“Greed may do your bidding, but death serves no man.”
#1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo is one of the most acclaimed novelists in the YA Fantasy Fiction genre. And her Six of Crows duology still stands as one of her finest works. Originally released back in 2015, Six of Crows whisks readers to the heart of Ketterdam, a bustling metropolis loosely based on Dutch Republic–era Amsterdam. It’s a city where anything can fetch a price, a fact not lost on criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker.
Along with his skilled crew of cutthroats, spies and sorcerers, he is offered the chance to pull off a heist that could see him sail off for a life of luxury or be killed trying. Featuring vivid Dark Fantasy worldbuilding and characters who immerse readers into her settings, check out the best books like Six of Crows at What We Reading!
The Final Empire (The Mistborn Saga #1) – Brandon Sanderson
For another book that centres around a man organising a criminal crew to bring down the all-powerful ruler of a High Fantays world, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Saga is the perfect go-to. Kelsier, a brilliant thief and natural leader, begins recruiting the smartest and bravest individuals from the criminal underworld for not only an audacious heist but also the toppling of the fearsome Lord Ruler.
With the odds stacked against them, the arrival of a powerful young woman named Vin presents their best slice of luck yet. But, in a world where distrust and betrayal are taught from an early age, knowing where Vin’s loyalties and abilities truly lie poses a serious challenge to everything Kelsier thinks he knows.
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Artemis – Andy Weir
Andy Weir’s Artemis is a great pick for those looking for a book like Six of Crows with a more Sci-Fi feel. A Goodreads Winner for Best Science Fiction, it introduces readers to smuggler Jasmine Bashara.
Attempting to forge together a life on the first colony on the Moon, Artemis, she is offered the opportunity to commit the perfect crime and vanquish her financial woes behind her. What she doesn’t realise, however, is her one simple heist is about to catapult her into a conspiracy where the entire future of Artemis is on the line. Pursued by a killer and the law at the same, Artemis features stunning worldbuilding and a wise-cracking heroine that any Leigh Bardugo fan is sure to love!
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Bring Me Their Hearts (Bring Me Their Hearts #1) – Sara Wolf
Zera is a Heartless, immortal and unageing soldier bound to the service of the witch, Nightsinger. Longing for the freedom of the woodlands, Zera’s heart remains in a jar under Nightsinger’s control. Until one day, when Nightsinger promises to exchange her heart with a Prince’s.
Zera’s chosen target is Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane, a man who detests the royal court that spends all of its time adoring him. When Zera arrives in the first entry of Sara Wolf’s Bring Me Their Hearts series, he is instantly enthralled. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between the pair, filled with intrigue, lust, swords and sorcery that any fan of Six of Crows is sure to love.
The Bone Maker – Sarah Beth Durst
Another great book like Six of Crows that embodies the spirit of a group banding together is Sarah Beth Durst’s The Bone Maker. Twenty-five years ago, five heroes risked their lives to defeat the evil Bone Maker, Eklor, a nefarious wizard who constructed an army out of animal bones.
Victory came, but at the cost of one of the heroes’ lives. For Kreya, however, she is determined to resurrect her dead husband, if it comes at the expense of her own life and meddling in illegal bone magic. Reaching out to her old friends for help, these heroes soon learn that the dead may not be as at rest as they first thought, and their mission is not yet entirely at an end.
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A Darker Shade Of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) – V.E. Schwab
A Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Fantasy, V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series kicks off with A Darker Shade of Magic. Kell is one of the last remaining Antari, unique magicians who have the ability to travel to different realities of London; Red, Grey, White, and, Black. He acts as a people smuggler, whisking them to alternate realities they otherwise wouldn’t be able to see.
However, after an exchange goes awry, Kell is forced to flee to Grey London where he runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse who first robs him and then saves him from a near-fatal affair. The two embark on a magical journey together, though a new form of magic and the constant threat of treachery means danger remains close on their heels.
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) – Robert Jackson Bennett
Another Goodreads nominee for Best Fantasy, Robert Jackson Bennett’s Foundryside trilogy kicks off with his 2018 opener. Sancia Grado is an incredibly talented thief, with her latest target being a warehouse on Tevanne’s docks. Unbeknownst to her, however, the artefact she has been sent to steal is an object of immense power, one that could tip the balance of power across the magical world.
And those who have their eyes on this artefact soon make it clear they want Sancia dead and this power for themselves. In order to come out of this heist alive, Sancia will need to survive the deadly transformation already underway, enlist unlikely allies and undergo a complete change into something she could have never imagined before. With capitalist, criminal and LGBT+ themes, it’s no wonder why Foundryside is revered as one of the best books like Six of Crows!
Gunslinger Girl – Lyndsay Ely
Blurring the Dystopian with a classic Western feel, Gunslinger Girl is a 2018 YA book from Lyndsay Ely. In it, Ely introduces Seventeen-year-old Serendipity “Pity” Jones, a heroine who inherited two things from her mother: a killer aim and a pair of six-shooters.
In this near-future US where the country has been torn in two by another Civil War, lawlessness, corruption and danger is everywhere. Pity is offered a life of fame and fortune in the glamorous city of Cessation. The price she pays for this life, however, may be more than she will be willing to surrender…
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
