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ameserole's review against another edition
3.0
Uncommon Criminals is the second book from the Heist Society. I don't really know how I feel about it.. so many towards the end of this review I will know? Maybe?
Okay, so, this book was meh. Just like the previous book. I don't really know if I want to torture myself with more of these meh books but I haven't made my decision.. yet. Maybe they will get better or worse.. but I wont know until I read them. Maybe I'll flip a coin.
So this book was dull, boring, and again MEH. I still haven't really connected to the characters and I also haven't seen a lot of development between them either. I also don't really like the writing style. I'm pretty sure that's why I'm not really connecting to anything because we are only really seeing what they did but not what were doing throughout the whole book. It was annoying and frustrating to read. Does it change throughout the series? Does it get better? I have no idea.
Besides the frustrating writing, I just feel like I either missed a shit ton of things happening.. or the author just skipped over things really quickly. Either thinking in it her head.. and thinking she typed it? I don't know but it happens - a lot, to me.
Overall, I have no idea if I wanted to dive into the third book. I took a second chance on this series and I'm still not impressed, intrigued, or even slightly enjoying myself. I'm just numb to reading this series right now.
Okay, so, this book was meh. Just like the previous book. I don't really know if I want to torture myself with more of these meh books but I haven't made my decision.. yet. Maybe they will get better or worse.. but I wont know until I read them. Maybe I'll flip a coin.
So this book was dull, boring, and again MEH. I still haven't really connected to the characters and I also haven't seen a lot of development between them either. I also don't really like the writing style. I'm pretty sure that's why I'm not really connecting to anything because we are only really seeing what they did but not what were doing throughout the whole book. It was annoying and frustrating to read. Does it change throughout the series? Does it get better? I have no idea.
Besides the frustrating writing, I just feel like I either missed a shit ton of things happening.. or the author just skipped over things really quickly. Either thinking in it her head.. and thinking she typed it? I don't know but it happens - a lot, to me.
Overall, I have no idea if I wanted to dive into the third book. I took a second chance on this series and I'm still not impressed, intrigued, or even slightly enjoying myself. I'm just numb to reading this series right now.
ali___cat's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cari1268's review against another edition
3.0
This book was just okay. I feel like I should like this series more than I do, though. The plots are fun, the characters are well-fleshed out, and the writing is fine. For some reason, with both books, my attention was never fully gripped and I found myself slightly bored. Maybe it was because the reader is kept in the dark for so much of the planning for the heists. Or maybe it was because there was no way a 15 year old would be flying solo like Kat did.
I did like the two main characters, Kat and Hale. Although I didn't quite get the conflict that was keeping them apart. I loved how their relationship was so subtle.
3 Stars.
I did like the two main characters, Kat and Hale. Although I didn't quite get the conflict that was keeping them apart. I loved how their relationship was so subtle.
Spoiler
At least it was fun until they got together and I felt like I missed it.3 Stars.
bacquarat's review against another edition
5.0
ally carter keeps lacing her books with crack and i keep on eating that shit up
also i just found my book couple of 2023
also i just found my book couple of 2023
sssummer's review against another edition
1.0
1.4 stars
I legit almost DNFed this book at 98% it was painful but hard to really why.
What I liked:
-Ally Carter always has good themes of teamwork
-I liked the Indiana Jones vibes
-I liked the history/backstory
What I didn’t like:
- The whole book. Mostly the overall tone the book takes.
-here’s an ex of what I mean:
Using a blanket statement like “people are all the same” and going on to describe how the people all got conned by a simple trick which in a way looks down upon “the masses”. ( using “people are all the same” in a dismissive sense instead of a profound sense just rubsss me the wrong way(screams superiority complex and/or insecurity)) It also seems this is supposed to be the reason we buy that the characters get away with so much instead of any actual ingenuity on their part.
