Hey there! Thanks for stopping by! Today I want to talk about an amazing book that I read with Susan at Novel Lives. Knowing that she is a Six of Crows guru, I was so excited to talk about the book with her! This is one of my all-time favorite YA fantasies, and one I’d highly recommend.
About the Book:
Title: Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: Six of Crows #1
Page Length: 465
Publication Date: Sept. 29, 2015
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Synopsis: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .
A convict with a thirst for revenge
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy known as the Wraith
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes
Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
There’s so much about this story that I love (the characters, the humor, the plot, the imagery – EVERYTHING!), but for today I want to focus on one of my favorite aspects of most of the books I read…
The Romance!
I’m a sucker for a good romance, and, generally, I like at least a little love story in the books I read. In Six of Crows, there are several interesting (and complicated) romances, and one budding relationship that I totally ship and hope will become something more in the next book. (Yes, I’m talking about you, Jesper and Wylan! Please, tell me they end up together! I so love them!)
Matthias and Nina
Nina and Matthias have a complicated relationship, but it is clear from the start that their feelings run deep. This is a couple that tries to fight their feelings but ultimately can’t resist their connection. Let’s take a look at some of their most swoon-worthy moments:
Nina had blown into his life with the wind and rain and set his world spinning. He’d been off balance ever since.
Matthias
Why did one smile from Matthias Helvar feel like fifty from someone else?
Nina
I have been made to protect you. Only in death will I be kept from this oath.
Does anyone have a fan because I am feeling warm all of a sudden…lol. I just love the way Matthias and Nina think and feel about each other, and the enemies-to-lovers vibes are filled with chemistry.
Let’s pause for a deep sigh as we swoon and reflect upon Nina and Matthias’ love …
Ok, I need to focus! Time to regroup. We still have to talk about two more relationships!!
Kaz and Inej
Another complicated relationship in the story is between Kaz and Inej. Susan and I talked about this relationship quite a bit because Kaz’s feelings are so fascinating. He doesn’t feel worthy of love, and Inej won’t accept anything less than everything. Theirs is a “will they or won’t they” kind of relationship, and, I must admit, I was rooting for them from the start.
Let’s take a look at some of their best lines:
Kaz felt himself drawn toward her voice like water rolling downhill.
Kaz
I will have you without armor, or I will not have you at all.
Inej
He felt a twinge in his chest, and with a disturbing jolt, he realized it was panic. She’d been the one to wake him from his stupor in the cart. Her voice had brought him back from the dark; it had been the tether he gripped and used to drag himself back to some semblance of sanity.
Kaz
She laughed, and if he could have bottled the sound and gotten drunk on it every night, he would have. It terrified him.
Kaz
He needed to tell her … what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn’t pull himself together into some semblance of a man for her. That without meaning to, he’d begun to lean on her, to look for her, to need her near.
Kaz
The romantic build-up between Inej and Kaz is fantastic, and the anticipation and hope that they will finally give into their feelings and forget about everything else is strong. The angst is so intense!!! I just hope that they can work through the complexities of their lives and be together in the end…
Jesper and Wylan
I ship Jesper and Wylan so hard, and I’m hoping they admit their feelings for each other in Crooked Kingdom. They compliment each other well and have awesome chemistry! I love reading about new love interests and blossoming romances, and Jesper and Wylan are one of my faves! Their relationship isn’t as intense as the others, but it is still sweet.
Let’s check out some of their swoon-worthy moments!
“Nina might not be able to put you back, you know. Not without another dose of parem. You could be stuck like this.”
“Why does it matter?”
“I don’t know!” Jesper said angrily. “Maybe I liked your stupid face.”
“You’re the fool,” Jesper snarled. “He’s smarter than most of us put together, and he deserves a better father than you.”
Jesper speaking to Wylan’s father
I have a feeling that this relationship will be further explored in Crooked Kingdom. They have so much potential as a couple and totally have an opposites attract kind of vibe. I think Jesper and Wylan are so good for and to each other, and I can’t wait to see how their story progresses!
So, there we have three romantic relationships building in Six of Crows – all very different, and all equally fantastic! I love these relationships and am definitely rooting for some HEAs in this duology, especially considering all of the heartache and heartbreak this group goes through. They deserve a little love and levity in their lives!
