This was such a good read I loved it and was completely hooked from the first page. Definitely recommend

i watched cole's literary journey from Twitter of all places; from finishing her final draft to getting an agent, to editing some more, and finally the book. So Let Them Burn deals with some heavy themes: the aftermath of colonisation and war, the pains of having to grow up too quickly, accepting responsibilities for difficult decisions. However, despite this, it is not a dark or gloomy story: on the contrary, it was hopeful, with plenty of heart-warming moments and characters you can't help but love.

This is an absolutely amazing premise…let down by writing I couldn’t stand, and a flavour of stupid that is just EXHAUSTING.

It was an odd, but I don’t think bad or wrong, choice to set Let Them Burn after the big Mockingjay-esque war wherein San Irie – the Jamaica-inspired setting – fought off its colonisers, the Langley Empire. It would have been a difficult story to write, and it probably wouldn’t have stood out nearly as much from all the other rebellions we’ve seen in YA. But the downside is that Cole has to continuously info-dump us with past events, and it’s not done very skilfully.

I could probably have lived with that, though – there were decent odds it would only be an issue in the beginning and things would smooth out as the book went on. And I really liked that the two POV characters – Faron, a sort of Chosen One, and Elara – are sisters, who are very close and supportive of each other. We don’t get to see loving sibling relationships often enough, imo.

But the actual writing is just not great. It’s plain, it’s blunt, the phrasing often grates my internal sense of writing rhythm (I don’t know how to put it better than that, this is a problem I run into all the time). The dialogue is clunky and comes across as very false, very forced – aside from Faron and Elara, the dynamics between the characters were just so unconvincing, particularly the (very different) relationships both sisters have with Reeve, the son of the leader of the Langley Empire who switched sides during the war. Faron doesn’t trust him, and their meant-to-be-snarky banter is cringe-inducing; whereas Elara considers Reeve her best friend, which would be fine if not for lines like this.

<His nightmares, his guilt, his trauma were different, but she had connected with the sorrow in his eyes that matched her own.>

That is just so clunky.

More examples for you;

<Port Sol was a powder keg. It would only take an ember for it to erupt.>

There’s a reason that situations described as powder kegs are said to need a spark to erupt; a spark jumps into being when the right materials bang together, or from malfunctioning electrics, etc. A spark is easy to make and can come into being suddenly, without warning, is my point. An ember is what you get when the fire has already been burning for a while already – so it doesn’t make sense with this particular metaphor.

<broad as a building>

What -what the hell does this mean??? Buildings come in all shapes and sizes; this is completely unhelpful description. I might have let it slide if it were describing a human – you kind of vaguely understand what is meant if you describe a big person as being built like a building. But this is describing a dragon. And it’s kind of vitally important that I can picture your dragons the way you want me to – and size is a big part of that! Dragons of Deepwood Fen described the length of dragons in terms of horses; this one was six horses long, this one ten, etc. Even though horses are not all exactly the same length, they’re close enough that you can understand what the writer is going for. But broad as a building? I don’t know what that means!

Then we have passages like this

<Aveline opens the airfield to the public.” It was a stupid idea, but Faron understood the politics of it. Aveline had taken the throne as a teenager, after all, and people wouldn’t allow for her to rule from the shadows. If her every action would be scrutinized, why not allow that scrutiny on her own terms?>

For context, this is referring to the fact that the queen apparently allows the public to wander onto the military airfield as they please, so long as her guards are present. Which already strikes me as incredibly stupid. But I genuinely don’t understand what Cole is trying to say about the ruling from the shadows thing, or how it’s relevant to opening up the airfield. It reads like nonsense. People are always going to be watching what the queen is up to, so she…opens up the airfield? And this is somehow a kind of defiant thing, her exerting control on the situation? What???

But that was nothing compared to the sheer unbelievable idiocy of the riot control. See, there are trade talks going on, right? And the queen is worried about a possible riot, because a lot of her people aren’t happy about the talks. So she asks the military to step in.

Who do the military send in??? To help prevent, or manage if they can’t prevent, a fucking riot?

THE CADETS WHO SIGNED UP LITERALLY THIS MORNING.

THIS.

MORNING.

<Apparently, security detail was a job for green cadets, not experienced soldiers>

Hi, what the actual fuck??? What kind of reasoning is this?! No one with half a brain cell would EVER sign off on something like that! These kids – and they ARE kids – have had no training yet! They haven’t even been cadets for a full day at this point! AND you stuck them on horseback, despite the fact that at least some of them haven’t ridden horses very often! I can’t even count how many kinds of stupid and dangerous this is!

And it’s so obviously just to get Elara – who signed up that morning – into the capital. When I can think of half a dozen other, better ways to get her there without even trying.

Blatant and handwavey idiocy contrived because you couldn’t come up with a reasonable way of getting your characters where you need them is not something I can put up with.

I’m not even going to get into how forced and awkward the dragon-bonding scene was. Nope, nope, nope.

TL;DR: great premise written like a first draft, at best. I wish the editor or someone had asked for a few more rewrites, because damn, this could have been incredible – and instead, it’s just an incredible letdown.

Hard DNF.

"So Let Them Burn" by Kamilah Cole is a Jamaican-inspired fantasy novel that revolves around Faron Vincent, a young heroine who possesses the ability to channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, Faron used her divine magic to free her island from the dragon-riding Langley Empire. Now, at seventeen, with no wars to fight, she is revered by her people and considered a nuisance by her neighbors.

Forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron anticipates performing tricks like a trained pet and then returning home. However, things take an unexpected turn when her older sister, Elara, forms an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon. The gods claim that the only way to break this bond is to kill Elara.

As Faron searches desperately for an alternative solution, and Elara discovers shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, the sisters are faced with difficult choices that will not only shape their lives but also determine the fate of their world. The novel is described as a whip-smart and immersive fantasy, perfect for fans of "Iron Widow" and "The Priory of the Orange Tree."

The story explores themes of sacrifice, sisterhood, and the consequences of wielding great power. With sharp, clever prose, Kamilah Cole weaves a captivating tale of two remarkable sisters and the challenges they face in a world filled with magic, dragons, and political intrigue.

Absolutely adored this book. Every time that I thought to myself, "OH I hope this happens," Cole delivered--but with a fresh twist that accomplished all my bookish dreams in a way I never saw coming. I adored Faron and Reeve, and between those two's romance, the deep sister bond, and the clashing magic systems, I am in desperate need of book two.

Kamilah Cole's brilliant debut is a new all-time favorite YA fantasy. Calling it now: This WILL be your new favorite dragon book.

Reminiscent of Queen Tamora Pierce's WILD MAGIC series in the best way, but entirely fresh and new. SO LET THEM BURN is a fast-paced adventure in a queernormative, lush and detailed world that sometimes mirrors our own but ultimately diverges in fascinating ways.

Wit and deft storytelling abound. And did I mention there are dragons!?

This book was a fantastic debut for Cole. It has everything that I find most fascinating in a book. The way that San Irie was grappling with the legacy of colonialism, and how to move forward in the world, the difficulty in proceeding in a world that wants to destroy you. I thought that the bond between Elara and Faron was really well done, and I liked that Faron’s kind of an asshole! Like she’s got an inferiority and superiority complex, and that’s really funny and very real to me! I thought that Elara’s self growth was done very well.
However, I felt like many of the side characters served a very surface level purpose, save for Reeve. Even Signey felt a little flat to me. I thought that there could’ve been more stakes asserted early on. It was marketed to be very tense, but I didn’t really feel it on the page. However, I believe that Cole will only improve with each book.

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting this ARC for an open and honest review.

ARC review
3.5*

So Let Them Burn is a strong debut by Kamilah Cole. Her prose is delicious, descriptive, evocative. The worldbuilding is imaginative and immersive. The characters and setting pay homage to worlds and peoples and cultures not often represented in fantasy literature.

As I read I kept thinking, "but they are just so young". Perhaps I'm the one who is too old. In any case, I was concerned by the ages of the characters and the roles they played in the war before we meet them. The roles they continued to play after. The huge responsibilities thrust upon their shoulders. But then again, even in our world children live through wars, fight in wars, in this day and age. It is easy for most of us to ignore that reality because we don't have to face it in our day to day lives. In her characters, Ms. Cole shows us the aftermath. They are young. They lost their childhoods. They have PTSD. There is still way too much expected of them.

But if nothing else, Ms. Cole's storytelling ability is top-knotch. Her ability to turn a phrase, to imagine something completely new, and paint a startlingly clear likeness of if with her words, is stunning for a debut author. I would definitely recommend this book for lovers of Fantasy, especially YA. Fantasy. And I will definitely be reading more of Ms. Cole's work in the future.

A MASTERCLASS in worldbuilding that is action packed and tightly paced, SO LET THEM BURN is epic, emotional, powerful, and truly fantasy at its finest.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
So Let Them Burn releases January 16, 2024

3.25

<i>“But though his grave is nowhere to be found, all know the Gray Saint slumbers underground. When the earth splits open, and the fool outsmarts the wise, when all dragons have their Riders, then our champions will rise.”</I>

This debut novel and series opener is set in a Jamaican inspired, post-war, fantasy world and is told in dual pov from two sisters.

