Book Review ~ Heist Society

Heist Society (Heist Society #1)
By Ally Carter
Published by Hyperion Book

Summary: When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip 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 Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. 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 history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

My Thoughts: It's always a good sign when you finish a book,  in a series, and immediately want to read the next one. That's how I felt when I finished Heist Society (and I already have the 2nd one). This also surprised me as I don't usually read contemporary YA books, they usually have to have some element of fantasy or paranormal in them for me to enjoy them. 
The story was well paced and there were not many lulls that would make you want to put it down. The relationships between Kat and Hale as well as Kat and the rest of her "family" was well done without being over the top. The bad guy was suitably evil and Kat's interactions with him were believable in this setting. I also liked all the art history that is throughout the book.
The down side for me was Nick, he seemed like a throw away character that wasn't really needed in the overall scheme of things.


Rating: 4 (Off to read Uncommon Criminals)

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Blood Bound (Unbound #1)
By Rachel Vincent
Published By Mira
expected Release Date: August 23, 2011




Summary: By blood, by word, by magic…

Most can't touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.

Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

But when her friend's daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can't rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it's over…

**I've loved both series that I have read from this author and I'm looking forward to starting a new one.

Book Review ~ Dissolution

Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake #1)
By C.J. Sansom
Published by Pan

Summary: The year is 1537, and the country is divided between those faithful to the Catholic Church and those loyal to the king and the newly established Church of England. When a royal commissioner is brutally murdered in a monastery on the south coast of England, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's feared vicar general, summons fellow reformer Matthew Shardlake to lead the inquiry. Shardlake and his young protégé uncover evidence of sexual misconduct, embezzlement, and treason, and when two other murders are revealed, they must move quickly to prevent the killer from striking again.


My Thoughts: I've only started reading about Tudor England in the past year and then it hasn't been the normal books that everyone else has read.  Even without being completely familiar with this time period I still enjoyed this book. The author did an excellent job of creating a mystery, crime novel set in a recognizable historical setting.
I thought Matthew Shardlake's physical deformity added another dimension and really to this character. Rather than just being a straight laced everyday detective he was moody and difficult but at the same time had an understanding for those who would normally be overlooked. The rest of the characters really brought out the time period that this story takes place. From all the different personalities of the monks to the hatred of the townspeople and the King's people.
The only negative I had with this book was the ending. Not the guilty party but what became of them. It was too clean. This book had an almost gritty quality to it and would have been better left with the mystery of what happened to them rather than the sappy sweet ending they were given.


Rating: 4

Book Review ~ Another Faust

Another Faust
By Daniel Nayeri & Dina Nayeri
Published By Candlewick Press

Summary (Goodreads): On a single night, five children suddenly vanish from their homes in Paris, Glasgow, Rome, and London. Years later, five enigmatic teenagers make an impressive entrance at an exclusive New York holiday party with their strange but beautiful governess, Madame Vileroy. Rumor and intrigue follow the Faust children to the elite Manhattan Marlowe School, where their very presence brings unexplainable misfortune.

Using “gifts” given to them by Madame Vileroy, these mysterious teenagers rise to suspicious heights at Marlowe. Though at first their abilities seem almost childlike in their simplicity, they soon learn that their newfound talents for cheating, stealing, hiding, and lying are far more potent than they had ever imagined — and far more addictive.

Ignoring the side effects of pursuing their individual obsessions, bargaining with the very devil in their midst as they claw their way to the top, these five ambitious teens draw ever nearer to their goals . . . until two of them uncover a secret even more shocking than their own most unforgivable sins. Dialing up the ancient dilemma of indulgence versus redemption, this modern-day retelling of the Faustian bargain story, set in twenty-first-century Manhattan, provides a look into the cutthroat world of high-school competition that is both bitingly funny and scorchingly wicked.

My Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about this book. It wasn't horrible but it also wasn't great. I think my problem through most of the book was there were too many voices. Towards the end when it was mostly being told by Bice and Christian was when I was better able to get into it.  Six POVs were just distracting.

The overall story and "what ifs" was intriguing and ultimately what kept me reading. Trying to guess how far these teens were willing to go to get what they want and seeing if once they got it, if it was really what they wanted.

Rating: 3

Book Review ~ Two Moon Princess

Two Moon Princess
By Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban 
Published by Tanglewood Press

*received via netGalley for review

Summary: To Andrea, the life of a princess is not a dream; it's tedious and stifling. But the certainties of her life, both good and bad, are thrown into chaos when she accidentally travels to an alternative world, from a cave on a forbidden beach in her family's kingdom to the warm and carefree life of Southern California. Then a careless visit to the cave results in terrible consequences: a brewing war between kingdoms, her sister's love for the wrong man, Andrea's own conflicted feelings for an enemy leader, and dark family secrets exposed. Andrea needs to act to resolve problems which she helped to create, and she faces many difficult choices, torn between duty and desire on so many levels. Readers will enjoy the mix of traditional elements of the fantasy genre,with fresh ideas and a look at our culture through the eyes of a stranger.


My Thoughts: While an overall enjoyable read, there were many parts I found myself disliking. I felt it would have been better as a straight fantasy without the mini trip to California. Since most of the story takes place on Andrea's home planet, the drama between sisters, rival kingdoms, and not fitting into the role of the fourth princess, all could have been handled without it. 
I also found I didn't care for the most of the characters. Many had little if any redeeming qualities. From Andrea's mom, who we find out has less of an excuse than her father, to just about every guy in this book. While Andrea was the most in depth character there were times when even her actions made no sense. She flips between this strong, independent to at times whiny with physical outbursts that were out of character. 
I liked the overall feeling of the ending even though the forced banishment kind of took away from the romance of it. 


Rating: 3.5