Date A Book YA Book Club discussion
Six of Crows Read Along
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Six of Crows: Week 4
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Mod
Let's kick it off with Wylan's reveal: Wow. We weren't really suspicious of the little merchling, he was a bit too green and innocent to pull of a devious side, but we were a little sad that he didn't have his own POV during the book. In other YA books, a lack of POV or a sudden change is usually a sign the character might not make it all the way through, so it was nice to see he's still with us!
But what did surprise us was how evil his father was - or should we say is! - sending those letters to Wylan, taunting him with his deepest embarrassment. We wanted to yell: you have nothing to be ashamed of, Wylan! But evil Van Eck is getting away with it and more!
What do you hope Kaz will do to Van Eck for stealing his Wraith?
1. You the book was moving so fast I didn't even notice it. Or maybe I figured that it was because he wasn't a real member of the Dregs.2. I think they grew, but some of the surprises and twist they already had inside them. I think that being such a young crew there is so much room for growth, and this is just the beginning. If they live to be in their 20's they will all be kingpins or something.
3. I haven't read Crooked Kingdom yet, but Van Eck had better watch himself, cause Kaz's retribution is going to be fierce. I also wonder if Wylan is going to continue with his changed looks or if at some point he'll end up being the old Wylan again.
Mod
It's hard to say about his looks, we've only really touched on the surface of what jurda parem can do to a person. And if you weren't nervous about it before, having heartrenders high on parem can send shivers down your spine. It's a scary thought, being able to physically alter someone's complete make-up, without knowing if it can be changed back.
You're right in pointing out how young the group is, you almost forget that they're only 16-18 years old. It's seems really impossible that they pulled off such an epic heist and are still considered children by some. We also forget that the more "experienced" Barrel members are adults (we had to say it that way, because no-one can doubt that Kaz has experience in the Barrel). It makes it way more impressive that Pekka, with his extra years of cons and criminal activity, couldn't weasel his way into the Ice Court, but a bunch of teens could. Makes you wonder what they can do next!
Mod
1. Favourite romantic pairing poll - Kaz/Inej are winning, but there seems to be a lot of vocal Wylan/Jesper fans out there.
https://twitter.com/DateaBook/status/...
2. We're also discussing who the Six of Crows characters would be if they were characters from Friends. Leigh has chimed in to assure us, no matter what people think, Matthias is NOT Ross.
https://twitter.com/DateaBook/status/...
I'm coming in really late to the discussion and figured that I could miss this book discussion and start with you all with the next book BUT.... I really need to debrief after this book!Firsty this is the first book I have read by Leigh and didn't know what to expect.
To begin with I was really disappointed as I didn't really like any of the characters! I found them all harsh and cruel. But as I found out a dozen times during this book, Leigh is an absolutely brilliant writer and as Leigh gave us more insight into each character and their pasts, I couldn't help but start backing their path of thievery and destruction! I loved that bits and pieces were gradually revealed as it kept me wanting to read on and on. I wouldn't go so far to say that I sympathised with their stories (as they would each in turn probably drop me) but I did empathise that they each suffered their own trauma and became what they needed to to survive. I also loved that they each in turn had to face their 'ghosts' which in answer to one question I believe did make them grow.
I loved that Leigh was able to create such a roller coaster story line with a diverse band of characters that worked so well!
I ended up liking all the characters for different reasons. Inej for her loyalty, Matthias for his ability to follow his heart - even though this changed throughout the story, Nina for her sass and boldness, Jesper for his whit, Wylan for his morals and Kaz for his brains and cunning. Actually Kaz became one of my favourites for his brains alone!
I think Leigh has written a brilliant story with lots of twists I didn't see coming! I have no idea what Leigh and therefore Kaz has in store for us in the next book but I am starting it tonight! I am officially a fan of Leigh and will be recommending this book to others!
And my vote for romantic pairing is Nina and Matthias: they moved beyond their prejudice and put each other and their love first!
Jesper and Wylan also have me as a fan!!!!!
Mod
Never apologise for needing to discuss a book so passionately, Jo. We love hearing how you became attached to the characters as their stories developed. One of our favourite things about this books was getting to see each character's backstory. Jesper and Wylan are still a bit of a mystery, it feels like there's a lot more still to be explored with those two. But the with the rest of the crew, it was humanising to see their struggles and to give them something to overcome. We agree that you end up falling for a different part of each of them and that just makes you love them more.
Super happy to hear you're heading straight into Crooked Kingdom - we have a thread dedicated to continuing the series, so please stop by after you finish and let us know all your thoughts!
Mod
It seems like a lot of people didn't really notice there were no chapters from Wylan's POV. Maybe it's because the whole book was told in third person - so it's not that he was forgotten, just that it was easy to miss that his own thoughts weren't highlighted much. Or maybe it's just because we came up with the questions after reading Six of Crows a few times already. It's easier to pick up on the little hidden things when you know what's coming next!
Kaz has definitely come way further than the rest of them. We asked very early on if readers though he was sympathetic or that he could change, and that scene where he reaches for Inej and asks her to stay was definitely in our mind when we were asking for opinions. He's a bit broken and probably a little part of him is still that boy who was left alone - easier to stay alone than to reach out for others. But we just about crumbled when he said stay and were crushed when Inej questioned him on it - not that she didn't have the right, we'd want all of nothing too, so we can't blame her for asking - but our hearts went out to Kaz at that moment and it definitely showed some improvement on his part.
1. Ok I admit it I was a little suspicious of Wylan but as I said one other time I thought he was too easy a pick to be the villain and it seems I was right. I absolutely loved his secret and the scene in the book where it was revealed. I learnt so much about the type of person Wylan is and I can't wait to read more about him. I find him even more intriguing now and can't wait to see what he comes up with next despite his disabilities. I'm hoping he gets his own POV in Crooked Kingdoms so we can get in his head.2. I think all of the characters have grown so much and learnt so much about themselves. I think Kaz still needs to learn to accept help where it's needed and to open his heart to the possibility of love with Inej and tell her what actually happened to make him the man he is today so she can understand and accept him for who he is. Inej needs realise that maybe Kaz has some secrets that are too hard to discuss and accept that he is slowly changing and that it will take time. Jesper needs to decide if he wants to learn more about his gift or not (I'm hoping yes) and get away from the gambling dens. Wylan has already grown so much and will only get stronger with the help of his friends. Nina and Matthias did so much growing through the Six of Crows.
3. I haven't read Crooked Kimgdom yet but am hanging out to. I think that they will all do whatever they can to rescue Inej and get their money so they can all start new lives the way they want them too. I think Jesper will step up and be the hero somehow and their will be relationships all around.
Mod
He's a hard character to analyse. We learn a lot about his background, but despite the others having troubled pasts, his seems to have impacted on his daily life a lot more than the rest of them. He's the trickiest player in the game, but also has the most to learn. He's getting there, but it's just taking a little longer than we'd like.
We're glad you're looking forward to diving into Crooked Kingdom - more heists and scheming to come!
And for our final week of reading, we're heading straight for the finish line with parts 5 and 6 (Chapters 27-the end)
Remember this is an open discussion, but try not to post out of the parts being discussed. Have fun!
1. Were you suspicious of Wylan because he was the only main character without his own POV? Did you reassess that suspicion when his secret was revealed?
2. Do you think the characters have grown by the end of the book? Where do you think they still need to grow?
3. If you haven’t read Crooked Kingdom, where do you see the story going from here – predict what you want to happen next. If you have read Crooked Kingdom already – did you find any hints for what is to come?
Send us your favourite quotes from these parts for #DABbookclub