THIS BOOK WAS FREAKING AWESOME!

Let me say here, right up front, that I am not a fan of were-books: shape-shifters and the like. I particularly detest the plethora of werewolf novels that have flooded the market in the wake of the execrable Twilight garbage. It should have been named Twee Light. What I respect are not those authors who jump on the latest big trilogy bandwagon (it's alway a tedious trilogy, isn't it?), but those who take the road less traveled, and I had a feeling about this one. So it's congrats to the blurb writer for once!

Anyone who follows my reviews has to know that I have little respect for publisher's back-cover blurb writers. I have to love a blurb that doesn't ask a totally brain-dead question at the end: "Will she find the love of her life?" (after the spineless chicky has fled back to her hometown?) Duhh. Of course she will otherwise what's the point of your dumbass romance? "Can Jack-Me-Lad-The-Hero ex-Marine special forces cowboy save the wilting maiden in distress and take her in his manly arms?" Who the heck cares, really? Can the young fresh filly in the werewolf pack win the hardened heart of the aloof, troubled, damaged, warped, out-of-whack, blemished, besmirched, gun-shy, bad-boy alpha male? Or should the bitch just shoot him like the rabid cur he is? Do those blurb writers really think their readers are that stupid?

But I digress! I decided take a chance and it paid off. I am not a fan of first person novels at all, but this one was first person and I loved it. See? It can be done - if you know how to write, and two things Sarah Beth Durst knows are how to plot and how to write. I was enraptured from the start and flew through the pages like a were-dragon through the sky, and talking of which, Sky Hawkins is my new go-to-girl.

The story is quite short, but packed with amusement, action, and awesomeness. I can't give it a better compliment than to say I wish I had thought of this first! I guess I'll have to stick with Saurus! The story is of the Hawkins family - once well-to-do in the wyvern world, but now rather disgraced and humbled, their mother having failed in her last heist (wyverns are famous for their heists), and also having shamefully disappeared without a trace.

Well, Sky isn't going to put up with it, and if her frightened brothers and father aren't going to help, she's going to put together her own crew, and find out exactly what her mother was up to on that fateful night trying to rob the vault of her boyfriend's...sorry, ex-boyfriend's (he ditched her after the scandal) father. I won't insult your intelligence by asking if she knows what she's doing! I'll just say, read it and leap!

I've loved everything I've read by Sarah Beth Durst and I love heist stories. Forget Ocean's 11, this was wyverns 4. The world-building was on point, and the characters were well developed. I love that neither "Home" or our world was a perfect utopia and the characters recognized that from the beginning. My one complaint is that I hate when characters keep secrets "for your own good." Just have a conversation!

Sky Hawkins' family are wyverns, were-dragons without the ability to transform, but who can breathe fire. Some of the stereotypes about dragons are true - they really, really like gold, so much so that social ranks centers around the size of one's hoard, and making a first heist is an important rite of passage. Unfortunately, things haven't been going so well for Sky's family ever since her mother disappeared during a heist and her family lost most of their status, causing her boyfriend to dump her and her friends to turned their backs on her. Can Sky fix things by planning a heist of her own? Sky is fun and capable and the conception of wyverns is interesting.

I enjoyed how different this plot was than usual YA. A teenage girl who comes from a family of were-dragons and goes on heists to steal gold is not something you see everyday. Our heroine Sky, has a very distinct voice. The downfall of this story is that it’s very young and full of teen angst. I know it’s not fair to judge a YA book for being too YA, but I always look for YA books to transcend age.

Book: Fire and Heist
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Crown Books for Young Readers, for providing me with this ARC.

I will admit that I did find this one rather difficult to rate. I was going somewhere between a three and a four star rating. It was good in some parts, but rather dragging in others. I did go with the higher rating. I found the writing to be decent and the characters developed.

The plot was very original. I wasn’t expecting the main characters to be the dragons. I was expecting them to more or less work with the dragons. Maybe I should have read the summary a little bit closer. Anyway, I do have to give Sarah a lot of credit for coming up with such an original plot. I mean, think about it. How many young adult books are out there about dragons? Not a lot. I think those who are looking for something very different in young adult fantasy will pick this up and really enjoy it.

So, the actual moving along of the plot was just okay. I really did feel like that some parts of the plot moved along rather nicely, while others just seemed to drag on forever, and others just seemed to be so rushed. I don’t know if anyone else has commented on this, but it just made everything seem a little bit sloppy to me.

