Mundie Moms

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Book Review- Uncommon Criminals

Published by Disney Hyperion
Released on June 21st, 2011 TODAY
Source- Book from author & publisher for review
Purchase from: Amazon or Barnes & Noble
5 stars- I love this series

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.

I absolutely love this series. There's something about Ally's writing that completely hooks me and captures my attention from the moment I sit down to read her books. I get so caught up in the world travels, the excitement of the plot and of course the chemistry between Kat and Hale is AWESOME! I love the way Ally creates the right about amount of tension, and desire between the two of them. There's the little moments between them, and the scenes were the two of them are so close to each other makes me want to shove the two of them together and tell them to kiss already. I true adore these two characters and the history they have together.

Mixed in with the fabulous character chemistry is the enticing plot. The cons are greater and have much higher stakes in this fabulous, must have sequel to The Heist Society. I felt like I got to understand Kat more and her motivates for the things she does. I sympathized with her and I of course love the team that supports her with Hale, Gabrielle and the rest of her family, and I can't forget Nick. Like Hale, I still have my reservations about him, but there's a moment with Kat on the yacht when he says something to to her that made me like him even more. Even with Nick back for part of the story, I'm team Hale all the way.

I love both the story's plot and settings. The plot itself is full of some great twists, and this time it involves a little old well kept family secret. One of the things that I find fascinating with the story and the series, is the way in which Ally ties together classic art and it's history. She vividly describes the places Kat, Hale and team venture to around the world to find these pieces. It not only allows me picture each place, but I feel like I'm traveling with them without having to leave the comforts of my home.

This is one of my favorite series and I loved this sequel. It's a fun, fast paced, engaging read with adventure and the perfect kind of romance that leaves me wanting more. I highly recommend picking up Uncommon Criminals, which is out TODAY! It's a clean cut read that I'd recommend to readers 12 & up. If you haven't already, pick up The Heist Society, which is also named to the state of Texas's Lone Star Reading List for 2011.

You can also read Sophie's 5 star review for The Heist Society here.

Happy Release Day To:








































*Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
* Dead Rules by Randy Russell
* A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young
* Witches of the East End by Melissa de la Cruz

Twitter Tuesday - Saundra Mitchell

Great news from Saundra! She tweeted, yesterday, that she will be editing a YA anthology for HarperTeen with a release date scheduled in Summer 2013.

For all of us who are huge fans of her writing (links to our reviews of The Vespertine, Shadowed Summer), we can hardly wait to hear the list of authors. I can't believe that I'm already daydreaming about next summer.

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