Bestseller
Six of Crows
by Leigh Bardugo
4.7
A criminal mastermind assembles a crew of six dangerous outcasts to pull off an impossible heist from the world's most secure prison.
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Leigh Bardugo
American · b. 1975
7 books reviewed Avg rating 4.3 / 5Top rating 4.7 / 5
Goodreads Choice Award (multiple years)
Leigh Bardugo is an American fantasy author whose Grishaverse novels — including Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone — built one of the most popular and elaborately imagined worlds in contemporary YA fantasy.
Leigh Bardugo built the Grishaverse across multiple series set in a world of Russian-inspired kingdoms, elemental magic called the Small Science, and baroque political intrigue. Shadow and Bone introduced the world and its system of magic, but it was Six of Crows, published in 2015, that cemented her reputation. The heist novel centered on a morally grey crew of thieves planning an impossible break-in to a fortified city, and its ensemble cast — each character carrying a specific wound and a specific skill — earned devoted fans who would follow them anywhere.
Six of Crows and its sequel Crooked Kingdom are Bardugo at her best: tightly plotted, emotionally generous, and genuinely funny in ways that heightened fantasy rarely manages. The relationship dynamics between the six protagonists, particularly the slow-burn romance between Kaz and Inej, are handled with care that rewards readers who invest in the emotional architecture as well as the heist mechanics. King of Scars and Rule of Wolves, which follow the Nikolai Lantsov storyline, are competent continuations if less electrifying.
Bardugo’s worldbuilding has attracted some criticism for its loose analogues to real-world cultures — the Grishaverse’s ethnic and political geography borrows heavily from Slavic and East Asian references without always engaging deeply with what those references carry. Her plotting can also become convoluted in later volumes. But she is one of the most readable and emotionally intelligent voices in current fantasy, and Six of Crows in particular is as well-executed as the genre gets.
Reading Guides
7 Books Reviewed
Bestseller
Crooked Kingdom
by Leigh Bardugo
4.6
Kaz Brekker and the Dregs execute an increasingly complex series of heists and cons across Ketterdam to reclaim what was stolen from them and destroy those who betrayed them.
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King of Scars
by Leigh Bardugo
4.3
King Nikolai Lantsov of Ravka battles a dark curse living within him while navigating the political threats gathering at his borders — and two women he trusts with his kingdom but not his secret.
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Rule of Wolves
by Leigh Bardugo
4.3
Nikolai and Zoya must end a devastating war, forge an unlikely alliance with their oldest enemy, and face the darkest power the Grishaverse has ever produced — before it consumes everything they have built.
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Ruin and Rising
by Leigh Bardugo
4.2
Alina is trapped underground, her power diminished and her allies scattered. To defeat the Darkling and end the Fold, she must find the firebird — the third amplifier — before he does. The fate of Ravka and all of its Grisha rests on a choice that will cost Alina everything.
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Siege and Storm
by Leigh Bardugo
4.1
Alina Starkov is on the run from the Darkling — the powerful Grisha commander who wants to use her light-summoning abilities to control all of Ravka. Seeking safety at sea, she instead discovers a new amplifier and a privateer named Sturmhond whose motives are far more complicated than they appear.
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Shadow and Bone
by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
An orphaned soldier discovers she harbors a rare power that could end a centuries-long darkness threatening her country — and draws the attention of a mysterious and dangerous commander.
Check Price on Amazon (paid link)Reading Guides & Lists
guide
Where to Start with Leigh Bardugo: A Reading Guide
Where to start with Leigh Bardugo — whether to begin with Six of Crows or Shadow and Bone. A complete reading guide to the Grishaverse and its connected series.
guide
Leigh Bardugo Books in Order: Complete Grishaverse Reading Guide (2026)
The complete Leigh Bardugo reading order — the Shadow and Bone trilogy, Six of Crows duology, King of Scars duology, and how the Netflix series maps to the books.
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read Leigh Bardugo books?
Start with Shadow and Bone (2012), the first Grisha trilogy novel. Six of Crows (2015) is set in the same universe and can be read after Shadow and Bone or independently — it is generally considered her best work. King of Scars follows characters from both series and requires reading both first.
Is Six of Crows part of a series?
Yes — Six of Crows (2015) is followed by Crooked Kingdom (2016). Both are set in the Grishaverse, the same fantasy world as the Grisha trilogy, but follow completely different characters. They work as a duology and can be read without having read Shadow and Bone.
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