Perfect Scoundrels

Perfect Scoundrels is the last in the Heist Society novels by Ally Carter and can I say that this is the perfect ending for the series. I would wish with a large portion of my heart that she would do a sequel series to this, because it was just amazing.

It starts off with Hale ditching Kat and the rest of her crew while on a heist with no explanation. Slightly irked at her boyfriend, Kat finds out that Hale's great-grandmother passed away and in her will gave everything to him. This boy of 15 (?) has now inherited his family's entire billion company. Overwhelmed by the death of his only relative whom he actually liked and liked him back as well as this new responsibility, Hale becomes distant from Kat and the rest of her family.

Then suddenly Marcus, the ever present and always watching manservant to Hale, gives Kat a job. The will that gave Hale the entire fortune is a fake. So Kat and the rest of her crew have to find the real one and the person behind it. There are sinister things hidden in all the Hale's closets and we soon find out many of them.

This book was fantastic. As I said, a perfect ending to the series. In the previous books we were given bits and pieces of Kat's whole family, and there are a lot of them. It is her biggest heist yet and needs everyone in on it. It was fun to go back and visit the London and the same museum they stole from in the first book along with other small heists throughout the story to get to the ending with the biggest con of them all.

Her characters have been consistent throughout the whole of the series, which is really good considering I've read a few where characters personalities change from chapter to chapter. While consistent, they do grow as the stories have progressed. Their are real arguments and debates on whether Kat and Hale will stay boyfriend/girlfriend. They show emotion and at one point almost had me in tears. I love the way they banter back and forth, giving amazing names to different styles of heists that they could use to accomplish their end game. They all have their own different personalities which keep the book alive.

I do wish there was more setting. I'm a sucker for a good bit of imagined setting or fun descriptions about the places they are in. But what it lacked for in setting, it made up for in a fantastic heist story that constantly had me turning pages. It lit up my very grey week with its humor and characters while still keeping it within the realm of reality.

It also weighs heavy on family. The importance of family and sticking together. Also that sometimes the best families are the ones you don't share blood with, though other times blood relations are just as amazing too.

I'd recommend this series to anyone who is looking for an upbeat, fun book.

Uncommon Criminals

Uncommon Criminals was a well written heist story in the Heist Society by Ally Carter. I've come to enjoy them and the "what's going to happen next" alongside the "I'm not going to tell you the plan" atmosphere that makes it fun.

Kat, Katarina, Bishop is walking a fine line. Previously she tried to step away from her life as a thief but after being pulled back into it and that job finally being done, she doesn't know where to go. She's still running, or everyone is telling her. She does jobs but they are return jobs--stealing a KGB painting and giving it back to their rightful owners and the like.

But what has been driving her friends up the walls is that Kat does all of these heists alone. She takes risks and is always by herself.

When mention of the famed Cleopatra Emerald needs to go back to its rightful owner, she jumps at the idea and actually manages to steal it. It would be a short book if that was it. But there is more to this "rightful owner" than Kat origionally thought.

I did put this down for a while (because I accidently left it at my parents house) so the progression seemed slow. She is constantly running around the same thoughts in her head. That she didn't want anyone hurt, that she has to do it alone, that.... blah, blah, blah. That kind of angst stayed throughout most of the book. I that got a little too much for my liking. But by the end Kat learns things by seeing herself in the con-artist they are trying to find.

I really like Maggie. A very deep character that could have a lot of promise. I also like the fact that Nick was there too. I'm team-Hale, but Nick is pretty cool too.

While the main focus of the book was Kat and her internal progression, I wish there had been more of the other characters and their story arcs. They have a lot of potential, but they seem fairly stagnant.

Overall, it was good. I wish there had been more development for the others, but setting was good as was the plot--of course. I am excited for the next one.

Heist Society

The Heist Society by Ally Carter is a suspenseful YA novel thievery, art, history, and awesome characters. I greatly enjoyed this book is all of it's awesome-ness.

I began to read this book a few years ago, but the audio CD I was listening to it on was skipping and I had to return it to my library (Support your local library! Free books, I mean, come on. Best thing ever.). And all of the copies they had were out. So I had to wait and I was finally able to get back to it. I'm so glad I did.

Heist Society is about Kat, on the fence of whether she should remain a thief like she's been since she was three or go to high school and find a very different life that could lead to more places. But when she is abruptly expelled from the Ivy League school and told her father is in trouble, she has to get back in the game.

I really enjoyed the characters, all of them. They were all different and made for a great team. I can't wait to see how they develop in the next few books.

Ally Carter made good suspense throughout the story. Stopping at just the right moment for us to say "OH NO, what is going to happen next." She gave us just enough information to have our suspicions but there were surprises that I didn't see.

I also really enjoyed the cliffhanger at the end when this mystery man, the true man (or women, we don't really know) behind these crimes, leaves his calling card. It leaves it open for a great series that I am very interested in continuing.