Initial Impressions 6/3/15: I'm not going to rate this book just yet... I'm having the HARDEST time since Goodreads does not allow me half stars because really it was 4.5 stars, I think, but I feel like 4 is too low and 5 is too high. Let me explain! 
 So obviously this book has been CALLING FOR ME since I heard of it. The Grisha Trilogy is one of my absolutely FAVORITES so naturally more Grishaverse = instalove. But somehow I never got super emotionally invested in the story. I think maybe that's because Kaz is so guarded and the crew is really very tough. They don't let their emotions rule them a lot but when those emotional moments poked through, they really shone brightly and I found myself VERY emotionally involved. 
 The other random expectation that I had was that it was going to be very funny. That's due to the Ocean's 11 comparison (one of my favorite movies of all time so Grisha + Ocean's 11 = really high expectations) and that the plot reminded me of Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series which I LOVE and also is absolutely hysterical. SIX OF CROWS definitely had some great humor and funny moments, but it really wasn't a laugh-out-loud kind of book. 
 That being said, I did still REALLY enjoy the book. I didn't want to put it down and I found myself thinking about it at times when I wasn't reading (and wished I was). I really enjoyed the new characters immensely! 
 A plus and -- well not a minus, but more of a neutral, I guess? -- is that SIX OF CROWS is very much its own book. It's set in the Grishaverse and very, very lightly touches upon the events from the SHADOW AND BONE books (even referencing Alina from afar), but really this is a completely separate book and time and place and concept. Sanderson fans, think of it as a new Sanderson book in the Cosmere, I suppose. Same world, same general areas and principles of magic, totally different books. 
 So what do I rate it? I'm still not quite sure. I think I'll let it sit for a few days and see how my feelings shake out! I almost want to read it all over again having finished and know what I know. I really cannot WAIT for the second book now. I really loved how SIX OF CROWS ended and was not a cliffhanger and yet set it up for the next book in the series. This wait won't be excruciating... Not at all... 
 Rating Decision: Okay, so this rating needs an explanation because I cannot tell you how much it PAINS ME to not rate a Grisha book five stars... but I don't feel right rating it five. I did love the book -- I loved the plot, the characters, the world, the new additions... but I never quite felt that emotional connection. I started to with Nina and Inej and Matthias but all of the characters are so reserved and protect themselves that it's really hard to crack that emotional layer -- especially with Kaz. It was also hard because they were ALL sort of main characters instead of something being mostly from Kaz's POV? The description really pushes him as the MC and I don't have an issue with multiple POVs but I really, really, really wanted to get to know Kaz more. We get a deeper story from all of the characters, really, but I wished I had been able to feel more from them. 
 That being said, I did still really enjoy the book. I had also hoped for more BIG twists and surprises (there were some, don't get me wrong) but that could be since I'm a huge Ocean's 11 fan and that was a big comparison. (Ugh, comparisons. They kill things, right?) I think one more really big thing at the end could have pulled this book up a bit for me but I wasn't AS surprised as I thought I would be. 
 I also was hoping for a bit more humor but again -- Ocean's 11 mindset. The movie is too funny and Six of Crows was definitely more serious. 
 SOOOO. I must round down to four stars on Goodreads but my final rating is really 4.25 - 4.5 STARS. I'm really looking forward to re-reading on audio at some point in time! I don't know if I should save it until closer to book two or as soon as the book comes out since it will have been a few months by then... But I think audio could bring a whole different perspective, as it often does! 
 Full review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 8/24/15: If you know me but at all as a reader/book blogger, you know one of my most favorite series ever is Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy. Naturally, that meant that SIX OF CROWS was one of my most-anticipated new releases of 2015 and once I got a hold of it at BEA, I didn't even bother to wait and dance around the fact that it wasn't coming out for another few months. I just dove right in! 
 Immediately, I was getting hints of adult fantasy. SIX OF CROWS reminded me very subtly of some of my favorite adult fantasy series like Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss, and the Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch. Of course, since the book takes place in the Grishaverse, I also had the Grisha trilogy in the back of my head... and yet SIX OF CROWS was very much of book of its own. I really loved that Leigh Bardugo made this truly its own series. This isn't a spin-off -- it's just a brand new series set in the same location. If you're a Sanderson fan, think of how different his books are and yet set in his fictional Cosmere. Or really any book set in any specific state or country -- the landscape and general rules are the same, you'll spot references to historical moments, but the story itself is entirely its own. That's what you get with SIX OF CROWS. 