So so so much telling of how “good” Katerina is as a thief but like sorry where
She tries to work the fate versus free will thing I think but it’s so half baked ( ex: With the emerald’ curse and Maggie being like her) and then she seems to come to the conclusion that we have free will almost randomly. Like it feels thrown in and is not justified by any explanation or anything that happened in the book?
Sadly this book is a diamond in the ROUGH
I honestly just wish it wasn’t so half baked because the potential is so there.
I legit almost DNFed this book at 98% it was painful but hard to really why.
What I liked:
-Ally Carter always has good themes of teamwork
-I liked the Indiana Jones vibes
-I liked the history/backstory
What I didn’t like:
- The whole book. Mostly the overall tone the book takes.
-here’s an ex of what I mean:
Using a blanket statement like “people are all the same” and going on to describe how the people all got conned by a simple trick which in a way looks down upon “the masses”. ( using “people are all the same” in a dismissive sense instead of a profound sense just rubsss me the wrong way(screams superiority complex and/or insecurity)) It also seems this is supposed to be the reason we buy that the characters get away with so much instead of any actual ingenuity on their part.
So so so much telling of how “good” Katerina is as a thief but like sorry where
She tries to work the fate versus free will thing I think but it’s so half baked ( ex: With the emerald’ curse and Maggie being like her) and then she seems to come to the conclusion that we have free will almost randomly. Like it feels thrown in and is not justified by any explanation or anything that happened in the book?
Sadly this book is a diamond in the ROUGH
I honestly just wish it wasn’t so half baked because the potential is so there.
julie_ann_harper_1633's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a very curious, sometimes nosy person. And this book/series leaves me hanging! I want to know what the W.W. stands for in Hale's name! The life a thief is very interesting and I like the take of stealing back from those who took it in the first place. It's like Robinhood and the tv show Leverage in that way.
thewordn3rd's review against another edition
5.0
This review and more can be found on my blog
Heist Society #2: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Ages 12 and up
Kat is back. It’s been two months since she “robbed” the Henley and she is famous…among certain circles. She shouldn’t be surprised when she’s approached to steal back the world famous Cleopatra Emerald for its rightful owners. After all, who better to pull of the impossible theft of a cursed jewel that hasn’t been seen in public for thirty years than a team of teen-aged super thieves. They’ve done the impossible once already. It should be easy, right? Except just when Kat and her crew think they’ve pulled off the greatest heist since the Henley, everything blows up in her face. Now, if Kat wants to fix her mistake, she’ll have to convince her crew to pull off the impossible one more time.
If Heist Society was the intro to Kat and her world, Uncommon Criminals gets into the nitty gritty depths of the characters. This was a stunning follow-up to the first book and it also happened to be a blast to read. Ally Carter definitely delivers in this book. She’s not just continuing the story, but deepening our understanding of Kat and her friends. And she’s not afraid to get “real” with her characters either.
After reading Uncommon Criminals, I have to say that book one just scratched the surface of the characters. We get to see Kat slightly apprehensive in book one, but still determined and gung-ho. She doesn’t have the luxury of stopping to doubt herself for very long. In the second book, doubts abound. Of course, that’s typically what happens when you fall flat on your face (figuratively of course, not literally). We get to see her mess-up big time in this book–both on the professional and personal levels–and that’s nice. I like knowing that the characters I’m reading about aren’t perfect. After all, what better way to stretch a character than to make them face their own failure. Remember, perfect characters are boring characters.
Another highlight in this book for me was the growing relationship between Kat and Hale…or maybe I should say growing awkward relationship. They’re caught in that place where they’re more than friends, but they haven’t quite committed to crossing the line. (And yes, if you’re wondering, I did spend half the book yelling at them.) And we get to watch as Kat contemplates that cross and what it means. Aside from Kat, Hale does continue to be one of my favorite characters. My notes literally have a bullet point with just his name and an exclamation point. And I have no idea what I meant when Iwrote that…so I’m just gonna gcover my bases. Just like Kat struggles with her own issues, we get the impression (from what we can see through her eyes) that Hale is having to deal with his own. And surprise, surprise–they mainly involve her. Some of my favorite moments in this book are the moments between the two of them. In fact, my favorite part is centered around him and his perfect sense of timing. I cheered, just dropped the book and whooped and hollered (and that’s all I will say).
All of our favorite characters are back in this book, including more time with Uncle Eddie (sort of) and some quality time with Gabrielle. I find I like her a lot more in this book (she’s growing on me). She and Kat are less at odds. After all, there’s already enough conflict surrounding Kat with out escalating her rivalry with her cousin.
Just like with her Gallagher Girls series, this second book is nicely wrapped up at the end. Mostly. There’s enough loose ends to have something for a sequel, but were not left with anyone dangling off a cliff. All matters have been settled. I would have liked to have more revealed about what happened to her mom, but I’m assuming that that is going to develop into a greater plot point should the series continue (which it really should).
This is a good example of:
~Character development
~Shifts in POV
~Character flaws
~Character relationship
~Plot twists (it’s a big one)
This book is on my recommended reading list.
Heist Society #2: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Ages 12 and up
Kat is back. It’s been two months since she “robbed” the Henley and she is famous…among certain circles. She shouldn’t be surprised when she’s approached to steal back the world famous Cleopatra Emerald for its rightful owners. After all, who better to pull of the impossible theft of a cursed jewel that hasn’t been seen in public for thirty years than a team of teen-aged super thieves. They’ve done the impossible once already. It should be easy, right? Except just when Kat and her crew think they’ve pulled off the greatest heist since the Henley, everything blows up in her face. Now, if Kat wants to fix her mistake, she’ll have to convince her crew to pull off the impossible one more time.
If Heist Society was the intro to Kat and her world, Uncommon Criminals gets into the nitty gritty depths of the characters. This was a stunning follow-up to the first book and it also happened to be a blast to read. Ally Carter definitely delivers in this book. She’s not just continuing the story, but deepening our understanding of Kat and her friends. And she’s not afraid to get “real” with her characters either.
After reading Uncommon Criminals, I have to say that book one just scratched the surface of the characters. We get to see Kat slightly apprehensive in book one, but still determined and gung-ho. She doesn’t have the luxury of stopping to doubt herself for very long. In the second book, doubts abound. Of course, that’s typically what happens when you fall flat on your face (figuratively of course, not literally). We get to see her mess-up big time in this book–both on the professional and personal levels–and that’s nice. I like knowing that the characters I’m reading about aren’t perfect. After all, what better way to stretch a character than to make them face their own failure. Remember, perfect characters are boring characters.
Another highlight in this book for me was the growing relationship between Kat and Hale…or maybe I should say growing awkward relationship. They’re caught in that place where they’re more than friends, but they haven’t quite committed to crossing the line. (And yes, if you’re wondering, I did spend half the book yelling at them.) And we get to watch as Kat contemplates that cross and what it means. Aside from Kat, Hale does continue to be one of my favorite characters. My notes literally have a bullet point with just his name and an exclamation point. And I have no idea what I meant when Iwrote that…so I’m just gonna gcover my bases. Just like Kat struggles with her own issues, we get the impression (from what we can see through her eyes) that Hale is having to deal with his own. And surprise, surprise–they mainly involve her. Some of my favorite moments in this book are the moments between the two of them. In fact, my favorite part is centered around him and his perfect sense of timing. I cheered, just dropped the book and whooped and hollered (and that’s all I will say).
All of our favorite characters are back in this book, including more time with Uncle Eddie (sort of) and some quality time with Gabrielle. I find I like her a lot more in this book (she’s growing on me). She and Kat are less at odds. After all, there’s already enough conflict surrounding Kat with out escalating her rivalry with her cousin.
