Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst

Rating: 4.5 🐻 /5

Pages: 292

“Our ancestors were dragons. And now we’re were-dragons… Semantics.”

I received this book as part of my treasure chest from Fairyloot in December 2018; I will say I had put this book off but as most readers my TBR pile is getting suffocating and has been drowning my chances to write. But I picked it. I honestly gave it a go. Do you know what happened when I picked up the book Sarah Beth Durst referred to as ‘wanting to do Ocean’s Eleven with Were-Dragons? Well I fell hard into a fantasy world I didn’t want to leave. Man! I want to be a Were-dragon. It’s not fair.

I enjoyed this little gem, though only 292 pages, the action doesn’t slack. In fact, it races through the pages, picking up speed from chapter one. It had a spunky and sarcastic main character that you come to love, as well a hierarchy ranked society based on riches and gold. Sound familiar? Only difference? We don’t have wings.’

“Dad always says that executing a heist is like a chess game… Stopping a heist, though, is entirely different. You have to improvise. I hate Improv.”

It is a stand-alone novel, which I wish wasn’t true. More Wyvern led heist might be just what I need with my evening cup of tea. I don’t think I have enough dragons in my life. The story is an urban fantasy based around a society where dragons live amongst society; the wyvern population. Gold obsessed, perfect thieves who live amongst a modern-day society. Mainly mantled as the richest and most powerful. Trickery and thievery are how they got there; but it was a secret hidden from the humans. Before you ask, they do blow flames however, as for shapeshifting; it’s a skill they have lost, at least that what today’s wyverns believe.

Within this society, wyverns are judged and ranked on their gold and their treasure hordes. Gold means everything. This story is adamant on that, especially as the story starts with our main character; Sky, stopping a heist attempt. The heist’s target? Her family’s solid gold piano. It then follows her through a path of discovery, learning and humour to discover what broke her family apart. Can she save those she loves? Can she prove things don’t have to remain broken?

“Mom hadn’t chosen family first, and I’d lost. Ryan had chosen family first, and I’d lost.”

As I already mentioned, Sky is this novel’s main character. She is your typical high schooler on a break-up. I mean by human standards, with all the ice cream binges, boyfriend breakup BBQ’s and withdrawals. She is also a little bit of an immature, spoilt socialite; one with a broken family missing a piece. I wasn’t sure what to think of her are times, but every time I seemed to lose her, she found her way back. She wasn’t just a rich girl; her heart was too big to be. She has to find a away to locate her missing mother, fix her broken brothers and get back a relationship she shouldn’t have lost.

Easy right? I mean should be for anyone who breathes fire. But I’m forgetting something. Oh yeah, she has to succeed at a heist her perfectly skilled mother had failed. Changed your mind? Thought you might.

The other characters consist of Sky’s heist crew and her family as they are the main ones mentioned throughout the book. Ryan; her ex-boyfriend, is the first of the crew and the one to suggest taking on the heist her mother failed to complete. The relationship between them is broken, but not shattered, as we head through the story the secrets that get released make you release it can still be fixed.

The next Character is a showtune obsessed eccentric who goes by the name of Maximus. Oh, and he is also a rare form of wyvern – a wizard. His obsession to the wizard of Oz is also a professional interest. He is the member of the team you will constantly wonder whether he can be trusted. Every heist needs one of them.

Lastly, we have the school academic, Gabriela, oh did I mention she’s also human. Just your average research obsessed, non-magical human. One word of unicorn horn and she’s in. I loved Gabriela, she was fangirling at the same time I was. She was so adorable. I don’t want to go to far into detail with the characters because it would start to ruin the story; and I’ve purposely left out key points to leave you with surprises when you read the book. You can’t tell me I haven’t intrigued you.

“Other wyverns called humans poor because the vast majority didn’t have our gold. But Gabriela’s home felt full all the same.”

This little gem of Urban fantasy was definitely worth the read. I loved the concept of shapeshifting dragons, its not something that has been overdone. I could definitely devour more, and add its gold to my shelves.

The only negative I can give, not that I like doing it; is there was just something lacking with the characters. I think because we followed the events of the main character through the whole book, we weren’t introduced to some of the other main characters enough. I would have loved to know more; especially with Gabriela. I would just like to have gotten to know them more. Other wise the rating would have gone from 4.5 to a 5. Like I said I adored this little beauty. If only I could fly. Damn it, I want wings now; and fire. Why does real life have to be so cruel?

This Urban Fantasy is perfect for any YA reader after a fast paced story-line and appreciates the art of thievery. It also a great read for our dragon lovers, mothers and tamers; a read full of the royalty of the sky. Plus, if you enjoy the humour of a sarcastic teenage narrator; I suggest adding it to your shelves. Wyvern out.