Which sound the most swoon-worthy to you? Comment below!
Want to read more great quotes from the book? Check out some other posts dedicated to Leigh Bardugo!!
- How’d They Get So Smart? Words of Wisdom from Six of Crows
- There’s Some Humor Too – Funny Moments in Six of Crows
- Can We Talk About the Romance? Swoon-Worthy Lines from the Shadow and Bone Series
- Can We Talk About the Romance? Swoon-Worthy Lines in Leigh Bardugo’s Crooked Kingdom
Ooh! This sounds like a great book!
It’s so good!!
Yay! I hope to read it someday!
Jesper and Wylan! 💛 but honestly all of them
Right! I love them all 🙂
I loved this book and these romances… and I don’t even like romance! Lol. But they were so well done, so conflicted! (Not annoying and angsty at all). Great post.
It’s such a great story! I have a few other posts coming about the humor and words of wisdom. 🙂
Okay this post might be my favourite post of all time because I ship basically everyone in this book. I mean this book is rife with amazing quotes but we’d be here all day talking about them. But the quote about Kaz bottling Inej’s laugh is definitely the most swoon worthy moment to me.
Right! Between that and the oath between Matthais and Nina – I need a fan! Sa-woon!! 🙂
Omg omg omg – I LOVE this duology!!! For something which isn’t typically romance genre there’s a whole lotta love and I’m shipping all of them! We need to come back and talk about this when you’ve read Crooked Kingdom because I have so many many feels and I can’t say them yet!! 🤐😫🤣🤐
I read it!!! We definitely need to chat!! This duology is definitely one of my top reads of the year, and I ship them all too. Each couple is so different, and layered, and worth rooting for. I can’t even!!! lol
I absolutely LOVE the Six of Crows duology! I ship all of the pairings and I am SO trash for Nina and Matthias! 😂
I can’t wait for you to read Crooked Kingdom! You should also pick up other novels by Leigh Bardugo. They’re good! 😊
Me too! I read Crooked Kingdom and loved it. It made me love the relationships even more, and I think Matthais had some of the most beautiful lines.
I read the Shadow and Bone trilogy before I read Six of Crows and thought it was fantastic! What other books would you recommend? 🙂
My heart still hurts months after reading Crooked Kingdom! 💔
It’s great to hear that you enjoyed the Shadow and Bone trilogy! You should definitely pick up King of Scars next! It’s another novel in the Grishaverse series that revolves around King Nikolai and Nina’s story (post-SoC). 😊
Ooooh…interesting! I’m curiious to see where Nina’s story goes. Thanks for the recommendation. I’m definitely going to get it! 🙂
Wasn’t his name Matthias?
Whoops! Thanks for noticing – I fixed it. 🙂
Reblogged this on One Book More and commented:
Happy Valentine’s Day and happy Sunday!! I hope you are having a fantastic weekend. In celebration of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d reblog my post about the epic romances in Six of Crows. I read the Six of Crows duology last year and absolutely loved it! The characters and plot are so well-layered, and I was captivated by this super immersive story.
Like many of you know, I’m a sucker for a swoon-worthy romance, and I was pleasantly surprised at the unexpected, romantic moments throughout this story! Today seemed like the perfect day to revisit some of my favorite swoon-tastic lines!
I’ve seen this book on the blogs but never bought it. Your lines have changed that- I’m hooked!
Wow, these are some wonderful lines. I have to say I love the line that ends with, “Maybe I liked your stupid face.” That is priceless and I can see my grandson saying that some day. 😁💞
I love that one too! 🙂
Ok these were the quotes I did not know I needed – now I’m all nostalgic from when I first read the book 😭😭😭 kaz and inej were always my fav (the ANGST) but I loved all the ships in this book!! Awesome post 🙂
I love them too! I can’t wait for the Netflix show!!
Same!!
Great and fun review! I don’t know this author so one for me to look out for.
Definitely a great author/book if you like YA fantasy!
I absolutely love Jesper and Wylan!!!
They’re fantastic!!
This is on my to-read list. I really need to get to it!
It’s sooo good!