“Dani’s mother taught her well enough, that things that were too good to be true were always fakes, promises like this were fairy dust that dissolved when you flipped the lights on. Yet, in this dark bar, Dani felt hope in every beat of her heart.”
The Frame-Up, Gwenda Bond
Dani Poissant left home at 17 after sharing information with the FBI that landed her mother, Maria in jail. Maria and Dani, along with a small crew, would sneak into museums and steal the artwork. Dani would paint replicas, and then Maria would contact the museum, saying it was possible she could find the stolen artwork. Maria would give the replicas to the museum and they’d fence the originals. And after doing the con for years, Dani’s conscience had had enough.
Dani hasn’t been back in 10 years. But life on the run is lonely and expensive. So when one of her mother’s old associates, Archer, approaches her with a job, Dani can’t say no. She knows she can’t do the job alone, and will have to beg for forgiveness from the rest of her mother’s old crew to get the job done.
The twist? Dani, her mother, and their crew, all have magical abilities. They work within a small community, often trading favors for help on jobs. As Dani learns the scope of her newest job, she realizes that several other members of the community are trying to achieve the same thing. This sets up a fun heist storyline where the possibilities are fun and limitless!
Ready for my full summary (with spoilers)? Continue reading here!
Overall, this book had amazing potential. With a cast of characters with magic talents and a penchant for Ocean’s-Eleven-level-escapades, this should have been a fun, quick read. And for the first third or so, it definitely was. But I started to feel stuck between the under-developed chemistry between romantic interests, unbalanced pacing, and info-dumping. Dani almost immediately finds herself in a love triangle between her new boss and her childhood sweetheart. Unfortunately, there was such limited development between either relationship that I didn’t root for either side. There’s also an interesting subplot featuring Dani’s ancestor that delivered a great plot twist, but that twist was barely explored within the main storyline.
Beyond those issues, I did enjoy the book. The characters, while not fully developed, are fun and have good banter with each other. Their plan for the heist is interesting, and leads to a series of hijinks that are goofy and suspenseful.
I would recommend this to anyone specifically looking for a magical art heist storyline. If that specific storyline isn’t what you’re looking for, I think there are better fantasy, magic, and heist books that would hold your attention.
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