I was really excited to see this resolution to Faron and Elara's stories. The author's writing style is engaging and flows so nicely, and the plot and character development kept me invested until the very end.

I am glad I decided to give the second part of this duology a shot - the story of sisters Faron and Elara, now fighting on opposite sides, gets a satisfying ending that begins right after the events of So Let Them Burn.

A new war is upon San Irie. The world this book inhabits is rich with tradition and mouthwatering dishes - the middle part of the story ran a little long and I wish those pages had been given to the ending, which feels a bit rushed after the transition in power happens.

I appreciated the realistic, mixed-emotions side of the ending - many times we get a perfect ending tied up in a bow and that would not have fit this story. A good ending to an immersive fantasy duology.

This book was a really satisfying conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology. I've long been impressed with Kamilah's worldbuilding - there's a whole WAR that occurred before So Let Them Burn that makes you feel as if you read those books already in preparation for this series (she didn't write those books, don't go looking for them and disappoint yourself!). It had been almost a year since I read So Let Them Burn that I felt a little lost in the beginning of This Ends in Embers, needing just a bit more exposition to catch me back up. I loved Elara's growth and the struggle to meet expectations in an unforgiving world. I connected easily with Faron's journey, the desperate desire to fix what you've broken when no one believes in you. I loved this series and will always recommend it to fantasy readers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little/Brown Books for Young Readers for this advanced copy! You can pick up This Ends in Embers on February 4, 2025.

What a satisfying conclusion to a fantastic duology! Kamilah Cole really pulled multiple storylines together in a way that kept the plot moving while still letting us sit with the characters and their emotions. I really appreciated Faron's growth in this book as Iya, Gael, and Lightbringer showed her what it means to throw away your humanity. Even though Faron had the power to do the same, her decision not to was a great moment of growth and encapsulated her journey from that girl using the gods' powers for a footrace with her rival to one choosing not to kill her enemies.

While Elara's story didn't capture me quite as much, I did appreciate the evolution of her relationship with Signey and how they navigated it without being bonded anymore. I think it was important to show that soul mates can build normal, healthy relationships too without being "cosmically bonded."

Overall, this is a great political and action-packed YA fantasy with lots of dragons, lots of magic, and some great characters.

I loved So Let Them Burn. It was one of my favorite books I read in 2024. So perhaps my standards were set a trifle high, as I found this sequel disappointing in comparison.

My biggest issue’s with the narrative structure. Whereas SLTB had a great balance of peaks and valleys, tragedies and triumphs, TEIE often felt like a mix of plateaus and down-slides. Faron’s side, especially, felt like a litany of failure and misery. And I don’t want to underplay how monumental and consequential her screw-ups in SLTB were. It’s not that I found her despair and self-loathing in this book <I>unbelievable</I>. It’s that I found them incredibly <I>repetitive</I>. And too much down without any real up to balance it out results in compassion fatigue, distancing the reader from the character. Faron did manage to pull out of it by the end and accomplish some things, but honestly, after all the blahs, the accomplishments weren’t all that.

On a pettier level, I found the introduction of several climactic and shocking elements throughout the book a tad choppy, where literally a sentence or two more buildup would have heightened suspense and fear before the explosion. It’s the difference between ‘no, no, no, please don’t let the monster find me, oh shi—“ and “wait, what, I’m dead now?”

While this book expanded the scope of its setting, it was unfortunately at the cost of depth. SLTB made me fall in love with San Irie. The country felt detailed and lived in. I wanted to spend time there, even as Cole also showed its flaws. She even made me care about Langley and the Hearthstone Academy, although I was set pretty against them at the start. Here, what we get of Etolia and Joya Del Mar renders them nothing more than Nations of Hats, without a lot of development or revelation. I kept wanting to go back to San Irie instead, where Cole teased some really interesting plot elements, like the populace’s anger and disillusionment with its saints and crown, but didn’t really delve into these heartbreaking aspects, instead simply resolving them in the ending.

And the thing is, Cole’s prose is still very, very good. She kept the pages turning. I was never bored, even if I was occasionally frustrated. I fell in love with the characters back in SLTB, and I still loved them here. And I did love the way Cole developed Elara and Signey’s relationship. Hell, I loved Signey, and her role in this book, period. So it <I>hurts</I> me, to give this book three stars. But with all the flaws I’ve just listed off, a higher rating would feel disingenuous. I just… Yeah, that’s all I’ve got. Here’s hoping Cole’s next book is a lot more like her first.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions found within are my own.

If you want a dragon book, this duology is one you need to read.

I am just completely in awe at how incredible this book was. It does not hold back in discussing the horrors of war, but it also has such a core of hope, one that allows for life to seep through every crack. And just, damn, every internal struggle, every fight to survive, it is so excellently done. It's truly amazing.

.... hi Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley, thanks for letting me read this, but NO THANKS FOR THE EMOTIONAL DEVASTATION I DID NOT CONSENT TO.

I at once reread So Let Them Burn. It made this book hurt all the more. The losses felt... real. There's one you don't see coming, and oen you do but still hope.....

It's painful. It's beautiful. It hurt, and it's hopeful, but it ultimately fits so very well.

The second I got approved I went to reread book 1 and immediately dived into this one.
Kamilah Cole writes about so many complicated emotions in such a profound way - I love the characters in this story and the journey they go on and This Ends in Embers builds on that foundation and brings in more sacrifice and love and anger that I think is cathartic but also sad.
I am sad to be leaving this world but I am so excited for everything that Kamilah Cole will bring to us next.

This was everything that I was hoping for in the sequel of So Let Them Burn, it continued the story in a way that worked and was invested this world. The characters had that feel that I was expecting and enjoyed the overall package with the storyline. Kamilah Cole always writes a great story and was glad I got to read this.