Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Heist Society (from Goodreads):
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

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: Favourite Author
Series: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
# of Books: 3 (Heist Society, Uncommon Criminals, Perfect Scoundrels)

There is a novella that is a cross-over with the Gallagher Girl series that takes place before Perfect Scoundrels

Book Order: Chronological (but they could be read in any order)
Complete?: Technically YES, but Carter has expressed interest in writing more in the future
Genre: Young Adult, Drama, Suspense, Action, Romance
Heat Rating: cool
Point of View: Third Person, Multiple
Publication Dates: February 2010 – November 2016
Source & Format: Public Library–Hardcover

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I love stories that feature intricate plots that build to a bigger picture. Most of the time, you see it in movies like Ocean’s Eleven or the Italian Job so I was excited to come across it in a Young Adult novel and that was why I decided to pick up Heist Society. (FYI: Heist Society has been optioned for a film which would be really awesome!)

My Review:

I wasn’t disappointed in Heist Society. I will admit I was a little thrown with the third person narration (most of the time young adult novels are first person) and it did confuse me at times, but there really isn’t another way to do this type of story. It has a brilliant setup and execution and I enjoyed reading it very much.

I was let down by Uncommon Criminals. It just wasn’t as exciting as Heist Society and I went in with high expectations considering it had nearly been 2 years and I really enjoyed Heist Society. It was good, but not as good as I was hoping.

Because I didn’t like Uncommon Criminals as much, I lowered my expectations for Perfect Scoundrels and I think that worked in my favour. I enjoyed Perfect Scoundrels a lot more than Uncommon Criminals and I think it’s because there was a bit more character development.

When I was reading Ally Carter’s FAQ on her website, she stated that part of her goal in creating this series was to write a series that has books that can be read in any order (ie has no overarching plot for the entire series). Which is why all of these books can be read independently. While I can understand the goal, I feel like these books lack character development because of this and that harms the series at times. Perfect Scoundrels reveals a bit more about the characters and I hope to see that more in future books (if they get published).

If Perfect Scoundrels was the last book, I think I would be happy with how the series ends but I’m looking forward to reading more about Kat and co. in the future.

Series Rating: 4/5

Heist Society 4/5 | Uncommon Criminals 3/5 | Perfect Scoundrels 4/5

If you are looking for a strong female lead who kicks some serious butt, this is a great series for young adults. It features a great cast of characters, unpredictable twists and crazy hijinks. Overall, very enjoyable for young adult fans and Ally Carter fans!

Read if You Like: heist novels, love suspense, like con artists
Avoid if You: want more character focused stories, want more romance

• I’d Love to Tell You, But Then I Would Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (The Gallagher Girl Series #1)
• The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall (The Conspiracy of Us Series #1)

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