Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Series Review: The Heist Society Novels


Contemporary Young Adult
Disney Hyperion
Available now
Bought/Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (Heist Society, book #1, from Goodreads)
When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip 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. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled 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.

For Kat, there is only one 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 history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.


MY THOUGHTS
Fun and flirty, the Heist Society novels are quick and entertaining reads, jetting us all around the world as we follow a teenage crew of thieves–characters in the truest sense of the word–who keep us laughing even as we wonder how they’re possibly going to pull off their next job. A certain level of disbelief must be suspended before picking these books up, as Kat and her team get in and out of terribly difficult situations with relative ease, making it clear that these books are meant simply to be enjoyed rather than read critically for their criminal believability. Reading any book in this series brings a smile to our faces, and we open the first page prepared to settle in for a little travel, a little moral ambiguity, and a whole lot of mischief.

Kat Bishop, teenage thief and leader of a crew that features a billionaire inside man, a pair of brothers with a penchant for explosives, a stunningly attractive young woman who excels at distraction, and a computer genius, isn’t someone we necessarily get to know all that well during the course of her exploits, but someone we look forward to reading about just the same. She does have a tendency to be completely and frustratingly self-reliant in the first two books, pushing best friend and love interest W.W. Hale the Fifth away again and again despite his blatantly obvious desire to be whatever she needs him to be, but by the time we reach Perfect Scoundrels, Kat’s hands no longer exert force to push him away and instead thankfully try to pull him closer.

Those looking for an epic romance will likely be left wanting with these books given the focus is always on the heist itself, leaving the various character relationships to simmer warmly in the background. The more subtle nature of Kat’s relationship with Hale fits these stories beautifully though, their friendship and occasional flirtation a refreshing departure from grand gestures and too-soon declarations of love, and we can’t help but revel in the levity of their interactions. Perfect Scoundrels is perhaps the most emotional of the three, the difference between Hale’s world and Kat’s world brought into sharp focus and stark contrast as their two separate upbringings collide in a very personal way, making our hearts beat a little faster as the depth of certain feelings tangle irreparably with the con itself.

Overall the Heist Society novels are perfect for a sunny afternoon in between dark dystopian or gut-wrenching contemporary reads, guaranteed to charm and delight readers with a myriad of playful and memorable characters.

Rating: 4/5


ALLY CARTER SIGNING


For those of you in the southern Ohio/Northern Kentucky area, Ally Carter will be signing books tonight at 7pm ET at the Joseph Beth Booksellers at Rookwood Pavilion. I'm hugely excited to be able to attend and will be making the trip from Columbus to do so. I plan to take lots of pictures and generally be an Ally fangirl, complete with moments of awkward social behavior because it's well known that I'm unable to be cool in the face of authors whose books I enjoy. *pats self on back for being awesome* Hope some of you who are nearby can make it!

50 comments:

  1. I've seen these book around the blogosphere lately... I may have to pick them up the next time I need something on the lighter side! :)

    (Is it wrong that I want to continue staring at your blog design? Because I do.)

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    1. They're really fun Amanda! Pure entertainment:)

      Oh, and you can ogle my blog any time you want. It likes it ;-)

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  2. OOOH I'VE HEARD SOOOO MUCH ABOUT ALLY'S GREAT BOOKS AND OMFG I WANNA READ THEM SO BADD. :D Lovely review, Jenny!!! I'm in the mood for a fun and flirty read, and this sounds PERFECT. Stunning review as usual, chickie! :) <3 x

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    1. I really liked them Riya! Each one has it's own story which I really enjoy, no nasty cliffhangers, and their light on the relationship drama which is really nice too:)

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  3. Cool. Everyone seems to have the same things to say about this series and it's almost all good. I do love books like this one that are fun and entertaining and easy to read - so long as I keep in mind that a book like this requires you to suspend your disbelief because I wouldn't enjoy it as much if I were being too critical while reading. Also, I'm definitely cool with the focus being more on the heist than the romance!

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    1. Yes, if you go in looking for plausibility with the heists, you'll probably be disappointed. She gives detail in some places but not in others - the kids all get their hands on things they need (explosives, blueprints, etc) quickly and easily, but you just kind of have to roll with it. They're not meant to picked apart that way:)

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  4. Jenny, your new blog design is beautiful!

