BOOKS ¦ Review: Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst

Name: Fire & Heist
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Date Published: 2018
Rating: 4/5

Slight spoiler warning for this review! 

Leading your first heist is a major milestone in Sky Hawkin’s family—even more so than learning to talk, walk, or do long division. It’s a chance to gain power and acceptance within society. But stealing your first treasure can be complicated—especially when you’re a wyvern, a human capable of transforming into a dragon.
Embarking on a life of crime is never easy, and Sky’s mission uncovers deep secrets about the mother who recently went missing, the real reason her boyfriend broke up with her, and a valuable jewel that could restore her family’s wealth and rank in their community.
With a handpicked crew by her side, Sky knows she has everything she needs to complete her first heist—and get back the people she loves in the process. But instead, she ends up discovering a dark truth about were-dragon society—a truth that is more valuable and dangerous than gold or jewels could ever be.

- From Goodreads.

While the general concept of Fire & Heist was unique and interesting, and I was always intrigued to learn more about the world and society while reading it, I think the blend of fantasy and science fiction at times felt a bit disconnected. I liked the inclusion of both, but I think it perhaps needed a little extra work to make them fit together more smoothly.
I also think there could have been a little more description in certain places, most of the time in terms of characters and settings there was enough, but there were some cases where just a little more description might have helped me picture the scene better. When it came to Sky, the main character, herself there was not always much description of her appearance. Given that she was narrating it made sense that she was not always talking about how she looked, but there were just a few moments where I felt like it would have fitted in. That said, in certain scenes the description that was there was really good, for example when it came to Home, the world of the dragons, the author did a really good job of making it feel unsettling and making you feel wary.
I enjoyed the humorous tone of the novel and found that there were quite a few funny moments. There were also some references to things like Harry Potter and The Princess Bride that were fun to spot. Generally, despite the dramatic moments and tension in the story, which were quite exciting to read, it was still balanced well with light-hearted moments and felt very easy to read.
The focus on family in the novel was also something I found enjoyable. The way Sky and her brothers and father obviously cared for each other, even if they sometimes made mistakes in how they treated each other, felt very heart-warming. It was good to see their bonds develop over the course of the book and to see how they came together in the end to deal with the challenge that faced them. I was not always sure how I felt about Sky's mother and her actions but I felt satisfied that she was working to fix her mistakes by the end.
I also really like how Sky's friendship with Gabriella developed and I think they both learnt and gained a lot from their friendship. It was refreshing to read Sky being self-aware about the mistakes she made in her behaviour towards Gabriella and how she admitted that she had not really put any effort into being friends with humans before. It was good to watch her work on that and to see her doing things like helping Gabriella get over her fears.
The chemistry between Sky and Ryan felt believable and I understood why she wanted to be with him again, but I also didn't feel too invested and I didn't really mind if they got back together or not, so perhaps a little more work could have been put into making me care a bit more about their relationship.
Overall it was an enjoyable and fun story that kept me wanting to read and had a well-wrapped up and satisfying ending. Despite a few flaws I will definitely remember it positively and probably read it again some day.

I received this book in a Fairyloot box that I bought for myself, there are no gifted or sponsored items in this post.