The characters were developed, but they just weren’t as developed as some of the other young adult books that I have read. I was able to get a sense of who they were and what they were like, but I just didn’t bond with them like I do in books that I give a five star rating to. I know it’s hard to develop characters for a stand alone, but this just felt like they weren’t as developed as they could be.

In terms of the fantasy, yes, we do have an original plotline, but it just felt like it wasn’t as developed as it could had been. Maybe the book should had been longer or it should had been extended into a series. I mean, I did enjoy it, but I just felt like it could had been better. However, I will admit that I did like the fact that the world really wasn’t that complicated. Sometimes we get some fantasies that the world is so complicated that it is next to impossible to keep everything straight. I know a lot of people are complaining about this, but I personally liked it.

I liked the simple writing as well. Sarah’s writing just flowed, which made me look over a lot of the issues in the book. Personally, it was the writing that actually made me give this one a higher rating.

Fire and Heist comes out December 4, 2018.

(Review is already on Goodreads and will be posted on Amazon on publication day.)

This book surprised me. I didn't like how it started out because it didn't explain very well. Like why where the main character's friends just up and dump her? I didn't find why until almost half way through. She just kept saying they abandoned her. But other than that, this book had me at the edge of my seat by the middle of the book and was very interesting to read. I really like how the author rapped up the ending. Four stars

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Fire & Heist was a fun, creative, STAND ALONE, modern-fantasy hybrid full of action. The history behind wyverns, their existence amongst humans, and gold obsessed genetics was so enjoyable to read about. I blew through this so quickly. So, I commented earlier about it reminding me of Oceans 8... in the acknowledgement the author says she thought of Oceans 11 and dragons. 😂 I KNEW IT!
My favorite part of Fire and Heist was the family dynamics and new friendships. Everyone was just bad ass! This is a book I will definitely be buying in hardcover and lending to anyone who will listen. 😘

How fun was this story!? I really enjoyed it! Fire and Heist has such a fun concept with an intriguing storyline. I absolutely loved the dragon elements/themes that were thrown in as well as the world-building that took place and the seamless progression of the story from start to finish. And gold! So much gold! (And unicorns?!)

The story takes place in the modern world and wyvern’s (dragon people) are accepted and are a thing in pop culture (paparazzi follow them around). I’m happy there was only a mention of this and that the human world was more of a, “oh yeah, we co-exist with them and they’re fine with it,” afterthought type of thing and didn’t drag on or muddle up the story and dragon-world.

Sky was a good protagonist MC. I liked her tenacity and strength - good for her for standing up for herself and her beliefs and deciding to prove herself by pulling off a heist of her own. I also appreciated the lessons about family and relationships and trusting and believing in yourself. My favorite line from the book had to be the very last one – “My friends and my family are my treasure. They are my gold.”

There were no dull moments in here except for the innocent, cutesy and childish banter that takes place between Sky, her three brothers and her ex-notreallyex-boyfriend. But that’s just me being nit-picky. Overall, the story seemed a bit juvenile for me only because it most YA books nowadays have language and vibes that definitely reflect 18+ culture – this was most definitely 12-16 yr old age appropriate.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this great eARC!

With a world rich in history and mythology and characters that leap off the page, Fire & Heist is a must-read for any fantasy lover. I enjoyed the heavy emphasis on family and the thrilling plot. The writing is compulsively readable. You do not want to miss this.

REVIEW WILL GO LIVE ON 11/19/2018

Fire & Heist is a really cute and fluffy read. There isn't a whole lot of depth to the story, and the characters are pretty run-of-the-mill, but Sky's snark really saves this novel. I haven't read any of Durst's work before, but she has a strong voice as an author, though some of her world-building and descriptions were lacking. I got more than a few chuckles out of this story, though, and when I finished the book, I felt lighter than I had when I started it, so it is a good "pick me up" type of novel.


Sky is a decent female lead. She's funny, a bit stubborn, and she has more depth than she gives herself credit for. She's a good weredragon, and she really cares about the people in her life. She's smart and witty, though a bit whiny at times. She came across as a real teenager, which is rare in YA novels these days. Ryan is a good love interest, and instead of being some broody, narcissistic, emotionally abusive jerk, he's actually a sweet guy. I appreciated Durst having a healthy relationship in her novel. Most of the secondary characters are cookie cutter... nothing really special about them. The dad won't listen to anything his daughter says. The three brothers are each some male prototype (one is overly built, one likes explosions, and one can't decide what he likes). The villain is like a cheesy comic book villain almost, but at least they didn't do a monologue. It's fine, though, because they aren't really the focus. Ryan and Gabriela (who is my favorite fictional person in the world now... I LOVE YOU, MY FELLOW RESEARCHER) are a lot more developed. Everyone grows throughout the course of the novel, so that's also a good thing.


The plot twist surprised me a little, and then it took a sharp right. It made sense for the story, but it was a little jarring. The world-building and descriptions for this second setting didn't really paint a picture for me. I felt like I had a decent grasp of the first setting, but the second setting just didn't work at all. However, this is a standalone book, and I can't imagine trying to develop two worlds in one novel. The writing, aside from that, is pretty strong. The plot made sense, and there weren't really any holes. The humor is really what made this book. It was lighthearted and serious. It pointed out flaws in our society and in other societies, showing that nothing is perfect and we should always work to better ourselves and the world we live in. The ending was a happy one. The pacing is super fast, too, I flew through this one.


Overall, I'd recommend this novel to anyone who wants a light, fun read. It's an action-packed and fun-filled fantasy that promotes healthy relationships. It doesn't get much better than that.

When I first started reading this book, i wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get into books about people who pretty much lived just to hoard a bunch of wealth. That’s just not really me. But I ended up really liking the book. I was glad to find out it had much more depth. Being about family, about relationships, about being true to who you are. Plus, there's the really cool dragon/fantasy side to it. Quite a fun YA book. I’d recommend it.

I also liked the little bit of the dig at the idea of a <i>meritocracy</i>. I don't know if that was intentional. But when most people suggest the idea of a "meritocracy", they really mean "we're going to measure you on some scale that some people think is important, and if you don't measure up, you don't deserve to have a good life." I mean, just look at Worm. "Meritocracies" don't reflect human worth - they reflect what people <b>already</b> at the top of the scale - who are already in power - think is important. So, there's really no such thing.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Books for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

Wow. This book has everything you could ever want in a high drama fantasy; dragons, magic, mystery, jewel thieves, love interests, and family secrets. It even has a snarky wizard! I devoured this book in less than a day; I could not put it down. Please, please, PLEASE read this book!

Who has two thumbs and was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book? This girl right here!!

Think Ocean's 11 meets (albeit high school aged ones) were-dragons!

This was definitely felt younger than the books I have been reading recently, but it was a fun concept and decent read. Also it seems like it will most likely be a standalone, which on one hand is super refreshing that the story wraps up in one book but also sad because we don't get to explore the world in more depth.

I love Sarah Beth Durst's books. Eat, Slay, Love earned it's place on my favorites shelf, Conjured gave me lovely Coraline vibes, and Chasing Power is just a joyous, ridiculous romp from start to finish. So when Fire & Heist was announced, I was all over it. Because...I mean...were-dragons preforming elaborate heists to get their hoards? Sign me up.

And honestly, the premise is what's going to drive interest for this book. I explained to to my friend, and you'd think I was explaining the best thing since sliced bread to him. Because, after all, the premise is brilliant. Dragons hoard gold, so it stands to reason modern dragons, wyverns in this book, would probably do the same. And hey'd do that by robbing the shit out of other dragon's hoards. That's a great idea and it means you can do a lot of cool stuff with it. You can have a crack team of were-dragons working to rob people, wyvern security companies who rob you to test security measures, Oceans 11 style heists with ridiculous twists. There so much that can be done with this idea...and Durst just drops the ball on everything.

Fire & Heist flounders in a lot of ways, specifically in the world building. It seemed to me that Durst spent too much time world building which was odd because this book doesn't need a lot of complex explanations. Drink, Slay, Love worked because it didn't try to over build the world, it just introduced enough characters and enough backstory to have a general idea of what life was like as a vampire outside the immediate family. Here, there's too much focus on the Reckoning and what it means for wyvern society and trying to integrate wyverns into modern humanity. Wyverns are known in this world and that's fine, but Durst spent too much time focusing on how they weren't human and building a culture around them that the story didn't need. It seemed to me that there was too much focus on the wyvern society and the mystic Door instead of just fun heist shenanigans.

With any good heist, you need a good crew of crack professionals to be as dramatic as possible. This crew had...nothing. Sky, our lead, was bland as sand. She was okay when she was interacting with her family, but that's because there was that "only girl in a family of boys" trope that keeps popping up for some reason. And where that trope goes, the "men in the family are keeping secrets from the only girl because protection" trope is sure to follow, which is just annoying. There's also Ryan, Sky's ex who dumped her after her mother was caught trying to steal a jewel from his family vault. He was also boring. Maximus, the wyvern wizard, was a poor man's Magnus Bane. And Gabriela, the only human, was cool. She was quirky enough, but the only thing she added to the group was being human and low self-confidence she expunged in "I'm just ordinary" monologues that felt both tried and contrived.

