When
Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre…to case it. For
her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal
the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her
own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined
to leave the family business behind.
Soon,
Kat’s friend and former co-conspirator, the gorgeous Hale, appears, pulling her
back into the world she has only just escaped. But he has a good reason: a powerful
mobster’s priceless art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned.
Now. Only a master thief could have pulled off this job, and Kat’s father isn’t
just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a
far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.
Kat’s
solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a
spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and,
hopefully, just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s
(very crooked) history. And, with any luck, she just might be able to steal her
life back along the way.
I was incredibly excited to read Heist Society by Ally Carter, and I’m
very happy that I did. I really enjoyed the book and found it to be a quick and
excited read that left a lot for the imagination to fill in, in a good way of
course. I can see how the series can be read in a serial fashion, and left just
enough loose ends at the end of the first book to make me really, really want
another, but not need one necessarily. Which is really good. Ally Carter did a
brilliant job with this fun, light-hearted, and exciting novel and I cannot
wait to read the first book in her Gallagher Girls series, at least until I can
get my hands on Uncommon Criminals
that is.
Now, despite the serious issue of
World War II stolen art and the tragic background to all of the pieces that
were pertinent to this novel, the book did ring a little chick-lit. This was
fine, of course, because any other way and I wouldn’t believe that Kat was
going to rescue art instead of fulfill the greedy thief stereotype I have in my
mind. Kat is truly a hero even despite being part of a sort of mob family of
brilliant thieves. The barrier to entry on this book was very low, great for readers
of all ages and levels of knowledge about thievery (like my total lack
thereof). Also, there was no blood, gore, or cursing. Shocking for a book about
criminals, right? But Ally Carter did a good job avoiding all of those issues
so as to have a final product that is completely PG and completely suitable for
readers of all levels.
I love the cover and title of this
book; I’m just going to put that out there. Succinct and beautiful, just like
the book. I love the premise of this book too, the fact that Kat is trying to
escape the family business of stealing but is swept back in kicking and
screaming to save her father. It’s great, and the characters are splendid. I’d
tell you my favorites, but the list would literally have everybody’s names on
it. Each character just worked off of each other perfectly. Hamish and Angus
had that whole Weasley brother vibe to them, and Simon and Gabrielle each
played their roles amazingly. Then Kat and Hale were so perfect for each other!
I even loved Nick and Taccone. Aside from the characters, the plot worked
really well. The book was divided into a sort of countdown system and it also
told where all the characters travelled. Sadly, it was a little hard to believe
(even with a private jet courtesy the W.W. Hale family) the characters could
just fly around to all these different places under the time crunch. Then
there’s the plot and conflict with Kat figuring out how to steal from the
Henley all while Taccone threatens her. Sadly, that is all that happens
conflict wise. Sure, it’s easy to be concerned whether or not they’ll pull off
the heist or whether or not Taccone will do something, but nothing truly
happens. Taccone never carries out his threats, and they complete the heist
without a hiccup (well, there were some minor ones of course).
I
know Ally Carter tried her hardest to keep the book PG, but there wasn’t enough
meat to Taccone’s threats. There were the subtle hints, like the guard with the
burned hand, but it just wasn’t enough for me to fully believe in Taccone as a
villain. I wish he had done more instead of just sending various threats Kat’s
way. Then there’s the heist, which went incredibly well considering all their
fears. Sure, there was Nick, but even that was resolved rather hiccup free. All
I’m saying, is the conflict was very minor for a gang of criminals. There
should have been more! Of course, don’t get me wrong, I did love the book, but
these are just a few of the things that could have been done better. Also, the
book was written in third person. This wasn’t a problem, but the POV would
randomly be somewhere and then it would lead back to Kat’s POV and her
introduction with the character. While I liked it and it was very unique to
read, it got old after a while and sort of stole some thunder from the fast-paced
heist going throughout. It made it easy for me to put down the book and for my
excitement level to go from ‘100’ to ‘huh?’ and that makes me sad. The book was
a quick, exciting read still, but sometimes those other POV beginning were
weird. The book was hilarious, though, and it needs to be said that Ally
Carter’s voice is amazing.
In the end, the book was very
original even though the topic of young thieves is one that has been done a few
times over. The mob family is a common trope in YA and the characters in the
gang were all the stereotypical members needed for a heist of any sort: the
genius, the leader, the billionaire, the flirt, and the explosion techies.
Despite this, Ally Carter brought a fresh take to this story with the unique
third person technique, the witty and hilarious dialogue, the easy barrier to
entry, and of course the backstory to the art being stolen and then re-stolen.
It was a great, fresh story and very entertaining.
XOXO Tia
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