Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Kaz Brekker, criminal mastermind and leader of one of Ketterdam’s many gangs, has just been offered the score of a lifetime. The catch? He must pull off an impossible heist. But, he has a plan and maybe the right crew of thieves and thugs can pull it off. Six very different outcasts must come together as a team if they are going to infiltrate one of the most impenetrable fortresses ever built. Six of Crows took a good eighty pages to capture my attention, probably because I was previously unfamiliar with the rich world in which Leigh Bardugo sets her novels, but once the action picked up, I was hooked. I love the drama of a good heist story and this one spared none. I came to thoroughly care about her characters and appreciate the uniqueness of each through alternating perspective chapters. The story reminds me of The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Both contain rich fantasy worlds, flawed characters that you end up rooting for and a wonderful snarkiness. On the whole, I would enthusiastically recommend Six of Crows.