Heist Society by Ally Carter

Booklist Description: "After a childhood spent assisting her father, one of the world’s most talented art thieves, Katarina Bishop tries to leave the family business behind when she forges her way into a New England boarding school. She quickly discovers, though, that her past is inescapable. Her father has been accused of stealing already stolen masterpieces from a dangerous Italian billionaire. Certain that her father is innocent, Kat resolves to find the missing paintings and return them to their unsavory owner, who has given her a two-week deadline. Carter, the author of the Gallagher Girls series, skillfully maintains suspense as Kat assembles a team of teen accomplices, travels across Europe, and plots an impossible art heist to save her dad. This is a thoroughly enjoyable, cinema-ready adventure, and the details of thieving tools and techniques, lavish settings, and cast of eccentric characters, including possible spies and love interests, all add texture and depth to the action."

My Review: I wasn't a fan of this book. It showed a LOT of promise. The plot was new and exciting; it was something that not a lot of YA novels (for girls, anyway) have done. It should have been thrilling and Dan Brown-esq. Instead, I was more bored than anything. Carter wrote in a very flat and emotionless tone, so much that even when action was happening, I only noticed about ten minutes later. I also didn't like the main character, Kat, at all. I felt no sympathy for her or empathy---or any emotions, really. She seemed flat and two-dimensional...so my feelings for her were flat as well. Many of the events that happened seemed irrelevant and strangely-misplaced in the book, so much that at times I found myself wondering, WHAT is going on? Why are they here, why are they doing this? (And believe me, I can keep up with quite a lot of difficult and boring books.) Carter also wrote about a lot of things that (regarding heists and robberies and con artists, etc), for some strange reason, she thought we would know beforehand, so she didn't explain them at all. The characters were all very flat as well, with the exception being Kat's cousin Gabrielle. There was also an awkward attempt at romance that made me cringe in horror, but I won't even delve too deeply into that. In short, I had very high expectations of Heist Society, and it had star potential---but to me, it fell flat. VERY flat.

Cover: The cover is really nice, I've got to admit. It really captures the essence of the book: girlish and teenager-y, yet action-y as well. It's sure to draw attention, and I enjoy the saucy little message in the sunglasses: one minute the painting is there, and the next...it's not.

Overall Grade: D-