Friday, September 19, 2014

Uncommon Criminals

Book: Uncommon Criminals
Series: Heist Society #2
Author: Ally Carter

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous and that is simply… the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.-Goodreads

Review: Heist Society was fabulous and I was expecting to love this book, sadly I was disappointed. All the ingredients were there for an exciting caper and it was well-written but most of the characters fell completely flat. The exceptions were Kat, the 15 yr old mastermind behind a large art heist the year before and Maggie, her nemesis in this book. I liked Kat's character development in this installment (and her desire to prove herself after making some major lapses in judgement) and Maggie was just a great foe. Unfortunately, the other characters, including Kat's cousins Gabriella and twins (the twins do not seem capable of stealing a pack of gum, let alone assist in a major heist) as well as Hale were almost devoid of personality. Readers looking for major developments between Kat and Hale in a romantic sense (I was hoping for something...more) will be disappointed. 

Overall, not as good as HS but still enjoyable. 

Grade: 2.5/5

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