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A review by ptg
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i really, really wanted to like this book—under-appreciated mythology, dragons, & anti-colonialism are all exactly what i need from fiction—but i really just could not get past the juvenile writing style & its inability to capture my attention for even the book’s action-packed bursts.
but first, the good. i loved the magic system, especially summoning. the dragon rider arrangement, while very similar to that in fourth wing, was still a welcome mechanic to see. i also really appreciated the aspect of the book focusing on the aftermath of a revolutionary war rather than going on the more traditional route of the war itself. the development of the relationship between reeve & faron was one of the better secondary plots of the book & gave me something to root for, despite the overarching two-dimensionality of all the main characters.
my main problem might be considered little more than a pet peeve: every single description of a new character or outfit was overwritten, a problem that stuck out even more strongly when those descriptions were repeated nearly word-for-word several times throughout. the color of every single physical trait of even the most minor new character had to be iterated: “smooth skin” the color of “saddle leather,” “loose curls that framed [their] face,” the shape and cut of their outfit. every new dress “billowed around [insert character]’s legs,” every new langlish man had a “square jaw.” i wouldn’t be too miffed if such elaboration was reserved for the main characters, but some people appeared only for a conversation and never again, their attributes scrapped & re-used for another extra later on.
a particularly egregious example i found was in the description of san irie’s three gods:at the climax of the book, the moment elana speaks to the gods herself becomes the maiden empyrean, all three are described once again in lush detail when we had already seen the gods through faron’s eyes far, far earlier in the book. moments such as these slowed down the plot to a grinding halt and made me wonder why i didn’t dnf a third of the way through.
i’m aware this is a debut novel, & perhaps that’s why it read a little like a fanfiction where the beginning & end & some crucial scenes were conceptualized but the tendons between were never solidified—i speak from my own experience as a hobbyist writer. the book reached interesting heights, particularly in the first half, then slogged its way to the next peak indelicately. as i said, i wanted so dearly to love this book, but i left feeling dissatisfied & wondering what could’ve been with maybe another round of thorough editorial work.
but first, the good. i loved the magic system, especially summoning. the dragon rider arrangement, while very similar to that in fourth wing, was still a welcome mechanic to see. i also really appreciated the aspect of the book focusing on the aftermath of a revolutionary war rather than going on the more traditional route of the war itself. the development of the relationship between reeve & faron was one of the better secondary plots of the book & gave me something to root for, despite the overarching two-dimensionality of all the main characters.
my main problem might be considered little more than a pet peeve: every single description of a new character or outfit was overwritten, a problem that stuck out even more strongly when those descriptions were repeated nearly word-for-word several times throughout. the color of every single physical trait of even the most minor new character had to be iterated: “smooth skin” the color of “saddle leather,” “loose curls that framed [their] face,” the shape and cut of their outfit. every new dress “billowed around [insert character]’s legs,” every new langlish man had a “square jaw.” i wouldn’t be too miffed if such elaboration was reserved for the main characters, but some people appeared only for a conversation and never again, their attributes scrapped & re-used for another extra later on.
a particularly egregious example i found was in the description of san irie’s three gods:
i’m aware this is a debut novel, & perhaps that’s why it read a little like a fanfiction where the beginning & end & some crucial scenes were conceptualized but the tendons between were never solidified—i speak from my own experience as a hobbyist writer. the book reached interesting heights, particularly in the first half, then slogged its way to the next peak indelicately. as i said, i wanted so dearly to love this book, but i left feeling dissatisfied & wondering what could’ve been with maybe another round of thorough editorial work.