Six of Crows

Two principal characters in Six of Crows, Kaz and Inej, also go by the respective nicknames Dirtyhands and the Wraith. How do these characters’ nicknamed personas differ from their true selves? How do their dual identities transform over time and reflect larger themes in the novel?

The Dregs’ motto is “No mourners, no funerals.” How do you think this phrase came about, and what does it say about the Dregs’ world? How does the meaning behind the motto change throughout the novel?

Each main character has a different motivation for joining the team’s prison-break mission. Choose one character and examine their motivation in depth. How do their desires reflect larger themes of the novel? How do their priorities change as the events of the book unfold?

Throughout Six of Crows, characters mourn the loss of their homelands and search for a way to return. How do the characters’ definitions of “home” change throughout the novel? Does each character ultimately find a home, or are they still searching at the end of the novel?

Examine the theme and symbolism of monsters throughout the novel. Which characters are portrayed as monsters, and how does the definition of monsters change according to different characters’ points of view?

What role does jurda parem play in the novel? Does parem’s influence have any similarities to the effects of drugs in our world? In what ways does parem differ from real-life drugs? Why do you think the author chose to describe the drug as she did?

Six of Crows includes characters of different ethnicities, as well as characters who are persecuted for their magical abilities. How do the novels’ categorizations relate to the treatment of different ethnic and cultural groups in the real world? What real-world situations parallel the Grisha’s plight?

The main characters in Six of Crows often make immoral choices, and none could be characterized as traditional heroes. Why do you think Bardugo chose a crew of antiheroes to populate her novels? How do her characters redeem themselves by the novel’s end?