Six of Crows

From the beginning, this story is gripping. You cannot help but be swept up by the challenges and little victories of the protagonists. The part of the world we get to see if overwhelmingly tragic and dirty, and our protagonists are in that world for reasons that are mostly reasons outside of their control and making the best of their situation. The pacing is delightful, with dramatic moments getting more time to allow your heart to race along with the action.

I particularly enjoy the unfolding of mythology of the different characters, leaving aside that each of the protagonists has a different race/mythology and they stick to it pretty well. That is something that you notice but don't have to notice with many fantasy genre books. The world, from what we can see, provides an interesting setting, the characters are driven and rich, and the plot keeps moving.

Things to note: strong female characters, magic, racial oppression, some violence, strong disabled characters