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A review by butterbrioche
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
5.0
I wish I could give this book 6 stars.
I am so thankful that I was able to receive an arc of this. When I say this, I’m not being hyperbolic: I really do believe that this will become a very popular book in 2024. It deserves to be. From the writing to the storytelling to the character work, all of it is lush and immersive. Cole has such a talent for showing! She isn’t just telling us when she’s writing and that’s why what she writes also feels so visceral.
I love, love, love a man vs. god conflict. It always gets me every single time because despite us being mere mortals we will always crave the ability to control or disrupt the ways that the strings of fate are strummed. To have so many characters included and for them to all have their unique personalities in tact is a feat.
The world-building here is amazing. The way Cole maneuvers between giving us just enough information and then having us see it. It never feels like there’s an info dump, even though I don’t always mind those.
I also think watching Faron honestly grapple with what she’s felt surrounding being the child emperyean, the trauma around it and more was very good.
I think there’s something so special about this book. A Jamaican inspired Joan of arc with dragons that addresses the cost of war, colonization, and revolution and what comes next to avoid that. How war stays deep in your bones. The choices that we make and have made in the past.
I truly believe this is one of the best books of 2024 and I cannot wait for everyone else to read it.
I am so thankful that I was able to receive an arc of this. When I say this, I’m not being hyperbolic: I really do believe that this will become a very popular book in 2024. It deserves to be. From the writing to the storytelling to the character work, all of it is lush and immersive. Cole has such a talent for showing! She isn’t just telling us when she’s writing and that’s why what she writes also feels so visceral.
I love, love, love a man vs. god conflict. It always gets me every single time because despite us being mere mortals we will always crave the ability to control or disrupt the ways that the strings of fate are strummed. To have so many characters included and for them to all have their unique personalities in tact is a feat.
The world-building here is amazing. The way Cole maneuvers between giving us just enough information and then having us see it. It never feels like there’s an info dump, even though I don’t always mind those.
I also think watching Faron honestly grapple with what she’s felt surrounding being the child emperyean, the trauma around it and more was very good.
I think there’s something so special about this book. A Jamaican inspired Joan of arc with dragons that addresses the cost of war, colonization, and revolution and what comes next to avoid that. How war stays deep in your bones. The choices that we make and have made in the past.
I truly believe this is one of the best books of 2024 and I cannot wait for everyone else to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: War, Death, Blood, and Colonisation