    I agree, some of the situations they've gotten out of are a tad hard to believe, but finding the fun in them is certainly easy :). And yessss, the Kat/Hale is wonderful for these stories. I really like Ally Carter's writing style, because it's so light and easy to read! Have you read the Gallagher Girls series?

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    1. Thank you Christina! I haven't read the Gallagher Girl series, but after enjoying these so thoroughly, I'm definitely putting them on my list:)

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  5. This series sounds fun, but..waiting for the movie

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  6. Ah Jenny!!! Aren't those books be cutest?!? I still have to read the last book, but I've read the other ones. You are perfectly right, they are fun and flirty!!!
    Glad you read them and loved them;-))

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    1. The last one was my favorite Danny, you definitely need to read it! It's the most emotional of the 3 and things with Kat and Hale get really interesting:)

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  7. HALEHALEHALEHALEHALE!!!!! I haven't read any of these books BUT I'VE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT THEM<3 These heists sound SO awesomeeee and right now, I'm looking forward to fun & relaxing reads so I think I should get started ASAP! :) Lovely review Jenny<3

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    1. I LOVE HALE! One of these days we're going to learn what that W.W. stands for:) Hope you give them a try Shirley!

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  8. I adore this series, it's almost too cute (and so clever sometimes!). Even though the heists are always interesting, it's the characters that were the most fascinating. And you're right, I love the subtlety of their relationships.
    I hope there's a fourth book, but I haven't been able to find any info.

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    1. I'm headed to her signing tonight and I imagine that will be a question that is asked, so I'll be sure and let you know what I find out!

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    2. Tell me, tell me, tell me! Will there be more Hale? I mean, ummm, heists?

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  9. I hear so many good things about this series, Jenny. It sounds really cute but I just haven't gotten around to picking them up yet.

    I don't know why, but some reason I thought you lived in Canada! I'm such a bird-brain sometimes. Anyhow, have fun at your signing! You're not the only one who can't function properly around authors. I'm the queen of the nervous ramble. Can't wait to see your pictures. :)

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    1. Hahaha Canada, Columbus, they both start with C:) Close enough. Ohio doesn't typically get a lot of authors passing through, but in the past year we've had more and more so I hope that trend continues!

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  10. Oh I've got recommended this series plenty of times. I just never got to read it. I'm glad that you also like it so I'll hopefully read it soon. :) Great review :)

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    1. They're short reads, so it's easy to get caught up on the whole series quickly:)

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  11. Fun and flirty sounds perfect to me! I haven't picked these up because the covers don't appeal to me, hence I haven't even wondered about what they're about and people I follow on GR and blogger haven't featured them that much. These hard to believe situations sounds like Legend by Marie Lu, which I loved, but found these situations these kids were in a tad unbelievable. However, I think these would work for me. Happy you liked them so much:)

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    1. If you go in just looking for fun, I think you'll really enjoy these books. There just a great reminder of why I love reading:)

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  12. What a great series review. I actually pointed a friend over here because she loves these types of stories. I think she would really enjoy these! Thanks for doing the overall series because I think that was super helpful :)

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    1. You're welcome! I read all three one after the other, so it was just easier to do a series review. Otherwise I think my reviews for each book would have been repetitive:) Glad they helped!

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  13. While I wasn't the biggest fan of the second book, I adored the first and really need to read the third, just so I can finish up with Kat and Hale. I love the secondary characters as well as the fun plots -- great series!

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    1. The third was my favorite Mary, highly recommend!

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  14. This sounds like such a fun series. I definitely want to read more about Kat's adventures. Great review!

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    1. Kat gets herself in some very tricky situations, and it's fun to watch her and her team try to get out of them:)

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  15. This series sounds really cute and I know my students LOVE it. I need to get copies of them for my classroom. I love that you say this series bring a smile to your face...that's the best! Have so much fun at the signing. I am a huge nerd at these kind of things. :)

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    1. I'm a huge nerd too, I'll be lucky if I'm able to form coherent sentences initially. I'll probably just grin at her like an idiot. Awesome.

