Brianna Silva's Reviews > Six of Crows

Time for a long-overdue review of this book!

A little warning: My stance here is controversial. This is a popular and well-loved book, and I'm giving it 2 stars. So, I have to preface my review with this: Everyone has a different experience when they read a book. This was mine:

PROS

– THE WRITING: My consistent complaint with Bardugo's previous books was that the writing felt weak to me. I noticed a marked improvement in Six of Crows. While in the Grisha trilogy, Bardugo seemed to write hesitantly, here she wrote with authority. There was also a certain richness and uniqueness to the writing that I appreciated (something I usually only find in classic literature, not modern novels).

– THE CHARACTERS: Bardugo managed to give every single one of her characters a thoroughly fascinating backstory. (And she has a lot of them.) This is not an easy feat, but she accomplished it. Also, I was interested enough in the characters to have favorites (Inej and Jasper, if you must ask!).

– THE WORLDBUILDING: I never felt entirely enraptured with Bardugo's fantasy world in the Grisha trilogy. Or in other words, the worldbuilding did not come across as very deep to me. While I still have yet to fall in love with her universe, I did notice that the worldbuilding was far more impressive and believable in this volume. Her countries, cities, cultures, languages, and religions all felt real. I was also inspired by the way she handled language in general.

(Now you're probably thinking, "Gee, Brianna! These are a lot of nice things! How could you give Six of Crows 2 stars??" Read on. O.O)

CONS

– THE CHARACTERS: I mentioned some positive things about the characters, but my overall feeling towards them was negative. While I felt "interested" in their stories, I could not identify with any of them or truly care about them. I was not rooting for them, I was not worried if they lived or died, and I felt no remorse in putting down the book and never reading about them again. (A big reason for this is that none of them were admirable – not at all. I'll cover this more under "THE MORALS.")

– THE "TEENAGERS" (???): This is technically a continuation of the last point. But UM. How are these characters teenagers? They act nothing like their assigned ages. There was a complete absence of angst and coming-of-age character development. All these characters had already come of age; they acted like they were 19-22ish, so why not just make them that age? Why arbitrarily make them teenagers? It's a shame, because Bardugo's characters from the Grisha trilogy were far more believable and teen-like. It's as if she forgot how teens think and act in between writing RaR and 6oC. Maybe it had been a while since she hung out with any teenagers. O.o

– THE PACING: Okay, the story became more interesting about halfway through, but for the first 50% I was trudging through. I've heard a lot of other people experience the same thing with this book. I'm not sure if it's for the same reasons, but I think in my case it was because I couldn't care about the characters (see first point). It's impossible to be engaged in a story without connecting with the characters.

– THE MORALS: This is the main, main point of my negative review. This is what dropped my review from 3 stars to 2. I need to make a disclaimer first, though: I would never give a book a low rating because I disagreed with the author's worldview or moral system. Quite to the contrary, understanding and appreciating other perspectives is one of the main reasons I read. My problem with this book's morals isn't simply that I disagree with them, but that they MAKE NO SENSE, that they are inconsistent with human nature, and they can have a harmful affect on the culture that accepts them.

(THE MORALS cont.) I'm going to rant a little here, so forgive my wordiness. First off: The characters have nothing admirable in them at all. Even antiheroes need to have something redeemable about their character. Compare this book to the Throne of Glass series, which is also popular YA fantasy, and also about antiheroes, but infinitely more redeeming:

In Throne of Glass, the main character, Celaena, is a ruthless assassin. However, the deeds of an assassin are still presented by the author as wrong. It's a lifestyle Celaena wants to eventually be free of. And though she is violent and crude and rough around the edges, she still has noble qualities. She is a passionate abolitionist, for example, and she prefers jobs where she's taking out corrupt politicians, slavers, and "bad guys." She also has a conscience and a sense of guilt for all the blood she sheds. Because of her good qualities, we can forgive her bad ones. We can enjoy watching her grow and mature, and while she's never perfect, she's always moving upwards; she's always moving towards a better, more honorable version of herself.

In Six of Crows, however, the horrible crimes the characters commit have no repercussions. They feel no guilt. Their immorality is treated as disturbingly normal. It's a world stripped of consequences and ethics. The characters have no noble purposes to seek after... except revenge, which of course isn't noble at all. Unlike ToG, there is no good vs. evil. There's just evil vs. evil. It's not even bad guys vs. badder guys; it's just these bad guys vs. those other bad guys. Everyone is equally corrupt and wicked, and we're supposed to somehow root for the main characters because... they're the main characters?

Which leads me right into my next point. Kaz. While he is unique, and his backstory intrigued me, he was a terrible character. He was cold, ruthless, and guiltless, yet somehow he had a loyal following, despite his unpredictability and untrustworthiness. (Shall I call to mind a certain scene with an eye?? How could ANYONE trust a leader who committed such a deplorable act of cruelty and dishonesty?)

This does not align with human nature at all. Who would follow someone like Kaz? Maybe other wicked crooks would... and only because they wanted something from him, or feared him. But, they would be quick to turn against him (especially after that horrible eye scene). And that's not how these characters behave at all. If they had any goodness in them at all, they would not respect him like they do. In order to respect someone, there has to be SOMETHING – even just a small thing – about them that is respectable. Kaz has nothing. And despite his complete lack of a conscience, we are somehow supposed to respect him, too, and care about him as a protagonist.

Now, why is this kind of book dangerous? Well, it's one thing to glorify crime or make it "cool" to be the "bad guys". I think that's relatively harmless (though some would agree), because in such a story, there is still a moral code; we still know that they're the bad guys. But the danger in a book like Six of Crows is that there is no moral code at all. It isn't cool to be wicked; it's normal. And there are no repercussions for doing the wrong thing.

This doesn't represent the reality at all.

Yes, this is a fantasy world, which means that Bardugo has the freedom to create her own cultures, languages, and even her own scientific rules. But she can't create her own morals. Basic morals – such as do not lie, do not steal, do not murder, do not cheat – are the fabric of human nature and society, transcending all cultures, religions, and worldviews. To adopt a different morality – one that is inconsistent with what humans have understood for millennia – is to invite personal destruction.

I know many people would not take such deep conclusions from this book. Some will say I'm overthinking the issue. "It's just entertainment!" they may laugh. But unfortunately, that is not true. Entertainment (books, movies, games, and music) influences our culture more than anything else. And entertainers (writers, filmmakers, game makings, and musicians) have a responsibility to wield their power with prudence.

In Six of Crows, Bardugo utterly shirks that responsibility.

CONCLUSION

I felt physically disgusted when I put down this book. I don't fully regret reading it, because there were some elements in the worldbuilding that inspired me. I also learned from the way she handled multiple characters and complex backstories. But I do not recommend this book, especially not for those who are sensitive to moral issues. And considering the fact that I was not blown away by her previous books, I know I will not be reading anything by Leigh Bardugo in the future.