Books Like Six of Crows: 7 Heist Fantasies to Read Next
Crave another morally grey crew, a clever heist, and a found family of misfits after Six of Crows? These seven fantasy novels deliver the same dangerous magic and sharp banter.
Six of Crows works because of the crew. Leigh Bardugo took six damaged, clever, dangerous teenagers — a thief, a sharpshooter, a spy, a witch, a brawler, and a mastermind — and made you love every one of them, then dropped them into an impossible heist with banter sharp enough to cut. The magic and the world are gorgeous, but the heart of it is that found family of misfits pulling off the unthinkable. So the books that satisfy Six of Crows fans share that core: morally grey characters, a clever plan, and a world with real teeth.
Here are seven novels that deliver, each with a note on what it captures best. If you’ve finished the duology, this is where to go next.
Shadow and Bone — Leigh Bardugo (the same world)
The most natural next step is staying in the Grishaverse. Shadow and Bone opens the trilogy that built the world the Crows operate in — the magic system, the warring nations, the politics that make Ketterdam so dangerous. It’s a different flavour (more chosen-one fantasy, less heist), but it deepens everything you loved and sets up cameos that pay off beautifully.
Best for: more of the world, magic, and Grisha politics.
The Lies of Locke Lamora — Scott Lynch (the adult heist masterpiece)
If you want the heist energy turned up and aged up, Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora is the book. A crew of con artists in a Venice-inspired fantasy city, an elaborate long game, gut-punch friendships, and dialogue every bit as quick as Kaz and Jesper’s. It is, more than any other book, the adult Six of Crows.
Best for: the heist, the banter, the found family — all dialled to eleven.
The Cruel Prince — Holly Black (the scheming court)
Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince trades the heist for the court, but keeps the morally grey thrill. A mortal girl claws for power in a treacherous faerie court, scheming and betraying with the same cold cleverness as Kaz Brekker. If your favourite thing about the Crows is the manipulation and the slow-burn enemies-to-something, this is your next obsession.
Best for: scheming, court politics, and a ruthless protagonist.
Throne of Glass — Sarah J. Maas (the assassin with a crew)
Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass begins with an imprisoned assassin competing to win her freedom, and grows into a sprawling saga of court intrigue, deadly skills, and a widening cast that becomes its own found family. It’s bigger and more romantic than Six of Crows, but the dangerous-talented-misfits appeal is strong.
Best for: a lethal heroine and an epic that keeps expanding.
An Ember in the Ashes — Sabaa Tahir (the brutal world)
Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes matches the Crows’ darkness. Set in a brutal, Rome-inspired empire, it follows a soldier and a rebel spy whose fates collide, with the same high stakes and moral compromise. The tension is relentless and the world genuinely dangerous — no one is safe, which is exactly the Six of Crows feeling.
Best for: the dark, high-stakes, anyone-can-fall tension.
Vicious — V.E. Schwab (morally grey to the core)
If what you love most is rooting for characters who aren’t good people, V.E. Schwab’s Vicious is built for you. Two college rivals gain superpowers and become each other’s nemeses, and the book refuses to give you a clean hero. It’s the purest distillation of the morally grey antihero energy that makes Kaz so magnetic.
Best for: antiheroes and the blurry line between villain and protagonist.
The Night Circus — Erin Morgenstern (the atmosphere)
A looser match, but worth it for the mood: The Night Circus shares the Crows’ lush, immersive atmosphere and slow-building enchantment. There’s no heist, but the spellbinding world-building and aching romance will land for readers who fell for Bardugo’s sense of place.
Best for: atmosphere, magic, and a dreamlike love story.
How to choose your next read
Match the book to what you loved most. The world and magic? Shadow and Bone. The heist and crew? The Lies of Locke Lamora. The scheming? The Cruel Prince. A lethal heroine? Throne of Glass. The dark stakes? An Ember in the Ashes. The antiheroes? Vicious. The atmosphere? The Night Circus.
For more, browse our fantasy and young adult collections — and start with whichever piece of the Crows you miss most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What book is most like Six of Crows?
For the same world, magic, and political intrigue, Leigh Bardugo's own Shadow and Bone trilogy is the obvious next read. For the same morally grey heist-crew structure aimed at adult readers, Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora is the closest match in all of fantasy.
What should I read after Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom?
Stay in the Grishaverse with Shadow and Bone and the King of Scars duology, then branch out to The Lies of Locke Lamora for the heist energy and The Cruel Prince for the scheming, morally grey court politics. All three deliver the dangerous-found-family feeling that makes the Crows duology special.
What makes a book similar to Six of Crows?
Three ingredients: a crew of morally grey misfits who become a found family, a clever high-stakes plan (usually a heist or a con), and a dangerous, vividly built fantasy world with its own magic and politics. The best read-alikes nail at least two of the three.
