“This isn’t a job for trained soldiers and spies. It’s a job for thugs and thieves.” Or so says the infamous Kaz Brekker, the leader of the scrappiest gang in Ketterdam. He’s one of six main characters in the “Six of Crows” series, authored by Leigh Bardugo. The rest of the cast is filled out by extraordinary characters, who excel at everything from sharpshooting to demolition to controlling the human body. This fantastical two-book series follows this six-person crew through every point of view as they take on an impossible heist and then must deal with the aftermath of their actions.

Because these books fall within the Young Adult (YA) genre, many college students may pass over them, intentionally or not. This would be a mistake. Not only are these books just as good or better than adult literature in terms of writing, characters and story, but reading YA can give you a unique perspective of younger protagonists that isn’t offered by books written for an older audience. This perspective, just like any other, allows readers to broaden their horizons and practice empathy, something our world is in desperate need of at the moment.

This particular series sucks you into a fast-paced flow of action, revenge and redemption from the first chapter and won’t let you go until you finish the very last page. It’s compulsively readable, but relies on character development just as much as plot to move the story forward. Each character is multidimensional and develops and changes in meaningful, substantial ways over the course of the two books. This makes the characters both relatable and sympathetic, despite the fantastical setting and their questionable morality.

What’s really special about these books is the unique way in which the author deals with trauma and diversity within YA fiction. While a number of the characters have had some sort of traumatic circumstance in their past, these experiences, and the aftermath the characters suffer because of them, neither define nor dismiss the characters. Refreshingly, the post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by the characters is not simply wished or willed away over the course of the series. Instead, and more realistically, the trauma experienced contributes to a small, yet important, part of the characters’ identities and dealing with the impacts is a lifelong struggle.

Additionally, there’s a high rate of diversity of race and sexual orientation in this group, as compared to many characters in other popular YA books on shelves now. Even more rare is the inclusion of this diversity as a component of the characters, rather than as the focus of the plot of the book. This is no coming out story or tale of discovering racial prejudices in America today. While those are incredibly important, it’s equally important to show diversity as something that should be normalized and appreciated at every level.

These two books stand out not just in the YA genre, but also in modern popular fiction as a whole. They are relatable and engaging for anyone, from a 10 year-old to a100 year-old. After all, who can resist a good heist story?