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hcaticha's review against another edition
1.0
What can I say? I was promised a slightly older ghost bird series and I was left with the most annoying MC ever. She’s dumb. I could go around and say she’s impulsive, she build walls around her so she wouldn’t get hurt, or even she’s scared of commitment, but I won’t, the truth is she’s dumb af and can’t just sit still for one fucking second even if it would save her life. Also, Blake may be part of the Harem but he made my skin crawl, the other love interests were great tho, so it’s a full one star for them.
mrst90's review against another edition
5.0
Another awesome book from C.L Stone!! Loved the Ghost Bird Series and now we get to see the other team had see how they met. Also love seeing the connections to Sang's team in this book. Always wanted to find out the story behind the nail gun.
amsr's review against another edition
4.0
This book has been sitting in my TBR pile for awhile now but for some reason I kept skipping over it until last week when I decided to pick it up.
I was pleasantly surprised by the story though felt that a little more editing could potentially be done on some of the grammar, but as I already mentioned, it has been sitting in my TBR for a few years so there may be a revised copy available now
I was pleasantly surprised by the story though felt that a little more editing could potentially be done on some of the grammar, but as I already mentioned, it has been sitting in my TBR for a few years so there may be a revised copy available now
talya_'s review against another edition
2.0
*This review makes no sense. Just thought I'd warn you.*
I had so many issues with this book. The first part of it was good. Kayli didn't seem like a COMPLETE imbecile, she wanted to take care of her brother, and she had to deal with an abusive, alcoholic father. And since he was such a lazy pig, her and her brother, Wil, had to fend for themselves and get their own money to pay rent for the hotel they were staying in. And Kayli got money by pickpocketing. Okay. Seemed simple.
That was the part of the book I enjoyed. About the only part. See, there's about six guys in some super secret Academy of some sort and they're trying to take down a drug dealer, and even though they're friends with cops, the only way for them to take down this drug dealer is to get help from a pickpocket. Okay. Because that makes perfect sense.
And these six guys (Axel, Marc, Corey, Brandon, Kevin, Raven) are allll super duper hot, and they're allllll super duper attracted to her except for Kevin because he has a girlfriend and serves no purpose in the book because he's barely in it. But anyway.
My biggest issue with the book was Kayli. Kayli who I previously thought was smart and had sense. Nope, she turned out to be the typical stubborn as hell main character you read about in almost any book. Not only that, but she can't seem to keep her tongue in her mouth.
First she makes out with Marc. Then, the next day he's not even present at all and she ends up flirting and acting all lovey dovey with Corey. But wait, his twin Brandon tells her that Corey is gay. Le gasp. So what happens? She makes out with Brandon all night despite the fact that she made out with his friend a day earlier and was flirting with/attracted to Corey. And it gets worse. See, the next day Kayli has a very civil conversation with Marc. No, I'm kidding, they start talking and she shoots him in the leg with a nail gun for no reason. Yes, that really happened. Then like the idiot she is, tries to follow that drug dealer, Blake, and gets kidnapped. Except she's highly attracted to him (yes, him too) and is convinced that he's good. Because he's dealing with legal weed and he's going to dump it in the ocean? What? So Kayli decides there's nothing shady about that and they make out. A few times. After she already had tongue all up in two other guys. Then once she finds out he's actually bad (no way!) she goes back to Marc....and makes out with him. Then she cuddles with Raven, yet another sexy guy and he starts kissing her neck. And she feels wiggly sparks that lets her know she's attracted to not only him, but the other five guys too. Because she saw Axel naked, and they talked about three times and as it turns out, she's attracted to him too. She has those wiggly sparks that Marc was so fond of.
OH wait. I almost forgot. Kayli leaves her brother Wil alone with her super abusive dad and goes off to live with these random hot strangers. And the author gives some half-baked excuse as to why it's oh so necessary for her to stay with them. Bish, please. Why the hell would you leave your brother alone with your abusive father as you lay in the lap of luxury-- excuse me....as you lay in the lap of AxelCoreyBrandonMarcRavenandBlake. And it turns out that since she'd left her brother alone, like the caring person she was, he was actually kidnapped. So her brother was who knows where as she stuck her tongue down different throats. And then the book ends. Omg, cliffy!!!! Will I be reading the next book?????
Absolutely not.
I had so many issues with this book. The first part of it was good. Kayli didn't seem like a COMPLETE imbecile, she wanted to take care of her brother, and she had to deal with an abusive, alcoholic father. And since he was such a lazy pig, her and her brother, Wil, had to fend for themselves and get their own money to pay rent for the hotel they were staying in. And Kayli got money by pickpocketing. Okay. Seemed simple.
