Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

233 reviews

mark_lenkeeva's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and War

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Torture, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Stalking

rh13's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Trafficking

orionmerlin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Characters: 8/10

The crew is cool—maybe too cool. Each member is distinct, and their banter is great, but let’s be real: they’re walking, talking archetypes. Kaz is the broody mastermind with a tragic past, Inej is the noble assassin with a heart of gold, Jesper is the charming gunslinger who shockingly has a gambling problem, and so on. It’s fun, but also predictable. And let’s not pretend the villains have any depth—they’re just there to be outsmarted. Still, the team dynamics are engaging enough to carry the book, even if some of the emotional beats feel like they were manufactured in a lab.

Atmosphere/Setting: 7/10

Ketterdam sounds gritty and immersive, but scratch beneath the surface, and it’s mostly crime-fantasy aesthetic. The city is a mishmash of Amsterdam and Dickensian London, but it never quite reaches the level of a fully realized world like The Lies of Locke Lamora or The Name of the Wind. It’s good enough to set the mood, but it often feels like the backdrop exists just to make the characters look cool rather than to function as a living, breathing place. Also, the Ice Court? Feels more like a conveniently designed heist level than an actual fortress.

Writing Style: 7/10

Bardugo’s writing is solid, but it sometimes leans a little too hard into “Look at how edgy and clever we are.” The dialogue is fun, but occasionally feels like it’s trying too hard to be snappy. The POV shifts are mostly smooth, but the frequent backstory dumps in the middle of tense scenes? Less so. And while the prose is engaging, it sometimes veers into melodrama—Kaz can’t just have a dark past, he must have the most tragic backstory of all time. Still, the book reads fast and keeps the intrigue alive, even when it stumbles.

Plot: 7/10

This is a heist story, which means it should be packed with tension, twists, and moments where everything almost goes wrong… except Kaz planned for it, because of course he did. The plot is good, but it’s also full of moments where it feels like the stakes aren’t actually that high. The crew faces obstacles, but the solutions always seem just within reach. Kaz is playing 4D chess while everyone else is playing Go Fish, which makes the whole thing feel less like a true gamble and more like a stylish flex. Fun? Absolutely. Believable? Not so much.

Intrigue: 9/10

Despite its flaws, Six of Crows is stupidly entertaining. Even when the story leans into its own clichés, I wanted to keep turning the pages. The shifting dynamics, character backstories, and ever-present sense of impending betrayal keep the tension alive. I was invested, even when I rolled my eyes at how absurdly competent these teenagers are. The book does a great job of making you care, even when it occasionally stretches credibility past its breaking point.

Logic/Relationships: 6/10

Kaz is practically a crime deity, Matthias’ Grisha-hatred gets resolved way too fast, and Jesper and Wylan’s chemistry is more because the plot says so than something that genuinely develops. Some relationships work (Kaz and Inej’s dynamic is great because it’s messy and unresolved), but others feel like they were written to fit a quota. Also, the world-building? A little wobbly. Magic rules and security protocols seem to adjust based on what’s convenient for the plot. There are moments when the book wants me to believe this crew is barely scraping by, but it’s hard to buy when their strategies always feel airtight.

Enjoyment: 8/10

I had fun. Annoyed fun, but fun. Yes, the book leans heavily on heist tropes. Yes, it sometimes feels like Ocean’s Eleven: YA Edition. Yes, Kaz’s “I’m always three steps ahead” shtick can get grating. But the snappy dialogue, high-stakes action, and found-family dynamics kept me engaged. It’s stylish, fast-paced, and entertaining, even when it occasionally feels a little too polished for its own good.

Final Verdict: 7.4/10

Six of Crows is like a high-budget action movie: full of great characters, thrilling moments, and slick dialogue, but if you think too hard about it, you’ll start seeing the cracks. If you’re here for an airtight, unpredictable heist with deep world-building, you might be a little disappointed. But if you want a fun, fast-paced adventure with a lovable crew of misfits, this is absolutely worth the ride—even if it sometimes feels like the safety net is a little too visible. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, War, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Religious bigotry

mrsalexisrjones's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, War, and Classism

Minor: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

tiredtori's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

xeligtz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Death

natthebrat's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Really excellent young-adult book.  I'd compare it, in tone and world building level/type, to the Hunger Games trilogy.  The heist was very well executed and described--despite being quite complex, I was able to follow it the whole way, and the author manages to write an extremely intelligent/canny character as believably intelligent and canny.  That is a difficult thing to pull off!  Finally--I didn't hate any of the characters or get tired of hearing about them or tempted to stop reading the book because of them.  That happens semi-frequently, so, yay! :)

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

kaydee_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

A fun, rollicking adventure akin to Ocean’s 11. I started the book invested in Inej and Kaz, but along the way Nina and Matthias’ story became the most compelling - their struggle to reconcile seeing the humanity in each other against the propaganda they grew up with was so well done. The action is fast paced and the twists along the way are great. 

-.25 because what are these ages??? With the accomplishments they’ve had, Kaz in particular should be at LEAST in his 20s. It broke the immersion for me every time the book references that they’re teenagers. I just don’t believe a young teenager built a criminal empire in so short a time unless literally everyone else in the Barrel was incompetent. I know this is a common complaint with this series, but they should have been in their 20s for their backstories to make any sense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Blood, and Vomit

mxine_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

One of my all time favourite books but I think i popped at LEAST 70 braincells trying to picture what the Icecourt looked like

Still an amazing book read it now. It’s got a heist, a morally grey cast of characters, and a bisexual gunslinger what more could you want?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Hate crime, Rape, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, War, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Genocide, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

maddy707's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is my second time reading this duology. Truly perfection. The universe, the characters, the relationships, they all have my heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail