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minervareads's review against another edition
adventurous
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
sarahbberrigan's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.75
clovetra's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
i remember discovering this book after the debacle that was c*** c****** review-bombing fellow authors. i was super excited to read this, but i think for me it fell flat in some places.
first tho lemme say what a GREATTT character elara is. god i loved her, her chapters, and what her plot followed. she seemed cool yet down to earth, and as a fellow lesbian ofc im gonna root for my homegirl! i also really liked the characters who followed elara’s story, as they all felt fleshed out with believable personalities and character developments.
however, i didn’t like faron at ALLL, and i think that’s the main issue of this book. the book felt like it was flip flopping between her or elara being the MC…. except i really didn’t care about faron. and it’s not even like “oh i didn’t like her”. i know her character is meant to be unlikeable to some degree. i just felt nothing for her. emotionless. i did not care about her plot line, her character development, her highs and lows, none of it. ok maybe her progression with reeve but that’s because dude seems cool. shout out reeve ur not getting ur own paragraph but youre in my top 3 of characters from this book. anyways back to the topic of faron — girl irritated the hell out of me. and not in a quirky way. like i adore protagonists who are unlikeable and evil and shitheads. man i just came off the poppy war in love with rin. i just couldn’t find energy to CARE about her when all this cool interesting shit is happening with elara! especially when faron’s plot is very predictable whereas elara’s had a twinge of mystery the entire way.
and then there’s the issue i have with the plot…. everyone’s motivations feel fucking stupid. aside from reeve, elara & signey, nobody’s goals long term make any sense. i felt like when reading this i was in crazy town. like why are yall literally going scorched earth over something so inconsequential. and the “plot twists” were foreshadowed well, ill give this book that. except the plot twists themselves felt…. Lacking in emotional investment. like i know i was supposed to be going “😧” at every reveal but i was just like “…..😦…..😐”. i really didn’t care long term. idk maybe the plot points needed more time to cook? but in the same vein it felt like faron’s story was flopping around for like 60% of the book where elara was the only one getting shit done until faron’s story goes from 0-100. idk the pacing of the plot as well as the moving parts of the plot felt….. Odd! i can’t really put my finger on what issue i’m having dont sue me im on a new antidepressant my brain is full of rocks.
i defo will be tuning in for the other book because i love my girl elara!!! i need to know what happens to my homegirl!!! and reeve!!!! my boy!!!! but if it weren’t for them sorry i wouldn’t be picking up the next book. anyways im gonna go drool at some signey and elara fan art.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Racial slurs and Slavery
myleejmiller's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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
5.0
In So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole's debut fantasy novel, Faron Vincent would do anything to save her sister, Elara. But when her sister bonds with an enemy nation's dragon and the peace between their post-war civilizations begins to topple, her loyalty is put to the test. If she wants to save her sister, she needs to give up everything - including the future and partner she desires most.
Each time I sat down to read this book, it didn't feel like I was reading. It felt like I was a spectator in a miraculous real-time world that is not my own. Reading this book was like diving into fantasy stories for the first time. So Let Them Burn, in totality, was a breath of fresh air. I loved every second of it. It was a phenomenal debut, but also so thrilling and enthralling. I couldn't put it down when I read it and had to pace myself just to enjoy it more. This book is utterly fantastic, hands-down one of the best fantasy debuts of this year.
The only plot hole I saw in this story was at one point after the midpoint, Elara was called an "excellent fighter" but then a "bad fighter" during one of the fight scenes. I think it was an error more so than a convenience trope to get her out of her current situation, but it's something my attention did snag on while I was reading. Otherwise, this book is SO well not. Completely satisfying, from page one to the climax! Read it, read it, read it!!!
Each time I sat down to read this book, it didn't feel like I was reading. It felt like I was a spectator in a miraculous real-time world that is not my own. Reading this book was like diving into fantasy stories for the first time. So Let Them Burn, in totality, was a breath of fresh air. I loved every second of it. It was a phenomenal debut, but also so thrilling and enthralling. I couldn't put it down when I read it and had to pace myself just to enjoy it more. This book is utterly fantastic, hands-down one of the best fantasy debuts of this year.
The only plot hole I saw in this story was at one point after the midpoint, Elara was called an "excellent fighter" but then a "bad fighter" during one of the fight scenes. I think it was an error more so than a convenience trope to get her out of her current situation, but it's something my attention did snag on while I was reading. Otherwise, this book is SO well not. Completely satisfying, from page one to the climax! Read it, read it, read it!!!
classysassreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
thereset's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
3.75
Overall, I enjoyed this book, loved the world-building, and found the characters to be well-rounded and complex (realistically flawed, yet still relatable and endearing). I also found the writing style to be wonderfully fluid and descriptive. I didn’t find it very believable that the previous war seems to have been predominantly fought and won by 12-15 year olds, and that there appear to be zero adults in San Irie of any authority or consequence. I wish this series had been a trilogy, where the first book had covered the the war directly, because it’s an event that is so central and vital to the characterizations, relationships and events happening in this book. Being able to see how everything had built up to this point, rather than just being told about it, would have enriched the story and characters.
shrk's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
chrisandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall, this is a decent YA fantasy novel. I love that the author incorporates cultural elements from various racial/ethnic backgrounds and wove them throughout the story.
However, I had a hard time connecting with the characters/story. The main characters (Faron and Elara) are frustratingly selfish/immature and show little growth throughout the story. Although it is expected that main characters in Young Adult novels are a bit immature, Faron and Elara actions and justifications felt particularly childish compared to other YA fantasy novels.
However, I had a hard time connecting with the characters/story. The main characters (Faron and Elara) are frustratingly selfish/immature and show little growth throughout the story. Although it is expected that main characters in Young Adult novels are a bit immature, Faron and Elara actions and justifications felt particularly childish compared to other YA fantasy novels.
_itsmads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-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
3.75
corymouse's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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? No
5.0