Welcome back to book club, where I will be reading and reviewing books so you don’t have to! However, you are more than welcome to read along with me if you would like to.

Over winter break, I was able to renew my love of reading. I read nine books in the span of one month, which is a new record for me.

This month, I would love to share my thoughts on the book I am currently reading. You can either join me for the ride or avoid this book if it’s not your thing.

For February I have decided to read “Six of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo. 

“Six of Crows” follows our main character Kaz Brekker — the criminal prodigy — and his crew: a convict, a sharpshooter, a runaway, a spy and a heartrender. They are given the opportunity to perform a deadly heist which could make them all extremely rich.

I chose this book because of the upcoming release of the Netflix TV show “Shadow and Bone,” in April of this year. The show follows the events of this book as well as the series “Shadow and Bone” by Leigh Bardugo, which I have already read.

I am a little apprehensive going into “Six of Crows” because I did not enjoy reading “Shadow and Bone” due to its annoying main character, slightly underdeveloped plot and a writing style I did not mesh with.

Despite this,  I wanted to give Bardugo’s writing another chance. With the new Netflix show coming out soon, it seemed like the perfect time.

After reading the first 50 pages of “Six of Crows,” I am pleasantly surprised with the improvement in Bardugo’s writing. The details felt more mature than in “Shadow and Bone” and the introduction to the plot felt more realistic. Well, as real as it can feel in a fantasy book.

So far we have been introduced to some of the plot points which will propel the story forward and we are slowly being introduced to the main characters in Kaz’s crew.

The story starts off through the eyes of a guard working for a wealthy household as he witnesses an indentured magical woman — known as a Grisha — forced to take an experimental drug. The drug seemingly gives her magic an extra boost, making her more powerful than should be possible.

This also results in all of the guards present being frozen at attention, unable to move or talk, due to the woman’s increased magic. However, the woman is found dead a few days later.

Next, we switch to the perspective of a woman named Inej who I am assuming will end up being the spy in Kaz’s crew and who also seems to be his potential love interest. 

We learn Inej is known as “the Wraith” due to her skill in stealth and combat. We follow her as she protects Kaz and two of his other men as they meet with three men of a rival gang known as the Black Tips.

The Black Tips try to bribe Kaz into handing over some of his gang’s territory to them. But Kaz quickly overpowers the situation by allowing one of his own men to get shot — a man who we later find out was a traitor — and by threatening to kill the Black Tip’s leader’s girlfriend.

Finally, in the next chapter, Kaz gets kidnapped and is presented with the opportunity to rescue a man named Bo Yul-Bayur from an impenetrable stronghold to prevent his knowledge of the experimental drug called jurda parem from getting into the wrong hands.

Rescuing this man will earn Kaz and his crew $30 million total, which would be the most money anyone in the crew has ever seen.

Overall, I am really enjoying “Six of Crows’.’ I am intrigued by the moral grayness of Kaz. The dialogue is free-flowing between the characters, which makes it more entertaining to read, and I am happy with the improvement in Bardugo’s writing.

If you’re as excited as I am to see what happens next and to learn more about “Six of Crows,” join me next time as we meet the rest of Kaz’s criminal crew and learn more about their world.

Smith can be reached at [email protected].