Heist Society by Ally Carter: Review

Heist Society
By: Ally Carter

Format: Hardcover, 287 pages
Published: February 2010, Hyperion CH
Source: Purchased

Author Website | Author Twitter

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Summary (from Goodreads): 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. 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 her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster's art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned. 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 (very crooked) history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

My Review:
Just like in the Gallagher Girls series, I was hooked by the original concept, and stuck around for the witty comments and great characters.

Kat has such a sweet heart that you almost forget that she is an art thief. When she goes to Colgan, it's to get away from "the life," and make something different for her life. She gets dragged back into it after a heist planned by her buddy Hale gets her expelled from school. She learns that her father has been framed for a heist that he didn't do, and it's up to her to clear his name, by stealing paintings.

I loved all the different locations that this book took place in, and the fun cast of characters that Ally Carter created. I've heard the book compared to a YA Ocean's Eleven, (confession: I've never seen the movie all the way through) so if you liked that story, you'll probably enjoy this one.  Especially funny was the Bagshaw Brothers and their suggestions for different ways the heist could be executed. For instance:

"Princess Bride?" Hamish offered, but his brother turned to him.
"Do you know where we can find a six-fingered man on such short notice?"

But under all the light-hearted dialogue and handsome characters, there was a much deeper message. The Author's Note at the end of the book notes that during WWII the Nazis took many family treasures and works of art, many of which have never been returned.  Interspersed throughout the book are heart-wrenching stories of pieces of art that were taken from families during this time.

My only complaint with the book was that it didn't move very quickly. I put the book down several times and picked up others. Not because there was anything specifically wrong, but I just lost interest from time to time.

I can't wait for the next book, Uncommon Criminals. And, as a side note, I really enjoy reading Ally Carter's blog. She has a lot of advice for writers, and well as interesting tidbits about her books and the book world. You can also check out the interview I did with her a little while back. (link)

My Rating:

Profanity: None
Sexuality: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Violence: None

Interview with Ally Carter and Giveaway

Ally Carter is the author of the best-selling Gallagher Girls series and Heist Society. She loved school so much she kept going...and going...and going...until finally she had to graduate. Now she has degrees from Oklahoma State University and Cornell University and a house and a job and other very grown-up things.

Her life is either very ordinary or the best deep-cover legend ever. She'd tell you more, but...well...you know...

Website
Twitter

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I absolutely loved the Gallagher Girls series, and was beyond excited to do an interview with Ally Carter.  Welcome to the Reading Room Ally!
 

Is there a spy academy for college-age girls? If so, how do I apply?

Not to my knowledge, no.  Drats!

What has been your biggest challenge in dealing with two series at once?

Time.  Always time.  People frequently ask where authors get their ideas or their character names or their inspiration.  What people forget (or simply don’t know) is that one of the most important ingredients is time.  And when you double the number of books you’ve got to keep up with that just cuts your time in half.  Without a doubt, that’s the hardest thing.

Cammie and the Gallagher Girls series is very clean and innocent. Was it a deliberate decision to make the series this why? If so, why do you feel that it was important to write it that way?

It just came out that way.  I don’t know if I could write “edgier” or “darker” if I tried.  But while it wasn’t a conscious decision, I’m very grateful that it worked out the way it did because there is a subset of the reading public that wants a clean read.  I think a lot of people assume it’s the “gatekeepers” that are really looking for that, but I’ve found that a lot of teens do as well.  It’s a misnomer to think that all teens want to push all barriers at all times.  Are there 12-yr-olds out there looking for gritty, edgy stuff?  Sure.  But there are also 17-yr-olds who enjoy a book with no cussing or adult content.  In publishing we need to have something for everyone.  I’m very happy that my books fit within a very valuable and in-demand niche.

Have you ever thought that maybe a career in writing wasn’t worth it? What do you do when you get discouraged during the publishing process?

Every single day.  This is a hard business—it really is.  The pressure from fans to write faster, the pressure from publishers to deliver, and, most importantly, the pressure from ourselves to make each book better than the one before.  It’s a lot to process some days.  And on the days when the characters and plot just aren’t cooperating it’s very tempting to dream about the day when the series is over and done and you can go back to accounting or whatever it was that paid the bills before starting on this crazy adventure.

What is one thing that you wish people knew about publishing or writing?

It’s a job.  It’s work.  It can sometimes be a very exciting job and very fun work, but it’s an occupation nonetheless, and like most jobs it’s not very glamorous most of the time.  Also, I can’t get anyone a role in any movie.

Name one thing about yourself that people would be surprised to learn.     

I have terrible, awful—I mean truly hideous—handwriting.

