I think this felt too YA for me. It was mediumish stakes but not exciting enough. There was no big twist. It didn't feel as clever as the first one. If this series continues I think I'll pass.

I really think that Kayvion Lewis is going to be a force in the YA mystery adventure genre. This was such a blast to read and follow these characters through this story!

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a sequel and follows a group of teens who are trying to save their families by being involved in a Gambit.

Unfortunately, I was not a huge fan of this one. I found the characters to be quite annoying. I do feel like sometimes YA books have annoying characters and that might just be because I am not a teen anymore.

I also feel like this one was a bit repetitive from the first book and didn’t offer anything new.

I hope others love this one but I was not a huge fan.

Heist Royale is a mother/daughter heist team looking for the next big item to steal. Things go awry and the daughter is left to try to save the day and pick up the pieces. The difficulty lies in the MCs isolation and inexperience with trusting others in a competition that requires teamwork to save the mother who taught her not to trust.

I really liked this book! Our favorite robbers are faced with yet another heist, this time to find out who'd be the best leader to the Organization. This book is an amazing closure to everything that happened in the first one. For me it didn't beat the Thieves Gambit, because it was confusing sometimes, but overall really enjoyable.

i had as much fun with this one as i did with the first book! it was just as addicting and i couldn’t put it down! i’ve come to love these characters so so much and their friendships mean everything to me :,) the ending was bittersweet for me, i loved it yet im sad to have reached the ending of this story and saying goodbye to these characters… that’s not stopping me from rereading tho which i will definitely be doing a lot!!! i could honestly say that i could read about these characters and the heists and never get tired of it!!

Kayvion Lewis is back again with Ross Quest trying to thieve her way out of a pickle. She is learning how to build friendships and mend her relationship with her mother. She is coming into her own self and standing for what she believes in all while stealing items right under your nose. If you loved Thieves Gambit, you should not miss Heist Royale.

I was lucky enough to receive an eCopy of Thieves Gambit and Heist Royale from the publisher via NetGalley. Heist Royale was such a fun high-stakes read. I absolutely loved the characters and Kayvion Lewis masterfully crafted the world and the plot.

First I would like to thank Penguin Group for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second in a series and I was still not over how the Thieves' Gambit ended so I was so excited to read this book and I was not disappointed.

What I Loved:
- Gambit, a non traditional gambit is run throughout this book and I love the game and the reason why it was brought
- Teams, the concept of the gambit being between two teams filled with all of the characters from Thieves' Gambit and lead by mothers was wild
- Characters, I really fell in love with the group of characters in the first book and I like how they are all back in some capacity and seeing their growth between stories
- Drama, the drama between Ross and Devroe's moms is WILD and I was living for it

If you read the Thieves' Gambit and liked it you obviously need to read this book cause its an amazing addition to the overall world. If you are looking for an amazing master thief story with amazing locations, characters and an overall fund 'game' then I would recommend you give this a try.

It's a fun YA series for fans of The Inheritance Games. I liked it but enjoyed the first book better.

3.5 stars

It took me a while to finish the sequel to *Thieves' Gambit*. I absolutely loved the first book, but for some reason, I hesitated to dive into *Heist Royale*. Despite knowing I wanted to continue the story, it felt like a big leap, and I couldn't quite get into the rhythm. The only thing that kept me going through it was the quick 300-page read and the thrilling casino scene, which brought some much-needed excitement. Without those, I might've put the book down much sooner.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Heist Royale by Kayvion Lewis
Thrilling and stylish, Heist Royale is a high-stakes adventure packed with twists, deception, and a charismatic crew of criminals. Kayvion Lewis delivers a gripping story that reads like Ocean’s Eleven meets YA fiction, filled with daring escapes and unexpected betrayals. Readers who love clever cons and pulse-pounding action will be hooked from start to finish.

Heist Royale is the thrilling sequel to Thieves' Gambit
Which continues the high-stakes adventures of Ross Quest.
We start this book six months after everything in the first book took place
Ross finds herself entangled in a new deadly Gambit, where the stakes are higher than ever.
Ross is now a professional thief working for the Organization alongside Devroe, the person who betrayed her in Thieves Gambit.
Despite all that they must collaborate on different heists while navigating a power struggle within the criminal underworld. Ross soon sees an opportunity to secure
Her role but will see.
This book is full of adventure where loyalties are tested, hearts broken, and backs stabbed where suspense, romance, and intrigue, are also weaved in together keeping you guessing.
Thank you @netgalley

Ross Quest is back! Serving out the year sentence she received from Count when Devroe won the Gambit the previous year, Ross is chafing at having to be in close quarters with the boy who betrayed her.

Everything changes, however, when upstart Baron challenges Count for leadership of the shadowy organization that holds Ross in servitude. A new Gambit is called, lines are drawn, and Ross finds herself having to redefine what she wants out of life, and who she thinks she can trust as someone from her mother's past continues to angle to destroy the Quest family by winning the Gambit and securing a wish.

This book was just as fun as the first - multiple "Ocean's 11" style heists and cons with fast-paced action and witty, funny writing.

Learning more about Ross's mother and her choices, and seeing Ross make up her own mind about whether she wants to become like her mom and win at all costs - including any friendships and other relationships she may form - or distance herself from her mom and try to form human connections and live a more normal life was a nice way to tie up loose ends from the first book as well.

I have no notes for this book. Solid 4.5, rounded up to 5 stars. Definitely will check out future releases by Kayvion Lewis. Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Nancy Paulsen Books for the advanced reader copy. This review is voluntary and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to honestly review.