Faron is a proclaimed liar and the Empyrean child. Chosen by the gods to save their world and rid it of dragons, she can summon their infinite magic.

Elara is the eldest child, and can summon ancestral spirits. Her original hope was to enlist in the Sky Battalion to become a drake pilot as part of the Iryan Military Forces, but life dealt her a different set of cards.
Unexpectedly, Elara is bonded with a dragon and becomes co-rider with a girl from a different region and is sent to Heathstone Academy to become a part of the Dragon Legion.

Elara must now train to be the very thing that Faron became the Empyrean to fight. Faron is torn between being the savior for her land or betraying them to save her sister’s life, because being bonded to a dragon means being one and the same.
As Elara expands her knowledge from behind enemy territory as an insider spy, Faron gets closer in acquaintance with the fourth god, the Gray Saint.

This took a fair bit to get into (roughly 40-50%). I was left wanting a more deeper expansion of the world building because it felt like some important things were easily skipped over, leaving many blank pieces for the reader.
The alternating dual pov wasn’t entirely fleshed out, and it felt like we only got told the surface of what Faron and Elara were doing.
I did read online from the author that a lot of this book was rewritten and early drafts didn’t include Elara or the dragon academy, and it definitely translates that way. I mean, two whole months go by and we’re basically just supposed to fill in the gaps ourselves.
Since this is a planned duology, I don’t think it would have hurt to have developed this one more.

I’ve seen this being comped to The Priory of the Orange Tree and Iron Widow, but I think Fourth Wing would be a closer alternative.

Rep: lesbian main character, asexual or demi main character, bipoc.

This was absolutely wild. Have you ever wanted to read a story post-the child hero gains powers beyond comprehension to save their people? This story deals with so much: post-war PTSD, how colonialism and imperialism hurt and destroy people, sisterhood, how sometimes the gods ask more than you can really give, the way war can be cyclical in nature. Faron and Elara are such wonderful characters--though both have a tendency to make Bad Decisions, but all in the name of their love for one another. I loved the dragons and the magic. But more than anything, I thought the writing was so, so strong (especially for a debut novel). The world felt very lived-in and the conflicts were conveyed in a way that made me super invested in the outcome. I'm really eager to see how the story plays out in the continuation of the series! Highly, highly recommend!

So Let Them Burn opens a few years after your typical YA fantasy. Faron has gained powers from the gods, she lead the rebellion and defeated the evil empire. There's a new teenage queen on the throne. Faron's sister Elara has assisted her with the fighting. I love when books take place AFTER everything happened. And then when Faron's story seems done, Elara bonds to a dragon. She's sent away to a military academy away from everything she knows. Faron is relegated to a research the lore role.


The marketing has been focused on the sister's and the world and I can see why : the romances aren't particularly breathtaking or developed. Fantasy worldbuilding with secrets is a clear focus. There's a lot. It's nice. Faron is an idiot, in a typical "people can't tell me what to do" YA fashion. That's why Elara is the big sister.

It's original, it's a bresh of fresh fantasy air but it does lean into a predictable ending which disappointed me. Still I will read the next one

Very different. Jamaican vibes, dual POV from two sisters. It promised Jamaican Joan of Arc with Dragons, and Zendaya MET Gala dress, and it delivered. Can't wait for book 2. Abundant BIPOC and LGBTQ+ rep.

This is a wonderful story of found family. There are great friendships formed that are blossoming into more. I thought the representation was great. The dragons vs. tech monsters was unique and a fun combo. It was everything that a YA fantasy needs.
This book had a very strong start, but the further I got the more confused I became. I felt like there was a whole book before this one that I had not read yet. The author does tell you everything you need to know, but it still feels like it is because you missed a memo somewhere. There were a couple of times the magic system seemed a little underdeveloped and convenient, but again I read an advanced copy.
Altogether I highly recommend if you want a fun albeit politically charged magic story with small, medium, and large dragons.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I've honestly been putting off reviewing this book because I've been having such a hard time deciding how I feel about it. Ultimately, I think there are plenty of very interesting elements at play here. The prose was good. It had stuff I like. I think the main issue I had, when it comes down to it, is that the split POV between the sisters left me feeling like neither of their stories was as fleshed out as I would have liked.

Faron was a kind of gray protagonist that I feel like was kind of let down by the fact that the reader doesn't personally experience any of the things she did when she was actually doing chosen-one things. Like, she's clearly earned being jaded from what you do hear about it, but since it's all just backstory alluded to in vague terms, you are mostly just taking the story's word for it. She's a bit of a brat at the start of the story, which is a bit grating, but you need that for character development, so that isn't a problem by default. I just had a hard time rooting for her when her history of presumably being self-sacrificing was informed characterization and the version of her that does almost everything wrong is the only one you see. I also didn't find her romance arc very convincing.

