Review: Chloe's Kingdom by Gregory Michael

Blurb:

Six Motivated Thieves. One Deadly Heist.

Chloe Espinoza is a wild-haired petty thief aboard the Kingdom, a drifting city spaceship. Once rich but now poor, Chloe is determined to break free from the Honeycombs and return to her life in the Gardens. Only one problem: she hardly has enough koin for a burrito, making a lavish apartment seem as distant as the stars. All that might change, however, when Chloe is offered a heist that could make her unimaginably rich. But she can’t break into the impenetrable Koin Vault alone…

A young mastermind who can’t let go of her past.

A mathematical genius in desperate need of koin.

A privileged kid from the Gardens with a debt to pay.

A bartender who’s serving revenge.

A mischievous raccoon with a bottomless appetite.

A battered soul who’s been wronged by the council.

Gone are the days of stealing snacks. Chloe’s crew is aiming for the ultimate prize: the Koin Vault. Their plan? To rob the Treasury and bring down the corrupt council. But in a game where the stakes are jail or death, every move could be their last.

A thrilling Young Adult Science Fiction Heist novel set in the unforgiving void of outer space, perfect for fans of 'Six of Crows' by Leigh Bardugo and 'Artemis' by Andy Weir.

Review:

“Just because someone is bigger than you doesn’t mean you can’t stand up to them.”

Such a great and important quote, just shows that these characters are inherently good, and are robbing a bank, but they are doing it because they NEED TO DO IT. 

Very grateful to the author for reaching out with his YA Sci-Fi / Fantasy Heist!  What a fun story! A young group of misfit thief's band together to pull off the ultimate heist! Starting with a smaller successful heist at the beginning I really was reminded of Six of Crows! 

The pace was fast, and the tone was light! 

“Always have a failsafe.”

The characters were sweet, and we ended up with a few extra points of view characters that I was not expecting! 

Chloe - the leader of the band of misfits, she’s got a backstory to sob about, but she’s not doing nothing with her life, oh, and she has a pet raccoon named Mojito, in a world were pets are a rare and uncommon commodity. I liked Chloe’s driven personality and am curious to see where she goes in book 2!  Will she go dark? Will she stay true to herself? Does she know she’s in love?

Penny – Literally, this story wouldn’t go anywhere without her! She’s the brains and heart of the team! She is the smartest in her class and teaches herself to code and hack in about 3 days.  Her mother has a terrible accident in the beginning, and the medical bills are piling up on a family that is already living paycheck to paycheck. 

Dutch - is the cutest, sweetest, nicest… ok, ok, ok he’s my fave, but you get it, we love him!  He also has a bit of a traumatic background, but he has grown up with wealth and privilege, what could make him commit to a heist with stakes this high?  It’s his love for his friends. Its so pure and sweet.

“A successful thief operates undetected, like a ghost in the night.”

I think the action in the story was done with the appropriate pacing! I never felt like the story lulled or wanted for more pieces in the puzzle.  There were twists I should have seen coming but they surprised me! I thought the whole ride was fun!

I really enjoyed the world the author showed us, there seem to be no kitchens in this world, and they eat a lot of convenience store foods. It reminded me a bit of  Ready Player One!  I can’t wait to see where the story goes next! A lost colony???? Reminded me of the mentions of District 13 from Hunger Games!

The author puts his history in Cybersecurity to use in creating Penny’s time coding and breaking into the vault. A security system that required, “Something you know, something you are, and something you have” was a really cool idea, and I loved that it was spelled out for us!

I would love to learn more about this world! A few times I was confused about how the world/ silo/ ship was laid out and how the different parts were connected.  

“The most treacherous enemy is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They gain your trust, only to betray you when your guard is down.”

This is one of my top YA sci-fi books of the year! 

Would I reread? Yes, very fun, and I need to know where we are going after that cliffhanger!

Would I recommend? It is easily recommendable, and is suitable for ages 10+ (no language, no dark violence, romance is appropriate for the age of the characters).

Recommended for Fans of Disney’s Descendants, Six of Crows and Scythe!