 I immediately liked the setting and the characters. SIX OF CROWS opens in the Dregs which is exactly what it sounds like -- not the best neighborhood -- and I loved getting to know Crows leader Kaz and his gang. I really felt like I got a vivid picture of the setting and very much just fell into that world. It's a much different feel from The Grisha Trilogy -- it's almost is completely different -- but that was something I really appreciated. 
 ... But at the same time, I think that was something that was personally hard for me to adjust to. I knew this book was going to be very different but secretly, I was also hoping for it to be similar. The focus is much less on the Grisha powers and abilities and much more plain cunning and survival (with a hint of revenge). We do meet a few Grisha but the book isn't immersed in the world-building side in terms of establishing the rules of the magic system and hierarchy of royalty. It's a completely different atmosphere so it sort of threw me and yet I liked it all at the same time. 
 The structure of the book is also a new thing from Leigh. Each chapter takes on the POV of a new main character and in each chapter, we get a little more of their personal story within their perspective. I really liked that I was able to obtain this information from each character themselves but at the same time, I felt like I didn't get to spend enough time with each one to make a real connection with them. I doubt this will be an issue with a lot of people but for some reason it was just something that I couldn't push past. I mean, you remember -- one of the most-anticipated books of the year!! -- so it was a very, very hard thing for me to not fall 100% head over heels for this book. Don't get me wrong... I still REALLY enjoyed the book but I just didn't find myself connecting with the characters as much as I had hoped. 
 The other hard thing for me was that everyone was comparing this book to Ocean's 11 -- a fantasy Ocean's 11, Ocean's 11 meets Grisha, etc -- and that's one of my favorite movies, but keep in mind that when I make book comparisons, I'm not only looking at plot but also the feel of things. For me, it wasn't an entirely accurate comparison so that was a little bit of a misconception about the book before I started. I feel like Ocean's 11 is a very funny movie, lots of emphasis focused on humor, cleverness, and sharp tongues. I wouldn't say that SIX OF CROWS is not those things but definitely not the in capacity that I imagined it. If you're a fan of Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series, I would say that's a more accurate "Ocean's 11 meets fantasy" comparison. Lots of humor there (it's a pretty important tone in those books) and while SIX OF CROWS didn't need that level of humor for me to connect with it, the expectation was there. The book and the characters were definitely clever, sharp, and even a bit sassy sometimes but it wasn't the humor level I expected. The Dregs is a dark place and these characters have some very serious pasts. I did love their story and I liked that it was a bit darker and I'd say a bit more mature than The Grisha Trilogy but again, my expectations were raised to a certain level. It wasn't that the reality was a bad thing but I found myself waiting for that comparison to ring true and it didn't quite make it. This is why I don't like comparing books to other things unless they're VERY carefully chosen... BUT that's a full discussion for another time and place. 
 I don't want to seem like I'm harping on the book -- I'm really not. I want to reiterate that I enjoyed it cover to cover and especially loved the ending but the hype (both my own and what's out there in the universe) had me thinking things were going to be a certain way and that wasn't quite how the book went. I guess very long story short, go into SIX OF CROWS with an open mind! It's a great book and really very enjoyable but just be careful of what sort of preconceived notions you have! Maybe the book will exceed them (I hope it does. Bardugo is fantastic). Maybe I jumped in too quickly and didn't wait for anyone else to give a little feedback before I started the book. Maybe these things just happen every once in a while and we can't all be 100% in love with the books we want to be. 
 Whatever the case, SIX OF CROWS really is still a wonderful book and I was always left wanting more. I wanted more of the characters, more plot... I found myself thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it and wanted to read more. It really drew me in and I wanted to get lost within the pages. Oh, and of COURSE there are some wonderfully constructed attractions and romances that may set up these characters to be your new OTPs. Some of them are so wonderfully subtle and others achingly shippy. There's just so much to love in this book!