Six of Crows {Young Adult Annotation}


Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)
Title: Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date: September 29, 2015
Page Count: 462
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Fiction, High Fantasy
Time Period: 
Location: Ketterdam


Welcome to Ketterdam, where the streets are dark and the deeds are darker. When Kaz is offered a an irresistible amount of money to steal something from the impenetrable walls of the Ice Court, he knows he will need to assemble the perfect crew to do so. A crew that will be willing to follow him to certain death and those he will know will have his back when things go awry. The inner circle of misfits include a trigger happy gambling addict, a runaway with a past no one knows about, a knife wielding Wraith with ninja quietness, a Heartrender, a convict, and Kaz himself. According to the man who hired Kaz and his team, the fate of the world  as they know it rests on their success. Can they manage the heist without killing themselves or one another?

Criminals
Magic
Misfits
Outcasts
Prisons
Rescues
Spies

Character
Ability Diverse
Brooding
Complex
Courageous
Flawed
Large cast of cast of characters
LGBTQIA Diverse
Sarcastic
Spirited
Twisted

Pacing
Instensifying

Storyline
Action packed
Intricately plotted
Own Voices
World building

Tone
Atmospheric
Bleak
Moody
Sardonic
Strong sense of place

Writing Style
Descriptive
Engaging
Gritty
Lush
Stylistically Complex

While this is a Young Adult book, it is also most definitely a Fantasy book. Here is how it fits the Fantasy genre according to Saricks, even though she is speaking to adult books in her book:

Tone - While Saricks notes that the tone of fantasy novels range across a spectrum, the tone of Six of Crows definitely is more of a dark fantasy novel featuring more of a bleak outlook (127). The main characters have darker pasts and criminal elements and Ketterdam is a grim and gritty place to find yourself.

Frame/Setting - As Saricks states, "worldbuilding is the central appeal of fantasy" (125). In this sense, many readers turn to a fantasy novel to enter a new realm and therefore setting is essential. Bardugo does a fantastic job of creating a fantastical world  that is well described, rich in detail, and darkly captivating.

Language/Style - Leigh Bardugo's writing is elegant and elaborate and, as many other fantasy novels, provides a map in order to help orient oneself as you go along in the story.

Characterization - "Fantasy novels are crowded; they typically feature huge casts, and though authors might narrow the focus to one character or a group of heroes, there are plenty of secondary characters and bit players to fill the stage as well" (128). Bardugo has filled Six of Crows with so many varying characters - good and evil for readers to enjoy.

Pacing - The story begins slowly as we are introduced to characters and the world. As the world builds and we are introduced to characters the pacing begins to intensify.



Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
While this action-packed fantasy novel takes place in a steampunk prison world, it also includes complex characters and many plot twists.


Terrier by Tamora Pierce
This well-developed world contains a diverse cast who, opposite of Kaz and company, are law-abiding citizens. 


The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
Similar to Six of Crows, this has a "large cast of mismatched characters" who must team up for a united purpose told from multiple perspectives.



NoveList | EBSCOhost. www.ebscohost.com/novelist.

Saricks, Joyce G., and Neal Wyatt. The Readers Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. ALA Editions, An Imprint of the American Library Association, 2019.

Comments

  1. SledsomeApril 6, 2019 at 9:32 AM

    I have this book on my personal shelf to read. I am more excited to read it now that I have a better grasp on the story. Fantasy is my favorite genre in any form (YA, NA, or Adult). So i'm excited to read this one, thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BrandyApril 6, 2019 at 11:14 AM

      If fantasy is your favorite genre then I would *highly* suggest this title! Fantasy, especially high fantasy, is not something I gravitate toward. This one took me a bit to get into at first because I feel like she just plunks you into the story and you're just swimming around figuring things out at first (when you read it, you'll get what I mean, and I have an idea as to what might have worked better... ). For me, I had just focus on the characters themselves for a bit and "forget" the world, in a way... it didn't take long and I was there. ;) And I couldn't wait to go on to Crooked Kingdom. I don't want to say much because spoilers, but I will say that if I were ever in trouble, I want Kaz and crew to come rescue me. ;)

      Delete
  2. AnonymousApril 7, 2019 at 7:13 PM

    Hi Brandy,
    Six of Crows is one of my favorite books! You did it great justice in your annotation, and you're right that this is really a work of fantasy through and through. It's funny that you mentioned being plunked into a story mid-telling. That is actually something I liked about it! It challenged me as a reader because right away I had to figure out who everyone was and what all of the made-up words meant (grisha, heartrender, druskelle, etc.)
    Who was your favorite character? I think mine was Nina.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Katie NoonanApril 7, 2019 at 9:41 PM

    I really want to read this book, but I have this awful idea that I need to read the whole Shadow and Bone trilogy before starting in on this duology (is it still a duology now?) since it's all the same universe. Please tell me I don't have to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BrandyApril 7, 2019 at 10:49 PM

      I was told that I didn't have to and therefore did not. I did not feel led astray, although from what I understand there is some crossover by a minor character? But it's not vital to the story nor does it need to be known from the S&B series to understand. I do want to read S&B, I just haven't gotten to it yet. Six if Crows is a duology, yes. 😉

      Delete
  4. Erin CataldiApril 9, 2019 at 4:08 PM

    Great annotation! I love that you also included fantasy characteristics! Even though Saricks applies mainly towards adult titles, I think young adult is often soo close that it works as well. Great summary, FANTASTIC appeals and great readalikes. Full points!

    ReplyDelete

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