Rating: 4 out of 5
A thrilling novel! I was a bit uncertain into what specific world I had fallen in, to begin with, but the author takes their time to introduce different aspects in a very considered manner. This helped build both suspense and interest in the activities of the main character, who needs to build a team and then rob the most secure place in the world. I guess “needs” here is a bit figurative, but you know what I mean!
It’s only while writing this post that I realized that this (this being this ‘Six of Crows’, the start of a duology) is not the only series based in this universe. I’d be keen to read the others though the setting of Ketterdam was very much to my liking. Essentially a big mercantile city, the name already conjures images of the wealthy Dutch provinces and their world-dominating traders, which the fictional place did all to re-imagine.
Lastly, on the activities — I am a fan of any sort of heist: Scott Lynch’s Locke Lamora is a wonderful character, ‘Scoundrels’ is one of my favourite Star Wars novels, and most movies set up to show one are also very enjoyable — so I got thoroughly behind the main character’s motive of breaking into this most fortified place in the world.
Perhaps my main reason for not rising to that fifth star are that I thought some of the emotional clumsiness these characters stooped to was unnecessary, if logical when taken with respect to their age. I did enjoy some of the lapses in judgement by the characters which overall made it a more perfect story than if they had been without any fault, but they weren’t enough to make the book amazing on all levels, just most! Still a warm recommendation for some (very light) fantasy here!