That was the part of the book I enjoyed. About the only part. See, there's about six guys in some super secret Academy of some sort and they're trying to take down a drug dealer, and even though they're friends with cops, the only way for them to take down this drug dealer is to get help from a pickpocket. Okay. Because that makes perfect sense.
And these six guys (Axel, Marc, Corey, Brandon, Kevin, Raven) are allll super duper hot, and they're allllll super duper attracted to her except for Kevin because he has a girlfriend and serves no purpose in the book because he's barely in it. But anyway.
My biggest issue with the book was Kayli. Kayli who I previously thought was smart and had sense. Nope, she turned out to be the typical stubborn as hell main character you read about in almost any book. Not only that, but she can't seem to keep her tongue in her mouth.
First she makes out with Marc. Then, the next day he's not even present at all and she ends up flirting and acting all lovey dovey with Corey. But wait, his twin Brandon tells her that Corey is gay. Le gasp. So what happens? She makes out with Brandon all night despite the fact that she made out with his friend a day earlier and was flirting with/attracted to Corey. And it gets worse. See, the next day Kayli has a very civil conversation with Marc. No, I'm kidding, they start talking and she shoots him in the leg with a nail gun for no reason. Yes, that really happened. Then like the idiot she is, tries to follow that drug dealer, Blake, and gets kidnapped. Except she's highly attracted to him (yes, him too) and is convinced that he's good. Because he's dealing with legal weed and he's going to dump it in the ocean? What? So Kayli decides there's nothing shady about that and they make out. A few times. After she already had tongue all up in two other guys. Then once she finds out he's actually bad (no way!) she goes back to Marc....and makes out with him. Then she cuddles with Raven, yet another sexy guy and he starts kissing her neck. And she feels wiggly sparks that lets her know she's attracted to not only him, but the other five guys too. Because she saw Axel naked, and they talked about three times and as it turns out, she's attracted to him too. She has those wiggly sparks that Marc was so fond of.
OH wait. I almost forgot. Kayli leaves her brother Wil alone with her super abusive dad and goes off to live with these random hot strangers. And the author gives some half-baked excuse as to why it's oh so necessary for her to stay with them. Bish, please. Why the hell would you leave your brother alone with your abusive father as you lay in the lap of luxury-- excuse me....as you lay in the lap of AxelCoreyBrandonMarcRavenandBlake. And it turns out that since she'd left her brother alone, like the caring person she was, he was actually kidnapped. So her brother was who knows where as she stuck her tongue down different throats. And then the book ends. Omg, cliffy!!!! Will I be reading the next book?????
Absolutely not.
hiveretcafe's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I recieved an e-ARC from Arcato Publishing via Netgalley for an honest review. This fact in no shape or form affects my revew. Except for the existence of the review itself. I recieved no compensation for this review in any way.This is my honest opinion of the work.
I really thoroughly enjoyed this novel! Oh gosh. The synopsis really caught my eye because it talks about a girl who steals for a living, and if you don't know by now, crime stories is what I do. And when I found that this was a new adult novel, I expected something rather different than what I got. Though there is incredible sexual tension and some really hot kisses, it doesn't really get too much further into it.
There's quite a heavy focus on the relationships between Kayli and the boys in The Academy team and how she has fluttery feelings for most of the team. I thought that all the boys are interesting characters, Marc and Axel in particular because Marc has the sad backstory and Axel has the mysterious leader vibe happening. I personally enjoyed Raven quite a lot. The attitude ridden Russian is charming in his own right. I feel that Kayli's character didn't develop as much as I would have liked her too. Sure she did some soul searching, but I didn't feel like she changed very much throughout the novel.
The plot was great and I really enjoyed this almost vigilante team style of plot. I wish there was more of a focus on how the team worked and how they were going to solve their problems, rather than Kayli being all Mary-Sue like and figuring out the problems in no time. Kayli did have a Mary-Sue like tendency with how she conveniently solved problems and how most of the guys fell for her.
Still, Thief, is a fun read and it was a pleasure to read, though I did get frustrated with Kayli with all her tendencies to run off and stuff. The Mary-Sue-ness kind of irritated me, but I think that my love for the team overshadowed the irritation. I look forward to reading the next book because that ending though. I really need to know what happens next and the love interests maaaaaaann. I need MOAR.
Note: Just found out that there are other books by C.L. Stone about The Academy. Interesting, but I think I'll stick with Kayli and the others first.
I recieved an e-ARC from Arcato Publishing via Netgalley for an honest review. This fact in no shape or form affects my revew. Except for the existence of the review itself. I recieved no compensation for this review in any way.This is my honest opinion of the work.
