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vanikr's review against another edition
4.0
Meisterklasse ist echt total spannend und ich konnte gar nicht aufhören zu lesen aber mir fehlte das gewisse etwas zwischen Kat und Hale gefehlt ich hoffe das sie sich im nächsten Teil ein bisschen mehr Zuneigung zeigen.
eesh25's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 Stars
Despite having some experience by now, it still displeases me immensely when I start a book on a very positive note, only to end it with relief that it finally fucking ended.
Heist Society sounded very cool. It follows a group of teenagers, one in particular whose father is at risk, as they try to pull off an impossible heist. And when you've got heists, that means it will be an enjoyable ride. But when said heist is being done by sixteen-year-olds, you also know you should take it too seriously.
The book started off great. Katarina gets expelled from school, one she'd worked very hard to get in to after deciding she was done with the criminal life, for trashing the principal's car. She'd been framed by her friend Hale because Kat's father was in trouble and Hale needed her out of school so she could help him (her dad).
The tone of the novel was initially light enough. It sounded a little self-serious, but that wasn't something immediately noticeable. I think it was around a third of the way through when it really started to grate on me. The novel takes itself way too seriously. The protagonist is talked of like she's the best thief in the work, and everything is all so important. It's like the author wants to impress upon the readers that this is a very grave matter. That the sixteen-year-olds who're going to rob one of the most secure museums in the world with only a week's prep, should be taken very seriously.
How ridiculous is that? You're supposed to have fun with this thing, not brood over it. And it didn't help that Kat got on my nerves, even if it wasn't entirely her fault.
Just... everyone treated her like she was Harry frickin' Potter! Except she isn't the only person in the world who managed to best Voldemort while she was just a baby. From what we know, there's nothing that makes her any different from the rest of the characters. And yet over and over, it's stressed that she's special, and better, and more important, without every showing us why that is.
On top of that (and this is the reason why my dislike is partly her fault too), Kat thinks very highly of herself. She's all about her problems, her life, her father, her plans, how she's the smart one and the capable one, while the others may as well be her lackeys. Not cool.
I didn't even like the romance between Kat and Hale (and not just because of the obligatory love-triangle-ish thing either). I was rooting for them initially, but then Kat went all 'Me Me Me' and I lost interest.It doesn't seem like she cares that much about him, and I'm not sure why even Hale likes her. She's often rude, arrogant, has a low opinion of everyone's intelligence except her own, and is quite self-absorbed. Here's an example:
Ain't she modest? And by the way, the "Uncle Eddie" and "father" in question are both master thieves. Like, two of the best in the world with a ton of more experience. And she thinks she's done better than them. *shakes head in disapproval*
Overall, this book had promise but turned out to be a let-down. Apart from the stuff mentioned above, it also dissed some of the best museums in the world and made it seem as if major art heists were something done on a regular basis, when they're actually quite rare. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series.
Despite having some experience by now, it still displeases me immensely when I start a book on a very positive note, only to end it with relief that it finally fucking ended.
Heist Society sounded very cool. It follows a group of teenagers, one in particular whose father is at risk, as they try to pull off an impossible heist. And when you've got heists, that means it will be an enjoyable ride. But when said heist is being done by sixteen-year-olds, you also know you should take it too seriously.
The book started off great. Katarina gets expelled from school, one she'd worked very hard to get in to after deciding she was done with the criminal life, for trashing the principal's car. She'd been framed by her friend Hale because Kat's father was in trouble and Hale needed her out of school so she could help him (her dad).
The tone of the novel was initially light enough. It sounded a little self-serious, but that wasn't something immediately noticeable. I think it was around a third of the way through when it really started to grate on me. The novel takes itself way too seriously. The protagonist is talked of like she's the best thief in the work, and everything is all so important. It's like the author wants to impress upon the readers that this is a very grave matter. That the sixteen-year-olds who're going to rob one of the most secure museums in the world with only a week's prep, should be taken very seriously.
How ridiculous is that? You're supposed to have fun with this thing, not brood over it. And it didn't help that Kat got on my nerves, even if it wasn't entirely her fault.
Just... everyone treated her like she was Harry frickin' Potter! Except she isn't the only person in the world who managed to best Voldemort while she was just a baby. From what we know, there's nothing that makes her any different from the rest of the characters. And yet over and over, it's stressed that she's special, and better, and more important, without every showing us why that is.
On top of that (and this is the reason why my dislike is partly her fault too), Kat thinks very highly of herself. She's all about her problems, her life, her father, her plans, how she's the smart one and the capable one, while the others may as well be her lackeys. Not cool.
I didn't even like the romance between Kat and Hale (and not just because of the obligatory love-triangle-ish thing either). I was rooting for them initially, but then Kat went all 'Me Me Me' and I lost interest.It doesn't seem like she cares that much about him, and I'm not sure why even Hale likes her. She's often rude, arrogant, has a low opinion of everyone's intelligence except her own, and is quite self-absorbed. Here's an example:
She'd been more determined than Uncle Eddie, braver than her father, and more clever than the cleverest minds at Scotland Yard.
