Heist Royale coming November 12th, 2024 from Nancy Paulsen Books; 320 pages
About the Author: “Kayvion Lewis is a young adult author of all things escapist and high-octane. Her Thieves’ Gambit duology has been published in over 25 languages, and is being adapted for film by Lionsgate. A former youth services librarian, Kayvion’s been working with young readers and kidlit since she was sixteen. When she’s not writing, she’s breaking out of escape rooms, jumping out of airplanes, and occasionally running away to mountain retreats to study kung fu. Though she lives in Louisiana and often visits her family in The Bahamas, Kayvion never really knows when she’ll take off on her next adventure, which could take her anywhere in the world” (Bio from author’s website).
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Ross Quest is back in an all-new adventure full of dangerous heists and high stakes in the second book of the Thieves’ Gambit duology, Heist Royale. For six months, Ross has been working with Devroe Kenzie, the boy who won the Gambit and the grand prize: a wish. Working with him is a way to keep track of him, to make sure he doesn’t use the wish to eliminate Ross’ entire family, like his mother wants. When the ominous organization that runs the Gambit enters a grab for power, Ross and her friends find themselves back in another Gambit, only this time, if she loses, all the Quests’ lives are forfeit. Once more fighting against Devroe, who seems confident that his mother will win, Ross must compete in three new heists in order to save herself and her family.
Heist Royale was everything I was hoping for when I finished Thieves’ Gambit. The characters I loved in an all-new competition, each of them back with their witty personalities and new alliances, was an excellent continuation of the last novel. This book introduces a battle for power within the organization, which causes a compelling escalation in risk. The heists kept me on the edge of my seat, and reading how Ross must work with her mother, who she has complicated feelings towards, and two of her closest friends was a thrilling dynamic to see unfold. I was delighted to get to see Ross again, as she is a strong-willed character who is trying to do her best in a situation where she never knows who she can truly trust. In the novel, Lewis expands more on Noelia, Ross’s childhood nemesis-turned-friend from the first book, with more explanation of the criminal dynasty that she comes from, which gave greater depth to the world created in the first book. I was also happy to see more of Devroe, as his obvious love for Ross is in direct opposition to the wishes of his mother. It was fascinating to see how the relationship between Ross and Devroe has frayed, even as he tries to hold on to her in the midst of all of their jobs and the all-new Gambit. Heist Royale is full of new twists, dangerous rivalries, and a perilous wager that makes it the perfect ending of the Thieves’ Gambit duology.
Heist Royale releases on November 12, 2024.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Nancy Paulsen Books for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Hannah Goerndt, Pine Reads Review Writer