Elisa Ludwig

READ IN ENGLISH

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

After their prestigious prep-school is about to close after mismanagement and fraud, an 'unlikely' bunch of teenagers work out a plan to steal some coins from the Mint. They make it look easy. If the security in places where they make coins really is so bad, I wonder if they shouldn't get robbed every day...

This book uses four different POVs (one for everyone in the team) and sometimes it was just confusing, and I had to return to the start of the chapter to see which POV I was reading at that time. There just wasn't enough differentiation between the characters, which is very important if you decide to use multiple POVs.

The four kids actually don't really know each other, except they go to the same school, but they share no friends, still even before they team up they are continually mentioning each other. (It's almost as if they knew what was going to happen :P ) The story is very slow in the beginning, it takes quite some time for the planning to actually start (and as this book is called Coin Heist, it's no surprise what the plan is going to be.

Like I said, everything is too easy for them. I mean, how lucky they were to know someone who can make some good fake IDs. How lucky they are they've got a lot of money to spend on this operation... It makes the book loose credibility, or at least, makes me loose my interest. The ending was weak, but ties all the loose ends together, although sometimes a bit forced. It was quick read, but if you -like me- don't like it when the characters have a really easy time doing whatever they plan to do, then this book isn't for you...… (más)

Willa Fox is the new girl in town and is going to Valley Prep, the school for rich kids (how could it not be, with a name like that?). Willa’s mom has recently made a really, really really good sale on her art (do painters actually make money?), so Willa is now one of the rich kids, too. She notices that the scholarship kids are treated like dirt, decides someone should do something about the social injustice, and goes about stealing from her so-called friends, the “Glitterati,” and giving to the scholarship kids. Of course, the moral complexities start to get…pretty complicated. She meets a rich boy named Aiden who has a different way of rebelling against the social order. She starts lying to her mom, and realizing her mom might be keeping a few secrets of her own. The drama!

I really liked this story, but it’s not for everyone. It’s very formulaic with few surprises if you have any experience in this genre, but the formula is well-done and entertaining. Willa has really good intentions, which makes her sympathetic even when she makes foolish choices. She can be a little annoying though, so again, maybe not for everyone. But, if you're going to only read one book with this kind of plot, this is a pretty good choice.

The characters are intriguing and layered. Willa, and therefore the reader, gets certain first impressions from all of them, but then through the story they all get layers (like onions), which I appreciated. Aiden, the Glitterati, the scholarship kids, etc, are not completely as they appear, and are fleshed out really well. I look forward to more of these characters in future books.

Pretty Crooked is the beginning of a series, so I was pleased to see that there’s a good full story arc with Willa, while still leaving a few loose ends that makes me want to continue reading. I’m especially curious about what’s going on with her mom.

(also posted at my blog, bahnree.blogspot.com)… (más)

Willa Fox is the new girl in town and is going to Valley Prep, the school for rich kids (how could it not be, with a name like that?). Willa’s mom has recently made a really, really really good sale on her art (do painters actually make money?), so Willa is now one of the rich kids, too. She notices that the scholarship kids are treated like dirt, decides someone should do something about the social injustice, and goes about stealing from her so-called friends, the “Glitterati,” and giving to the scholarship kids. Of course, the moral complexities start to get…pretty complicated. She meets a rich boy named Aiden who has a different way of rebelling against the social order. She starts lying to her mom, and realizing her mom might be keeping a few secrets of her own. The drama!

I really liked this story, but it’s not for everyone. It’s very formulaic with few surprises if you have any experience in this genre, but the formula is well-done and entertaining. Willa has really good intentions, which makes her sympathetic even when she makes foolish choices. She can be a little annoying though, so again, maybe not for everyone. But, if you're going to only read one book with this kind of plot, this is a pretty good choice.

The characters are intriguing and layered. Willa, and therefore the reader, gets certain first impressions from all of them, but then through the story they all get layers (like onions), which I appreciated. Aiden, the Glitterati, the scholarship kids, etc, are not completely as they appear, and are fleshed out really well. I look forward to more of these characters in future books.

Pretty Crooked is the beginning of a series, so I was pleased to see that there’s a good full story arc with Willa, while still leaving a few loose ends that makes me want to continue reading. I’m especially curious about what’s going on with her mom.

(also posted at my blog, bahnree.blogspot.com)… (más)