3.5 stars

I was absolutely stunned by the premise, but the original cover, by the story behind the inspiration for the book. So obviously I went in with the highest of expectations. It’s very easy to fall from too high places. After I tempered my expectations, I found myself very much entranced by this story of trauma, of healing, of going back and REALLY fixing what’s wrong. It kind of mirrors the refrain, we’re not free, until all of us are free. So, even though their island was liberated, there’s alway more work to do.

The small island, neighborly closeness, the examination of PTSD, child soldiers, the cold hard look at the realities of war, the bonds of sisterhood were some of the parts of this book that I cherished.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.

"Whip-smart and immersive, this Jamaican-inspired fantasy follows a gods-blessed heroine who’s forced to choose between saving her sister or protecting her homeland—perfect for fans of Iron Widow and The Priory of the Orange Tree. " That is all I had to read to know I had to read and review this book. It started out a little slow in the beginning and I was getting bored, but then it really picked up and I couldn't put it down after that. I love the characters, I loved that it was mainly about two sisters, Faron & Elara, and it has dragons and has sapphic relationships. If you love a sprinkle of romance, dragons, familial stories, and want to learn more about Jamaican-inspired fantasy, you should definitely pick this one up.

I started this book and unfortunately just couldn't get into it. I've been putting this review off because I wanted to try it again, but this time was no different. I hope to come back in the future with better things to say, as I think I just need something else right now.

This book was such a fun read! You could really tell that the author was inspired by Joan of Arc, but in a compelling and fresh way! One of my favorite aspects of this story was the way sisterhood was explored in this story (that, and the dragons). I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun YA fantasy that features dragons.

Very few fantasy novels use the situation post-war as the starting point of a plot or a series. Some of them treat post-war conditions as a short collection of epilogues or a new plot for a spin-off, but most of them leave them as an ending that gives off the feeling that every blood and tear spilled is worth the fight. In Kamilah Cole's debut, the post-war situation commences a nation that builds its independence and reputation, learning to accumulate power in key sectors like politics, socio-economic, and culture as a young country, and most of all, the people's trust for the leaders.

Cole is exceptionally sharp and nuanced in her narrative. With Jamaican independence as the loose inspiration of the novel, she remarkably elaborates on the long transition of a nation once colonized to sovereignty, citing its strengths and vulnerability in its conquest to be a powerful country that will hold up against any attempt of another invasion or occupation. She further illustrates the importance of young people in the journey of liberation—the idealistic people with monumental and fresh ideas of autonomy and power—as leaders and figures of iconism, as exemplified in the selection of Aveline as the queen and the Vincent sisters as the heroes, and the potentially severe impact of the expectations about them doing everything right without any fault.

As a result, Cole hones her story into a character-driven novel, dissecting the effects of war on her characters' mindset. It is evident in the way the main characters are trying to fill the gaps and holes as they navigate their lives after the war; Faron's codependency in calling upon godly spirit for measly magical activity and treacherous help is born by the sainthood presumption where she can always ask gods for any kind of service in the island whereas Elara's desperate attempts in enlisting as a warrior or military force is born out of the inferiority she feels for doing 'nothing' after the war.
Furthermore, the sisters' respective search for solutions also highlights the loss of usefulness they feel after the war, such as Faron's semi-return to sainthood reveals a sense of arrogance, visible in her dismissal of help and refusal to listen since she deems that she understands what to do more than others because she's done it before, or Elara's genuine appreciation of every word of affirmation given to her, including those received from the supposed enemy nation like the Langlish. And Cole bluntly further deems these moments as the fatal flaws that might lead to their downfall.

Characterization-wise, the Vincent sisters obviously take the dominant spot to become the memorable dual protagonists. Aside from the examples mentioned above, a highlight in their personality would be their sisterhood—it's not rare to see a strong bond between siblings in fantasy books, but it's uncommon to find one that focuses less on the hidden jealousy or envy towards one another, especially between sisters. Many times, the perspectives of Faron and Elara are self-aware and self-introspected when it comes to one another; acknowledging there are things they might envy, but they also understand they have different strengths.

