My love for fantasy series can be traced back decades. It really came alive in my early teens when I found so many around the same time, including The Grisha Trilogy. Since then, Leigh Bardugo has been an author whose work I followed. So here's a ranking of Leigh Bardugo's releases!
Six of Crows Duology
Six of Crows is one of BookTok's darling series and is perfect for reading. I read the books when they were originally released in 2015 and 2016, and I remember being blown away. It became one of my favorite series, similar to The Infernal Devices, because it combines the best aspects of Bardugo's writing. The characters are by far the best part of this series: they are three-dimensional, flawed, and empathetic. It makes for a rewarding investment as each of the characters has compelling and emotional arcs that elevate the intrigue and suspense of the novel's heist plotlines.
Alex Stern Series
Admittedly, I doubt Ninth House and Hell Bent are for everyone because of their darker tones and plotlines. For me, however, there was something about the dark academia setting, paranormal intrigue, and imperfect characters that drew me in. It presents an intriguing relationship between the plot, characters, and setting to bring to life this tone that is messy, dark, sometimes distressing, and emotional in others. It worked for me because while I thought things were sometimes unnecessary, the Alex Stern Series has interesting themes and takes on dark academia.
The Familiar
Leigh Bardugo's most recent release is a different change of pace since it falls under a new genre: historical fiction. The Familiar was enjoyable for its unique characters and premise. However, it was less concrete than Bardugo's other works because the flow of the novel felt more disjointed in its pacing. I wasn't sure I would be the only one to feel this way when I read it, but my friend (who is also very familiar with Bardugo's works) had similar thoughts. The Familiar is solid, but not as well structured as some of her other works.
King of Scars Duology
I was actually quite excited when I learned about this duology. When reading, however, I found myself disinterested. My highlight is that it's nice to be reunited with familiar characters, and each of them have an interesting plot. What I disliked was the way it was structured. The plots felt too different to warrant a multiple point of view book and would have worked better as two standalones.
The Grisha Trilogy
I have a level of nostalgia for The Grisha Trilogy since it introduced me to the Grishaverse and Bardugo's writing. The story itself falls in line with young adult fantasy trends at the time but makes an interesting and unique case for themes of empowerment and power. However, where the story falls flat is in some of the characterization which comes across one dimensional or that the characters are not flawed. This certainly is improved upon in later works, but it makes the original trilogy fall a bit flatter.