Scan barcode
A review by eesh25
Heist Society by Ally Carter
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.