Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - So Let Them Burn

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So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

11 reviews

elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

WOW. A truly exceptional novel. I am thoroughly devastated that I cannot simply will the next book into existence. In So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole takes everything that can be amazing about young adult fantasy and elevates it with beautiful storytelling and entrancing world-building. I cannot wait to read more from her.

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kaynova's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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cadence99's review

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4.25

I really enjoyed this book, and, having not realized it was a series, am now deeply upset I have to wait for a resolution.
The beautiful strong relationships between characters really stood out for me. I felt the connections between them drive their actions in such a way that kept me invested in their success. I can’t wait to see where this journey leads.

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sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition

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informative mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

💬:“Being forced to learn the language of your oppressors is an oppression of the mind. They rewrite your history when you’re too young to know what you’re giving away, and before you know it, it’s too late to reclaim what you’ve lost, she said.”

Cole, Kamilah. So Let Them Burn (The Divine Traitors Book 1) (p. 82). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fiction, fantasy, young adult, dragons, LGBT, queer, mythology

📚Page Count: 392

🎧Audiobook Length: 11hrs 24mins

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️ - 2.75/5

TW -

blood, child abuse, colonization, cursing, death, fire/fire injury, injury/injury detail, murder, racism, violence, war

So Let Them Burn is a Jamaican inspired fantasy about two sisters who get separated from each other against their will, it's book one in the Divine Traitors series. Elara and her younger sister Faron live in a country that was just at war, although the countries are currently vying for peace, there's still conflict behind the scenes.

The setting and backstory are really fleshed out and I liked the dragons and I enjoyed the fighting and action scenes. The end of the book was really exciting.

The author created a sense of urgency within the premise of the book and then the entire first and second half of the book fell flat because nothing happened. 40% of the way through Faron asks

the gods

for help and they say no, then 60% of the way through she goes back and asks them for help again. Like the first time, they decline to help. At this point 20% of the book has gone by and almost nothing has happened.

I really didn't enjoy most of this book, the pacing was too off. Most of the beginning and middle of the book was just exposition, and it was frustration. The author would tell you something, not show you and that's not quite as exciting as it could be. It also felt like the author was writing in mundane scenes (even though she created that sense of urgency) just to fill the space so she can make the end of the story lead up to a sequel.

Here are a few other things I didn't like about the book. The character relationships had little development but

both Faron and Elara find love with their respective companions that they each used to hate.

The action scenes were really entertaining, it's unfortunate that they weren't spread out more. Most of the action scenes were at the end of the book. The end of the book was very info dumpy with "surprises" she revealed.

I didn't enjoy this book for the most part, I only enjoyed the ending. Due to that I'm going to give this 2.75 out of 5 stars
⭐️⭐️ - 2.75/5

I listened to this audiobook on [Spotify.com]

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metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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jennireadsmaybe's review

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

First of all, So Let Them Burn is a freaking amazing debut!!! A book about sisterhood is always my weakness and getting to have both Faron and Elara's POV made the book that much more emotional for this oldest sister. Their opposing stories and character growth did so much justice as they both want the same thing and have to navigate that desire in opposing ways.

This is the perfect example for what a queer-normative world should look like. We immediately know that Elara is a lesbian and her romance with Signey (her freaking dragon riding partner y'all!!!) is everything to me!!! When it is later revealed that Faron is demisexual, it was like a warm hug. She knows who she is and it's just wonderful.

Because of the differences in each countries magical abilities, the world building was super interesting too. San Irie's magic is very much based on an ancestral style of magic where they receive it by calling upon their ancestors. Whereas, LangIey is centered around the bond they share with their dragons. It made the idea of their previous battles and current outlook on political relations feel that much more recognizable. I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention the dragons. That's right dragons!!! It was so much fun to see how Kamilah Cole built a world around dragons where each country had a different experience and view point on dragons.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking to be in the dragon moment while supporting BIPOC authors and stories.

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cryosphinx's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What a unique spin in the YA fantasy genre, I loved the magic system and it being ancestor based. It covers tough topics such as colonialism with grace and it's clear that Cole wrote about her background with such passion but incorporated it into magic so well. I loved the sisters and their dynamic and loved the take on"I will burn the world for her" being for a sibling.

A few things I was anticipating but didn't get was background if the previous war (touched upon but not in heavy detail of what exactly Faron did), the dragons (I wanted more, MORE dragon dialogue and more than one dragon talking).

It does end on a cliffhanger and it's such a cliff hanger I very much pulled a Zuni "That's it? Where's the rest of it?!" I want the next book yesterday.

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destynee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The cover of this book alone had me. Then all of a sudden goodreads is doing a giveaway and somehow I win a copy making this not only my first read of the year but also my first ARC…Where to begin…So Let Them Burn is full of many things including two of my most favorite things: Black girls and dragons. It’s a complex story with complex characters. Some things are easy to guess and others aren’t. They all make for a wonderful story full of twists and turns that make you think about what you would do to save a loved one. Would you betray your country? The gods? What wouldn’t be off limits??? This book also gives insight into the effects of colonization and how the oppressor doesn’t just leave. They’ll try to keep their claws sunk into their prey as best as they can. San Irie may be a fictional island but it is based off of Jamaica and the lasting effects of colonization in both cases are very real. I would also say that this book shows what happens when children are forced to grow up too quickly while in these situations. They are forced to fight to be free, whether they be chosen ones like Faron or ordinary like Elara, and it has long lasting effects on them.

Both sisters have moments where they are dealing with ptsd from fighting in a war they didn’t want but that they had to fight in in order to gain their freedom and the freedom of their people.

I will definitely be getting another copy but I’m already in love with this story and I cannot wait for book 2 😫.

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chronicacademia's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Pitched as Queer Jamaican Joan of Arc with dragons, So Let Them Burn might just be the YA fantasy of the year (and it’s only January). It’s a sparkling debut with relatable characters, immersive and thoughtful world-building, and an ending that will probably haunt me until book 2’s release.

I finished most of the book in one sitting this morning. While the story’s latter two-thirds are incredibly quick, I did struggle to get through the first ~70 pages. In part because I’ve been in just about the worst YA fantasy slump of my life, and partly because there’s just a lot of world-building to consume in those first several chapters. Everything from the drakes to the dragons to the Empyrean to the magic system is incredibly fleshed out at the expense of the story’s pace. I’m not complaining though, because I think the author did an excellent job of laying things out and building on them without confusing the reader by throwing too much at us all at once. And once I hit part II, I was hooked. I didn’t set the book down again until it was over (and it felt like it was over in the blink of an eye).

The characters were phenomenally written. I usually struggle with multiple POVs in a book because there’s always that one character I just don’t vibe with, but that wasn’t the case here. I adored Elara and Faron equally, though for vastly different reasons. I identified very strongly with Elara, I think because she was the eldest daughter, and I felt so much of her story very deeply. With Faron, I think I related to her undying loyalty to and love for her sister, as well as her determination to protect her. This was the sister story my heart needed.

The side characters were also fleshed out and fun to follow. Reeve was my favorite for a multitude of reasons. He was a much-needed diversion from the toxic alpha male love interests who’ve been dominating YA fantasy lately. I love to see positive masculinity and I think the author nailed it with Reeve’s story and arc.

To me, this book felt like a mashup of all the best fantasy books. It reminded me of Iron Widow but with the romance and sister aspect of Caraval and the dragons and expansive world-building of The Priory of the Orange Tree. I think fans of any one of these books will probably enjoy So Let Them Burn.

Overall, I highly recommend this one.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! All views reflected are my own.

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