Moving towards the only male main lead in the book, Reeve Warwick is surprisingly a charming, empathetic young man. My fear of his characterization as an English, which is definitely a fictional emulation of a Caucasian or white person, is for him to act like a mansplaining know-it-all with a big ego to be the white savior. Yet, Cole makes sure that his personality entirely avoids going on that path. He is helpful and attentive, obviously knowing a lot of things about the Langlish more than the Queen or the sisters, yet understands where to step into the spotlight or when to let the sisters or Queen (as the natives who were once oppressed by his ex-people) takes the stage and delivers their issues without trying to act or talk over them—this makes Cole seem like creating Reeve to be the ideal white person every people of color wishes to see in real life, and I can't help but hope the same, which makes it easy to empathize with his position and actions, finding ease in seeing that he has genuine friendship bond with one of the sisters Elara.

The villains are well-crafted, the embodiment of greed, and racial superiority from many angles; Commander Warwick's presence echoes the current state of a bunch of Western world leaders when it comes to wars and attempts to dig on the planet's most prized treasure, while the first dragon and its rider's villainous revelation, albeit not that unique in fantasy lores, help to complicate the narrative and to rise the challenge. It throws the characters and readers into a state of confusion and distrust on who to root for or to get rid of.

Cole never seems to intend this book as a romantasy story, or a tale that heavily focuses on the romantic tension while building up the overarching fantasy narrative; she stays centered around the critique of colonization and its severe effects, which she successfully includes in the book, and simply constructs the romance subplot as something that happens along the way. However, it doesn't mean that the characters don't have chemistry because they do; Elara and Signey, as well as Faron and Reeve, build their relationships from distrust to understanding to love, unlearning the stereotypes and discriminating notions about each other as they learn to comprehend beyond them. It's a slow-burn take that Cole uses to build up their relationship, yet it doesn't feel boring in any sense.

With that being said, Kamilah Cole has delivered a stunning, thrilling fantasy chronicle that sums up the effects of invasion and occupation on all nations, including the ones directly affected and occupied, honoring her culture that inspires the novel in the great delight of world-building, characterization, and sisterhood. So Let Them Burn is a worthy read for those who seek fantasy stories revolving around families, and it deserves every single love it can have.

This is a fantastic read, with incredible characters, a memorable world, and a story you won't want to forget. I will never stop screaming about this book!! It's my favorite read of the year.

Happy belated book birthday to So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole! So excited to finally shout about this book! Thanks to TBR Beyond Tours and The Novl for my finished copy and to Libro FM for the ALC.

Y’all this book was so much fun! This Jamaican-inspired fantasy follows a gods-blessed heroine who’s forced to choose between saving her sister or protecting her homeland. Simultaneously, her sister is off in the enemies clutches at dragon rider school after accidentally bonding with a dragon.

For my tour stop, I present to you a playlist for this book. My goal was to include the themes of island independence, war/conflict, trauma from said war/conflict, relationships both romantic and familial, self-sacrifice and magical powers. I absolutely loved this book so much and I am so desperate for the sequel!! This is not one I’ll forget soon and you absolutely should grab a copy from your favorite bookish retailer.

Playlist:
More Like a Crash – Mayday Parade
Feels by Kehlani
Suckerpunch by FLETCHER
The Sign by Lizzo
Stay by Zedd, ft Alessia Cara
MY HOUSE by Beyoncé
deep in the woods by Hayley Kiyoko
So Good Right Now by Fall Out Boy
Ribcage by Andy Black
Feel Something by Magnolia Park & Derek Sanders
Wildlife by Against the Current
I Just Wanna Run by The Downtown Fiction
deathwish by Stand Atlantic, ft nothing, nowhere.
Queen by Loren Gray
Knife Under My Pillow

Besides dragons in this book, you’ll also find magic, ancestors and divine beings, lesbians, a demisexual, and a whole lot of courtly/political intrigue!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel.

Wow. Honestly wow. So Let Them Burn is actually incredible. I was enticed by the cover, enamored by the description, and stayed for the story, the riveting plot, and love-able characters.

