Why’d I wait so long? 

In the bustling city of Ketterdam, seventeen-year-old master criminal Kaz Brekker is given an offer he can’t refuse: a seemingly-impossible heist in exchange for an enormous fortune. He assembles a group of teenage thieves, each with a different set of skills, to infiltrate the impenetrable Ice Court. 

It’s a heist, yes, and the grittiness of the underworld of thieves and chaotic changes-of-plan are both very fun. But the real strength here is the characters. Bardugo dances between six perspectives and made me care about all of them (well, maybe one a little less). They each have tremendous depth and gracefully-woven-in backstories, and the relationships between each member of the crew were fascinating. I was particularly drawn to the foil between Inej & Kaz and Nina & Matthias.

You’re tossed right in and do have to use context clues to keep up with some of the aspects of this world – I chose to skip the Shadow & Bone trilogy based on advice from friends and had no trouble personally, though if you are someone who struggles with worldbuilding I imagine it’s gentler to start at the true beginning of the Grishaverse.

The start has a few awkward stumbles around exposition, and the pacing drags a bit. But once we get going - we get going.

The twists were GREAT and readers were cleverly kept in the dark through the rotating POVs. With most characters not knowing the full breadth of the plan at any given time, there were surprises around every corner. 

I also really loved Bardugo’s use of imagery when describing new characters. Her language is clever, cinematic, and often funny. 

CW: murder, death, blood, gun violence, slavery, trafficking, gore, addiction & drug use, kidnapping, grief, torture, body horror, panic attacks, mental illness, confinement, abuse, sexual assault, genocide, racism, religious bigotry, ableism, xenophobia, war, medical trauma, animal cruelty & death, fire, chronic illness, pedophilia, suicidal thoughts

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