I found this book to be a fun easy read. It wasn't overly complicated, the plot was simple; a heist but with "were-dragons"/wyverns.
This book I felt was directed to a younger audience, defiently mid-teens. I still enjoyed it, but there were moments of over the top teen dramatics that simply reminded me how young Sky is.
Sky, and her family, are all wyverns. All obsessed with gold. A wyvern isn't a wyverns without a hoard, made up mostly of stolen gold. Something which is mentioned often in the first few chapters, and then sporadically throughout the books. This I found a little annoying. The only thing that annoyed me more was Novi, a character introduced later in the book that if I had been Sky I would not have been able to put with her without saying anything or telling her to shut up.
Sky was a pretty refreshing narrator. An optimistic, driven girl that refused to take no for answer and chose to commit her first heist without the knowledge or permission of her family. That lands her into a whole other situation that she has to figure out how to escape and then try to fix everything.
There were some predictable parts to the story that I did guess as I was reading, but it didn't really bother me because the way that it was written it did feel like that was just the natural direction of the story.
I thought the sibling relationships were great in this book, you get to see a lot between Sky and Liam (one of her three older brothers) the most. Teasing, annoying and loving interactions. There was one really sweet moment between all for of them that showed Sky that they really cared, that was both sweet and funny. No sibling relationships are ever perfect in books, but in Fire & Heist I felt like Durst had written a pretty realistic dynamic.
This all being said, if there were to be any more books after this one I probably wouldn't rush to read/buy it. It was a fun urban fantasy but not one that I loved. ( )

A good fast paced read!

Loved the storyline, good character development & interaction. No unnecessary filler along the way. Can't really fault it to be honest.

Hope there is a sequel! ( )

A fun adventure. Sky's narration is passionate, snarky, and relatable. ( )

Review By: Sara R. (12th Grade)
Grade Range: 7th Grade and up
Genre: Fantasy
Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Mediocre
Review:
Fire and Heist by Sarah Beth Durst is about a sixteen year old girl named Sky Hawkins. She is the only daughter, and youngest child, of a rich family of wyvernsー humans capable of breathing fire whose ancestors could turn into dragons. For wyverns, gold is a measure of wealth as well as worth, and they have a tradition of stealing it from around the world. Sky’s mother went missing on her last heist. As a result, her family was disgraced and Sky’s boyfriend, a fellow wyvern named Ryan, broke up with her. In wyvern society, your first heist is a major milestone and marks your transition into adulthood. Now, Sky is determined to find her mother and lead her first heist.

Despite its promising concept, something of a mix between Oceans 11 and were-dragons, Fire and Heist is painfully average. The book is fast-paced urban fantasy that seems to strive for somewhat of a high fantasy feel but it falls short. The book has your stereotypical high school romance where the character may be 16, but she’s dead set on being in love with her boyfriend. Sky is also filthy rich and she tries to play it off by making fun of herself, but it simply leaves the reader feeling alienated and unable to relate to the protagonist. At times, it feels like the author pays more attention to the romance between Sky and Ryan then she does to the actual plot. People who are expecting a detailed heist plan can prepare to be disappointed, the actual details of the heist itself are mostly glossed over and simplified.
Recommendation: I recommend this book to those who want a simple, quick read with minor fantasy. ( )

If ever there was a book to emphasize that I read what I like, Fire & Heist is it. The story of a teenage wyvern and her family of thieves tickled me more than it should have. The target audience is a good thirty years younger than I am, but that did not stop me from devouring it. I adore with Sky and acknowledged privilege. More importantly, I fell in love with the unexpected pleasure of Sky’s unlikely crew. Not only is their banter hilarious, but I also love how each of them embraces their quirks, the best of whom is Gabriella, Sky’s human friend. She is not familiar with the world of wyverns, and her enthusiasm has no bounds. She is also an unashamed geek, and you cannot help but fall in love with her implacability in the face of Sky’s imperiousness but her lack of filter and childlike wonder when it comes to magic and unicorns. We all need a friend as honest and as supportive as Gabriella.

The story itself is goofy. Dragons live on earth and are among the richest people on the planet because they hoard gold. Dragons obtain gold hoards by stealing from other dragons. Dragon society rewards those dragon families with the most gold and punishes those who are not successful burglars. Add in a home dragon land, a missing parent, unrequited love, more than one failed heist, a mysterious jewel, and power-hungry dragons and you have a story that is one part Romeo and Juliet, one part Ocean’s Eleven, one part geek fantasy, and one part Hallmark movie. It is cheesy goodness at its best.

I love the fact that I can still enjoy novels meant for a younger crowd and never want this trait to change. Some people might say that life is too short to read bad books, but I say life is too short not to have fun and enjoy any book that interests you. In the case of Fire & Heist, the dragons caught my interest, the similarities to Ocean’s Eleven kept my attention, and characters like Gabriella made me fall in love with this story of gold-stealing were-dragons.