Heist Society Series – Ally Carter

Back of the Book: (Goodreads)

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip 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 Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Kat’s dad needs her help.
For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

My Review:

I found the recommendation for this book on one of my favourite blogs that I like to catch up with whenever I’m looking out for something new. This is a series of three books and I finished the whole series in about three weeks. There is also a crossover story with another popular series (Gallagher Girls) written by the same author which I immediately downloaded onto my Kindle. J So you can clearly see that I’m going to give it a good review. J

When it began, I honestly thought the story would revolve around Kat in a school. I don’t know why I thought this. But I’m glad it didn’t. My favourite part about this series is how the author Ally Carter has put a bunch of really colourful characters as Kat’s heist gang. Each one is different from the rest and each one is more interesting than the next. After Kat, Hale is certainly my next favourite. He’s one smooth talker and he’s always there for Kat no matter what. I especially like how the central characters have been developed throughout the series.

The heists are extremely fun to read and very fast paced. I love how Ally has put in a lot of thought and planned out the heists in each of the books. Fair warning: Some of the heist scenes were jaw-dropping. (I love it when a book surprises me. It’s like saying “No way!” to the book and it replies “Way!” in terms of its story). :P I would totally be the first in line to buy tickets if they made a movie out of this series!

I’d definitely recommend the Heist Society series to anyone who’s looking for a fast paced and clever young adult story with an interesting plotline.

As mentioned before, Ally Carter has also written another popular series called the Gallagher Girls. I have already bought the first two books in the series and am super eager to read them. J  I may be a tad late in joining the Ally Carter fan base but I'm totally enjoying the ride there one series at a time! Needless to say, I'm a fan already. :)

More later,

The Perennial Reader. J

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

Back of the Book: (Source: Goodreads)

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My Review:

A book about fan fiction. Now who would have thought about that? Well we don’t really need to look further. We have Rainbow Rowell to thank for. In her novel, Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell manages to write a beautiful tale weaving two worlds: real and fictional, in a fascinating manner.

What I like most about the characters in this book is that they’re all different and flawed in their own ways. They make mistakes and they learn from it. They all have quirks and Rainbow Rowell describes them in a very personal, “I know you well” manner which is a style I haven’t come across before. I thoroughly enjoyed it of course! J I also loved the fictional characters Simon and Baz.  

The story as I mentioned before is very unique and I love how Cath is so enamoured by a fictional world. We have all been there in some phase of our lives as a reader (Harry Potter for me) and it was great to read about a girl who not only understands it but lives it as well. J The interwoven stories from Cath’s fanfiction is also great fun to read.

The conversation is gripping and makes you want to read what happens next in the various relationships described. This book is not just about a romance between two people. It is about family, love, friends and an undying love for fiction.

This is my second Rainbow Rowell book and I’m already a fan. I intend to read more by this author.

Until then,

Carrying on :P

The Perennial Reader. J

Royal Wedding - Meg Cabot

Back of the Book (Goodreads)

For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community center, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. And speaking of engagements. Mia's gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael managed to clear both their schedules just long enough for an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island interlude where he popped the question! Of course Mia didn't need to consult her diary to know that her answer was a royal oui.

But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother's leaked "fake" wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia's father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch. Can Mia prove to everyone—especially herself—that she's not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well?

My Review J

Ah the long awaited read! The reunion with one of my favourite series ever! Meeting Mia and Michael all over again! This book is all that and so much more!

I have been a Princess Diaries fan since I was a teenager. One of my favourite parts of the series is that Mia and I grew up together. It makes her so relatable. J

The first thing I noticed when I was reading the Royal Wedding was the feeling of being home again. I couldn’t help smiling my way through the entire book journeying through another super important part of Mia’s life. 

We start off about eight years after the tenth book. Mia is running a community center helping teenagers out and Michael is heading a successful medical robotics firm. We get to meet the old gang comprising Lilly, Tina, Grandmere, and Lars as well. It’s like a reunion with your favourite characters! All that is needed is your favourite reading spot, a big bag of chips and the book!

There are so many lovely moments in this book that make you want to give it a book hug (Michael has a lot to do with these moments :D). The characters are as colourful and humourous as ever. 

Princess Diaries Fans will love this book and it will join the reread list for sure! This series is, of course, on my recommendation list to those who haven't read it already. 

I am now looking forward to Meg Cabot’s next instalment in The Boy Series. Let the next wait begin! J

Until then,

The Perennial Reader :)

The Rereader: Twenties Girl – Sophie Kinsella

Every reader has a select group of books and authors that they have on their reread lists. Those books that you feel like visiting again because you love the story so much or that the characters are so lovable or simply because it takes you back to a time in your life that you really liked. So I thought I’d come up with a new section on my blog for my reread list: The Rereader!

As mentioned in my previous post, Sophie Kinsella ranks super high on my reread list. The charm of Twenties Girl pulled me to reread it for the …um…I’ve lost count of the count. :P

Sophie Kinsella is also holding The Great Sophie Kinsella Summer Readalong. I think it’s a perfect time I chose to reread Twenties Girl. Although if you ask me, any time is a good time for a Sophie Kinsella novel. J

Back of the Book (Source: Sophie Kinsella’s Website)

“Lara has always had an overactive imagination. Now she wonders if she is losing her mind. Normal twenty-something girls just don’t get visited by ghosts! But inexplicably, the spirit of Lara’s great aunt Sadie – in the form of a bold, demanding Charleston-dancing girl – has appeared to make one last request: Lara must track down a missing necklace Sadie simply can’t rest without.

Lara’s got enough problems of her own. Her start-up company is floundering, her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, and she’s just been dumped by the love of her life.

But as Lara spends time with Sadie, life becomes more glamorous and their treasure hunt turns into something intriguing and romantic. Could Sadie’s ghost be the answer to Lara’s problems and can two girls from different times end up learning something special from each other?”

The Review Part:

I thought the best book to start off a new feature on my blog should be by one of my favourite authors. That would be the ever amazing and witty Sophie Kinsella’s Twenties Girl. Sophie always comes up with brilliant, unique plots with hilarious conversations and lovely characters in every novel.

I read this book a while back and just reread it again for the joy of it (I’m pretty sure you have done it too, with your favourite books J). It starts off with the main protagonist, Lara Lington attending her great-aunt’s funeral along with the rest of her family. Little does she know that she is going to have the company of her great aunt in ghost form throughout the book. (Much to our delight)

My favourite character, Sadie, the great-aunt is a joy to read about. Her only request from Lara is to find a dragonfly necklace. That takes Lara on a wild chase and she joyfully takes us along with us. One of the great things about this book is that it shows us glimpses of clothes, dancing, music and how life was in the 1920s.

Romance-wise, this book has some wonderful moments and I personally found the conversation hilarious. It definitely has some butterfly-in-stomach inducing pages. J

If you are looking for an amazing romance and haven’t read this one yet, you should go for it! If you have read it already, it’s always a fun reread! J

Much more later,

The Perennial Reader J