Just like with her Gallagher Girls series, this second book is nicely wrapped up at the end. Mostly. There’s enough loose ends to have something for a sequel, but were not left with anyone dangling off a cliff. All matters have been settled. I would have liked to have more revealed about what happened to her mom, but I’m assuming that that is going to develop into a greater plot point should the series continue (which it really should).
This is a good example of:
~Character development
~Shifts in POV
~Character flaws
~Character relationship
~Plot twists (it’s a big one)
This book is on my recommended reading list.
kp_khera's review against another edition
3.0
As with the first book, Ms. Carter takes the reader into a world filled with con artists and ancient Egyptian jewels that have been cursed because of their owners' doomed love stories.
Overall, an enjoyable read - one that like the first was hard to put down until you were done with it. I really liked the twist at the end, for Kat to
Definitely a good sequel to a great series! Off, to the next one :)
Overall, an enjoyable read - one that like the first was hard to put down until you were done with it. I really liked the twist at the end, for Kat to
Spoiler
pull it off. Because that wasn't expected at all *please ignore the sarcastic tone of this sentence trying to bleed all over your computer.Definitely a good sequel to a great series! Off, to the next one :)
beinglottiehardy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
4.0
I loved the second book possible even more than the first. Watching Kat work out what she wants and needs in life was so lovely. This book had twists and turns I didn't see coming and the ending really got me. I loved being back with the characters I love. Another fabulous book from Ally Carter.
jinny89's review against another edition
5.0
Uncommon Criminals is book two of the Heist Society series. And I loved it! Love love loved it. This is one of those kinds of books where once I sit down to read it, I don’t get up from my seat until I’m done. I think it is even better than the first book. I had kind of expected the second book to basically be about another heist Kat pulls with her crew, and while Kat of course, does pulls a heist or two, the plot is not as straightforward as it was in book one.
Katarina Bishop is not an ordinary fifteen year old kid. She is a master thief, a part of one of the world’s best criminal families who have turned grand larceny into an art form. Unlike her family though, Katarina is not stealing masterpiece artworks for herself though. Katarina acts like a modern day Robin Hood, returning lost or stolen artworks to their rightful owners. After the events of Heist Society, though, Katarina has been pulling more and more heists — alone. She attributes her desire to pull more heists to the high she gets from stealing. When she is approached by a vulnerable old woman who asks her to steal the largest emerald in the world, the Cleopatra Emerald, because it was stolen from her family, Kat agrees, despite Hale telling Kat not to. Reluctantly, he helps her with this heist, along with Kat’s cousin Gabrielle.
Kat’s feeling great after helping the old woman out but her feelings quickly do a one-eighty when she realizes she’s been conned. Despite verifying the woman’s story, it turns out that woman had fed Kat a cock and bull story and that she is the real thief. Embarrassed at first, Kat doesn’t know what to do, but with the help of Hale and her friends and family, Kat is determined to steal the world’s most un-steal-able emerald … again. As Kat plots and plans, she realizes her adversary, this old woman, is not who she appears to be. She’s possibly the greatest con artist in the world and perhaps an even better thief than Kat.
It’s another Ocean’s 11-esque plot, but I personally found this one much more exciting than the first heist in the first book, even if a little predictable. The story moved at a quick, brisk pace; it’s thrilling and exciting and I was kept at the edge of my seat, figuratively speaking. The heist(s) are still as large scale as ever (and most likely completely implausible, but hey, it’s fiction). I was fully immersed into the story, and I can’t wait for more books to come out.
I did say Kat and Hale’s relationship wasn’t exactly resolved at the end of Heist Society, and it isn’t resolved in Uncommon Criminals either, but it does move forward. A little bit, baby steps. Kat and Hale’s relationship is one of my favourite things about this series … okay, admittedly, this is mainly because I think I am in love with Hale (whose first name we still don’t know and he still won’t tell Kat and I have a feeling we may simply never know. I am most definitely attracted to his mysteriousness). Still, I really love how Kat and Hale’s relationship isn’t carelessly slapped together, and isn’t based on something as superificial as looks (though I still imagine Hale as super hot in my mind); there is care in constructing it. And they’ve got a good backstory too.