Ain't she modest? And by the way, the "Uncle Eddie" and "father" in question are both master thieves. Like, two of the best in the world with a ton of more experience. And she thinks she's done better than them. *shakes head in disapproval*
Overall, this book had promise but turned out to be a let-down. Apart from the stuff mentioned above, it also dissed some of the best museums in the world and made it seem as if major art heists were something done on a regular basis, when they're actually quite rare. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series.
hannahnana73's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this (beaming with a happy grin) and am eagerly waiting to continue the series:)
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
3.0
Bought this on a whim, price was ok (ebook).
Wanted to read about a heist, so basically should have been what I wanted.
Not enough suspense or action. A lot twists, but not everything was solved (or I did not get it).
Took me a little too long to read, would have expected to read something fast, but while it did not drag, it did not really manage to keep me turning-pages either.
No sex, no death, a little romance which did not really interest me, a little bit of love-triangle, but not solved. Not sure to call the open threads cliffhanger, more like a reason to buy the next book, but it is all not enough for me to invest in this series.
Ok read for rainy day, but will most probably not read the other books in the series.
Still have a few other things from this author (free preview, short story etc.), will try to read them to make sure wether this is an author for me - I think, maybe not. Not recommended.
Wanted to read about a heist, so basically should have been what I wanted.
Not enough suspense or action. A lot twists, but not everything was solved (or I did not get it).
Took me a little too long to read, would have expected to read something fast, but while it did not drag, it did not really manage to keep me turning-pages either.
No sex, no death, a little romance which did not really interest me, a little bit of love-triangle, but not solved. Not sure to call the open threads cliffhanger, more like a reason to buy the next book, but it is all not enough for me to invest in this series.
Ok read for rainy day, but will most probably not read the other books in the series.
Still have a few other things from this author (free preview, short story etc.), will try to read them to make sure wether this is an author for me - I think, maybe not. Not recommended.
sumayyaha's review against another edition
3.0
Rating - 2.5 (Read with Clean YA Book Club)
____________________________________
What I think you should go into this book with:
1. An open mind, this was kind of cheesy. . . like a 2012 movie :/
2. The heart to take the anticipation
3. A little knowledge of painters, or have a device near to search them up like I did xD
What I thought of the book:
I liked it. But mostly I liked Hale. (What can I say, he was the smoothest character.) Besides this, I really liked the whole heist operations, I just wish the author would've shared a teensy bit more info with the readers. Speaking of the author, the way she narrated the book made everyone seem quite pompous and full of themselves and I'm still not sure If I liked this or not? But if you don't like that kind of writing, I recommend you don't pick up this book because it will only anger you. Let's not purposefully anger ourselves, yes? And there were some scenes where I just couldn't place what the characters were talking about like they were sharing inside jokes that I didn't know about :(
There was one trope, stereotype(?) that I cringed at on every page it was mentioned. And that is the constant degrading of Kat's thoughts towards her cousin. What was up with that? It made me feel a bit iffy towards Kat. Her cousin acted like a 'girl' as in a typical 'girly-girl' and so she disliked/was annoyed because of it. Then Kat would say she didn't feel like a girl because she didn't wear 'girly' things or 'act' like one? HUH? Then the whole scene where she finally wore 'girl' clothes. . .
If you read it, I'm sure you know it was totally unnecessary. I feel like the fact that she 'wasn't like other girls' could've been expressed in another way, regardless of how annoying that statement is. Instead, the author chose to use it as a way to say she was 'different' and that she had no other place than in the family business. And this scene with her wearing feminine clothing made me disappointed in half of the characters, I was starting to like some of them. Yeah, so the fact that this was published in 2010 shows, be aware of that.
Moreover, I totally disliked the way Gabrielle (the cousin) was used in the operations. She literally had everyone from the age of puberty and up staring at her cause she wore a skirt? I feel like that was very tactless of the author. Like she couldn't figure out another way for the operation to proceed without mentioning legs and skirts. I really dislike this.
Will I continue with the series? Hm, remains to be seen.
____________________________________
What I think you should go into this book with:
1. An open mind, this was kind of cheesy. . . like a 2012 movie :/
2. The heart to take the anticipation
3. A little knowledge of painters, or have a device near to search them up like I did xD
What I thought of the book:
I liked it. But mostly I liked Hale. (What can I say, he was the smoothest character.) Besides this, I really liked the whole heist operations, I just wish the author would've shared a teensy bit more info with the readers. Speaking of the author, the way she narrated the book made everyone seem quite pompous and full of themselves and I'm still not sure If I liked this or not? But if you don't like that kind of writing, I recommend you don't pick up this book because it will only anger you. Let's not purposefully anger ourselves, yes? And there were some scenes where I just couldn't place what the characters were talking about like they were sharing inside jokes that I didn't know about :(
There was one trope, stereotype(?) that I cringed at on every page it was mentioned. And that is the constant degrading of Kat's thoughts towards her cousin. What was up with that? It made me feel a bit iffy towards Kat. Her cousin acted like a 'girl' as in a typical 'girly-girl' and so she disliked/was annoyed because of it. Then Kat would say she didn't feel like a girl because she didn't wear 'girly' things or 'act' like one? HUH? Then the whole scene where she finally wore 'girl' clothes. . .
