Six of Crows fans aren’t happy with the Dregs Edition changes (and neither am I)

Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology is one of the most beloved masterpieces of modern YA fantasy; or should I say "was," because the changes in the latest edition of the book certainly push it away from that age category.

There are many reasons to love Six of Crows. It has very high stakes, as the gang of thieves known as the Crows are perpetually on the run, be it fooling the drüskelle at the Ice Court in Six of Crows or hiding from Jan Van Eck’s eyes in Crooked Kingdom. It has a lovely dose of yearning (Kaz and Inej), newfound young love (Jesper and Wylan), and a spectacular enemies-to-lovers story (Nina and Matthias). Most importantly, at the story’s center is the world’s political and cultural conflict that drives the narrative and constantly dooms our morally grey crew of outcasts. 

All of this is made worse by the fact that the six protagonists are kids in their late teens, forced to bear the burden of a heartbreaking past and an uncertain future. However, in the newest version of the books, mentions of the characters being teenagers have been inexplicably changed, which feels like a fundamental betrayal of what made the books so haunting. 

Bardugo just released a new set of the duology this past September to celebrate the series' 10th anniversary, labeled “The Dregs Edition” after Kaz Brekker’s Ketterdam gang.

X user @ghafaera posted some of the changes that you can check out below.

Tumblr user ‘Vilecemetery’ also shared screenshots of some of the edits.

Soon after the releases hit the racks, fans started blowing up Bardugo’s social media, criticizing the changes and demanding an explanation for them.

Naturally, those who have read the original versions and have been long-time fans of the books felt let down by the drastic changes. 

“Erasing the Crows' ages is a weird, weird move. They go from complex and well-written teenagers to poorly written, straight-up bad adults,” one fan said. “To change entire parts of a book that's been out for 10 years without any warning feels so...dystopian,” another stated.

One fan hit the nail on the head with how misleading it was not to let readers know about the changes before they bought the book. “The changes aren't addressed at all in the book—just checked my version. I had to purchase them in order to get to see you speak, which I was incredibly excited for. I feel like I bought a false product.”

Another thought it was not in alignment with the rest of the story at all: “Can someone explain why the crows' ages were removed from the books? It feels odd.” 

And yet another added, “Please explain why they made the crow's ages so vague? Just like 'The Hunger Games', there is a purpose for those ages. The backstory of Inej is so tragic because of her age.”

It is true. The cruelty was the point.

Why aging up the Crows does not work

Inej Ghafa is 16 when we meet her in the first book as the silent, deadly Wraith. But she was merely 14 when she was kidnapped and trafficked by slave traders and started working for Tante Heleen at the Menagerie.

Kaz’s calculated ruthlessness loses its charisma when you see him struggle with the repulsion of human touch, but then you realize he is a 17-year-old coping with horrific grief and protecting his friends and gang members while he's at it. 

Around the same age, Jesper has fallen prey to gambling, Nina has faced genocide and battled addiction, Matthias has been brainwashed and imprisoned, and Wylan has been lied to and abandoned by his father.  

When Jesper’s father shows up in Crooked Kingdom, the kids find a sort of relief over having a grown-up around, even if they were perplexed by the feeling. 

By rendering the characters' ages ambiguous and hinting that they are now meant to be viewed as adults, this essential layer of tragic irony is stripped away. The original ages grounded the story in the idea that the world of the Grishaverse is cruel to the youth at an age when they are at their most vulnerable. That trauma charts a path for them that they cannot escape, and neither do they have the means to. 

My theory is that the characters have been aged up to reflect their appearance in the Netflix show better, even though the series has been canceled. All six of them appear in their mid-twenties in Shadow and Bone, and the actors’ ages range between 27 and 30. 

The Crows were never supposed to be adults who made bad choices. They were teenagers who had very few good choices left.