Thanks to Ally for joining us today. And, now I have a fantastic giveaway that is going to rock your socks off.  Included in this prize pack is:

Gallagher Girls Tote

Gallagher Girls Hair Pin 

Signed Gallagher Girls 4

Signed Heist Society

Heist Society sunglasses

Holla! All you have to do to enter is fill out the form.  Giveaway ends October 27 at 12:01 am. US Residents 13 and older only.

Gallagher Girls 1-2 Mini Review

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
By: Ally Carter
Copy purchased from Paperbackswap.com

Synopsis (From Goodreads): The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school teaches advanced martial arts in PE, ...more The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school teaches advanced martial arts in PE, chemistry always consists of the latest in chemical warfare, and everyone breaks CIA codes for extra credit in computer class. So in truth, while the Gallagher Academy might say it's a school for geniuses what they really mean is spies. But what happens when a Gallagher Girl falls for a boy who doesn't have a code name?

Cammie Morgan may be fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti), but the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without him ever being the wiser, but can she have a regular relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her? Cammie may be an elite spy in training, but in her sophomore year, she's doing something riskier than ever—she's falling in love.

My Review:  This book was utterly charming. I have found myself recommending this book over and over again to people, and I only read it about a week ago.  Through a glitch on my part with Paperback Swap, I ended up with a paperback and hardback copy. I have lent them both out.


This book isn't filled with fantastic prose that makes you feel 30 years old and educated. However, after just having finished LAST NIGHT I SANG TO THE MONSTER, and BEAUTIFUL, I needed this book. It was fun, and light-hearted. I could see myself being a lot like Cammie.  She is smart, but blends in. She is rarely noticed, especially when she doesn't want to be.  I think many girls feel like they fall in this same category. Plus, as a spy in training, she has access to tools that give information about her crush, Josh, that I would have KILLED for in high school.  Hacking into email, digging through garbage, tracking devices on shoes, you name it.


However, the best thing about this book was the witty dialogue. Both internal and external. This is my favorite part from the book:

"His name is Josh," I said finally.


"Cammie!" Liz cried, as if she couldn't believe I was giving such sensitive intel to the enemy.


But Macey only repeated, "Josh," as if trying it on for size.


"Yeah," I said.  "I met him when we had a mission in town, and... well..."


"Now you can't stop thinking about him... You always want to know what he's doing... You'd kill to know if he's thinking about you..." Macey said, like a doctor reeling off symptoms.


"Yes!" I cried. "That's soooo it!"


She shrugged. "That's too bad kid."


[....]


"He thinks I'm homeschooled for religious reasons."


"Yeah," she said, nodding as if that were answer enough. "I'd say you've still got a shot."


OH.MY.GOSH. It was if the gray storm clouds had parted and Macey McHenry was the sun, bringing wisdom and truth into the eternal darkness.  (Or something a lot less melodramatic.)

It is very rarely that I laugh out loud when reading a book. But, I was so smitten by the witty dialogue and fun characters that I was laughing until tears came.  Well played, Ms. Carter, well played.


This series is a must-read for young teenage girls. I found myself dreaming about what it would be like to go to a secret school for spies. You'll love it.

(spoilers from first book ahead!)




Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
By: Ally Carter
Copy purchased from Paperbackswap.com

Synopsis (From Goodreads):  After staking out, obtaining, and then being forced to give up her first boyfriend, Josh, all Cammie Morgan wants is a peaceful semester. But that's easier said than done when you're a CIA legacy and go to the premier school in the world... for spies.

Cammie Morgan may have a genius IQ and attend the best school in the country, but as she starts the spring semester of her sophomore year there are a lot of things she doesn't know. Like will her ex-boyfriend even remember she exists? And how much trouble did she really get in last semester? And, most of all, exactly why is her mother acting so strangely?

All Cammie wants is a nice, normal semester, but she's about to learn her greatest lesson yet—that when you go to a school for spies, nothing is ever as it seems.

My Review: This book picks up almost right where the first leaves off. I found this book to be a little less satisfying than the first. Mostly because the plot was pretty much the same. A few of the characters were swapped, but there was a lot of the same types of actions.

Like Cammie, I kept wondering how much of her world was genuine.


But, much of the things I loved about the first book are still there. Witty dialogue, fun characters, and an imaginative twist on high school life.  Cute, nice (albeit sarcastic) boys abound, and her friends are behind her 100%. Two thing I'd like to see, however, are more of Bex's personality. I feel like she's just Cammie's sidekick. I want Bex to come out and shine a little more. Macey as well. Macey is developing into a character that I really love. She's very sarcastic, but loyal all at the same time.


I wasn't blown away by this sequel, but it was worth reading. I definitely want to continue on with the story since there is so much that can still be done with this world.


My Rating:
 

Profanity: None
Sexuality: Mild kissing and hand-holding
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Violence: Mild