Heist Society by Ally Carter ★★★☆☆

Cons and Capers

Fiction – YA - Mystery

Reading level: Ages 11 and up  Grade 6–10

287 pages

Publication Date:  February 9, 2010

Heist Society Book 1

Literary awards:  ALA Teens' Top Ten (2010), Goodreads Choice Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2010)

Kat Bishop’s longest con has just come down crashing around her ears after the intervention of friends from the life she was trying to leave behind.  Three months into her stay at Colgan Boarding she is accused of pulling a prank she had nothing to do with.  Expelled and forced to leave Colgan, Kat’s friend Hale – a sixteen-year-old billionaire play boy with too much time on his hand- brings Kat back into the family con business to save her father from a mob boss who is missing five prized art pieces.  With a two week deadline and a crew of talented teenagers Kat must pull off the biggest heist of her life.

I found the premise of this book very intriguing and the execution adequate.  The idea of a teen who finally escaped the “family con business” only to be pulled back in against her will to match wits against enemies that her elders wouldn’t even take on was very exciting.  (Okay I will admit here for all to see that I was predisposed to like this book.  I love me some cons and capers- The Thomas Crown Affair with the beautiful Pierce Brosnan, Oceans 11, The Italian Job, Leverage and the like.  Sure all of my examples are movies and TV shows but I think the genre can transfer nicely to either book or film form.)  Carter starts right in from the beginning with a very great intro for Kat and Hale, providing background and Kat’s motivation for going to Colgan School.  She then continues on by creating a fascinating world in which Kat’s friends and family are always looking for the next job.  Carter managed to keep me eager to find out what was happening next through the whole book (which is not always easy considering she is competing with two kids, a husband and all the things I need to get done on a daily basis to keep our household running smoothly as possible).

The writing, while not elegant, was readable and very easy to get through.  Carter cleverly uses the two week deadline to pace her chapters and add drama and suspense to the writing.  Carter was very good at getting the mood and feel of a place, but not quite as good at painting a word picture of the different locations.  I found her description a little too generic for my taste

This story starts out as Kat Bishop’s quest to find out who she is beyond her family, but this is only part of the whole story.  Kat’s quest brings her right back to where she started, and in doing so Kat finds a bigger purpose in helping right a decades old wrong.  I like how Carter used Gabrielle in comparison to Kat to show how different people can use very different approaches to achieve the same goal.  Sadly, the blossoming romance between Kat and Hale, while certainly a focal point in their relationship dynamic, felt very artificial.  I hope in the next book it will be a bit more seamless and flow better in the plot line.

ISBN  1423116399 (ISBN13: 9781423116394)

 

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine ★★★★☆

Fun and Whimsical

Fiction – Juvenile – High Fantasy

Reading Level: Age 8 and up  Grade 3 and up

240 pages

Publication Date: 1997

Enchanted #1

Literary awards:  Newbery Honor (1998), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Children's Literature (1999), Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (2000), Grand Canyon Reader Award for Teen Book (1999), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (1999) Iowa Teen Award (2000)

Cursed with the “gift” of obedience on the day of her birth by an interfering fairy, spunky Ella Varner refuses to be cowed by the orders of others.  When her beloved mother dies Ella begins a quest for freedom from her “gift”.  With the help of a magic book, her Fairy Godmother and her friend Prince Char, Ella can take on anything; even an absent Father, finishing school, Ogres and a horrible stepmother and nasty stepsisters.  Through it all Ella uses her sass and intelligence to carry her through the worst till she can get her happily-ever-after.

A fun, whimsical take on the Cinderella story, Levine breathes fresh life into the familiar characters, giving them depth and a new world to live in.  This breezy read takes us to the fanciful kingdom of Frell, where it is not unusual to fall prey to silver-tongued ogres or to attend a giant’s wedding.  Elves live among the trees, Gnomes can see into the future and Fairies in disguise show up for weddings and births.

Ella our heroine is a character worth admiring.  She is strong, competent and independent, all of the characteristics that attracts Prince Char to begin with (and even her self-centered absentee father can’t, help but admire her for it to).  Prince Char, future ruler of Frell, is tired of fawning courtiers and stuffy manners.  He finds Ella very refreshing and sees the value in her authenticity and intelligence. 

There is no love at first sight in this book – thank goodness.  Instead, Ella and Char have a very balanced relationship and I appreciate how in creating a strong character in Ella Levine doesn’t fall into the trap -that a lot of writers or TV shows do- of making Char weak or an object of ridicule who needs Ella to take care of him and save him from his own incompetence.  Their relationship is what it should be, filled with mutual respect and admiration, the forgiveness of each other faults and the willingness to put another’s need before your own.

While I’m usually not into the idea of happily-ever-after (yeah, I will resist the urge to go on an unrealistic expectations rant) Levine is a very gifted story teller and I look forward to when I can share Ella’s story with my girls.

ISBN  0590920685 (ISBN13: 9780590920681)

The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer★★★★☆

Go Big or Go Home!

Fiction –YA-Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Reading Level: Age 10 and up

328 pages

Publication Date: July 10, 2012

Artemis Fowl Book 8

Literary awards:  Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production Honor (2013)

Opal Koboi is back and Artemis Fowl and his allies must once again come together to fight off of the largest threat facing them yet.  Opal Koboi’s latest plot plunges the Lower Elements and the Human World into chaos, but that is only the beginning.  With the resurrected spirits of fairy warriors protecting her Opal has one night to unlock a key with the power to wipe out all humans on the surface of the earth.  Artemis must pair his cunning with Butler and Holly’s skill to stop Opal or die trying.  If they should lose the loss will be too great to imagine, but if they win at what sacrifice will it come from.

My first observation while reading this book were the chunks of time I lost, because I was so caught up in the story; always a good sign.  Second, was that the story launches right into the heart of things from the very beginning without a lot of needless build up ( this is not the book to read if you haven’t already invested in the series).  To the very end Colfer creates another imaginative plot line, saving his biggest story for the last.  He managed once again to expertly weave an action packed story that is easy to follow, with well-developed characters and humor.  Always attentive to details Colfer even invests in his secondary cast of characters taking them beyond the typical one dimensional characters you usually see in other books. I also love his use of the narrator and really enjoy all the extra info and tidbits the narrator provides. 

Colfer brings Artemis’ quest for change to a nice final resolution.  It was really interesting to see Artemis develop over the course of the books.  Usually main characters in series do not change much (i.e. Stephanie Plum Series) and that is what keeps the story moving forward.  But in this case Colfer allows Artemis to take full ownership of his humanity, moving him from selfish master criminal to someone willing to sacrifice for the good of others,  while not losing the characteristics that come together to make him Artemis Fowl; the intelligence, confidence, cool detachment and ability to keep his eye on the goal.

If I had to nitpick for something I didn’t like about the book it would be Foaly’s and the fairy situation underground.  I feel like I had a decent amount of investment into that situation without much of a payout. 

Over all I am a happy girl.  While this book wasn’t my favorite in the series (that honor goes to the Eternity Code) this book was still pretty great and a worthy ending to the series. 

P.S. With the wind up of this series I have decided to add them to my Chosen One’s List.

ISBN  1423161610 (ISBN13: 9781423161615)