Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Uncommon Criminals

Author: Ally Carter [also wrote: Only the Good Spy Young]

Pages [hardcover]: 298

Heist Society #2
Book 1: Heist Society

Memorable Quote: “I for one like chaos. Chaos looks good on me.”

Favorite Characters: Kat & Hale

Summary:

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.

Review:

 I’ve always had a thing for thieves, and a great love of all things-books, movies, shows-centered around heists. As a result, this series is the ultimate addiction for me. I couldn’t put this book down; not only because I wanted to see how the plan would fall into place, but because there was another plot twist around every corner that kept me flipping the pages and holding my breath with anticipation.

I love how Kat is forced to deal with her own problems in this sequel. She’s been trying to do a more heroic form of stealing, taking only what was wrongfully taken from an owner in the first place. She’s been going on more and more dangerous jobs, all on her own, with no backup. While she’s a strong, independent teen who won’t listen to anyone’s advice and attempts to struggle through things on her own, she also has a group of great friends that try to give him some perspective.

Speaking of her friends, I like how each of them is characterized perfectly and given their own personality and set of flaws. They stay true to themselves, even if it nearly botches an operation or makes everyone else hate them momentarily.

I could also picture everything perfectly as it was happening, which was awesome. I could see Kat trying to work out how to get the emerald. I could see her moving through every step of the plan, trying to get everything to work perfectly.

I give Uncommon Criminals 5/5 stars. It is a great book that I will reread over and over again. I can’t wait for the next installment of this series! I just hope it will be as fantastic as the first two.