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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo isn’t an average fantasy novel you can simply read and forget. Quite understandably, you’re now looking for more books like Six of Crows trying to fuel your literary tank.
Those who had read the book much earlier, before 2021, fell in love with the Crows again, when Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse made its home on Netflix, in the Shadow and Bone TV series. The show is a perfect blend of the Grisha trilogy and the Ketterdam duology (Six of Crows being the first book in it).
While we’re all waiting for a Season 2 release in March 2023, Goodreads is experiencing an influx of readers eagerly sharing their feedback about the book. As of today, Six of Crows has a 4.49 rating and over 80,000 reviews.
Some readers are obsessed with the Six of Crows characters, the most amazingly likable criminals ever:
- Kaz – leader, aka “Dirtyhands”
- Inej – spy-girl, aka the “Wraith”
- Nina – powerful Grisha
- Matthias – Fjerdan soldier
- Wylan – runaway with a talent for demolition
- Jesper – skilled marksman
Each separately is deep and complicated. Meanwhile, the development of their relationships within a team captivates from the very start.
Others emphasize the adventurous side of the novel, its breathtaking moments and twists, once the gang takes on the task to make the heist.
But no one feels entirely full after soaking every drop of fantasy and naturally rushes to read the ending of the story in Crooked Kingdom, the second book in the Six of Crows series.
Six of Crows Sequel: Crooked Kingdom
The promised sky-high reward is slipping out of Kaz’s hands. He understands they were meanly deceived and deprived of a valuable crew member. Now, they have very few reliable allies and almost no hope left.
As everyone seems to be on the hunt for the secret of the drug, jurda parem, a confrontation is brewing in the streets of Ketterdam.
On every page, your heart will be pounding ever faster, because you know that the wrapping of the story won’t be a typical one but rather as exceptional as only Leigh Bardugo can make it.
Other Leigh Bardugo Books To Read
You can find some more fantasy books like Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom among other novels by Leigh Bardugo. The top three of them are: Shadow and Bone, King of Scars, and Ninth House.
Shadow and Bone
When you open Shadow and Bone, the first book of Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy, you fall into an impeccably-constructed Grishaverse you partially got acquainted with in Six of Crows.
Ravka, a magical country, is on the verge of extinction. A mist called the Shadow Fold splits Ravka in half, slowly ruining it. It’s inhabited by the bloodthirsty volcra.
In one of the missions to the Fold, Alina discovers the much-desired power to set her scarred and nearly devastated country free. She joins the Grisha, powerful warriors under the leadership of the Darkling or Shadow Summoner.
Is she capable of taming her gift well enough under the pressure of her feelings and intrigues that crawl out from the Grisha community?
Shadow and Bone will impress you to the very core with its mysticism, legends, and battles. The novel is available on Amazon.
King of Scars
Nikolai is a young king of Ravka.
Enfeebled by conflicts, the country has to find strength and resistance against the unwelcome enemies gathering around it. What’s worse, a demon still lives inside Nikolai. It has been lurking for years, but now it’s breaking free and getting stronger every day.
Supported by one of the monks, Yuri Vedenen, and one of the strongest Grisha generals, Zoya Nazyalensky, he hopes to find a cure.
But not every secret can be hidden and, likewise, not every wound can be healed.
If Zoya is the one to save him – how, and at what costs?
Find it out here and immerse yourself into the Grishaverse once again.
Ninth House
What does student life look like at Yale University?
It’s rather unlikely that you’d picture occultism, secret societies, raising the dead, murdering the alive, and other sinister things in your mind’s eye.
Alex Stern, who indulged in drugs and alcohol and eventually ditched school, is now to taste this kind of Yale life, once becoming a fresher.
Why is she granted a chance to study at the university, in the first place? What conspiracies are out there, in the network of Yale’s alumni?
With a real world setting, Ninth House is slightly different from Six of Crows and other narratives by Leigh Bardugo. It absorbs you into an urban atmosphere with dark magic and paranormal elements woven intricately into it.
Ninth House is the winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy of 2019. Moreover, Stephen King called it one of the best fantasy novels he’s read in years. See whether you’ll share his opinion – buy the book.
5 Fantasy Heist Books Like Six of Crows
Below are the top five heist-inflected stories similar to Six of Crows. The authors take the wit and suspense of a crime caper and cleverly embroider those into exotic fantasy worlds.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Three months for a plan.
Three weeks for a rehearsal.
Three seconds for a win or loss.
That’s a perfect robbery scheme, according to Locke Lamora, the leader of the gang – the Gentlemen Bastards. Like in the Six of Crows, each one is an extraordinary and well-conceived character. Besides, the city life of Camorr and its canals can’t but remind you of Ketterdam.
With an immersive fantasy world-building, the story rolls out into an action-packed adventure full of crime, deception, and vengeance.
If you want to know what it’s like to be an honest liar, you should definitely meet Locke Lamora. Here’s your book copy to do that.
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
What are the chances to overthrow an immortal god, a tyrant who runs the empire?
Kelsier accepts the deal to lead the revolution and save the enslaved.
Similar to Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows, he gathers a thieving crew to execute his plan. One of them is Vin, a young girl he rescues and trains to master her powers.
