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A review by queergoth_reads
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
I received a copy of this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher but all thoughts are my own.
I just finished this and all I can say is wow! This was a phenomenal book and I need the second one soon because I need to know what happens!!
The writing was so evocative and I often felt I was watching the story play it like in a movie rather than as words on a page.
I love the concept of having the story start after the chosen one has fulfilled their destiny. Seeing Faron have to live with all this power and status after being given it as a child and seeing how she copes with the expectations put on her, by her people and her gods, was so well done. It made her so much more than just your standard chosen one. It was also really interesting to see how her sister Elara copes with it, feeling like she is in her sister's shadow, as well as seeing how the both compare themselves to each other and come up feeling inadequate. They were both so human and such well rounded characters.
I think one of the most important and well done things in this book is that it doesn't shy away from the impact of colonisation and war. It highlights the lives lost, the consequences and impact the war had on the citizens of San Irie, and the impact these have on all the characters involved in the fight for San Irie's independence in the years after. They do not shy away from the blood on their hands and the consequences their actions had. The book also does not refrain from showing the realities of Elara being forced to move to the country that wanted to colonise her homeland. It talks frankly about her fear of losing her culture and the hate she faces from others there.
This is a really phenomenal book. I will be thinking about it for a long time.
I just finished this and all I can say is wow! This was a phenomenal book and I need the second one soon because I need to know what happens!!
The writing was so evocative and I often felt I was watching the story play it like in a movie rather than as words on a page.
I love the concept of having the story start after the chosen one has fulfilled their destiny. Seeing Faron have to live with all this power and status after being given it as a child and seeing how she copes with the expectations put on her, by her people and her gods, was so well done. It made her so much more than just your standard chosen one. It was also really interesting to see how her sister Elara copes with it, feeling like she is in her sister's shadow, as well as seeing how the both compare themselves to each other and come up feeling inadequate. They were both so human and such well rounded characters.
I think one of the most important and well done things in this book is that it doesn't shy away from the impact of colonisation and war. It highlights the lives lost, the consequences and impact the war had on the citizens of San Irie, and the impact these have on all the characters involved in the fight for San Irie's independence in the years after. They do not shy away from the blood on their hands and the consequences their actions had. The book also does not refrain from showing the realities of Elara being forced to move to the country that wanted to colonise her homeland. It talks frankly about her fear of losing her culture and the hate she faces from others there.
This is a really phenomenal book. I will be thinking about it for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, War, and Racism
Moderate: Death and Fire/Fire injury