YA Contemp Month: Heist Society

It's YA Contemp Month which means another YA Contemporary giveaway her on Points of Claire-ification.

But first, last week's winner...

*Trumpet fanfare*

Abby Stevens!

Congrats Abby!

Today's giveaway is Heist Society by Ally Carter.

I read this book over a year ago, so why did I decide to give it away now?

1. UNCOMMON CRIMINALS, the sequel to HEIST SOCIETY came out on Tuesday.
2. When people think contemporary, they often think average, daily life, but thrillers, horrors, crime, etc, are also contemporary.

From the GOODREADS summary:


When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her 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 her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster's art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned. 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.

This book is GOSSIP GIRL meets OCEAN'S 11. There's a high society vibe of inclusivity, plus the fast pace of the traditional heist story. The premise makes sense. Kat has given up the life, but then her Dad's in trouble.

I love the way the book is set out in days to go. It adds a certain urgency to the plot. I love the writing style. Carter has a hypothetical way of describing what's going on.

"He did not see the boys hold their breath as they waited to hear him say, "Well... alright."

"If you lived in 1921, and if you had more money than time, and if you were a woman, there were a few acceptable ways in which you were allowed to spend your time."

"Any other student might have flinched in that bright spot-light, but from the moment Katarina Bishop set foot on the Colgan campus, she'd been something of an enigma."

"The guards might have seen the boy throw his arm around the girl's neck and hold a camera out in front of them, snapping pictures. They might have noticed how the couple paced from one end of the waill to the next. They didn't, of course."

I loved this style. I thought it captured the vibe perfectly. By constantly showing what might have happened, you are constantly reminded that things could be different. And if they were different, it could be trouble for Kat and her crew.

The characters rock. This team could steal from you so stealthily you wouldn't even notice you're missing something. And with the exception of the butler- yes the butler, they're not even old enough to drink.

And then there's W.W. Hale the Fifth. The mysterious billionaire. Please catch me if I swoon.

DA RULEZ
To enter, answer in the comments: What's your favourite heist story? (I'm an Ocean's 11 girl myself.)
Contest is open internationally.
Contest closes at 11.59 pm EST on Wednesday, June 29.