Fire & Heist - Sarah Beth Durst
Book Synopsis: In Sky Hawkins's family, leading your first heist is a major milestone--even more so than learning to talk, walk, or do long division. It's a chance to gain power and acceptance within your family, and within society. But stealing your first treasure can be complicated, especially when you're a wyvern--a human capable of turning into a dragon.
Embarking on a life of crime is never easy, and Sky discovers secrets about her 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 her boyfriend and mother back in the process. But then she uncovers a dark truth about were-dragon society--a truth more valuable and dangerous than gold or jewels could ever be.
So glad I decided to pick this up on a whim. I've seen this book on Instagram, but I don't think that I've ever been compelled to go out and get a copy until I saw a new copy at my local library. Obviously I was pumped, but I didn't read it immediately. It was only until I realized that the library wanted the copy back in a week, I thought to myself: it's crunch time.
Honestly, when I started reading, I thought it was going to be a terrible book, but I was wrong. Yes, there are mixed reviews on goodreads.com but I don't listen to those. When it comes to reading books, I decide on which ones I want to read, and which ones I decide not to.
As I was reading, I was shocked by how much I actually liked it. This was my first Sarah Beth Durst book that I've read, and not a bad place to start. In truthfulness, I think this book is a standalone, but I wouldn't mind if the author milks it for a sequel.
This book takes two things that I love reading about jewel heists and dragons. There are never enough books about the two subjects being married together. I'll be the first to admit that I've never read Game of Thrones and I don't know if I ever intend to, maybe I will, when the whole craze is over.
What I loved about this book and truly admired was the fact that it does it get better when you turn the page: I found myself rooting for Sky Hawkins and her family, I was happy with the ending because it wrapped up nicely and everything was resolved.
Now, for what I didn't like: Ryan's dad and Ryan (in the beginning).
Ryan was not a favorite character for me, well at the first few chapters, but he grew on me *the reason that I didn't like him was because of the breakup mentioned in the synopsis.*
Mr. K is Ryan's dad and I absolutely hated him. Shall I count the ways? Ugh, he was abhorrent and a terrible person all around, he has no respect for me, but a great villain story.
Anyway. I think that Sky makes up for all that, even though she wasn't the "best" protagonist at all times, she didn't know when to throw in the towel and that made her likable.
Rating: ★★★★★