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Heist Royale by Kayvion Lewis
3.0
adventurous funny tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Penguin Young Readers Group/Nancy Paulson Books for providing me with an egalley of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I enjoyed Thieves' Gambit a lot. It was a fun filled, action packed, story. Of course I wanted to see what the next adventure brought so I dove into this one. And I'm happy to say it was just as fun.
The first book definitely left you feeling there could be more, or it could have been done. So I'm glad the author decided to do another book. 
This one was filled with action, adventure, unbelievable stunts, and a bit of romance (which started in the first book but never really blossomed). 
We get a return of the old characters from the first book: Ross, Noelia, Deveroe, and others. But we are also introduced to a few new characters, which I enjoyed. 
The story reminded me of Marie Lu's Stars and Smoke series. And  if you like John Wick or James Bond, you'll definitely get those vibes here with the heists and shenanigans the characters are able to pull off. Reading this felt like a movie playing out in my head. But it's geared towards the younger YA crowd, in my opinion.
The plot is similar to the first book, but the stakes are set a bit higher with this one. I liked the twistiness of the story but I will say the ending felt a bit rushed to me. The writing is good but not fabulous. I had a hard time with some of the transitions the author made. I had to flip back a few pages to understand who was talking, what they were talking about, and why. Sometimes it felt like conversations were completely cut off other times it felt like the conversation switched gears in the middle or picked up on something I didn't even know was being discussed.
The only thing I would say for anyone who wants to read this, suspend your beliefs. Just like the first book, I had a hard time believing these young kids were basically spies sent to do unbelievable things in order to win a game.
Overall this was fun and I think a great book for YA readers who want a little mystery and thrill.