Reviews

Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst

annuhfloor's review

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2.0

Honestly the pace of this book was everything I'd ever wanted. I love the story, even though some part was a bit too small. It just did not connect fully to the characters, but if I'd read this 5 years ago i would have. It feels like a middle grade book, and i was just not completely in the mood for this i guess.

And dragons.... why wouldn't it be amazing.

nyeran's review

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1.0

It's not arrogant to know who you are.

♠ A questo punto ditelo che le trame dei libri le scrivete a cazzo di cane. O ubriachi. Perché nel libro non c'è la minima traccia di tutto quello che c'è scritto lì. Ci sono i were-dragons? No. La protagonista e la sua gente discende dai draghi ma non può trasformarsi, non ha la vista acuta, non ha la loro forza, non ha il loro udito fine, non può volare. Possono solo emanare un respiro molto caldo, resistere al calore e sono ossessionati dall'oro e dalle rapine. Una persona normale si chiederebbe 'ma questo suo essere una were-dragon a cosa serve nel libro?'. È presto detto: un cazzo niente. Perchè loro non hanno i poteri e inspiegabilmente i veri umani sanno della loro esistenza, sanno che rapinano e li trattano come fossero celebrità. Nessuno che si chiede di cosa campino questi tizi e come fanno ad essere ricchi, ma poi questi veramente si rapinano solo tra di loro? E quanti siete? Perché?

♠ Questo libro si legge come un qualsiasi diario di una teenager, con le sue paturnie amorose, i piagnucolii perché il ragazzo l'ha lasciata e gli amici l'hanno abbandonata e la famiglia non le dice le cose e lei è super simpy e relatable. Le parti che avrebbero dovuto risultare interessanti o quantomeno un po' più studiate, tanto per fare un esempio la rapina a casa di Ryan, si sviluppano e si concludono con dei semplici: 'Tagliamo i fili e la bomba è disinnescata'. Non viene fatto vedere come questi riescano ad entrare, specialmente dopo che mi hai detto che la casa è super sicura e che ci sono telecamere, laser da evitare e piastrelle che attivano trappole. Solo perché sta parlando una sedicenne non vuol dire che la prosa deve essere così semplicista e ripeto, per tutto il libro sembrava di leggere un libro di scuola elementare.

Shout out per Gabriella che è l'unico personaggio quasi bello del libro. Il resto vaffanculo. 

kivt's review

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3.0

odd mashup of gossip girl, oceans 11, and a lisa frank binder. fun enough read but honestly somewhat light on the heist aspect—or at least the parts i like.

thebooklovingpanda's review against another edition

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4.0

I set out to steal a jewel, and I accidentally changed the world.
3.5 stars

Narrated by a likeable and relatable protagonist, this was an amusing, original and dragon-filled read that really underscored the importance of family. There were a few unexpectedly touching moments in there! The humour somewhat recalls the style of the Percy Jackson books, though I did laugh more in the second half than the first (not sure why).

I'll be honest, the plot didn't seem all that interesting initially. I rarely cared enough to pick the book back up every time I put it down, and that inadvertently undermined the way this story should be enjoyed - I think it works best when read in one sitting, like a Disney movie. Things picked up once the central heist began, and there was such a ripe opportunity to spice up the illustration of wyvern society, but it seemed to have been eventually abandoned. I don't know if it's the anthropologist in me, but I was incredibly fascinated by the faintly disturbing glimpses we get of the brutal, narrow-minded meritocracy determining the social echelons of the ancestral wyvern community, and its translation (and modification) amongst the Earth wyverns.

What I liked most was the deep bond Sky had with her family: dad, mother and three brothers. They had such nuanced relationships, in all the imperfect choices that each of them made. Nuance that wasn't really present in the rest of the fairly simple book. I did enjoy the refreshingly uncomplicated love interest though! Thank god for no love triangles - Sky and Ryan were pretty adorable together.The book overall was actually by and large free of the tropes that plague YA fiction. None really come to mind here.

Despite not being wowed, I enjoyed this little foray into dragon fantasy and I'm intrigued in what other work Durst has published!

My friends and my family are my treasure.
They are my gold.

twoheartedidiot's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

jane_kelsey's review

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1.0

This was so boring and all of that million parenthesis annoyed me so much! I just did not care for this book at all so I will be DNF-ing it because of bigger and better things on the horizon.It is a shame that I have not enjoyed this because I really wanted to as I love dragons.

Do you want a full review on this?

eyleen's review against another edition

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4.0

This read like a teenage adventure comedy movie.

It was entertaining, but didn't have too much depth.

henriet's review

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4.0

I enjoyed it ⭐⭐⭐⭐

"My friends and my family are my treasure. They are my gold.“

ameserole's review against another edition

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2.0

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, fire and heist had potential. I was so pumped to dive into this review but for the first half - I was so freaking bored. I wasn’t connecting to any of characters and I also didn’t care one bit about the drama either. Thankfully, it started to pick up after halfway through the book. Unfortunately, it was a little too late.

In this book, you will meet Sky. She’s a wyvern, which is basically a dragon shifter. Sky was an okay character but I honestly couldn’t connect with her. I didn’t care about what happened to her or this heist anymore. Other than her, the other characters were also boring. Again, connected to no one in this book.

Overall, it was an okay kind of book. I had high hopes before diving in and ended up being completely disappointed.

jasmine_elizabeth's review against another edition

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5.0

OMG This book was the dragon book I’ve been impatiently waiting for, it has dragons, adventure and family with cheesy romance thrown in there i loved it so much.