A disappointing sequel. There was zero tension in the story and I didn't care about anything that was happening. I don't know how this fits into the overarching series plot. The characters were all so flat. The pacing was so slow and dragged everything. I don't understand why this was is the direction to go in.

Heist Royale by Kayvion Lewis is one for the books for sure. I greatly enjoyed Thieve's Gambit so I was hoping for another rockstar like the first book. I did not get that. Don't get me wrong- the plot is packed with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat and the characters are well-developed and relatable, each bringing their own unique flair to the story. The heist itself is brilliantly crafted, with enough suspense and action to satisfy any fan of the genre. However, there were a few moments where the pacing felt a bit off, and some plot points seemed a tad predictable. Despite these minor hiccups, the book is an enjoyable read

I loved it! Queen Ross! I love how it is a fun story and the characters are so unique. I feel like it’s not your average characters that you picture but rather diverse and spread out all over the world.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, and I’ve read it twice. So I was thrilled to read this sequel, and I’m so happy it was a great story too!

It made me so excited to see the members of the crew from the first book again. Their friendships are well written, and I enjoyed reading about their camaraderie and the ups and downs of their relationships. Found family is one of my favorite tropes!

I also loved the heist aspects of the book! The book is action packed and suspenseful, and I had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to see what would happen next. The Mission Impossible movies are some of my favorites, and I loved the Mission Impossible vibes in this story. I’m happy with how it ended, but I would be excited to read more books about these characters!

Content:
Crass language/mild swearing/using God’s name in vain (I don’t know the numbers, but it felt like there was more swearing in this book than in the first book, which was disappointing)
Male side character makes comments about being attracted to another male

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a satisfying sequel to Thieve’s Gambit with all of the themes I loved in the first book. Plenty of heists, family drama and mysteries. There were plenty of fun twists and surprises.
My one critique was the book jumps right in and doesn’t give any sort of summary or reminder of how the first book ended. It had been a year since I read the first book. I had to stop after the first chapter and read a summary of Thieve’s Gambit for a refresher. This may not be a problem for other readers if the read the first book recently or have a better memory than me.

3.5 stars, rounded up for this YA heist sequel.

The action and introduction of characters begins in the first book, Thieves' Gambit, so be sure to read that one before this one or you will likely be lost.

This book picks up six months after the Gambit ended, and Ross and Devroe are working for the Count for a year. An intriguing proposal is offered, which pits Ross's family against Devroe's family. Even though there is still an attraction between them, they are now working against each other, and other former Gambit participants choose sides as well.

Although this is a thrilling book with a great deal going on, I didn't quite feel the excitement that I felt when it was just the group of young adults competing against each other. Having the adults involved made it less interesting for me, and I never had full buy in as to why Diane was trying to kill Ross.

Still, there was a great plot that kept me involved and rooting for my favorite characters to come out on top. I enjoyed the way things played out and how everything concluded. If readers are looking for a smart YA thriller with lots of action, this is a great duology.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

I loved Thieves' Gambit and was so excited to read this sequel! I found heist Royale to be just as fun as the first book and loved all. the hijinks Ross and crew got up to. As a high school teacher, I am so thrilled to see books like this being written--teen readers need more stories that are just plain fun! The friendships in this series are great and I loved how even rivals came together in this one. Heist Royale is fast-paced, engaging, and will absolutely be added to my classroom library!

“Being vulnerable was being human. I wouldn't want to let go of the only person I thought I could be even a little human with either.”

A fantastic sequel to Thieves’ Gambit

What I liked:

This was a lot of fun, I love all of the heists.

Ross is a great FMC, and her friendships with the other kids from the gambit were great to read.

I could read a hundred books of this crew just going on heists.

What didn’t work for me:

I still found the romance a bit unnecessary for me, and I really did not care one way or the other if they got together or not.

Heist Royale: Thieves Gambit, Book 2 by Kayvion Lewis is a heart-stopping sequel filled with nail-biting action, making it a thrilling and satisfying read for fans of the genre.

This book is quite the sequel! It straddles the fine line from book one continuation to brand new stand alone plot. Leaning more towards continuation and picking up 6 months later. the pacing does seem a bit rushed though like all the things would be impossible in the time frame.

Our fantastic globe trotting thieves are slowly growing up. Not in any large, flashy way, no just subtle, like owning when they make a mistake. and their actions are unexpected, you see, with quirks and twists that make them all more interesting and human like and entertaining.

