By Elisa Ludwig
First published: 10 June 2014 by Adaptive Studios
Read: 13-20 May 2014
Format: E-book
Book online: Goodreads | Amazon
Author online: Website | Twitter | Facebook
I received a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley
Description
The last place you’d expect to find a team of criminals is at a prestigious Philadelphia prep school. But on a class trip to the U.S. Mint—which prints a million new coins every 30 minutes—an overlooked security flaw becomes far too tempting for a small group of students to ignore. United by dire circumstances, these unlikely allies—the slacker, the nerd, the athlete, and the “perfect” student—band together to attempt the impossible: rob the U.S. Mint. This diverse crew is forced to confront their true beliefs about each other and themselves as they do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
Coin Heist is a dynamic young adult caper told from the revolving perspectives of four teens, each with their own motive for committing a crime that could change all of their lives for the better—that is, if they can pull it off. (NetGalley)
My thoughts
If you know me, you'll know that I can't resist a book or movie with the word "heist" in the title, so I was thrilled when I got a chance to read this story.
The book is centered around four main characters who all go to the same posh high school. We have Alice, the nerd; Jason, the slacker; Dakota, the princess; and Benny, the scholarship kid. When the principle, who is also Jason's father, gambles away the school's money, the school is in danger of closing. That is when our four unlikely allies come up with a plan to raise the money and save the school: hack into the U.S. Mint and print their own money.
This was a quick and fun read. Each chapter is told from one of the four students' perspective, so we get to know what each one is thinking. It soon becomes apparent that while they seem like the usual high school stereotypes on the outside, each of them have their own struggles to deal with that no one else knows about. I was a bit worried that the alternating perspectives would disrupt the pace of the story, but it flowed nicely. However I didn't think their different voices were very distinct, so a couple of times I got a little confused as to who was actually telling the story but not enough to throw me off track.
Personally I wish the heist itself had been more elaborate - I think the execution seemed a little too easy, and the resolution to everything was very convenient. But that's okay, because the story is more character-driven anyway. I liked all the main characters and felt sympathetic towards them, and I really enjoyed seeing how the relationships between them developed.
Bottom line: A fun and exciting heist story for fans of Ally Carter's Heist Society.
My rating:
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