In possibly the most creative dragon--excuse me, wyvern--book I’ve ever read, Sarah Beth Durst brings magic into the 21st century. I enjoyed the connections between modern wyverns and mythical dragons, especially how respect and society placement is based on stealing and then hoarding gold. That was a fun set-up for Sky’s heist, which would present her as a member of wyvern society if completed successfully. I’m easily ensnared by heist novels: I love the suspense and intricate plans, a la Six of Crows and Leverage style. I don’t want to spoil the second half of the book, but I did like the direction it took plot-wise.
Fire and Heist was promising in terms of thieving potential, especially since the fire affinity of wyverns leads to some new features, like fire-breathing and heat resistance. I had fun reading about Sky putting together her crew, pulling off her first heist, dealing with the aftermath, and working things out with her family but that was pretty much where my enjoyment stopped. I would say that plot is where the book excelled, and character is where it fell flat. I read all the way through to find out what would happen next, but had a hard time sympathizing with the characters, because they all felt flat and played-out to me. First, Sky, the only girl in a family of brothers with a missing mom and an overprotective dad. She’s not that much younger than her brothers, but the rest of her family keeps information from her “for her protection.” I’m super glad Sky didn’t buy into it, but I can’t stand that trope. Then, there’s the crew. Other than Sky, there’s Ryan, her ex-boyfriend; Maximus, a wizard; and Gabriela, a normal human who wanted a taste of adventure. Ryan shunned Sky at his father’s instructions, leading the way for the rest of her wyvern friends to do the same. I think a lot more could have been done with his character and the turmoil Sky felt when he was the person who destroyed her, but also the only person who could help her pull off the heist. As far as wizards go, Maximus was… kind of lame. I thought he would have super-magical powers, but alas, I was mistaken. In a world where wyverns can breath fire, I was kind of disappointed with Maximus’ range of magic. I really enjoyed Gabriela! She is human, as I am, and longed for adventure, as I do. I liked that she had value to the rest of the team even though she doesn’t have the same skills as they do. It goes to show how everyone can find something to be good at, and nobody should feel useless, which is a philosophy I personally subscribe to. Overall, definitely worth reading if you’re into action more than characters. I never considered DNF’ing the book, because it was compelling, but in a different way than Six of Crows or Heist Society. Overall, 4/5 stars, because despite my issues with the characters, Fire and Heist managed to be a fun read. The world-building and connections to historical dragons were amusing and ultimately, made me want to finish reading.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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