Book review of "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
Why Frenemies Make the Best Heist Partners
A client stumbles into the Literary Manifestations & Book Boyfriend Research Lab, looking exhausted
"Avantgarda, I can't stand my coworkers anymore. They're so annoying with their quirks and opinions. But my boss keeps insisting on 'team-building' and 'collaboration' like we're all supposed to be friends. It feels like I'm in Severance. WTF."
accidentally knocks over crystal ball while reaching for teacup
Well, my little office lab rat. Divine bibliomantic divination (which definitely wasn't just me grabbing the first book my coffee didn't spill on) leads me to prescribe Leigh Bardugo's "Six of Crows."
A Crew of People Who Can Barely Stand Each Other
Let me introduce you to the most dysfunctional "team" ever assembled. Kaz Brekker, criminal mastermind and emotional availability expert (that was sarcasm, my pendulum detects he has the emotional availability of a brick wall), decides to recruit five other social disasters for an impossible heist:
There's Inej, who moves so quietly she accidentally terrifies everyone; Jesper, who can't stop gambling away money they don't have yet; Nina, whose protective instincts are matched only by her waffle enthusiasm; Matthias, who literally used to hunt people like Nina for sport; and Wylan, who's about as prepared for criminal life as a cupcake at a knife fight.
These people don't just have baggage – they have entire luggage warehouses. And yet somehow, they make it work. My crystal ball suggests this has less to do with friendship and more to do with mutually assured destruction, which honestly might be your workplace solution too.
Why This Book Will Fix Your Coworker Problem
The brilliant thing about Bardugo's crew is that they never pretend to like each other all the time. They don't have trust falls or make vision boards. They acknowledge they're all terrible in different ways and then focus on the job.
Kaz doesn't say "let's share our feelings" – he says "here's the plan, follow it or die." There's something refreshingly honest about that approach my cards strongly approve of.
Your Bibliomantic Prescription
Based on my extensive analysis (and by "extensive" I mean "reading while avoiding my own deadlines"), here's how to apply Six of Crows wisdom to your workplace nightmare:
- Lower Your Expectations: Are your coworkers as bad as a trauma-hardened criminal mastermind, a deadly spy with religious guilt, or a witch-hunter with anger issues? The cards suggest perspective might help here.
- Find The Useful Bits: Kaz doesn't care that Jesper can't stop gambling; he cares that Jesper can shoot. Maybe Karen from accounting is annoying, but perhaps her spreadsheet skills are worth tolerating her cat stories.
- Create A Heist Mindset: The Crows don't need to be friends – they need to execute a plan. Try thinking of your team project as a heist where everyone has a specific role. Just with fewer lockpicks and hopefully no casualties.
Final Reading
"Six of Crows" will remind you that functional relationships don't require constant affection – they require clarity, boundaries, honor, and mutual goals. And a dash of humor, classic Bardugo style, if you can find it. These six disaster humans accomplish the impossible not by immediately becoming best friends but by channeling their dysfunction productively. And the trauma-bond is eventually leading to a real one, stronger than three million kruge can buy.
Side Effects May Include:
- Urge to wear more black, gloves, and a cane and develop a mysterious backstory
- Lower expectations for workplace harmony (this is actually beneficial)
(Disclaimer: Literary Manifestations & Book Boyfriend Research Lab does not endorse actual heisting, criminal behavior, or telling your boss what you really think of their team-building exercises.)
Author's personal notes:
Ok what I found most delicious and unique about this romantic fantasy novel were the deep, credible backstories for characters you really get to know and obsess over. Not last or least Kaz Brekker himself with his tragic past, clearly motivating his attitudes in life. This is what makes these characters feel like real people rather than just fantasy archetypes. What also had me completely hooked was the delicious tension between the love interests, especially Nina and Matthias—their enemies-to-lovers dynamic is pure perfection and had me shipping them from their first scene together. Bardugo's exploration of the magical drug jurda parem and its mind-controlling effects particularly fascinated me because it touches on themes of addiction and manipulation that I'm actually exploring in my upcoming novel "The Love or Death Cocktail." The way Leigh Bardugo weaves together the impossible heist with complex character relationships and morally gray choices makes this YA romantasy feel sophisticated and emotionally mature. If you love books where you fall completely in love with flawed, damaged characters who somehow find hope and love despite their dark pasts, "Six of Crows" may consume your thoughts for weeks.