Books Like Six of Crows
by Leigh Bardugo
Six of Crows is a tight, high-stakes heist novel disguised as a character study: a wheelchair-bound mastermind, Kaz Brekker, assembles a ragged crew of specialists to pull off an impossible break-in in a corrupt port city. Leigh Bardugo balances meticulous plotting (plans within plans, contingency after contingency) with alternating third-person perspectives that deepen each thief’s trauma, skill set and moral compromises. The Grishaverse magic system inflects the caper but never overwhelms the logistics; the book runs on timing, leverage and the constant threat that one wrong move will unravel everything.
Readers come to Six of Crows for distinct reasons. Some want the claustrophobic thrill of an elaborate, multi-part job and savor the scaffolding of the plan; others fall for the “found family” chemistry between dangerous outsiders; others want the noir-feel urban setting and morally grey stakes where loyalty is conditional. The picks below call out which of those impulses they satisfy — whether you want more scheming and cons, more worldbuilding and magic, or novels that prioritize the crew’s relationships above the heist mechanics.
Recommended for fans of Six of Crows
Crooked Kingdom
Leigh Bardugo
Direct tonal and plot follow-up with the same morally gray crew and high-stakes heist payoff.
Pick this if you need to finish Kaz and the gang’s story immediately — this is the direct plot and tonal follow-up with the same morally gray crew and the heist fallout.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Scott Lynch
Elaborate cons, thieves' camaraderie, and grimy city politics resonate strongly with Six of Crows.
Pick this if you loved the con-artist trickery and the thieves’ banter. Expect longer cons, grubbier city politics and a darker, more elaborate criminal underworld.
The Gilded Wolves
Roshani Chokshi
A Paris-set heist with a diverse crew, puzzles, and decadent historical-magic atmosphere.
Pick this if you wanted more jewel-box, artifact-focused schemes and a team that solves puzzles under pressure; it mirrors Six of Crows’ focus on delicate, high-stakes thefts.
Foundryside
Robert Jackson Bennett
A clever, industrial-magic heist with a morally complex crew and fast, inventive plotting.
Pick this if you liked clever, tech-adjacent magic driving the caper. This one trades Grisha-style wonder for an engineered, industrial sorcery and a fast, inventive robbery plot.
Vicious
V. E. Schwab
Dark, morally ambiguous characters and brutal competitions of wills and revenge.
Pick this if you were drawn to ruthless characters with brittle alliances and competitions of will; it’s darker and more competitive, with fewer tender moments of found family.
The Traitor Baru Cormorant
Seth Dickinson
Cunning political schemes, moral compromise, and sharp character work with high stakes.
Pick this if you enjoyed the moral compromises and long, patient scheming. This is more political and structural in its plotting — a slower, denser exercise in compromise than Six of Crows.
The Blade Itself
Joe Abercrombie
Grimdark ensemble cast, sharp dialogue, and brutal, character-driven plotting.
Pick this if you want blunt, bleak humor and crews that brawl as much as they bond. It shares sharp dialogue and brutal consequences, though it’s rougher and less sleekly plotted.
The City of Brass
S. A. Chakraborty
Lush, politically thorny city fantasy with scheming, layered characters and dangerous stakes.
Pick this if you loved scheming within a layered, dangerous city and want rich political maneuvering paired with large-scale magical stakes; it matches atmosphere and intrigue more than caper mechanics.
Kings of the Wyld
Nicholas Eames
Heartfelt band-of-outsiders vibe, rollicking action, and strong found-family themes.
Pick this if you were after the emotional core — loud, affectionate found-family dynamics and rollicking action. This is warmer and more overtly comic than Bardugo’s tone.
At a glance
Matches were chosen on four practical dimensions that define Six of Crows: an elaborate heist or caper structure, a morally ambiguous ensemble cast, a gritty urban or political setting, and emotional "found family" dynamics. Percentages indicate how many of those dimensions each pick shares.
| Book | First published | Pages | Closest match on | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Crooked Kingdom Leigh Bardugo | 2016 | 584 | Direct continuation | 98% |
The Lies of Locke Lamora Scott Lynch | 2001 | 544 | Elaborate cons & camaraderie | 90% |
The Gilded Wolves Roshani Chokshi | 2019 | 423 | Puzzle-driven heist | 88% |
Foundryside Robert Jackson Bennett | 2018 | 503 | Industrial-magic heist | 85% |
Vicious V. E. Schwab | 2013 | 384 | Moral ambiguity & rivalry | 80% |
The Traitor Baru Cormorant Seth Dickinson | 2015 | — | Political cunning & sacrifice | 78% |
The Blade Itself Joe Abercrombie | 2001 | 531 | Grimdark ensemble grit | 76% |
The City of Brass S. A. Chakraborty | 2017 | 544 | Lush city politics | 74% |
Kings of the Wyld Nicholas Eames | 2017 | 529 | Heartfelt band-of-outsiders | 72% |
About Six of Crows
Six of Crows was published in 2015 and is set in Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse; it launched a duology (continued in Crooked Kingdom) that expanded Bardugo’s established world from her earlier Shadow and Bone books. The novel is widely noted for its ensemble cast, heist structure and for bringing darker, more adult tones to Bardugo’s YA readership.
Frequently asked questions
What should I read next after Six of Crows?+
If you want the direct continuation of the plot and the same crew, read Crooked Kingdom. For more of Bardugo’s worldbuilding and a different tone in the same universe, try her Shadow and Bone work.
Which books here are best if I loved the heist planning?+
Look first to The Lies of Locke Lamora and The Gilded Wolves — both foreground elaborate cons, puzzles and the pleasure of watching schemes unfold piece by piece. Foundryside also leans heavily on a single, technically clever caper.
Which picks mirror the found-family aspect?+
Crooked Kingdom continues the crew’s relationships directly; Kings of the Wyld offers a loud, affectionate band-of-outsiders dynamic. The Blade Itself and The Lies of Locke Lamora likewise foreground tight-knit, morally messy ensembles.
Are any of these a looser tonal match rather than a plot match?+
Yes. Vicious and The Traitor Baru Cormorant share moral ambiguity and brutality but are not heist novels; treat them as tone matches more than structural ones.
More books by Leigh Bardugo
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