I LOVED this book. It's hard for me to imagine how to put my complete and utter infatuation with this book into words, but I'll try anyway.

I read Bardugo's first series, the Grisha Trilogy, last summer. It was one of the only times I have ever finished a book and immediately went to the closest bookstore to buy the rest of the series. No exaggeration. Fortunately for me, I was a late-comer to the series, so Ruin and Rising, the conclusion, was already on shelves. No need for me to wait.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what I'll have to do with Six of Crows. I finished it two days after the release (work got in the way) and realized that it would be at least a WHOLE YEAR—Crooked Kingdom will be released fall 2016—until I would have the pleasure of reading the next one.

The story revolves around six main characters: Matthias, "a convict with a thirst for revenge;" Jesper, "a sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager;" Wylan, "a runaway with a privileged past;" Inej, "a spy known as the Wraith;" Nina, "a Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums;" and Kaz, "a thief with a gift for unlikely escapes." Together, they plan and execute a heist at one of the most well-guarded cities in the Grisha world.

I'll admit, I was skeptical going into the book. It wasn't the type of premise that would usually attract me, but I loved the Grisha Trilogy so much that I just had to try it. And boy, am I glad I did. The storytelling, the characters, and the plot are so well done that it was nearly impossibly to put down (again, stupid work).

First, the storytelling. Bardugo really pulled me in with her character perspectives. Usually young adult novels are written in first person, with which I'm fine for the most part since it allows readers to really know how the protagonist experiences the story. But this can be a problem when multiple perspectives are shown: if the author sticks with first person, it can be confusing for the reader to switch between characters and sometimes the author doesn't do a good job at differentiating the voices. Leigh Bardugo keeps Six of Crows in third person, which was both refreshing for a young adult novel and well-written, but more on that later. She also does a fantastic job of incorporating the history of the world—the book doesn't explain anything that's not pertinent to the story, keeping it from drudging through content that readers of the first series would know, but also doesn't leave the new-to-the-world readers confused over specific terminology.

Second, the characters are amazingly diverse. Not only are they differing races, sexes, and sexuality, they’re also diverse in personality. Some are religious, some are skeptics; some are flirtatious, others are withdrawn. And all of them have a distinct past that’s not only relevant to the story overall, but also intensely engaging. You just can't help but both love and hate the main characters, understanding and sympathizing with their desires and frustrations and fears while simultaneously wanting to scream at them in outrage for the stupid things they sometimes do.

Above all, the plot is incredible. So I don't reveal too much, let's just say the plot keeps you guessing, which is always nice for someone who feels that a lot young adult books are so similar they blend into one.

Bardugo has crafted such a masterful story, in my opinion, that I'm at a loss trying to rack my brain for criticism. So I won't. The only thing I can possibly complain about is that I have to wait for the next book in the series.