Elara was less complicated and had a less challenging character arc, so it was easier to root for her (not saying complex protagonists are bad, it's just obviously easier to stick the landing with something simpler) but her time as a dragon rider felt so... brief? In general, It felt like her time at the academy deserved a lot more time than it got, but the two POV structure made that difficult. It also didn't help that both sisters went through their own "enemies to lovers" arcs, which felt a bit repetitive. Both of which had turnarounds that didn't sell me.

I think it could have been improved if the Act One of the story was a lot shorter in general. It felt like it took a very long time to get to the meat of the story - almost halfway through the book until things are really getting going. And then, once it gets to the midpoint, it felt to me as if the protagonists suddenly decided they knew what the villain's plan was even though, as a reader, I could not figure out how they arrived at that conclusion with such certainty. I even went back and reread some passages trying to figure out how it happened. It also has a pretty aggressive cliffhanger ending which is not my thing at all, at least not in the first entry in a series.

Despite my trouble with this book, I certainly wouldn't warn anybody off reading it. If it sounds like your thing, give it a try. The world definitely feels lived in, which is always great to experience.

The best fantasy I’ve read in ages! The c characters felt so real, I was invested from the first page. The magic system was inventive and I loved the fact that the book was set in the aftermath of the revolution—such a smart and new approach. The writing is gorgeous, and I particularly loved following Elara and Signey’s journey. Cannot wait to read the next book!!! Will be recommending this to everyone I know.

My episode with Kamilah will be on my podcast before the end of September. I absolutely loved talking to Kamilah about her book about dragons. This is so much fun and even better than fourth wing!! I really loved this debut novel and I can’t wait for the day where everyone gets the chance to read it!!

REVIEW: So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole (Publishing January 2024)
5 stars (All the stars honestly)
I was given a copy by Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company in exchange for an honest and fair review.
.
To start this off, I knew about this book long before it went to Netgalley. I read the synopsis and immediately was hooked. Jamaican Joan of Arc meets dragons and fantasy? Yes please!
And then I read it and was absolutely BLOWN AWAY.

So Let Them Burn follows two sisters as they try to navigate the fine line between fate of the gods and family. Faron has been chosen by the gods and Elara has been living in the shadow of her sister but fate has other decisions for her. All of the romance in this book is so well thought out and SO GOOD. The demisexual rep is *chef's kiss*. Also there's dragons 🐉

This is one of the best immersive fantasy books I've read in a very long time. The absolute grit of the characters and the vivid details and intricate storyline made this world come alive. I adore stories where characters are forced to face who they are and live with the choices they make, whether good or bad.

And don't even get me starting on the ending!! I'll never give spoilers in a review but WHAT WAS THAT?!? 😭

I also want to acknowledge that as a privileged person reading this book, I could feel the absolute deep love and passion Kamilah put into this book to show readers what it looks like to exist in a space where society has very much attempted to exclude people from. The passion shows through in all aspects of this book, from the representation all the way down to the foods eaten. Not a detail was left out.

Kamilah has absolutely become an auto buy author for me and I definitely will also be picking up her adult novel, The Sinister Elite in 2025 as well 💚. Needless to say, I ADORED this book and you absolutely should do yourself a favor and get a copy in January or request it from your library! ✨

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.

!!!! Um, go read this book, this is one of the most immersive fantasies I've read??

💫 It's the story of two sisters who go through wild and emotional journeys to save their kingdom *and * to save each other. It's a story of sisterhood, family, friendship, and romance in the unlikeliest of places. And this book also examines the emotions and practicalities in a war-ravaged, just-freed-from-colonization kingdom, where a second war / repeated colonization seems imminent.

💫 I have to specifically mention the author's writing here! Without giving any plot spoilers, I can say that this book starts a few years after a major historical event in the kingdom, and it's clear that the MCs and the secondary characters have strong trauma and shared history from the past. However, the author touches upon every past event without there being any info-dump-y paragraphs, and ensuring that every mention of the past by the characters is described with sufficient emotional cues so that the reader can feel the past and not just be shown it. It's truly impressive how the writing ensures that the reader can grasp the happenings and emotions of the past without actually having the past events as on-page content.

💫 I've loved reading about dragons and their riders ever since I read Eragon as a teenaged, AND, this book delivers on this aspect SO WELL 😭

💫 Aand last but not least --- we have a demi MC! And a sapphic MC! And two very cute enemies ish to lovers romance subplots 😭

TWs - war, PTSD from war, violence, death, mass death during war

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!