If you read it, I'm sure you know it was totally unnecessary. I feel like the fact that she 'wasn't like other girls' could've been expressed in another way, regardless of how annoying that statement is. Instead, the author chose to use it as a way to say she was 'different' and that she had no other place than in the family business. And this scene with her wearing feminine clothing made me disappointed in half of the characters, I was starting to like some of them. Yeah, so the fact that this was published in 2010 shows, be aware of that.
Moreover, I totally disliked the way Gabrielle (the cousin) was used in the operations. She literally had everyone from the age of puberty and up staring at her cause she wore a skirt? I feel like that was very tactless of the author. Like she couldn't figure out another way for the operation to proceed without mentioning legs and skirts. I really dislike this.
Will I continue with the series? Hm, remains to be seen.
nikolinaza's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Ever since I read the Gallagher Girls Series, I've been a fan of Ally Carter. Her works were always marvelous—spy girls, president son's talented girl bestfriend/bodyguard, and now, a con girl—and totally hard to miss.
The premise of this book was captivating. Kat's dad is a con man, and someone powerful accused him of thievery. Apparently, those missing things are five paintings came from the time of World War II, making them extremely priceless. Kat has to give them back to their rightful owner (which is obviously not that someone powerful named Arturo Taccone), but at the same time, she can't let Taccone get his hands on her dad.
To be honest, Katarina Bishop resembled Cammie Morgan a bit. Smart, talented, intelligent, knows a lot of language, but Kat's way more cunning and a bit less reckless. Even though this may looked like Ally Carter had made yet another similar character, I had no problem with that. That was one aspect that made her works quite unique, by making the heroine powerful with a lot of badass sidekick. Seeing Kat planning the heist with her gang is marvelous.
But on the other hand, I feel like this book is a bit rushed. This is probably Ally Carter's signature, but there were a lot of foreshadowing of whatever happened to every character in the past which actually would be okay if it wasn't included, because it has no contribution to the whole story besides giving the characters some background. I wouldn't mind if they were inserted during the characters' introductions. But when they were suddenly exist in the middle of an action, it caused a lot of confusion. More than once I had to re-read a paragraph because I was not sure what I've read because of the sudden change of a subject.
Nevertheless, I still love this book. Will be continuing to book #2 because I want to see what has become of Kat and her gang.
P.S. I do think I need my very own W. W. Hale the Fifth in my life.
Ever since I read the Gallagher Girls Series, I've been a fan of Ally Carter. Her works were always marvelous—spy girls, president son's talented girl bestfriend/bodyguard, and now, a con girl—and totally hard to miss.
The premise of this book was captivating. Kat's dad is a con man, and someone powerful accused him of thievery. Apparently, those missing things are five paintings came from the time of World War II, making them extremely priceless. Kat has to give them back to their rightful owner (which is obviously not that someone powerful named Arturo Taccone), but at the same time, she can't let Taccone get his hands on her dad.
To be honest, Katarina Bishop resembled Cammie Morgan a bit. Smart, talented, intelligent, knows a lot of language, but Kat's way more cunning and a bit less reckless. Even though this may looked like Ally Carter had made yet another similar character, I had no problem with that. That was one aspect that made her works quite unique, by making the heroine powerful with a lot of badass sidekick. Seeing Kat planning the heist with her gang is marvelous.
But on the other hand, I feel like this book is a bit rushed. This is probably Ally Carter's signature, but there were a lot of foreshadowing of whatever happened to every character in the past which actually would be okay if it wasn't included, because it has no contribution to the whole story besides giving the characters some background. I wouldn't mind if they were inserted during the characters' introductions. But when they were suddenly exist in the middle of an action, it caused a lot of confusion. More than once I had to re-read a paragraph because I was not sure what I've read because of the sudden change of a subject.
Nevertheless, I still love this book. Will be continuing to book #2 because I want to see what has become of Kat and her gang.
P.S. I do think I need my very own W. W. Hale the Fifth in my life.
mehsi's review
2.0
I would give the book 2.5. It was so-so.
The start of the book was great, only from there it went off to something that I didn't like. I felt like the whole robbery dragged on too long, was too much.
Kat was an interesting character but I didn't really like her at times. I really disliked Nick, never trusted him from the start. Hale was nice, but I felt like he was just added to the book as a pretty boy, needed to flirt/annoy the main girl.
In overall, not my kind of book.
The start of the book was great, only from there it went off to something that I didn't like. I felt like the whole robbery dragged on too long, was too much.
Kat was an interesting character but I didn't really like her at times. I really disliked Nick, never trusted him from the start. Hale was nice, but I felt like he was just added to the book as a pretty boy, needed to flirt/annoy the main girl.
In overall, not my kind of book.
dunder_mifflin's review against another edition
5.0
TEENAGE CRIMINALS!!!!! HELL YES THIS IS EVERYTHING I COULD WANT