Overall, it was a good sequel. Picked up right after the first book and raced off to the finish. The world and mythology is amazing and interesting

And we are back for the finally of the Divine Traitors duology. This Ends in Embers kept strong just like the first with a focused narrative and not a lot of nonsense. This book focused more on the characters and plot with world building not being as strong but honestly you got all you really needed in the first with some added clarity here on locations and lore. the political aspects were also expanded on much more but were easily followed and I think solid for a YA book. Just like the first I think the book started off strong and slowed a bit in the middle, but the payoff in the end was a fast paced action packed ending. Does not end in happily ever after which I liked. Actions all had consequences and some of those consequences were grave. In the end I would def recommend to YA readers. It is a fresh take on the fantasy genre, with hyper focus on the main plot that you can breeze through. Solid, solid fantasy duology. Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advanced audio copy.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. But I simply couldn't get into this one. Which was a bummer cause I had been looking forward to it. I just couldn't connect with the story or characters

OH MY GOD!!! Y’all this book (and this series) is AMAZING! Don't walk, run to preorder this book!

This book is an epic finale in a beautiful duology. Genuinely one of the best YA fantasy books I have read. A story about war, love, family, imperialism, and the power of dragons and the gods; it is truly amazing. It is unique and really examines the impact of war, actions, and the difference between heroes and villains.

I literally cannot even fully put into words how much I love this book. Like the first one, it shows two powerful heroines who are pushed to their limits. I love the characters, I love the narration of the audiobook, I love the message, I LOVE THIS BOOK.

This Ends In Embers comes out on February 4th. Please everyone read it so I can have someone to talk to about this!!!!!!

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

THIS IS BOOK 2. BE WARNED THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 DOWN BELOW.

When we ended book one, we learned that Faron is now soul bonded to a dragon after making a deal to sever Elara's bond, and there's a villain who is looking to start a war and destroy everything. So you know. Typical book two kind of stuff.

Faron, having been kidnapped and forced to stay with the villain, feels like an enemy to her people after everything that happened and continues to happen under Iya's command. Elara is doing everything she can to get her sister and best friend back, even if it means breaking herself apart in order to do so. There's a lot of emotions in this book, from the sisters fighting to get back to one another to the super angsty romances, there's a lot to unpack. One of the things that really bothered me was how much gets brushed aside for the plot/feelings of the sisters. I won't get into too much detail, but it gets annoying after a while. It's like the Anna/Elsa dynamic, except they're both Anna.

Overall, there's some really cool world building and magic, there's dragons and dragon riders, there's war and battles and mistrust and conflicting feelings. I personally wasn't the biggest fan of this series, but I can see why a lot of people liked it. I'd definitely recommend the audiobooks as the narrator does a wonderful job.

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc of this novel.

First off, let me say that I absolutely love the new covers on this duology. They're stunning. In this second installment, we continue to follow the sisters while they essentially switch places and attempt to free their world of pending tyranny. What I enjoyed most of this story was the expansion of the world to include places we had only heard about in the first book. I loved those scenes and wished we had spent longer in them. I loved the scenes where all the main characters were in the same general area and wished we had gotten more of that and also had everyone together more at the same time.

Getting more history about the Gods, as well as the dragons' origin in this world, was definitely a treat. Seeing the evolution of Faron and the comparisons between her and Iya were the most intriguing parts of the story for me. I liked seeing her sister get the chance she has always wanted and later growing to recognize the pitfalls of having such power and responsibilities placed on you. I will say, though, that I expected the girls to be a little more mature in their mindsets. Considering that their territory has been so engrossed in war for such a long time, I expected them to see the bigger picture way more than they did. Their singular focus on saving each other while the world burns and other peoples lives are ended or destroyed because of their decisions, grated on me very heavily.

All in all, it is a solid conlusion. If you like YA fantasies with communicative dragons, I say give this one a go.

Far on is forced to help Ilya while becoming stronger herself. Her sister is the new Empyrean and war is inevitable. Heroines must to all they can to save everyone from Ilya.

Well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Great, strong characters in this fast paced conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology. Gritty novel with lots of blood. The battles must be fought but who will win or survive?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The final instalment of this duology which follows the journey of two sisters in a Jamaican setting complete with magic system, dragons and politics!

This book was really well written. The magic system was interesting and engaging, the dragons - well that’s always a winner for me. The pacing of the book and the world building was well done and there were twists throughout which kept the enthralment.

The main characters, Faron and Elara have been thrown into a political war at a young age and have made some questionable decisions likely due to their age. At times I was pulling my hair out at their immature behaviour but in the end the growth was most definitely clear and well written especially for Faron. I did struggle to relate to them at times which I think is likely due to this being young adult and the main characters being young.

All in all an excellent read which I would recommend to any YA fantasy lover, especially if you’re partial to some dragons.

This was beautiful. It took me a minute to figure it all out but that's because it was new for me and I'm old.
I loved it. I love the narration.