I really thoroughly enjoyed this novel! Oh gosh. The synopsis really caught my eye because it talks about a girl who steals for a living, and if you don't know by now, crime stories is what I do. And when I found that this was a new adult novel, I expected something rather different than what I got. Though there is incredible sexual tension and some really hot kisses, it doesn't really get too much further into it.
There's quite a heavy focus on the relationships between Kayli and the boys in The Academy team and how she has fluttery feelings for most of the team. I thought that all the boys are interesting characters, Marc and Axel in particular because Marc has the sad backstory and Axel has the mysterious leader vibe happening. I personally enjoyed Raven quite a lot. The attitude ridden Russian is charming in his own right. I feel that Kayli's character didn't develop as much as I would have liked her too. Sure she did some soul searching, but I didn't feel like she changed very much throughout the novel.
The plot was great and I really enjoyed this almost vigilante team style of plot. I wish there was more of a focus on how the team worked and how they were going to solve their problems, rather than Kayli being all Mary-Sue like and figuring out the problems in no time. Kayli did have a Mary-Sue like tendency with how she conveniently solved problems and how most of the guys fell for her.
"Bad guys think they're good guys, too."
"I'd rather light my hair on fire."
"This way, if you f**k up, you've only hit someone with one and not the entire magazine."
"Talk like the world is listening in. Usually, because someone is."
"You have to know the rules to know how you can bend them.
"'You told me to get rid of the damn drugs,' he said. I flared at him. 'You blew it up?'"
Still, Thief, is a fun read and it was a pleasure to read, though I did get frustrated with Kayli with all her tendencies to run off and stuff. The Mary-Sue-ness kind of irritated me, but I think that my love for the team overshadowed the irritation. I look forward to reading the next book because that ending though. I really need to know what happens next and the love interests maaaaaaann. I need MOAR.
Note: Just found out that there are other books by C.L. Stone about The Academy. Interesting, but I think I'll stick with Kayli and the others first.
ameserole's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved the ghost bird series so I was super excited to start the scarab beetle one! I'm just going to say it--- I was not disappointed at all!! I love the new introduction to these characters, like Kayli [who went from awesome to annoying and then back to someone I could tolerate] and how they are dealing with different situations than the group in the ghost bird. I believe this group was mentioned in one of the ghost bird series book, either book 10 or book 11 [I honestly cannot remember!!], but I am so glad that I opened this book! I cannot wait to read the rest of the series. THANK YOU C.L. STONE!!!!
aoibhrua's review against another edition
3.0
Original Review Posted on Aoibh Reads
3 Stars!
Summary:
Kayli Winchester earns her rent money by pick-pocketing those she believes wouldn't miss the money, in order to take care of her brother and drunken father. However, The Academy have had their eye on Kayli and want to momentarily recruit her as she has proven to have the skills they require.
Meeting the boys; Marc, Raven, Axel, Corey and Brandon, Kayli is thrown into a world of secrecy and joins them on a dangerous job. They're keeping an eye on one of Charleston's playboys, Blake Coaltar, who they suspect is meddling in the drug business. All Kayli has to do is pickpocket his wallet so the boys can swipe his details, and return it as soon as she can. But Blake takes a shine to Kayli putting her right in the spotlight and in harms way.
Due to her curiosity Kayli finds herself in deep trouble as she gets too close and the boys nearly risk everything to try and save her.
My Thoughts:
Hmmmm...
As a reader/lover of the Ghost Bird series I was quite excited to read the "adult" version, but unfortunately was let down.
Plot: The plot sort of fell apart for me. It was more about Kayli interacting with the different guys and getting to know them over anything else. There was the effort of integrating the investigation about Coaltar but it all seemed a bit rushed and added in. They also didn't have sufficient reason/evidence to have started following Coaltar; it all seemed to rely on some sort of suspicion without reason.
As for the plot-twist ending? Could tell that was coming from the get go. Not much of a surprise.
Kayli: At first I admired her; she was quirky and such an individual and she did what she could for her family and could clearly stand up for herself. But once she was introduced to the guys she became unbearable. Why did she have to fall for every guy in the book? And why did every guy (especially as adults) all develop an attraction for her? I know she was unique but she was that special that she brought them all to her knees? She had just met them and was flirting and messing around as if she had known them for years. None of it felt real or believable.
Writing: I generally overlook typos/errors but there were a good few in this. I would've thought by now they'd have been sorted out. There were also some factual errors etc.
Minor, but mocha is coffee and chocolate so it should read "coffee infused with chocolate." These little things just jump out at me.
