Review: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Book: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Series: Heist Society #2
Previous Books In Series: Heist Society
Pages: 298
Genre: Young Adult / Adventure
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository
Available Formats: Hardcover / Ebook
Publication Date: June 21st, 2011
How Did I Get This Book:  From Publisher, For Review
Description: Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long — and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is . . . the emerald is cursed.
Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend — the gorgeous Hale — and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.
Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter is exactly what we always hope sequels will be - even better than the original. While I enjoyed the series opener, Heist Society, I feel like Carter really stepped up her game with this followup effort.

The biggest change is that Carter spends a lot more time investigating and fleshing out the characters in Uncommon Criminals. Kat and Hale in particular are both marvelously fleshed out - we get a better handle on who they are and what their motivations and feeling are. Which of course, makes it easier to relate to them. I felt like Heist Society was missing that emotional connection to the characters and Carter remedies the situation in Uncommon Criminals.

The basics of the plot remain true to form; we follow around a group of (basically) unchaperoned teenagers as they glamorously make a living as high class thieves. That being said, the story is different enough that it keeps you guessing until the last page. There are certainly plenty of plot twists and a-ha moments to be had.

The writing style is also similar and so is the tone of the book. It's sleek, fast paced and incredibly polished. It's almost like a shine has been added on top of everything; making it irresistibly glossy. I hope that makes sense to you - honestly, it does in my head.

Carter does a fabulous job with all of the characters. She creates a dynamic cast in which each character makes an impression. Well, with the exception of the brothers Hamish and Angus, they kind of blend into one character.

Uncommon Criminals is a decidedly adventurous and exciting book that will leave readers with a smile on their faces. There is nothing particularly ground breaking about this sting operation story, but it is plenty of fun. The characters are both memorable and entertaining, the settings are lavish and beautifully described and the plot line is loaded with exciting twists and turns. I would, without a doubt, say that Uncommon Criminals is even better than it's predecessor. Carter was able to use the foundation she created in Heist Society as a spring board to create a truly great book with Uncommon Criminals.

 

 Favorite Quotes

"Hale gripped her hand and pulled her onto a familiar stoop, under the shallow overhang of the roof above. She shivered, the wooden door at her back, while Hale leaned closer, sheltering her, searching her eyes."

"I mean it's what you do now, isn't it? Travel the world, righting wrongs. A one-woman recovery crew."

"The man is ten pounds of kooky in a five-pound sack."

"Hale shrugged. "I for one like chaos. Chaos looks good on me."

"What are you looking at?" Hale asked. "Why are you smiling? I worry when you smile."

"Kat hadn't meant to yell it, but she wasn't exactly sorry she did. The words had been there, throbbing like a pulse for weeks. She felt lighter without them - one more thing she didn't have to carry."

"It was just as well, Kat realized; she'd never considered herself the kind of girl who wanted to be rescued."

"As soon as he touched her, Kat knew there was no such thing as curses. People make and break their own fortunes - they are the masters of their own fate. And right then, Kat wouldn't have changed anything."

Review: Heist Society by Ally Carter

Book: Heist Society by Ally Carter
Series: Heist Society #1
Pages: 287
Genre: Young Adult / Adventure
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository
Available Formats: Hardcover / Paperback / Ebook / Audio 
Publication Date: February 9th, 2010
How Did I Get This Book: Purchased
First Sentence: "No one knew for certain when the trouble started at the Colgan School."
Preview Book: Preview at Amazon
Description: When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected. Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster's art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.
For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s (very crooked) history—and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

Heist Society by Ally Carter had some elements that I completely adored and some that could have done without. I am sucker for Heist movies, so admittedly, I was instantly drawn to the storyline. The book centers around Katarina (Kat) and her unlikely teenage "heist society".

Kat is an intriguing character, but I felt like something was missing from her narrative. While Carter constantly reminds us that Kat is a reluctant thief with a heart (reminiscent of Robin Hood), I had a difficult time connecting with her. I liked Kat as a character, but I did not really get into her character. The same goes for the rest of the cast of high class teenage miscreants. I found them all fascinating, but I did not feel anything in regards to them. Out of them all, I had the most stock in Hale - Kat's gorgeous best friend and right hand man. Hale was a charming addition to the group and he always was there for Kat. I just wish that Carter would have rounded out the characters a bit more. We are given the opportunity to view the story from most of the teens perspectives, but we don't ever really glimpse what they are feeling, or what there motivations are.

The storyline and tone of Heist Society are both, in a word - polished. Everything has a sort of shine to it, the characters are all smooth talking and beautiful; their actions and plans are always elaborate and elegant. I know these comparisons have been made over and over, but I cannot help myself. Heist Society was very much a teenage version of Oceans Eleven, The Italian Job, Mission Impossible or even,  Sneakers. If you enjoy these sort of storylines - ones that involve elaborate, well planned heists pulled off by a likable, charismatic cast of characters, you will most likely enjoy Heist Society.

Heist Society by Ally Carter was certainly a great deal of fun and I look forward to reading about more of Kat's adventures. It was a lighthearted story, with lots of polish and glamor that is sure to dazzle. Carter created a good foundation for upcoming books and my only hope is that we are given more of a chance to connect with the characters. Like I said before, I enjoyed all of the characters, I just want to learn more about them. Heist Society was an exciting read that is sure to entertain readers.

Favorite Quotes

"As she watched her father sip hot coffee and sneak smiles at her over the top of the cup, she knew that, strictly speaking, no thief is ever supposed to love anything as much as she loved him."

"Excuse me, miss," Marcus said a  moment later. "The gentlemen would like to know if" - he cleared his throat - "that boom was as bloody brilliant as they thought it was."

"But Hale was still moving, shrinking the distance between them. He seemed impossibly close as he whispered, "And I didn't choose it, Kat. I chose you."

"As offices went, sadly, Simon had seen worse. The bathroom stall was larger thanthe closet he'd been locked inside in Istanbul. The toilet was far more comfortable than the tree stump he'd been forced to use as a desk in Buenos Aires. He sat perfectly still, waiting for his laptop to start up, and as he looked down at the video image of Gregory Wainwright asleep in his office, Simon had to smile and think that he had been in far worse situations indeed."

"Sir," one of the guards said softly, stepping closer. Kat savored the irony as he whispered, "They're just kids."