Thank you Hachette Audio, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Netgalley for this advance audiobook, these opinions are my own. This series is so good! Faron has left with Iya as she believes that’s the only way to save her friend. Elara is now the Maiden Empyrean, able to use the gods power. It’s her job to stop Lightbringer but does that also mean she’ll have to stop Faron as well? She doesn’t want to believe her sister is the enemy but it seems like no one else believes in her. She’ll work with Signey, the remaining Dragon Riders, and her Queen to build allies and an army against Iya. Meanwhile Iya builds forces of his own intending to bring the world to heel. Faron is forced help all while trying to find a weakness between him and Lightbringer. But is her plan doomed to fail? Is she really just the monster that everyone believes her to be? Two sisters that will stop at nothing to be with each other again, even if it means the destruction of everything they know. I absolutely loved So Let Them Burn and This Ends In Embers is a stunning conclusion to the duology! Fast paced, action packed, and had me hooked! A fantasy full of heart, love, and the strength of family! Plus it’s queer!! Kamali Minter and Keylor Leigh do a fantastic job as narrators and really bring the sisters and their story to life! A not to be missed read!

This Ends in Embers is a nicely done conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology.

Audio review: I really enjoyed both narrators, they sounded similar but were different enough to distinguish between them, which fits perfectly for two sisters POVs. Excellent production quality and truly a joy to listen to.

Book review: I liked how quickly this book moved, it kept my attention and kept the plot going. Faron is such a complicated character, and while she frustrated me, I think the inclusion of such a character is great. I really enjoyed all of the characters in the sisters' "group," and the way romance was handled was perfect. Divine Traitors is a wonderful YA duology.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

A solid follow-up to the first book.

This Ends in Embers picks up where So Let Them Burn ends, with upheaval and destruction. After precious few years of peace following San Irie's fight to free itself from its colonialist oppressors, war has come again to the island. But just as before, the island is not without valiant warriors ready to protect their home.

As before, the story follows the paths of sisters Faron and Elara. Both young women are tasked with outsize roles for their ages, pushed to the forefront of the battle and weighed down with responsibility. Though separated and hounded from many directions, their bond remains strong and their trust in one another does not falter. It's a great example of familial bonds and platonic love that I'd like to see more often in YA fiction.

Although this series is only a duology as far as I know, the ending feels open enough for Kamilah Cole to write more adventures exploring the wider continent. I for one wouldn't mind that in the least!

The audiobook edition is a great way to read this book - the dual narrators are easy and entertaining to listen to, and the production value is good. My only quibble is that the narrators' natural speaking paces are different enough that I wanted to reach for the speed button every time the POV switched.

A worthy successor and finale to what was a fantastic debut! This was an entertaining and sweeping fantasy filled with dragon battles, sisterly love, political schemes. It picks up almost right after the first book ends and had great Game of Thrones vibes, but with Jamaican inspiration (I need to eat all the food in this book). While the ending was good and done well, I do wish it had been a little less abrupt.

It was wonderful to return to this Jamaican-inspired adventure of two girls on a complicated path of destiny and blazing their own path. I appreciate the aspect of dropping into this story right where the last one left off with a few hints to remind you of the first book This Ends in Embers. The beginning is so well done that unlike my usual path i remembered the cliffhanger of the first book and immediately felt invested in this second book. Kamilah Cole does an amazing job telling this story from several perspectives while allowing you to build your own connections to each character in the story.

I was so wrapped up in the story that it was not until about just past midway that I realized this was a duology and that this lovely adventure was almost over. However, I could not have been happier with the way this journey ended (including the gift of an epilogue)

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of the Audio version of this book. The narrator was delightful and gave voice to an amazing story.

I did not realize this was book two when I listened to this audio. So I was a little confused in the beginning but quickly caught on.

The narrator was wonderful. 10/10. Very easy to follow while listening to it sped up and she has a great voice.

I loved the queer representation in the book. Gay, lesbian, pan. Muah!

I was a little confused by the flash backs but that's my fault for not reading book one first. My bad! I did enjoy the dragons, the mind communication, the romances (that did not overpower the plot). Now I have to go read book one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, 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.

It was so nice to return to this world. So Let Them Burn was one of my reading highlights of the year: a story of sisterhood, the cost of war, finding yourself, and learning to forgive past mistakes, all set against this wonderfully vibrant, well realised Jamaican-inspired world - with dragons! This Ends in Embers picks up where the first book left - which I'm very glad for, because that cliffhanger had me so anxious! Like any good duology, the ending of the first book served as a sort of midpoint 'oh shit' moment for the duology as a whole. I honestly can't praise the pacing of these two books enough: every reveal was so perfectly timed, every twist perfectly placed. Similarly, the character building was so stellar - Faron's character arc in particular was very impressively done. She's a complicated character with a complicated past, and watching her change and grow in this duology was a delight. While Elara was my favourite in the first book, Faron stole the second for me. Overall, a really satisfying conclusion, and well worth the wait.

Thanks to Hachette Audio for the audio ARC!

This was about as perfect as a sequel as you can get. In rare cases do I think the second book shines as bright as the first book but this one blew me out of the water. Dragons, a different and unique magic system, love and betrayal. A mini rant about shitty parents and vindication for the child. This book has EVERYTHING you could possibly want and MORE for a dragon book taking on colonization.