Enjoyed reading this book. It was like reading the Artemis Fowl series but for adults. The relationship between Vern and Squib was enjoyable to read. They got off to a rocky start, but worked through their prejudices and became very close - as close as a dragon and a fifteen year old human can be.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A soaring tale of a dragon and his boy and the evil constable out to get them.
I loved every page of this beyond brilliant book.

I have to admit I've never read any of Coifer's other work so I am not really sure how it compares to that body of work. As an urban fantasy (although more of a rural fantasy based on the setting) it is okay. Squib is a ne'er-do-well youth who often finds himself in all sorts of trouble. The crooked parish constable Hooke has taken a shine to Squib's mom Elodie and is trying to figure out how to overcome her rejections while also trying to take over the local drug trade from nearby New Orleans bossman Ivory Conti. While going to an "interview" for a moonshine running gig, Squib witnesses Hooke gutting a man and accidentally draws Hooke's notice. The ensuing altercation brings Vern the dragon, who has been hiding in the swamps for decades believing he is the last of his kind, in to the equation. All sorts of events continue to revolve around these characters and their entwining relationships culminating in a final showdown.
All in all not bad as a story, but there was just some really lazy character creating here. Squib has issues because he's been abandoned by his daddy and his mom is a hard working nurse trying to bring her incorrigible son around. Not at all original. The evil crooked cop in the south? Is this 1975? I guess I should just be glad he wasn't wearing a rebel flag patch and trying to kill people of color. And his backstory of being partially crazy because of some wild preacher daddy is just a lazy crutch. Ooooh, religion leads to craziness! Original!
By the end I cared about the good guys and wanted the bad guys to be taken care of, so I guess it wasn't horrible, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone.

Eoin Colfer takes us to surprising and hilarious places in this novel for more mature readers. Colfer was, of course, featured on my middle school classroom shelf for his contributions to youth and young adult literature.

Highfire is a different kind of book from this author, and gives a welcome sense of range. I laughed...and I kept turning these pages.

Recommended reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's very different writing from his Artemis Fowl series. I can picture Squib in my head with a heavy Cajun accent. Vern was just sassy enough to be entertaining. I liked how the book ended. The only thing that I disagree with is that it is listed as an adult book. I would consider it a YA novel.

For pure entertainment, look no further than Highfire, by Eoin Colfer. I originally dove into this story in spite of myself, as these days I do not often read books with dragons as a main character. But I was curious about Eoin Colfer's first adult fantasy--and I was not disappointed. The action is non-stop, fast-paced, with witty and funny dialogue. The human characters are well-developed with just the right amount of flaws that make the reader easily relate to them and cheer them on through the book. The villain of the story is so utterly disgusting that I couldn't wait to see what sort of ugly end the author had in store for him. The New Orleans swamp locale and its inhabitants takes on a character all its own and is captured brilliantly throughout. And the dragon--perhaps the last dragon on earth and definitely the funniest--has managed to stay hidden in the depths of the swamp, until his path crosses that of our unlikely hero, a young man named Squib who grows up as quickly as the action unfolds. Highfire seems destined for a movie screen and I will be first in line to buy a ticket.

This is a departure from Colfer's previous works, for sure. I found it difficult to engage with this material. The characters struck me as shallow, and therefore I was left uninvested in the plot. Additionally, the tone was gratuitously vulgar and added little. Colfer has built a name for himself due to the success of his previous works, so my library will likely purchase this book. However, I would not recommend this to anyone, and I think fans of his previous works will be very disappointed.

I was excited to be approved for this title. I did request it on a whim because the synopsis was just out of this world weird. I really didn't know what to expect when picking this up to start. Although it sounded good, I had a hard time enjoying it. Not because there was anything wrong with it but because I just don't think it was suited for me.

This book has multiple point-of-views that aren't always separated by chapters. It wasn't hard to follow along as it was all in third person. It made it easy to distinguish the views. Even with this, it was still hard to feel a connection to the characters. Maybe part of it was not finding most of the things they said funny. I also didn't care for all the language that was used. I know this won't bother others and that's fine. I can deal with a word every now and again but each page had more than a few. I guess I should have known and it would have made me less inclined to request it.

Although the plot is unique in the way it portrays a dragon, I didn't find myself enjoying reading about him. For the most part, he acted more human. The plot twists weren't surprising and the action was just okay. It's not that there wasn't a lot of action but it did take a bit to get to. The book is definitely slower paced.

If it wasn't for the fact it was an arc, I definitely would have dnfed this one. Again, I don't think there is anything wrong with the book per say, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Highfire was fun and funny—laugh out funny, at times. Vern, the dragon, was grumpy and gruff with a soft center, Constable Hooke was one of the best villains ever written and Squib was touchingly lovable. These main characters, and the secondary ones as well, were well written, had great dialogue, and were embroiled in a crazy, creative plot that caught you up and kept you enthralled until the very end.

What a fun book! It's about a dragon named Vern and a kid named Squib, so right away you know the author isn't taking himself or the story too seriously. But Colfer has been a hit with the kids and young adults for years - he's an old hand at telling a rip-roaring good, on the edge of your seat, action-packed page turner. HighFire is nothing like anything I ever read before and if you told me the plot I probably would have turned up my nose at it. So, I'm not going to try to describe it, except to say that loved every minute and I'm still smiling.

This is the funniest thing I have read in several years--profane and violent, but hysterical. Great for Christopher Moore fans, but Colfer may even be more entertaining.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I was so excited to receive this book because i'm a huge fan of Eoin Colfer's childrens books. He's a talented and clever author. So I was ecstatic to learn read his first fantasy adult book! However, I was unable to finish this story. I was definitely expecting adult elements and I'm definitely not a sensitive reader, but I couldn't handle Vern's crudeness and the book's level of maturity.. Unfortunately, It took away from the plot and interesting setting that I was trying hard to get into. So, I'm sad to say it was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins publishing for the chance to read and review the E-Arc copy of #Highfire by Eoin Colfer.
I chose to read this book because many of my Tweens really enjoy this series and I wanted to be able to have a good idea of what they are into. I am blown away by the action and adventure of these novels, but I love the main character! I can see the large appeal and this novel brings an edge of your seat thrill ride. I felt like I was riding a rollercoaster at times with the pace of the book (in a good way). It made my stomach drop at times with where the character and story was headed. If you haven't read this series. You are soooo missing out.
#MustReadTween
#Highfire2019