Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

13 reviews

zombiezami's review

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dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

4.0

It took a little effort to get into this, but the story started to flow about 25 percent of the way in. I liked the characters quite a bit, especially Ilora. I think the book could have started stronger if it hadn't yada yada-ed the whole war that took place before the book. There was a lot of exposition that could have been more engaging in a show, not tell model. 

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readingelli's review

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adventurous challenging medium-paced

4.75


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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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natraf_reads's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

WOW. A debut novel from Cole and an exceptional one at that! 
I loved the sister relationship between Elara and Faron. These sisters have had to face SO much so young. 
The trauma from war has greatly affected these girls as they fought to save their country as actual children!! 
Still incredibly young, our sisters now find themselves at the forefront of the nations newest disaster. I loved watching Elara grow and become more confident in a world way different from her own. I loved seeing Faron forced to grow up and acknowledge that she has been selfish her whole life, and that being the empyrean is a much bigger commitment than just the title.

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bisexualwentworth's review against another edition

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

3.75

This is the second book I’ve read in a row that was all tell no show with a much stronger concept than execution.

All of the elements are excellent here. This book is exploring some really compelling ideas: what does it mean to be a former chosen one or the sibling of a chosen one? What is good, what is evil, and what is the relationship between religion and morality? How do you rebuild your nation after a revolution? How do you find new relationships with your former colonial oppressors? Should you? 

The characters are set up in really compelling ways. The dragons are fun. The world is queernormative and both main characters are queer (one is demisexual, one is a lesbian). The plot is good overall. It was just way too fast and completely lacking in any subtlety whatsoever. I felt extremely spoon-fed the entire time. I also felt like the book was rushing through instead of taking its time with the characters and concepts. I wonder if it was the author’s choice to make this one extremely rushed book instead of two slower, more thoughtful ones.

If there’s a sequel I will read it because I’m invested, but I was definitely slightly disappointed.

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lady_valhella's review against another edition

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

3.0


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metaphorsandmisc's review

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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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thoughtsontomes's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

5.0

This managed to do so many unexpected things. First, this is dual POV which you can’t tell from the synopsis and definitely matters. It follows two sisters years after a war where their country fought off a colonizing nation in which they were two key players. So this feels like what would happen after so many classic YA adventure stories. It explores sister bonds, and what makes a villain. It does so many things that I wasn’t expecting so well. I’m intrigued for the second installment! 

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achay91'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? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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kingjk2002's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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