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gaynor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publishers for the e-arc of Medici Heist. I absolutely loved this book it is so well written. The characters are brilliantly written with all of their stories interconnected.
smolcap23's review
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Medici Heist is exactly what you’d expect from
the title, and so much more. A fun historical fiction heist in Florence, with compelling characters and even a few famous Renaissance figures along the way. It dragged a bit in the middle, but the payoff for character development was worth the wait. Definitely check this one out!
the title, and so much more. A fun historical fiction heist in Florence, with compelling characters and even a few famous Renaissance figures along the way. It dragged a bit in the middle, but the payoff for character development was worth the wait. Definitely check this one out!
sarahberry_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Before even reading the author’s background, The Medici Heist reminded me of a script. Finding out the author is a screenwriter makes so much sense.
Medici Heist is about a group of dubiously talented individuals who gather together to eat the rich. They each have secret motivations for wanting the Medici family to suffer, but these hidden agendas cause issues for the overall heist.
This felt like a script because of how lifeless it read. There’s info dumping galore: historical info, heist plans, and character backstories. I kept waiting for life and personality to shine through, but I was disappointed.
There are four or five main characters, but I couldn’t distinguish them. The two girls specifically, Rose and Sarra, are the same sassy sharp women who don’t fit into traditional feminine roles, which is all well and good, but there needs to be personality beyond that. The two boys, Khalid and Giacomo, fit neatly into the grumpy and sunshine roles, but I didn’t care for either one. By the time the sad backstories for all four of our characters were revealed, it didn’t have much impact, despite being objectively awful. It’s a bad sign when the characters can pull no emotional response halfway through a book.
There are good building blocks here. The combination of Historical Fiction and a heist is something I can get behind. But it’s so boring. This book would have been fantastic if the plot, background, or characters had depth or personality. Unfortunately, this reads like a rough draft.
CW: death of parents, homophobia, some violence and gore
Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan’s Children’s Publishing Books (Feiwel and Friends) for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Medici Heist is about a group of dubiously talented individuals who gather together to eat the rich. They each have secret motivations for wanting the Medici family to suffer, but these hidden agendas cause issues for the overall heist.
This felt like a script because of how lifeless it read. There’s info dumping galore: historical info, heist plans, and character backstories. I kept waiting for life and personality to shine through, but I was disappointed.
There are four or five main characters, but I couldn’t distinguish them. The two girls specifically, Rose and Sarra, are the same sassy sharp women who don’t fit into traditional feminine roles, which is all well and good, but there needs to be personality beyond that. The two boys, Khalid and Giacomo, fit neatly into the grumpy and sunshine roles, but I didn’t care for either one. By the time the sad backstories for all four of our characters were revealed, it didn’t have much impact, despite being objectively awful. It’s a bad sign when the characters can pull no emotional response halfway through a book.
There are good building blocks here. The combination of Historical Fiction and a heist is something I can get behind. But it’s so boring. This book would have been fantastic if the plot, background, or characters had depth or personality. Unfortunately, this reads like a rough draft.
CW: death of parents, homophobia, some violence and gore
Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan’s Children’s Publishing Books (Feiwel and Friends) for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
drkappitan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I received early access to this book through NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review (which is very late, but better late than never!).
I genuinely enjoyed this read, which is (as the title implies) a heist caper set in Renaissance Italy--just far enough from historical reality that even a medievalist can enjoy it. The protagonists were engaging, and the variety of their backgrounds allowed for fun banter between them even as it added emotional depth. I also quite liked that the main characters' youth (all are in their late teens and early twenties) came through in their reactions without veering into the still realistic but aggravating illogic that so often drives young adult narratives. The author played key parts of the plan a little too close to the chest for me, but better that than giving it all away too soon!
Given the situations involving violence and arson, I would recommend this for older teens and up.
I genuinely enjoyed this read, which is (as the title implies) a heist caper set in Renaissance Italy--just far enough from historical reality that even a medievalist can enjoy it. The protagonists were engaging, and the variety of their backgrounds allowed for fun banter between them even as it added emotional depth. I also quite liked that the main characters' youth (all are in their late teens and early twenties) came through in their reactions without veering into the still realistic but aggravating illogic that so often drives young adult narratives. The author played key parts of the plan a little too close to the chest for me, but better that than giving it all away too soon!
Given the situations involving violence and arson, I would recommend this for older teens and up.
losingnatashainbooks's review
3.0
Thank you NetGalley for the copy for my honest review.
I was extremely excited to read this ARC addition of the 'Medici Heist' as I'm quite obsessed with the Medici family, history and tales.
However I only made it to around 20-30% of the book before I decided it was going to be a book I wouldn't finish.
I didn't find the story gripping or captivating. I was very bored in all honesty. I'm putting it down to maybe it just wasn't the read for me. A couple characters were interesting but nothing special.
Merged review:
Thank you NetGalley for the copy for my honest review.
I was extremely excited to read this ARC addition of the 'Medici Heist' as I'm quite obsessed with the Medici family, history and tales.
However I only made it to around 20-30% of the book before I decided it was going to be a book I wouldn't finish.
I didn't find the story gripping or captivating. I was very bored in all honesty. I'm putting it down to maybe it just wasn't the read for me. A couple characters were interesting but nothing special.
I was extremely excited to read this ARC addition of the 'Medici Heist' as I'm quite obsessed with the Medici family, history and tales.
However I only made it to around 20-30% of the book before I decided it was going to be a book I wouldn't finish.
I didn't find the story gripping or captivating. I was very bored in all honesty. I'm putting it down to maybe it just wasn't the read for me. A couple characters were interesting but nothing special.
Merged review:
Thank you NetGalley for the copy for my honest review.
I was extremely excited to read this ARC addition of the 'Medici Heist' as I'm quite obsessed with the Medici family, history and tales.
However I only made it to around 20-30% of the book before I decided it was going to be a book I wouldn't finish.
I didn't find the story gripping or captivating. I was very bored in all honesty. I'm putting it down to maybe it just wasn't the read for me. A couple characters were interesting but nothing special.
bmyurs's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Thanks to NetGalley and McMillian Children's for an ACR copy of this book.
Overall - 2 stars. Gosh this book had so much potential. It's essentially a historical version of Ocean's 11, so I had really high hopes. It took me a long time to get into the book- there were a lot of characters and constant changes in POV, which made it hard to sort out who was who. This is written for a youth audience, and it definitely hit that mark with it's tone, dialogue, and plot line. I just kept forcing myself to keep reading on thinking things would all of a sudden come together and the plot would sudden get better, but it never did.
Overall - 2 stars. Gosh this book had so much potential. It's essentially a historical version of Ocean's 11, so I had really high hopes. It took me a long time to get into the book- there were a lot of characters and constant changes in POV, which made it hard to sort out who was who. This is written for a youth audience, and it definitely hit that mark with it's tone, dialogue, and plot line. I just kept forcing myself to keep reading on thinking things would all of a sudden come together and the plot would sudden get better, but it never did.
sonalikohli's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
wiltshire64's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wanderingmeek's review
Was an ARC that kept failing to grab my attention. Will try again once released