Book Review: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Title: Uncommon Criminals

Author: Ally Carter
Series:  Heist Society, #2
Pages:  302
Publisher: Orchard Books
Date of Publication: 5th July, 2012
Source: Borrowed from library
Synopsis from Goodreads: 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 for this heist. This time, Kat's going to have to make up her own rules...

My Thoughts:
If you've been following my Twitter or blog for a while now you'll probably know that I flew through Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series last year and absolutely loved it. I got chatting on Twitter about Ally's other series, Heist Society, of which I had read only the first book a couple of years ago, and I decided it was time to catch up. I reread Heist Society at the beginning of the year, and so when Uncommon Criminals was finally available in my library, I read it as soon as I could.

I've been trying not to compare these to Gallagher Girls. In so many ways the two series are so similar, and you can tell that they are both Ally Carter books, but don't worry, you won't read one and then the other and just feel like you're reading the same stories just with different characters! Heist Society is about a group of super intelligent teenagers who steal things, Gallagher Girls is about a group of super intelligent teenagers who are spies. Big difference :P

I jest, I jest. Ally Carter's stories are just great fun to read, and I absolutely adore them. They're really great for winding down after a busy day at school and I look forward to getting home to read them. Kat and the gang of teenage thieves are so great together, and I loved seeing their interactions in this book, and I said in my review of the first book that none of them really stood out to me, but in Uncommon Criminals they really seemed like a family and it was great, and I now know all their names :P

As the book went on I found myself liking Kat more and more. I liked her cockiness and her determination, but then also it was good to see her more vulnerable side as she realised things had gone wrong. I could really relate to her and that was great. I also really loved reading about her developing relationship with Hale (surprise, surprise) and I could completely relate to her frustration with him. I won't say anymore to avoid spoilers but I loved it all the same.

I really liked the heist in Uncommon Criminals. I loved the legend and curses that are said to surround the Cleopatra Emerald and the effect that had on the characters. I liked the back story about Uncle Eddie and Charlie, and I'd like to find out more about them in later books. The plot itself was very fast paced and kept changing direction and it kept me guessing right until the end. I loved predicting how Kat and her friends were going to pull off the heist and I when I found out at the end it was not disappointing.

Overall I definitely recommend Uncommon Criminals as it's even better than Heist Society. I definitely recommend that you check out the series if you haven't already, especially if you're a fan of the Gallagher Girls! I can't wait to read more of Ally's book - I think I'll start with Double Crossed! They're silly, light-hearted and great fun to read - definitely books not to be missed!