Heist Society by Ally Carter

Title: Heist Society (Heist Society #1)
Author: Ally Carter
Genre: Contemporary, Crime, Young Adult
Publisher:  Orchard (1st September 2011)
Blurb:

Kat’s got a deadline – two weeks to pull off the biggest heist in history . . .

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre . . . to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her uncle travelled to Austria . . . to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she conned her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. But now her dad’s life is on the line, and Kat must go back to the world she tried so hard to escape . . .

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Review:

Heist Society is the first book in Ally Carter’s new series of the same name. It tells the story of Kat, a girl born into a world of crime who doesn’t see things in quite the same way as the rest of her family.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There were times where I found myself smiling as I was reading for no particular reason, other than the fact I was really enjoying the world and characters of Heist Society. For me there was just something incredibly likeable about the world and the characters – particularly Kat and Hale. I also love the pace of the book; Carter created just the right pace, so there was enough tension that I kept turning the page but at the same time it didn’t detract from the plot.

The plot of the book is pretty simple, but you know what I think that’s why it works. When we first meet her Kat has escaped for the world of her family and is a member of an elite boarding school. But things don’t stay the way Kat wants them, and it’s really interesting to watch as she meets the challenges that find her. Kat is a really strong, admirable character. I have to say that one of the things I really liked about her was the way she fitted in with her friends – who are almost all boys – and how she just sees herself as one of them. I also liked the contrast between Kat and her cousin in their contrasting attitudes about what it is to be female.

Heist Society is definitely one of my favourite reads so far, and I highly recommend it. It is a great, light read which would be perfect on the beach or on a park on a nice sunny day.