My Reaction in a Nutshell: 
 I LOVE BOOKS WITH THIEVERY!!!! 
 The Long Version: 
 Wow, it's been nearly a month since I last read a book for fun. But my reading habits are irrelevant for this review. Anyone has read my reviews of the Grisha Trilogy, they'll know that I wasn't a huge fan of the series. I hated the plot. I hated the characters. I hated the world-building. There were few things I enjoyed. After reading that shitstorm, I decided I wouldn't read Six of Crows (even though I love books with thievery and elaborate heists). Well, at least I though that until I read Emily May's review of Six of Crows and thought that I would give it a try. 
 Six of Crows begins...intensely. The whole book is pretty action packed with lots of scheming in between. Yes, there were some eye-roll worthy dramatic conversation that were reminiscent of all the things I hated in Bardugo's original trilogy. But Six of Crows has characters who aren't one dimensional! Each character has a unique background that comes to light in this book. Some were more heartbreaking and morbid than others. 
 This book is so much better than the Grisha Trilogy. I will admit, Bardugo still struggles with world-building. She doesn't really explain what grisha are or what they can do. But she does improve with this book. 
 At first I was worried Kaz would be a case of "telling" rather than "showing," meaning that I was worried Bardugo would only tell me that he was evil, heartless, etc. instead of showing me that he was evil, heartless, etc. And that's what happened for a good chunk of the beginning of the book. But then (view spoiler)[he cut out a man's eye, threw it overboard, promised to take the man to safety if he told Kaz information, the man said the information, then Kaz threw the man overboard. (hide spoiler)] Ruthless. Absolutely ruthless. 
 If you like thievery, elaborate plots, tragic backstories, and stories about high risk high reward, then Six of Crows is the book for you. 
 ****TRIGGER WARNINGS: prostitution, human trafficking, imprisonment, terminal illness, drug use, death, murder, torture