Ketterdam is a place full of notorious criminals. During the 17th century, six of those criminals would be renowned for attempting to pull off one of the deadliest heists known to man. When 17-year-old Kaz Brekker is offered a chance to a mission that would make him wealthier than the man that once took away his childhood, he takes it in an instant. Then, he forms the “Six of Crows,” compromised of four criminals and a runaway who will all help Kaz complete the mission. Together they have one task, to break Bo Yul-Bayur out of an impenetrable prison. Six of Crows is the book to read when you don’t want to put something down. The plot, the characters, the writing style, and the meaning of a quote make this novel the best ever written.

This book is a young-adult fantasy novel that will take you on a wonderful journey. Throughout the book, readers will go experience magic, backstories, romance, and even attempting to break into a maximum security prison. Since all of the characters are still teenagers, the readers will relate to the book a lot more; it’ll make readers think more about what they would do if they were in the crows’ shoes. Plot twists make books more interesting, and this one has a lot of them. It is so brilliant how Leigh Bardugo incorporated every little detail to play a role throughout the book, and every single detail might evolve into one of her plot twists. For example, a sweet loving letter from the runaway’s father does not turn out to be what it’s supposed to be, and if the others knew what the letter really meant, the entire book would be completely different.

Though the plot is amazing, the best aspect of this book is its characters. First, they all have their own unique personalities; since every single character has a very different story to tell, they do not all act the same. For example, Jesper is the witty and sarcastic character that everyone gets to love in this book. Though his mouth does get him into a lot of trouble, he protects the ones he loves and cares for, including all of his guns that he’ll never be found without. A large part of this book focuses on the backstories of these characters. It tells flashbacks for almost every character, showing how they ended up to where they are today. For instance, Nina and Matthias find themselves together on a ship. While Nina is locked in the cage, Matthias is the one keeping her locked and guarded, making sure she doesn't use her powers to escape. Their unexpected romance for each other is another one of Bardugo’s plot twists that no one is expecting when the ship sinks, leaving them both as the only survivors with Nina’s powers and Matthias’s strength. These flashbacks really allow the readers to appreciate every single character more and fill hearts with love for the criminals. She has a way of writing all these incomparable characters with all of the readers still wanting to know more about them. 

This book is based back in the 17th century; nevertheless, the book never tells us this, it is just Bardugo’s proficiency that places us in the early modern period. She does a stupendous job envisioning the details of that time to the readers. The details she includes about the city, the clothing, and the way the people act and function make the audience feel as if they are part of the mission. Bardugo has won and been nominated for many different and well-deserved awards. She was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction for Six of Crows. She also won the Germany Fantasy Award for Best International Novel, which was a great accomplishment. She also placed top three in Best Fantasy Books and The Best YA Books of 2015. Her creativeness should win her more awards and more nominations. Bardugo is also very imaginative with a certain quote used throughout the book, and it is one of the many reasons she won many awards.

“No mourners, no funerals” is the quote that readers will hear all six of the crows say. This is a way to wish everybody luck and wish for no deaths. While that is what it says, it also alludes to a sad reality for the six of them. Back home they have no family and nobody to hold their funerals or mourn their deaths. All they have is each other, meaning the only people that will care or even notice if they get hurt, or worse, if they perish, will be themselves. There will be no expensive burials for people like them, and no special place in a cemetery with a tombstone for people to remember their names. All of the crows are just teenagers, and some of the worst things are already happening to them. Knowing the meaning behind that quote stabs all beloved readers in the heart.

The plot, the characters, the writing style, and the meaning of the best quote from the book makes this script one of the best young-adult fantasy novels out there. Not only is this book hard to put down, everyone will fall in love with every detail that Leigh Bardugo has to offer. Every plot twist, every character, and every chapter gets better and better as the book progresses; furthermore, Six of Crows cannot be put down after the first 50 pages. Every single chapter and page will keep the audience up all night from the first page to the last page. The city of Ketterdam holds mysterious people and magic from all over the world, and the six criminals will have your heart from the moment you meet them. Open this book to uncover one of the greatest heists of all time.