THIS IS WHY I COME BACK TO YOUNG ADULT. What a palpable, fantastic way to discuss anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism.

I cannot recommend this novel enough

What an EPIC adventure! The story was a love letter to sisters, but full of such vibrant fantasy elements. I feel like the depiction of struggles both the MC and sister deal with were so real and I empathized with both sides of the issue. AND Dragons!?! Yes please! If you grew up thinking your destiny was one thing for it all to uprooted and changed on a dime... It was a little hard to get into in the beginning, but then I couldn't put it down.

I loved the premise of this book! It was such a unique take to see what happens after ‘the chosen one’ saves the world. I loved seeing Faron’s struggle with her responsibilities, her desire to be left alone and her love for her sister.

Elara was also a great character and I loved the LGBT rep, though I wish we had seen her relationship develop a little more.

The world building was really well done and I enjoyed the dragons, gods and Jamaican-inspired world.

The cliffhanger was great and I can’t wait to read the next book!

Okay, parts of this book I liked but I found the characters pretty unlikeable and two of my absolute lease favorite tropes took over the whole plot: stupid decisions and miscommunication.

Rivals to lovers can be so entertaining but also can be done very poorly.

I did enjoy the more fantasy and worldbuilding aspects of this book, like the dragons, impacts of war and colonialism. The book captured many important issues very well bringing light to discrimination and negative effects of these things.

Faron and her magical abilities were very interesting, and she was a very strong character. She was brave and became a symbol of hope to others. She fought for her people and it was very admirable. Magic system reminded me of Avatar in some ways and was very unique.

The ending was somewhat of a cliffhanger but very exciting, I will be reading the next book and am interested to see if the things I didn’t enjoy will continue.

I search everywhere for this book forgetting I had an ARC! OMG, this was everything I wanted and more. I cannot wait to see what else Kamilah Cole has to offer.

This story was everything I wanted and more! Dragons, a diverse cast featuring bipoc and queer characters, sci-fi/fantasy elements AND an enemies to lovers arc??? This is the kind of book that folks are going to go feral over. I can't believe this is the authors debut.

A stunning debut to start off what is sure to be a bright career. Captivating, fierce, and epic, So Let Them Burn is a can’t-miss fantasy.

Wow! I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! The storytelling, character development, and world building was executed beautifully. Cannot wait until the sequel.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: So Let Them Burn

Author: Kamilah Cole

Book Series: Divine Traitors book 1

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: BIPOC Jamaican inspired MCs, Sapphic MC, Sapphic side character, Black characters, Gay/Achillan side characters

Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, dragons, mythology, Jamaican mythology

Publication Date: January 16, 2024

Genre: YA Fantasy

Age Relevance: 14+ (language, violence, war, anxiety and panic attacks, racism, racial slurs, slavery, genocide, colonialism, PTSD)

Explanation of Above: There is some strong language in the book. There are scenes and mentions of violence, war, genocide, colonialism, and PTSD. There are scenes with anxiety and panic attacks. There is some racism and racial slurs said. There are mentions of slavery.

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

Pages: 400

Synopsis: Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. She’s a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbors. When she’s forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesn’t expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon—or the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister. As Faron’s desperation to find another solution takes her down a dark path, and Elara discovers the shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, both must make difficult choices that will shape each other’s lives, as well as the fate of their world.

Review: This book. THIS BOOK. Oh. My. God. I loved it so so so so so so much!!! This book is an amazing Jamaican inspired mythology with DRAGONS. The story is so well done and I loved how the book starts in the middle of a storyline, with the MCs having already faced a previous war and had all of this past storyline stuff. The story also did well to discuss war, especially how bad colonialism is and the repercussions of it. It also, most importantly, discussed genocide. The worldbuilding was also phenomenal and I can’t wait to read the second book and reread this one.

The only thing I can fault the book for is that it did feel a little rushed, but other than that it was amazing and I’m already excited to read it again.

Verdict: I love it! Highly recommend!

This was one of the best books I’ve read this year. From the mere question of “what does life look like for the chosen one when they’ve already served their ‘purpose’?”, I was HOOKED… and the rest of the book did not disappoint.