What will be the cost of bringing down the Final Empire?
Brandon Sanderson’s stylistic touch won’t leave you indifferent to this epic story of rebel and hope. Read it here.
Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher
Nobody has ever returned from the previous missions to discover the secrets of the Clockwork Boys, invincible country invaders.
So, the task is now assigned to a group of misfits: a woman thief who specializes in lock-picking and forging; her former lover slash assassin; a demon-slayer (once possessed by a demon himself); and a scholar biased against women. You should already smell an escalation of conflict inside this motley crew. See if they can stop from murdering each other on this hazardous path.
Get Clockwork Boys from Amazon. It’s the first novel in the Clocktaur War duology by Ursula Vernon aka T. Kingfisher.
Among Thieves by M. J. Kuhn
Ryia has been on the run for several years already.
She crosses paths with Callum Clem and his gang of outlaws, the Saints, becoming one of them. When they hear about the contract, they grab the opportunity and prepare to steal a magical artifact from the Guildmaster who rules Thamorr. Apparently, every team member wants to possess the object for their own purposes. Treachery is inevitable. Whose betrayal is going to pop up first?
Told from five POVs, Among Thieves is a dynamic and head-spinning heist novel. It’s one of the best books to read if you like Six of Crows. Here’s the link.
The Mask of Mirrors by M. A. Carrick
Whether metaphorically or literally, everyone is wearing a mask in Nadežra, a Venetian-style city full of enigmas.
And Ren, a thief from the slums, has got a couple of them. In this mysterious magical story, she joins forces with Tess, her sister and master of disguise, to worm their way into the wealthy family and become noble.
The criminal and political life of the city entangles Ren into a mist of lies, secrets, and troubles. The whole tension turns into a tinderbox ready to blow up any moment. Grab your copy and dive into the epicenter of this explosion.
More Books To Read if You Like Six of Crows
Each of the below novels has a distinct touch that reminds you of Leigh Bardugo’s masterpiece. You can’t miss any of these stories, if you’re looking for books similar to Six of Crows.
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
If you take a badass heroine hellbent on retaliation, add a pinch of bloody ambition for killing, and pour it all into a mythological beast-full setting, you get the tastiest wicked story.
That’s what Jay Kristoff did in Nevernight.
A teenage Mia is a trainee at the Red Church, a magical boarding school for killers. Her purpose is to become a maestro of murder and get even with those who wrecked her family.
Joining the upper-class echelon of assassins turns out to be a hard task. Let alone the traumatic past haunting her all the time and each corner full of traps.
Vicious by V. E. Schwab
Does a superpower undoubtedly turn one into a hero?
Trying to discover supernatural abilities, Eli and Victor, college friends-roomies, go too far in their attempts. Each loses a friend but gains something else instead – a superhuman advantage.
They are the ExtraOrdinaries who have become the worst foes due to some gruesome circumstances of their experiments.
Both are sharp, brutal, and ambitious. Both want to destroy each other. Both find allies to back them up. Can both survive this battle?
Crack the moral codes of two villains in this novel, if you enjoyed the character development of the villain-protagonist in Six of Crows.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
One of the YA novels like Six of Crows, this book is for those who like to penetrate new and exciting fantasy realms.
With a unique skill to put sci-fi twists on classic fairy tales, Marissa Meyer draws a dystopian world of New Beijing introducing you to Cinder, a cyberpunk-ish version of Cinderella.
Then, of course, there’s a Prince. Both find their feelings inappropriate to each other and should face decisions that may lead to the sacrifice of their lives.
We’ve got Cinder on this list too – read more about it or check Amazon price right away.
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
If the enemies-to-lovers trope in Six of Crows kept you on the edge of your seat with a racing pulse, you should read Serpent & Dove without any second thought.
In case you have one, well then, here’s a short blurb to ease you into the plot.
Lou is a witch in hiding who suppresses her powers. The only possible survival method is through lying, stealing, and killing.
Reid is a Church representative and witch-hunter.
Once their roads cross, they are forced to tie the knot with each other. Is it only the mockery of fate?
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Even though it’s the last title on the list of books to read if you like Six of Crows, the novel isn’t less exciting.
Tobias Hawthorne, a recently deceased multimillionaire, leaves a fortune to Avery Grambs who’s nothing to do with the Hawthornes. Close to zero is left to his four grandsons.
All five might need to unite for solving the quest prepared by Tobias, as hints and keys appear on every step. Follow them here.
It ends with such a bombshell that it makes you run for its sequel – The Hawthorne Legacy. And then you realize that you’ve read all the four books from The Inheritance Games series in one blink of an eye.
Complete List of Books Similar to Six of Crows
Even in the crowded fantasy genre, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo stands out.
This read-alike list is for those who’ve felt that so clearly and are now craving for more books like Six of Crows. The four other Bardugo’s novels are at the top of this collection: Crooked Kingdom (sequel of Six of Crows), Shadow and Bone, King of Scars, and Ninth House.
Then here are the ten best stories that have striking similarities to Six of Crows:
- The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
- The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
- Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher
- Among Thieves by M. J. Kuhn
- The Mask of Mirrors by M. A. Carrick
- Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
- Vicious by V. E. Schwab
- Cinder by Marissa Meyer
- Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes