I had really high hopes for Fire and Heist - dragons, heists, oh my. Not to mention a gorgeous, gorgeous cover. The synopsis hooked me from the start, and I was dying to get my hands on this one (huge thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC).

Good points first: cute banter, a lot of interesting details/plot points that theoretically should've captured and kept my attention, a lighthearted and fun read.

However...

It ended up not working for me. Instead of Ocean's Eleven...it ends up being Now You See Me Too 2, just okay and I wanted to skip to the end. When I think of heists - I think of all the excitement, mystery, and suspense that comes with planning what to do, practicing how to do it, and learning to work together and scout out the place. I like my heists how I like my novels - intricately plotted, interesting and with a deep sense of urgency. I like danger. I had a hard time caring about the single heist in the book.

The characters also didn't do much in the way of engaging me. I didn't feel like I ever understood them, their desires, their wants - really could've used more character development here.

I would characterize this book as shallow - fun and light, but ultimately there wasn't anything that made me think and dig deeper into the book. That's not to say I don't enjoy lighthearted books, but lightheartedness and character development aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

Many thanks again to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I wanted to DNF early on, but I continued until I couldn't do it anymore. Something about the writing style and voice was too painful. I couldn't take the story seriously.

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.

Sky Hawkins and her family are wyverns (or as she likes to call herself, a were-dragon), dragon/human hybrids who can breathe fire, covet anything gold, and used to be able to shape-shift into actual dragons. Wyverns and humans live together fairly amiably, but humans often distrust or fear wyverns. Most wyverns, in an attempt to satiate their lust for gold, become thieves. Sky's mother was on a heist, but she was caught doing something the council disliked. She disappeared, leaving Sky, her father, and her three brothers disgraced by her actions. The details of Sky's mother's disappearance and the reasons for her exile are murky. Sky decides to do some investigating of her own. She finds out that her mother was stealing something from Sky's boyfriend's family vault. Is her mother alive? Why was she stealing from the vault? What was she exiled for?

As intriguing as the whole "were-dragons in the human world" thing is, I was skeptical. The idea sounds like it could be cheesy or feel like a teen fan-fiction. Thankfully, it works in Fire & Heist. Sky is a spunky character who likes to test her boundaries. She's funny and fun to read from. Her brothers and father are also delightfully sarcastic and intelligent characters. The banter between Sky and her family members was actually really funny, to me at least. There is a sizable focus on Sky's relationship with her boyfriend, but it does not distract too much from the rest of the plot because their relationship has a lot to do with her mother being missing. So, if like me, you dislike romance heavy YA Fantasy, I would say you might like this title. It is just simply fun. It feels fresh and unique. It reads a little like a mix between middle grade and YA, but as an adult, I still really enjoyed it.

The bad news is that this book does not come out until December 4, 2018. The good news is that it looks very promising, and I would recommend following it as it approaches publication. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Crown Books for Young Readers, for giving me the opportunity to review this title.

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.

3.5

You had me at heist. And then WERE-DRAGONS. This was a super fun, original spin on the lore of dragons and their golden hordes.

This was fun! Were-dragons!

So, if you're a dragon, you love treasure, right? In this day and age, where would you get your hoard? What an original tale.
Highly recommended.

This book was a great read. It kept you interested the whole time. I mean who doesn't love a good dragon story. There are plot twists and it keeps you guessing the whole time. It's not a typical sci-fi fantasy book. The author brings you into this fantastic world of characters who are extremely interesting. I would highly recommend this book.

Get ready for an incredible adventure and determined heroine that is unputdownable from start to finish! FIRST AND HEIST places magical beings such as wizards and were-dragons - or wyverns - in our currently time today. The catch? No one really knows their secrets, not even Sky, whose family used to be on the council for the wyverns. But when her mother suddenly disappears and her family moping around without action, Sky takes the lead in finishing the job her mother started - only to discover secrets about the wyverns that could change everything.

I first picked up one of Durst’s stories in middle school - her debut, INTO THE WILD. I absolutely ADORED it. It was imaginative, refreshing, and had the perfect blend of friendship and adventure. FIRE AND HEIST transported me to that time in middle school when I first read her work, and all the wonderful elements that she incorporates in her stories. Suffice it to say, while Durst dabbles in genres from MG to adult, her writing is just my kind of style.

Told from the perspective of Sky, readers only know bits and pieces of her family’s almost-exile from the wyvern community. All she knows is that one day, her boyfriend shunned her in public soon after her mother mysteriously disappeared. Durst paints playful traditions for the wyvern society in our world. They have a Reckoning ceremony, a Council that acts as the authority, and the event “first heist” - the first heist that a wyvern will lead that brings them out of childhood and into adulthood. Being a species related to dragons, wyverns LOVE to hoard gold. Of course, that makes them almost celebrity-like with their presence, and it doesn’t help that Sky’s family’s shun-ment gets picked up by the tabloids. But after a series of non-action from her family, Sky takes matters into her own hand and plans a heist to steal the jewel that her mother disappeared trying to steal - right in the heart of her ex-boyfriend’s house.

“Good things don’t just happen. Gold doesn’t fall into your lap. Lost mothers don’t randomly reappear. You have to DO something if you want something. And I wanted so much!

FIRE AND HEIST reads for a younger audience, and I love that. It’s super fun and lively and I can totally see both young and older readers enjoying the story. Sky is persistent and ambitious in doing what she wants, but it’s all for the sake of her family. She has three older brothers and a tough father, but they all love each other, even though they’re not the type to show and say affection. She also has a sweet best friends to more relationship with her ex-boyfriend, who gets a good redemption arc from shunning her in the beginning. (The romance bit was very light and cute, which I appreciated.) I really enjoyed reading her persistence in finding justice and trying to save her mother. She’s also quite quick-witted, for all her attitude and arrogance. And there’s also a wonderful friendship that develops between her and Gabriela, a human girl who loves research, but thinks she’s just not good at anything.

The highlight of family and friendship amongst everything happening was the best part of this book. Although Sky is ambitious, she’s also selfless and loyal. And she also learns to become assertive in the midst of planning her first heist! The wyvern community was written super well, and the dynamics between each character also empathetic. Despite being a were-dragon and having unique motives, Sky is a down-to-earth character that readers will have a fun time following.

“It’s not arrogant to know who you are.
It’s powerful.
And I am powerful.”

I had a LOT of fun reading FIRE AND HEIST, and I would totally recommend it for fantasy readers who were intrigued by the blurb. Plus points for it having a solid resolution and being a stand-alone! The story is everything as promised, and more. Get ready for an adventure as Durst takes you through laser-beam protected safes to mountains that dragons have jumped on, and a hopeful journey of trust and love, friendship and loyalty.