My favorite part was by far the Casino scene! It was a thrilling rendezvous with high stakes and more games of chance and drama, where tension and suspense swirl about like smoke on a French terrace. One can practically hear the roulette wheel spinning, feel the tension building, the slot machines dinging, it was a grand caper.

In conclusion, the boo is a solid 4 stars success! Not perfect, no, but certainly a most amusing little adventure that I could barely put down and I am glad it ended the way that it did.

Disclaimer there is some sweet romance and high stake shenanigans

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.

Thieves' Gambit was so thrilling and was easy to get into.
Sadly, Heist Royale was just a complete drag to get through. I even thought about DNF'ing a few times because I just couldn't get into the story.

Where TG was fast paced and enthralling, HR just seemed like a confusing cluster of a mess, with just not enough to back it up.

Even re-reading TG a few weeks prior to starting HR, I still felt lost.

We do get to see the return of some old characters, but we also get a new dynamic with the new group. However, what really kind of was not the wave was the relationship with Ross and Devroe at the end. It was a bit meh, especially after Devroe's betrayal in book 1.

HR really felt lackluster and the slow pace with nothing really happening until about 50% of the way through was just painful.

While I believe that Kayvion is an incredible storyteller, I just feel like book 2 fell incredibly flat and left me wanting more.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is my complete and unbiased review. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly**

Was this a duet, and it’s just not labeled as such? Because the story, in theory, could be finished. But there is also a possibility of more.

In the first half of the book, I often found the story a bit tedious. The level of detail on things that didn’t need such detail felt like filler.

However, I enjoyed the book on the whole. The friendships have grown stronger. Ross is a bit less self-centered, and she’s learning how to be a better friend. I appreciate the amount of character growth she’s having.

Overall, a fun and engaging read.

Such a fun read! I flew through the book and loved loved loved the different challenges. The friendships were heartwarming, the plot was engaging, everything felt just as good as the first book.Taking off one star because I felt like the ending could have been tied up a little neater

Thank you to the publishers, Kayvion Lewis, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Heist Royale takes place 6 months after the Thieves’ Gambit and while I still enjoyed the sequel, there was just something missing for me. Though Ross finds new friends and learns how to keep those friends, the story felt rushed. If there is a third novel in this series, I’m unsure if I’ll read it.

YAY FOR THE SEQUEL !! I loved the first book and enjoy any book that is puzzly with great characters. I'm so excited to get this book into the hands of Theives Gambit fans!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publsiher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

While I really had fun with the first book, The Thieve’s Gambit, this second book just seemed to be a bit of a repeat? Not as much tension, more implausible situations, less buy-in from me as far as rooting for these teenagers. I was mildly entertained but unsure if I’ll read next in the series?

Super fun and fast-paced, this is a perfect follow up to Thieves Gambit. It's once again immaculately cinematic - I can perfectly picture the movie this would be and want it desperately - and a fun series of heists. I did like the heist set up in the first book better, but the character work is better here, since we get to really dive into some of the character relationships and back-and-forth.

Highly recommend for a fun, fast read to perfectly scratch that heist itch.

Heist Royale is the sequel to the YA heist thriller Thieves’ Gambit. We follow Ross Quest and the characters from the first book as they enter their life after the gambit, or so they think. What is supposed to be one year of working for Count and The Organization quickly turns into something much different and much more deadly.

I thought this was a really fun YA heist thriller that also had great character development throughout the book. We get to see Ross develop into a more independent version of herself, standing up to her mother and learning what it means to have to have friends and how to be a good one. I thought this balances the line of being a deeply unrealistic, almost fantasy-like book with the very real angst and emotion that comes with being a teen figuring out who you are and what you want. I like that the ending wrapped up the story but also left just a little bit of room for the possibility of a third book, though I really don’t think one would be necessary. If you are looking for a book that is across between The Hunger Games and Ocean’s Eleven definitely check this one out.

Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller

This is the sequel to Thieves’ Gambit taking place 6 months after. It has a new gambit with higher stakes revolving around a Monte Carlo casino. There is a little more romance between Ross & Devroe and a parent/child relationship struggle that added a fun layer to the book.
It’s fast paced and I liked guessing how they were going to solve/pull it off. If I had to choose, I liked the original gambit from the first book a bit more but this was still good.
I’m not sure if this is the end of the series, but I enjoy heist/ competition books and would read another from this author!

Thank you Penguin Teen for the gifted copy!