Review: Heist Society by Ally Carter

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pub. Date: 2/9/10
Genre: YA
Main Themes: Thieves, Love, Family, Heists, Mystery
Pages: 304
Plot (from Good Reads):
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 her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has 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 history-or at least her family's (very crooked) history.

HEIST SOCIETY is absolutely amazing! When I heard that Ally Carter was writing a new book that wasn’t a Gallagher Girls book, I was intrigued. And, after reading the premise, I was unbelievably excited. Carter continues to write books that rock my socks off. For readers who love the GG books, HEIST SOCIETY is a must read and won’t disappoint. For those of you who haven’t read an Ally Carter book, for goodness sake, what are you doing!? Go out and pick one up now!

First off, I have to start off by saying that one of my favorite movies of ALL TIME is The Italian Job. So Ally Carter writing a book about a teenage thief who pulls off intense heists while attempting to solve a mystery definitely appealed to me. I mean, it would appeal to most people, but I was so excited that I literally jumped up and down. If HEIST SOCIETY wasn’t amazing, my heart would have been broken. Thank you, Ally Carter, for not breaking my heart.

The action in Carter’s novels has never disappointed me before, and HS was no exception. Carter includes all the little quirks that you would expect to find in this type of novel, but doesn’t fail to make it her own. I love stories about thieves because even though you know stealing is wrong and you would never do it. You want to hear about it, especially when it is so epic it can be called a heist.

The characters in Heist Society are fun and realistic. Kat was a great main character. I liked that she had all the skills and is one of the best, yet she wanted out of the family business. It added a twist to the story and, I think, made her easier to relate to. I main character who wants to steal from people is a bit hard to relate to. A girl who doesn’t really want to steal from people, but does it to save her father and just happens to be amazing at it is a lot more relatable.

And, of course, there is a boy. The boys in the GG books were good, but, in my opinion, they don’t hold a candle to Hale. He is definitely swoon-worthy! He always says the perfect thing and it is so obvious that he adores Kat… My favorite scenes in the novel were the ones with Kat and Hale!

Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Writing: 10
Romance: 10
Originality: 10
Total: 50/50 (A!)

Cover Comments: I'm a big fan of Heist Society's cover! I think the cover model looks gorgeous and the reflection of in her sunglasses fits the novel perfectly! (A)

Heist Society is one of my favorite 2010 novels that I've read so far. I can always count on Carter’s books to make me laugh, fall in love, and keep me on the edge of my seat and I'm so glad that HS maintains that truth. Heist Society is definitely a book that I'll be buying hardcover - because I just can't wait for the paperback!