At first, I didn’t even think about featuring Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom because I have a hard time figuring out who the main protagonist is when a story has multiple storytellers. I always saw Kaz as the main character, but that’s not necessarily true. There are many voices in this story.

The Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo is, at the moment, my absolute favourite books. It has heists, magic, morally ambiguous characters, queerness (obviously), compelling relationships, humour, and gangs.

Honestly, this book was written for me. It checks every bloody box.

The story follows a small ragtag crew of criminals and thieves. Most are from the Dregs, a powerful gang in Ketterdam, but some are pulled from other places, each with their own special skill. They’re hired to accomplish a seemingly impossible heist for the greatest payout they’ve ever seen. The money—and the challenge—makes it impossible to resist.

Kaz “Dirtyhands” Brekker is a master thief and criminal prodigy. He’s the leader of this crazy gang and the mastermind behind the entire heist. I can’t be sure, since it was never actually mentioned in the book, but many people believe Kaz to be asexual. However, Kaz is disabled—he walks with a bad limp and uses a cane due to a bad accident when he was a teen.

However, there are confirmed LGBTQ* characters in this series (or else I wouldn’t be talking about it!)

Jesper Fahey is a sharpshooter and a gambler. At the start of the series, he has a thing for Kaz, but this later changes after he meets Wylan Van Eck, an explosive expert/ former hostage. Their relationship starts budding (à-la-Jesper flirting) in Six of Crows which later develops into something more in Crooked Kingdom. I’ve read some sources saying Jesper is bisexual, but I’m not sure (in my defence, it’s been a while since I read these).

Another fun tidbit about Wylan is that he has a learning disability. He can’t read, which ultimately got him disowned by his family. It’s really too bad, because Wylan is very talented in so many other things. [image error]

And then the two other characters which the community is speculating about. Inej Ghafa, the Wraith, is a gymnast and a spy, and believed to be also asexual. Nina Zenik is a Heartrender and a Grisha who the community believes to be pansexual (though again, I can’t confirm).

Honestly, these characters are so fun. Not only is there a very compelling story throughout (lots of action, awesome twists and badassery), there are budding romances and friendships that are woven into the story so naturally it actually feels natural.

I would recommend this to anyone.