A review by bluejayreads
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Did not finish book. Stopped at 51%.
 I picked this up mostly for concept - a world where each man got two wives, one to be a household manager and one to have and raise children. And I put it down because it truly isn't a bad book, it's just not for me. 

This is a world of misogyny and political intrigue, where the rich live atop a mountain and anyone from beyond the wall is shot. It's very much a slow burn - in half the book, Dani has graduated, been married off, been asked to spy on her husband, and attended two parties, and spent a lot of time talking about her own thoughts and feelings. It definitely feels slow, but it also doesn't feel boring. 

This book also does tension fantastically. I read this as an audiobook and could only listen for two hours at a time because I would start getting heart palpitations from the tension. The danger Dani is in is clear and present and vividly real, and even though I knew she would choose to take the risk to work for a free Medio (because there wouldn't be a story otherwise) I absolutely related to her desire to not help the rebellion, keep her head down, and just survive. 

Ultimately, though, a high-tension slow burn is not what I want out of a book right now. Most of my reading is audiobooks I listen to at work to distract myself and engage my brain while my hands work, and this is not a good book for that. I don't discount the possibility that I may pick it up again in the future, but for right now I'm putting it down. 
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