Swoon Thursday (#134): Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo!

(These are three different swoons! Be careful if you're SUPER sensitive to spoilers.)

"You know I can do it, Kaz, and you know I'm not going to refuse. So why ask?"

Because I've been looking for an excuse to talk to you for two days.

- ARC, page 203

It was time to go. "Saints' speed, Kaz." 

Kaz snagged her wrist. "Inej." His gloved thumb moved over her pulse, traced the top of the feather tattoo. "If we don't make it out, I want you to know..."

She waited. She felt hope rustling its wings inside her, ready to take flight at the right words from Kaz. She willed the hope into stillness. Those words would never come. The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.

She reached up and touched his cheek. She thought he might flinch again, even knock her hand away In nearly two years of battling side by side with Kaz, of late-night scheming, impossible heists, clandestine errands, and harried meals of fried potatoes and hutspot gobbled down as they rushed from one place to another, this was the first time she had touched him skin to skin, without the barrier of gloves or coat or shirtsleeve. She let her hand cup his cheek. His skin was cool and damp from the rain. He stayed still, but she saw a tremor pass through him, as if he were waging a way with himself.

- ARC, pages 333-334

He said nothing. What had carved all the hope from his heart? She might never know.

Inej turned to go. Kaz seized her hand, keeping it on the railing. He didn't look at her. "Stay," he said, his voice rough stone. "Stay in Ketterdam. Stay with me."

She looked down at his gloved hand clutching hers. Everything in her wanted to say yes, but she would not settle for so little, not after all she'd been through. "What would be the point?"

He took a breath. "I want you to stay. I want you to... I want you."

- ARC, page 434

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Read my review of Six of Crows!

A different kind of Swoon Thursday from me! But Kaz is so swoony in a non-physically-swoony way... meaning, there is not one kiss in any of the excerpts I shared above, yet my heart sped a little faster when reading these for the first time! <3