Ultimately I ended up speed-reading this to get it finished. It didn't have the allure that Ghost Bird series did. Promoted as the adult series I had expected it to be a bit more Adult-themed but it still felt like a YA novel. The drug-sub plot didn't interest me and I skipped a good bit just to get back to interesting parts.
So why 3 star rating?
I probably would've enjoyed this more if I had not yet read the Ghost Bird series. I found myself comparing them a lot of the time and I preferred Sang to Kayli and Sang's back story was much more alluring.
Any Good Points?
Regardless of my feelings about GB Series, I need to judge this book in its own right. It started off with 4 stars in my mind but the negatives dropped it down one. The boys were just as captivating and interesting as in GB and all had clear idiosyncrasies and their personalities were so brilliant. Axel was definitely my favourite but I enjoyed the non-romantic element of each of their relationships with Kayli. Kayli also doesn't ever try to play the victim and win them over that way; she makes it clear from the beginning that she can fend for herself and that's a breath of fresh air in novels compared to the over-used helpless heroine.
Overall, I would recommend this novel but for mature YA over NA. Although it fell down on some aspects for me, this is mostly due to my expectations being high from GB series. It's still a half decent read, I've just read better.
3 Stars!
Summary:
Kayli Winchester earns her rent money by pick-pocketing those she believes wouldn't miss the money, in order to take care of her brother and drunken father. However, The Academy have had their eye on Kayli and want to momentarily recruit her as she has proven to have the skills they require.
Meeting the boys; Marc, Raven, Axel, Corey and Brandon, Kayli is thrown into a world of secrecy and joins them on a dangerous job. They're keeping an eye on one of Charleston's playboys, Blake Coaltar, who they suspect is meddling in the drug business. All Kayli has to do is pickpocket his wallet so the boys can swipe his details, and return it as soon as she can. But Blake takes a shine to Kayli putting her right in the spotlight and in harms way.
Due to her curiosity Kayli finds herself in deep trouble as she gets too close and the boys nearly risk everything to try and save her.
My Thoughts:
Hmmmm...
As a reader/lover of the Ghost Bird series I was quite excited to read the "adult" version, but unfortunately was let down.
Plot: The plot sort of fell apart for me. It was more about Kayli interacting with the different guys and getting to know them over anything else. There was the effort of integrating the investigation about Coaltar but it all seemed a bit rushed and added in. They also didn't have sufficient reason/evidence to have started following Coaltar; it all seemed to rely on some sort of suspicion without reason.
As for the plot-twist ending? Could tell that was coming from the get go. Not much of a surprise.
Kayli: At first I admired her; she was quirky and such an individual and she did what she could for her family and could clearly stand up for herself. But once she was introduced to the guys she became unbearable. Why did she have to fall for every guy in the book? And why did every guy (especially as adults) all develop an attraction for her? I know she was unique but she was that special that she brought them all to her knees? She had just met them and was flirting and messing around as if she had known them for years. None of it felt real or believable.
Writing: I generally overlook typos/errors but there were a good few in this. I would've thought by now they'd have been sorted out. There were also some factual errors etc.
"The warmth drew me in first, followed by the rich aroma of coffee infused with mocha and a spritz of hazelnut."
Minor, but mocha is coffee and chocolate so it should read "coffee infused with chocolate." These little things just jump out at me.
Ultimately I ended up speed-reading this to get it finished. It didn't have the allure that Ghost Bird series did. Promoted as the adult series I had expected it to be a bit more Adult-themed but it still felt like a YA novel. The drug-sub plot didn't interest me and I skipped a good bit just to get back to interesting parts.
So why 3 star rating?
I probably would've enjoyed this more if I had not yet read the Ghost Bird series. I found myself comparing them a lot of the time and I preferred Sang to Kayli and Sang's back story was much more alluring.
Any Good Points?
Regardless of my feelings about GB Series, I need to judge this book in its own right. It started off with 4 stars in my mind but the negatives dropped it down one. The boys were just as captivating and interesting as in GB and all had clear idiosyncrasies and their personalities were so brilliant. Axel was definitely my favourite but I enjoyed the non-romantic element of each of their relationships with Kayli. Kayli also doesn't ever try to play the victim and win them over that way; she makes it clear from the beginning that she can fend for herself and that's a breath of fresh air in novels compared to the over-used helpless heroine.
Overall, I would recommend this novel but for mature YA over NA. Although it fell down on some aspects for me, this is mostly due to my expectations being high from GB series. It's still a half decent read, I've just read better.
seriouslybookish's review against another edition
4.0
Axel ... Raven ... Marc ... Brendon ... Corey ... Blake ... That's all I'm gonna say.