The narration and voice grabbed me and drew me in from the very first page. The Jamaican-inspired fantasy world was so unique and compelling, and it really felt like the author took great care to allow the world to live and breathe on the page like its own character. I was particularly drawn in by the postcolonial politics and how the dragons became metaphor—grappling with the question of whether these surviving vestiges of empire could ever be anything more than tools of the colonizer. As for the characters, Faron and Elara are gorgeously conflicted, fully fleshed people who make mistakes and grow—and completely steal your heart. The side characters, too, are all very well developed, layered, and lovable.

Too often, we discuss an author’s strengths as either/or: character or plot, worldbuilding or pacing, entertainment or political message. SO LET THEM BURN never sacrifices one element for another. I can’t emphasize enough that it is truly a masterfully crafted book.

My health got in the way of me finishing this book right now, but I am staggered by how stunning the word developing in these pages is. At moments sharp and witty, at others blunt and painful, it’s a special blend of songs coming together to create an opera anyone would appreciate.

Faron by rights shouldn’t be as likeable as she is. The first sentence of the book gives you a clue; Faron Vincent had been a liar for longer than she’d been a saint. And yet there’s something wonderful about her, a spiky outer casing that has been forged through pain and struggle; a girl in this world who, special powers or not, has refused to conform to the mold the world wanted her to fit. I loved her, and felt an almost sisterly / motherly concern for her as the events of the book start to escalate.

The tentative trust between some is hard won, and the ultimate test of love between sisters is going to be a huge rollercoaster. It’s a beautiful, beautiful book, and deserves endless praise; I can’t wait to finish it when I’m well enough.

Have you had any five-star reads in the month of January? If so, how many!

This month has been absolutely amazing when it comes to the quality of my reads! Every single book I have read so far has been a five-star read! One of my absolute favorites from the month so far was So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole (@wordsiren)!

Today is my stop on @tbrbeyondtours bookstagram and blog tour for So Let Them Burn! I was dying to get my hands on a copy of this book, so I was thrilled to have been selected for this tour! I’ll be sharing my review of the book here on Instagram, and my some of my favorite quotes over on my blog (link in bio) along with the full tour schedule!

So Let Them Burn is a rare dual-perspective book that had me equally invested in both perspectives! The sisters’ narratives were each compelling and unique, especially once they were separated. Elara’s journey as a girl taken from her home due to an accidental bond with an enemy dragon was one of the most interesting parts of the book. Specifically, I loved the ways she found community while away from home, thereby complicating the existing conflict between the countries by giving Elara a personal connection to the people meant to be her enemies. Faron’s journey was equally as interesting, as she struggles with what it means to be an adult after growing up as the chosen Childe Empyrean. Woven together, the sisters’ stories made for a plot with great depth and development that you won’t want to miss!

After the ending of So Let Them Burn, I am absolutely DYING for a sequel! There is a spot for one on Goodreads, but without a title or cover yet, and the suspense is killing me! Fingers crossed that we will get to continue Elara and Faron’s story in the near future!

My Recommendation:
If you need a fast-paced, immersive, and thrilling fantasy novel to add a five-star read to your list of January reads, I urge you to pick up a copy of So Let Them Burn! This book would be perfect for anyone who loves dragons, intrigue, and intelligent worldbuilding in their reads!

This book was actually amazing. It offers a fresh new perspective on the "Chosen One" trope and a taste of life after the big battle was over. The characters in this book are real in the way that I feel their struggles, pride, and love. My favorite was Elara and I was always excited to read her chapters. Even as the plot follows a nation attempting to not enter another war, a majority of this story was built on love and it was done beautifully. Elara and Faron's sisterhood was so strong and so potent that you couldn't help but feel it deep in your soul. The romantic relationships as well were fleshed out and carefully developed, something I enjoy to see. The worldbuilding was rich and new, with carefully placed tidbits of information where it didn't feel info-dumpy, making it wonderful to pick up this book. Hands down, this is a top 10 book of 2024 for me.