Also, they only really pull off one heist before they whole "secret that could tear wyvern society" is revealed. And those section are also boring and focus too much on culture.

My main point, the thesis if you will, is that this book isn't very fun. Which is weird because Durst is a fun writer. This premise is fun, but nothing else is. The characters aren't, the villain isn't, and outside the easy to read writing style there's no real enjoyment factor. Sure, the characters breath fire and (view spoiler) but that's not enough. I wanted a fun heist fantasy novel and that's just not what this is. It's a boring novel about a girl and her society that is trying desperately to be interesting and failing. Maybe I had too high of expectations, but I suspect that as time marches forward more and more people are going to see this as another Six of Crows or Oceans 11 knockoff

2.5 STARS

I get the sense that anyone who loves family stories and heist stories is going to love this one, and if you love dragons, then that's just the cherry on top. This meant Fire and Heist ticked ALL THE BOXES for me, and I was super excited going in!

After all, what's not to love?

And truthfully, I did love it. The main character is a wyvern (were-dragon, if you prefer, which is honestly the much more fun option), able to breathe fire and filled with a deep and instinctual love for gold. She's the youngest of four, with three older brothers, and one very calm and collected father. Mom's missing, though, which spurs everything that goes down from the moment Sky finds herself dangling from the foyer chandelier.

There's also a little crew of secondary characters, like Ryan the wyvern hacker and ex-boyfriend to Sky, Gabriela the human research nerd who really loves unicorns a lot (she was totally my favorite for, like, eighty different reasons), and Maximus the slightly concerning, slightly corny wyvern wizard.

When all the characters came together, there was a delightful sort of banter and snark between them, plus a fair share of realistically awkward hops in the conversation, which really makes sense when everything is A LOT and HAPPENING ON A DEADLINE, FOLKS and there's a lot of ground to cover. Plus, I came to love some of Sky's commentary (the book is written in first person); she's got a really solid handle on the importance of food and naps, which speaks to me on a very personal level. That, and she has this very short and snappy sort of sass to her, the kind that really suits a firecracker emotional character, and I can't help but love that.

The trouble was really the rest of the book, though.

When I went in, I was expecting fantasy, especially based on the cover design, but I actually got a fantasy-contemporary blend, which required some adjusting. Once it moved into heist territory and away from the exposition, I thought that genre surprise was starting to improve, but then I realized that I was only halfway into the book, and the big heist the summary teased was nearly over, and something else was ahead. It stopped being a heist book after that, save for the rapid conclusion, and shifted into something more like straight-up fantasy. I can't exactly call it genre-hopping, since it was all fantasy underneath, but, it did change its priorities rapidly, and the part of the book I was most excited for was over all too soon.

Another issue I had was that the characters all feel very shallow. Sometimes it's hard to get in a lot of character development in a standalone novel, and a first person point of view can shape what we think of characters based on how the main character reports them, but it can still be done. Fire and Heist, though, just didn't really do it. Sky flopped between mopey and get it done, and I really got tired of her "I just lost my mom, excuse me for also being upset about not being as rich as I was even though I'm still rich" comments, and I may have skimmed a few pages because she started waxing poetic about Ryan again. As for her brothers, they felt like caricatures: serious muscle, never committed, and nervous youngest son screw-up. Gabriela? As much as I loved and connected with her, she switched from practical observer to sudden tears or explosive delight without a particularly consistent thread, and even though Sky spent most of their early friendship basically using her, she idolized Sky anyway. In short, I wanted to love the characters, but they didn't feel well-rounded to me, and I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more from a third person, multi-POV perspective. I like depth in the characters I read about, because good characters can save a weak plot, but a strong plot can still struggle to save weak characters.

Finally, I struggled to enjoy the second half of the book. With the heist over so soon, it launched headlong into a new plot thread, and I couldn't help but feel it was rushed. The unequal power structures at hand were under-explored, there were robots (yeah, still not sure about that one; really clashed with the rest of the setting), and just a lot of sudden world-building that left me with more questions than answers.

This was ultimately a book about family and heists (and dragons), though, so I can't fault it for its conclusion staying true to those features, and I certainly can't fault it for being a standalone. I've been looking for more fantasy standalones for a long time, so that in itself was a breath of fresh air, and probably helped to save the book from a 2 star finish. People who've been looking for standalones will probably enjoy this, and folks who like their dragons acting a lot like humans and who like thieves are likely to have a ball so long as they don't expect any deep depth of world going in. It's a fun, fast read, excellent for summer on the porch in the evening, and receives a 2.5 star rating from me largely because I'm picky and like my characters and worlds with possibly more substance than is necessarily advisable. I'm a little like Gabriela in that I am very curious, and I will take my time trying to learn everything about the new thing that's totally consuming my brain. Give me alllllllllll the material to dive into.

ALL OF IT.

Anyway, if you think Fire and Heist is the right book for you, preorder it soon, or buy it in stores or online December 4 this year! Or ask your library to get it if you can't get it yourself (libraries are kind of the best like that)!

Quick Star Rating: 5 stars

I’m seriously so happy I tried for this arc guys because it was fricking amazing! I mean it has were dragons aka people that can turn into dragons…yes you heard me right! Action in the form of intense heists that give a serious Mission Impossible meets magic twist and a dash of romance.

Sky was such a great character, she was strong, stubborn and caring which surrounded by many wyverns that only valued their hoard collection as status was unique. I loved her relationship with her brothers even when it was a bit rocky because it felt real! Her friendship with Gabriela was adorable, I loved her geekiness so much! I felt like I could totally relate to her. Her relationship was Ryan at first I wasn’t the biggest fan. I didn’t trust the jerk really, but he won me over in the end.

“…eye contact could lead to conversation, which could lead to feelings, and no one wants those. Especially not before noon.”

The idea of were dragons was so much fun as well! I feel like we don’t get enough books with dragons and this not only included dragons, but being able to turn into them would just be so so awesome! Their idea was home was so dragon like from all the stories of hoarding treasure it all felt perfectly together. The heist scenes were always very well done and I just love a good heist (cue mission impossible music xD)

The plot was very well paced and had a couple plot twists to keep you guessing! I loved the story line and want more of sky and her family already❤

Overall I highly recommend picking up this book that is set to be released on December, 4th 2018. You will not regret it, I promise!

It was a very cute story. Early on, we learn that the heroine, Sky, is heartbroken and her mother is mysteriously missing. Her family has fallen from grace, resulting in losing her boyfriend and all of her friends. She's in a bad spot.

I liked the progression in the book. It was really wonderful to think about dragon thieves and dragon investment bankers.

*4.5 stars*

This book was a lot of fun!

Sky’s mother disappeared after a failed heist, and her family has been shunned by the entire community, including Sky’s friends and best friend turned boyfriend. Sky’s father wants his kids to lay low, but Sky is determined to find out what happened to her mom. She wants to attempt the heist herself - on her terms.

Oh, and did I mention that Sky’s a wyvern?

I love the fantastical twist on a heist novel. The team Sky assembles is hodge podge and absolutely perfect, complete with an excitable human who reminds me a lot of Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, pre-Wiccan goddess. I loved all of the characters (especially Gabriela and Sky’s brothers), and the unexpected places this novel took me. It was a satisfying stand-alone book, but I’d be happy to read more about Sky and the world she lives in.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc.

I read this while stuck at the airport, and it was fun. It was a fluffy fun read. It wanted to be the juvenile version of the six of crows, and had similar elements. It had a protagonist that needs to pull of a heist to prove something, and there's the fantastical magic theme with the dragons. There are quasi mystery elements of what happened to certain characters. Like I said, it was enjoyable enough but the pace felt too fast. Things happened for the sake of plot, there wasn't enough build up or struggle. It was just here is a problem, character thinks up solution BAM, problem solved. It was a little cheesy in that regard. Also, the were-dragon thing (which admittedly, I was concerned about) doesn't really make an appearance? It's mentioned but then kind of disappears.

But I liked the strong female protagonist, the characters were cute and it resolves in a somewhat satisfying way.

Fire! Dragons! Mixed in with heists. Yeah, if those words don't pull you in, I don't know what's wrong with you.

This is a really sweet book about a girl/dragon/wyvern/fire breather (need I go on?), who is suddenly a social outcast after her mother fails a secret job. Not only does Sky lose her mother, but all her friends & even her family pull away from her.

The MC has a wonderfully humorous voice that makes for a great book. Combine that with the fire-breathing and other dragon abilities, plus a heist, tricky plot, & great characters, and this book is perfect.

I highly recommend this book for everyone.

Disclaimer: I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.