About the Book
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Author:
- Caitlin Schneiderhan
Cover Story: Surrealism
BFF Charm: Mixed Bag
Talky Talk: Historical Friction
Bonus Factors: Lady Leads, Art Appreciation, Heists
Relationship Status: Godspeed
Cover Story: Surrealism
After reading the book, this cover makes a lot of sense and includes a lot of elements from the plot. But at first glance, if I hadn’t read the book, I would have no idea what was happening. The characters staring into an artsy sun? Disembodied priestly hands? An imposing building with cards? Books? Something floating around it? It’s pretty, but strange. Dali would have loved it.
The Deal:
In 1517, the Medici family runs Florence—and much of the rest of Italy—through wealth and power. But not everyone is under their spell, and Rosa Cellini has plenty of reason to hate them. A gifted thief, Rosa has a plan to make them pay—literally—but she’ll need the help of a few friends. And Michelangelo.
BFF Charm: Mixed Bag
Although Rosa is essentially the novel’s main character readers get to read from a variety of POVs throughout. Rosa’s pretty great, although I’d worry that she would get arrested (or worse) thanks to her line of work. Sarra, known for her engineering prowess, is also cool, but the double life she leads also comes with a fair amount of danger. Giacomo, a master of disguise, is delightfully irreverent on the outside but hides a good amount of pain underneath. And Khalid, whose bulk and knack for fighting makes him super imposing and at times scary, has a total soft side hiding underneath. Out of the four teenagers involved in this story, he’s my favorite. My favorite of all of the characters, however, is Michelangelo. (Yes, that Michelangelo.) We don’t get any chapters from his POV, but he’s always in the background, scowling and scoffing. He wouldn’t appreciate me thinking this, but he’s hilarious.
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Medici Heist is a heist story (natch). And while some heist stories make time to build relationships, this book shoehorns them into the action. The two different character pairings are sweet, which one being far more obvious than the other, but they don’t feel fleshed out. The more unexpected one—although thinking back on the story, I see there were hints all along—makes the most sense, while the other is obvious … and obviously forced.
Talky Talk: Historical Friction
The Florence of 1517 is a powder keg. The Medicis have taken control, turning the city from a republic into a dictatorship, and the people aren’t happy. There’s an undercurrent of danger throughout the book, even outside the heist’s inherently dangerous nature. I love a good story about political unrest, and the evil powers that be getting their comeuppance. I would have liked more character development, however, as they all felt a little flat, even after learning their backstories.
Bonus Factor: Lady Leads
A lot of heist books still revolve around a male main character being the one with the plan and the smarts, with any non-males often relegated to support roles or “distractions.” I enjoyed how Medici Heist led with a female main character, and featured a female character as the main engineer, too. Ladies get things done!
Bonus Factor: Art Appreciation
It would be truly amazing to live in the Renaissance (minus the lack of proper plumbing or electrical infrastructure and internet capabilities …) and get to see Michelangelo working in real time. It might be a case of never meet your faves lest you be disappointed, but I’d be willing to take the chance.
Bonus Factor: Heists
I love heist stories. And I especially love heist stories in which things go wrong (because humans) and the people involved have to make split-second life-or-death situations. There are certainly bumps along the road for the characters in this book, and it’s fun to read how they get themselves out of tight corners.
Relationship Status: Godspeed
You and I had a fun time together, Book. I don’t feel like I got to know you very deeply, which is a bit of a bummer, but we managed to meet our end goal, which is what matters most. I wish you all the best in your new life. It might not be smart for us to meet again, but know that I’ll think of you.
Literary Matchmaking
While not the first heist book I read, Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows remains my all-time favorite.
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s Aurora Cycle is a great team-up heist series.
For a heist story that focuses more on a relationship, check out K. Ancrum’s Icarus.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Feiwel & Friends, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. Medici Heist is available now.
