alina and that blinds him to what she is going to do next.

Mal was my other issue with this book. I get that he is supposed to be the love interest with Alina, but I literally don’t get it. I don’t feel any spark or connection between them and I actually find him really irritating. I just want to punch him in the face. I’m hoping that they don’t end up together by the end of the last book because I would be really disappointed if they did – particularly because there are better people who are better suited to Alina than Mal. I think he would make a great best friend, just not love interest!

Can I also say that I loved Nikolai!! He was witty and extremely funny – but he used that to hide who he really was. I felt really sorry for him throughout the book, especially because his brother was such a douche. He was another character that I literally wanted to punch in the face. So many Punchable characters…

Can I also just mention THAT ENDING!!!!!!!!! Seriously… I was shocked and I still don’t even know how to begin processing that ending! I’m hoping for some major battle between Alina and the Darkling because it would be EPIC on a huge scale!

I absolutely loved this book and I cannot wait to carry on reading the last book! Im excited to see where these characters will go next and how it will end! I gave this book 4/5 stars.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Published: June 5th 2012 by Henry Holt and Company

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

I feel guilty for not having read this book sooner! I have had it on my kindle for months now and I kept putting it off for other books. #Problemsofabookaholic!! However, I am now currently kicking myself because I really should have read it sooner because it was just that AWESOME!!! I am so glad I have all three books on my kindle so that I can binge! I wanted to read this series first, because Six of Crows is set in the same world. So it made more sense to read this first, to get a feel for the world, before finally catching up to that series!

Alina was amazing in this book! I loved her! It was very easy to watch her growth as a character throughout the book because the changes she makes are huge. At the beginning she is this quiet character who usually keeps what she is feeling to herself, whereas, by the end of the book, she has definitely become that much stronger. I loved her interactions with Mal and the Darkling – although more with the Darkling until her revealed his true colours! Can I just say, I wish I had her gift!! It sounds so cool…

The Darkling… Where do I even begin with this characters. It’s characters like these that create trust issues. Seriously. We as readers have so many trust issues thanks to you authors. I knew that the Darkling was a villain. I knew it. I have the candle from the villainous box! However, with his interactions at the beginning, I was holding out hope. He seemed genuinely nice and caring and I really thought he was cute. Clearly I was mistaken. I still think he is pretty redeemable and he seems to be a misunderstood character. I think he has his own reasons for being the way that he is, we just don’t know them yet. I also loved the way that Alina, where others would just do as he says without telling him their opinions, told him what she was thinking and whether he was being a bit stupid. There is definitely a spark between them!

The world that Bardugo created was also extremely rich! I could have totally been there… despite the fact that I was in my living room for most of it! I loved the descriptions of the different places and activities! Can someone please transport me to this world??

The only real issue that I had with this book was probably Mal. I didn’t feel any particular connection to him and I didn’t feel any kind of spark between him and Alina. I wanted to because they do have a history together and they can be pretty cute together… but it just wasn’t there for me. I do not ship them, I’m afraid… I think we all know who I ship!!

All in all I really enjoyed this book! As I mentioned earlier, I have all three books on my kindle, so I have actually already jumped into book two! I am loving it so far! I gave this book 4.5/5 stars.

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

Hey guys! Can you  believe that it is July already? I think that that is crazy!! I only have three book for you this week, but I am so excited!

Netgalley:

 The Assassin Game by Kirsty McKay Expected publication: August 1st 2016 by Sourcebooks Fire. This has already been released under the name Killer Game, so, I’m not entirely sure if this is just a revamp of the front cover – but so far it is ok!

Bought:

 The Disappearing Girl by Heather Topham Wood. Published May 7th 2013. so, technically I got this as a freebie on Amazon, but who’s counting! Definitely looking forward to reading this!

 Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Published June 5th 2012 by Henry Holt and Co. I have actually heard a lot of amazing things about this series – I can’t believe I only just got a copy! Man, I am so behind!

So that’s it! what have you guys added to your shelves this week? Feel free to leave links and comments  and I will check them all out!