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  16. I love this series for the exact same reason you stated: pure entertainment. I love the Ocean 11 feel to it and the characters are highly amusing. I'm still waiting to see if Carter unveils what the W.H. in Hale's name stands for. :)

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    1. I hope we get to learn that eventually too. Maybe in the final book? I'm hoping Perfect Scoundrels wasn't the last one anyway!

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  17. I love Ally Carter! She is such a fun, hilarious author, a bit like Meg Cabot. I still need to start this series, and after reading your series review I am even more determined to get my hands on a copy of these books!

    I always need a light hearted, breezy read in between darker, deeper books, so this would be perfect!

    OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG YOU'RE GOING TO MEET ALLY CARTER?!!! AAAAAH!!! You are seriously lucky, and I hope you have a wonderful time (although obviously you will - it's Ally Carter for goodness sake!!!)

    Can't wait to see the pics :)x

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  18. "a little travel, a little moral ambiguity, and a whole lot of mischief." <---YES! this perfectly expresses why I read and LOVED the first two books in the series. They're just so much fun, and I pretty much always know what to expect! You're so right—these books are the perfect palate cleanser between heavier reads. I can't wait to dive in to Perfect Scoundrels this weekend (I need a palate cleanser right now).

    I can't believe you get to meet Ally tonight—so happy for you! :-) Have fun!!! And don't worry, we're all awkward fangirls when faced with our favorite authors. It's like in the rules of book geekdom. Plus they think it's endearing and totally love it (at least that's what I tell myself).

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  19. I have this first book, but haven't dived into it. Man! I really need to get all 3. Not usually something I pick up, but have heard such good things about these books. Now with the Jenny seal of approval, I must get on it and read them all!

    Have fun!!

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  20. Maja loves this series as well. I have been meaning to pick it up and I am fine with flirting and not an epic romance. Sure I can imagine you would have to suspend a little belief to read about a big heist but who cares. I know exactly what you mean about light and funny between dark dystopian and gut wrenching reads. Definitely going to read this!

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  21. Yay! I'm so glad you've enjoyed this series, Jenny! It's so entertaining, fun, and the perfect type of novel to lose track of time in. I know my favorite of the novels in the most recent book in the series, so I hope they just keep getting better. Fantastic review, dear!(:

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  22. These books are so much fun. I've only read the first to, but sounds like Perfect Scoundrels is worth diving into, especially if Kat finally starts trying to get closer to Hale.

    Fantastic review!

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  23. I really love Ally Carter's books, and I cant wait to read Perfect Scoundrels! I recently met her at the signing in Toronto, and she was so sweet!! Im glad you enjoy this series as well Jenny! Lovely review!
    - Farah @ MajiBookshelf

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  24. I've only read Heist Society - still need to read the other two! - but I loved it. It was such a fun, entertaining novel, and Ally ended up making me wonder whether the Henley was a real museum.

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  25. I have only read the first book in this series and I have to say I loved WW and I really want to know what his real name is!

    Glad you liked this series!

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  26. I have heard so much about this series! I totally need to get on the ball and read it.

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  27. Hi, Jenny! These do sound fun. Happy Valentine's Day to you, my dear.

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  28. I really feel like these books are great palate cleaners between darker heavier reads. I especially love the Kat and Hale romance!

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  29. These just sound like such fun and sometimes that is exactly what I am looking for. thanks for sharing your lovely thoughts Jenny!

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  30. I enjoyed the first two books and have been wanting to read the third. The romance was a bit frustrating for me but I have heard that things FINALLY start to happen in the third so I'm excited to read it. I'm glad you enjoyed the series!

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  31. I’m really glad to hear you enjoyed this series! For me, the books weren’t great but definitely entertaining; I love novels about spies! I’ve just received the third book and I can’t wait to read it. I’ve heard really good things about it and you can never have too much Hale ;) Great review!

    Lisa | Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

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  32. YAY!!!!! So glad you enjoyed this series Jenny! They are SO good (I remember going to get Heist Society the day it was released) and I'm looking forward to Perfect Scoundrels. Honestly, though, I've been avoiding it. I don't want it to end.

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  33. How do they compare with Gallagher Girls? I really enjoyed those and plan to read Heist Society, but not sure if I'll keep comparing them in my head and ruin it a little for myself :S

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