Kayvion Lewis delivers a heart-pounding, high-stakes conclusion in Heist Royale, the explosive sequel to Gambit. With Ross caught in a deadly game of power, deception, and survival, the novel wastes no time plunging readers into a world of elite criminals, breathtaking heists, and shifting alliances.

Ross remains a fierce, compelling protagonist—calculating, resourceful, and driven by the desperate need to protect her family. Her complicated relationship with Devroe adds a tantalizing mix of tension and longing, as betrayal and trust collide in unexpected ways. The novel’s settings are as dynamic as the action, transporting readers from the glamorous casinos of Monte Carlo to the unforgiving landscapes of Antarctica, each backdrop amplifying the story’s intensity.

With dazzling twists, sharp dialogue, and non-stop action, Heist Royale cements itself as a must-read for fans of high-stakes thrillers like Six of Crows and Ocean’s Eleven. As loyalties fracture and the final Gambit unfolds, the question remains: Who will outplay, outlast, and outsteal the rest?

about six months later. Right out of the gate, Lewis tackles Devroe's betrayal of Ross at the end of the first book and has Ross grappling with the fact that Devroe's family could have hers executed at any time as she and Devroe continue to work together. I actually ended up really liking the inclusion of both Devroe's and Ross's family dynamics, especially in how Lewis discusses Ross's relationship with her mom.

A big part of this book is about Ross coming to terms with her mom's flaws, exploring both how her mom loves her and how her mistakes in raising Ross are impacting her as a young woman. I appreciated this nuanced approach, especially given that YA can sometimes depict parental figures in a negative light. Ross realizes that her mom raised her to not trust anybody outside of their family, so she realizes that she has to learn to believe in others. In this context, we see Ross beginning to develop genuine friendships with some of the others who were involved in the first book's gambit. Of course, this book has a thriller element too, with Ross getting entangled in the criminal underworld and finding herself being roped into an elaborate heist scheme that takes her all over the world. She has to rely on her new friends to help her pull it off (and save her own life, effectively) which proves to be an interesting test of trust.

There's a spectacular set-up for a third book, and I'm curious about where it might go.

2⭐️

Similar to Thieves’ Gambit, I am going to be as honest and gentle with this review as my heart will allow me to be…

Question of the day: How do you forgive someone who wants your entire family dead?!?!

Answer: YOU DON’T!!!

*Sigh*

In all honesty, Heist Royale only works for readers who enjoyed Thieves’ Gambit (Book #1 of this duology). For those of us who find Thieves’ Gambit (a) juvenile; (b) kind of boring; or (c) just plain pointless, Heist Royale is no better. I mean, these two books are literally the same entity. We have heists, way too many characters to remember, and pointless drama. The only difference that exist between the two books is the fact that more adults have joined the picture and they are allowed to abuse the teenage characters. The final twist at the end of Thieves’ Gambit did warrant another book but…silly of me to think it would be different.

Aside from the writing of both books feeling juvenile, my dislike for this duology lies in the idea that 18-21 year olds are out here fighting their parents’ battles. To make matters worse, when the children address the adults about their behavior, these 40-60 year olds mostly tell them to GET OVER IT!!! I mean, HELLO. You are literally putting your child in danger. They are old enough to go to jail and when they find themselves fighting with their friends or fighting to just survive, you get mad at them and simply say: GET OVER IT!!! Nice. I honestly don’t know why but …IT IS TIME FOR YA AUTHORS TO STOP MAKING PARENTS LOOK SO BAD!!! Please wrap up this theme already!!!

And the whiplash romance between Ross and Devore was so annoying and a complete eye roll. The dude and his mother could literally wish to wipe Ross and her entire family off the face of the earth but Ross starts worrying about their relationship when he decides to team up with his mother?!?! Ross falls for every word Devore’s mother says about how he feels about Ross and the possibility that he loves her but then constantly questions how could he have feelings for her when he and his mother could kill her and her entire family?!?! Ross even has the audacity to practically make out with Devore in the middle of a heist!!! NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE!!!

Oooh. And let’s not get started on the disorganized friendships and weird reasons for the back stabbing. Yyyeeeaaahhh. Sixth-Eighth graders will MOST DEFINITELY enjoy this one more than older YA Readers.

To say that I am happy to be done with this duology is an understatement. I am sssooo THANKFUL that my library had the audiobook available. Otherwise, I would’ve DNF’d this after Chapter 1. No. Really. I sped read this at 2.50x, which allowed me to finish this in 24 hours.

Sorry. Not. Sorry!!!

If you find yourself enjoying Thieves’ Gambit than 9 times out of 10 Heist Royale will be up your alley. If you find yourself disliking Thieves’s Gambit then I suggest you look for reviews that contain spoilers, especially on Heist Royale.

Thank you NetGalley and Nancy Paulson Books for granting my request for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest and personal opinion!!!

While I didn't especially enjoy the first book, "Thieve's Gambit", I can see the wide appeal this series has for a young adult audience. After enjoying the "Inheritance Games" series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, I was looking for a new series to fill the void. This didn't quite hit the mark for me, but after talking to young adult customers at my bookstore about Kayvion Lewis' books, a lot of people seem to enjoy this series.
The cliffhanger of the first book was intriguing enough for me to want to continue with "Heist Royale". This one for me was similar to "Thieve's Gambit": I again didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, but I still recommend it to a lot of customers because, again, I do see the appeal for a younger audience.

This was such a fun and interesting read. This book gave me big Now You See Me vibes. This book had so much action and angst and I loved it! It was a great follow up!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was another enjoyable installment of the series.