Now, with all that said and done, I do want to point out that while you can most certainly read Uncommon Criminals without first reading Heist Society, it’s definitely not something I’d recommend. Yes, you will understand the plot and figure out who’s who pretty easily, but I don’t think you will fully appreciate the characters’ relationships and motivations. For example — Kat and Hale’s relationship. Or why Kat wants to return stolen items rather than continue the “family business” of stealing for themselves. These are things you don’t need to understand book two, strictly speaking, but I think you will be robbing yourself of the full experience of the book.
So, if you haven’t read Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals yet, go grab yourself a copy now! And if you’ve already read Heist Society but not Uncommon Criminals … well, what are you waiting for?
(This review is x-posted at http://skyink.net).
Katarina Bishop is not an ordinary fifteen year old kid. She is a master thief, a part of one of the world’s best criminal families who have turned grand larceny into an art form. Unlike her family though, Katarina is not stealing masterpiece artworks for herself though. Katarina acts like a modern day Robin Hood, returning lost or stolen artworks to their rightful owners. After the events of Heist Society, though, Katarina has been pulling more and more heists — alone. She attributes her desire to pull more heists to the high she gets from stealing. When she is approached by a vulnerable old woman who asks her to steal the largest emerald in the world, the Cleopatra Emerald, because it was stolen from her family, Kat agrees, despite Hale telling Kat not to. Reluctantly, he helps her with this heist, along with Kat’s cousin Gabrielle.
Kat’s feeling great after helping the old woman out but her feelings quickly do a one-eighty when she realizes she’s been conned. Despite verifying the woman’s story, it turns out that woman had fed Kat a cock and bull story and that she is the real thief. Embarrassed at first, Kat doesn’t know what to do, but with the help of Hale and her friends and family, Kat is determined to steal the world’s most un-steal-able emerald … again. As Kat plots and plans, she realizes her adversary, this old woman, is not who she appears to be. She’s possibly the greatest con artist in the world and perhaps an even better thief than Kat.
It’s another Ocean’s 11-esque plot, but I personally found this one much more exciting than the first heist in the first book, even if a little predictable. The story moved at a quick, brisk pace; it’s thrilling and exciting and I was kept at the edge of my seat, figuratively speaking. The heist(s) are still as large scale as ever (and most likely completely implausible, but hey, it’s fiction). I was fully immersed into the story, and I can’t wait for more books to come out.
I did say Kat and Hale’s relationship wasn’t exactly resolved at the end of Heist Society, and it isn’t resolved in Uncommon Criminals either, but it does move forward. A little bit, baby steps. Kat and Hale’s relationship is one of my favourite things about this series … okay, admittedly, this is mainly because I think I am in love with Hale (whose first name we still don’t know and he still won’t tell Kat and I have a feeling we may simply never know. I am most definitely attracted to his mysteriousness). Still, I really love how Kat and Hale’s relationship isn’t carelessly slapped together, and isn’t based on something as superificial as looks (though I still imagine Hale as super hot in my mind); there is care in constructing it. And they’ve got a good backstory too.
Now, with all that said and done, I do want to point out that while you can most certainly read Uncommon Criminals without first reading Heist Society, it’s definitely not something I’d recommend. Yes, you will understand the plot and figure out who’s who pretty easily, but I don’t think you will fully appreciate the characters’ relationships and motivations. For example — Kat and Hale’s relationship. Or why Kat wants to return stolen items rather than continue the “family business” of stealing for themselves. These are things you don’t need to understand book two, strictly speaking, but I think you will be robbing yourself of the full experience of the book.
So, if you haven’t read Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals yet, go grab yourself a copy now! And if you’ve already read Heist Society but not Uncommon Criminals … well, what are you waiting for?
(This review is x-posted at http://skyink.net).