This is the conclusion to the Divine Traitors Duology, and I thought it ended on a high note. There is so much going on in this world and yeah Kamilah Cole is able to ground the story in a way where I wasn't feel lost. I enjoyed following along with Elara and Faron as they try to fight their way back to each other as well as their relationships with other characters including their love interests.

I found I enjoy ya fantasy that is aware that at the end of the day Elara and Faron are still teenagers who were forced to grow up way to fast and make decisions that they shouldn't have been making. It reflected in both Elara and Faron's character. I also appreciated the fact that this was a diverse cast of characters in a Queer Normative society.

Overall I think this was a solid YA Dragon Fantasy and would highly recommend.

This Ends in Embers is a fantastic conclusion to Kamilah Cole's Divine Traitors duology. The book picks up right where So Let Them Burn left off, and I was so grateful for that because what a cliffhanger! Cole adds many layers of plot in this second book while also successfully tying up all of the loose ends from the first. I would recommend this duology to young readers and adults who enjoy complex world building, political intrigue, and well developed characters. Additionally, Cole's depiction of colonialism and rebellion in this story is arguably the strongest I've seen in this genre. I also highly recommend the audiobook as the narrators do a great job bringing the characters and the world to life.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy.

I feel this duopoly is so under hyped and underrated ! It’s an excellent dragon fantasy, and hoping with book 2 completed there’s a flood of more fans.

Faron is bonded now to a villain after betraying her country. Elara is picking up the pieces and the new Empyrean leader. The roles are switched with Elara trying to save Faron and bring her back to herself.

Gray area between who is the hero and villain as more secrets about their world and history are revealed.

The world building is easy to follow, loved the sisterhood and emotional struggle between right and wrong, country over family. Satisfying conclusion !

Narration was great!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 1/28/25.

“But she was so tired of living in a world that forced her to whittle down her edges until she was smooth and palatable, until she was what everyone needed her to be instead of who she was.”

A fantastic conclusion to this duology!

What I liked:

I loved having both Faron & Elara’s POV, and reading what was happening on both sides and what each sister was going through.

I think that Cole wrapped up this story perfectly.

The audio narration was so well done! I loved that each sister had their own narrator, which made it easier for me to follow on audio.

What didn’t work for me:

I didn’t love this one quite as much as book 1, but there was nothing major that didn’t work for me.

This Ends In Embers was one of my most highly anticipated books after I fell absolutely in love with So Let Them Burn. And it did not disappoint.
This was a fantastic sequel and perfect conclusion to Faron and Elara’s story.

At the end of the day, this is duology about corruption, but also family (both blood and chosen). Faron and Elara are left scrambling after the events of the first book, separated from one another and on the brink of the second war of their young lives. Meanwhile, Iya is plotting to destroy and invade the surrounding nations with Faron by his side.

This was written just as beautifully as the first book. I genuinely cared for all of the characters (which left me heartbroken at the end) and the story progressed at a nice pace. And…dragons!

I do feel like this book was a bit darker than the first. The stakes were always high, but you can definitely feel the tension more in this book. So Let Them Burn had a lot of world building and character information, but it also had some fun and exciting scenes of riders communicating with their dragons and more lighthearted moments. This Ends In Embers is all about saving the world (and each other) from Iya’s destruction. I don’t think this is a bad thing. I think that if both books had the same vibe, I wouldn’t have been as invested in or worried about the fate of our characters as we reached the end.

I also want to point out that I listened to the audiobook performance of This Ends In Embers and I absolutely loved it. The quality and narration was great and really matched up with Faron and Elara in my mind.

I thought this was a wonderful conclusion to this duology and I can’t wait to see what Kamilah Cole writes next!

*Endless thanks to Kamilah Cole, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with and advanced audiobook of This Ends In Embers in exchange for honest review*

This Ends in Embers picks up where So Let Them Burn left off as it's Book 2 in the Divine Traitors series.

Honestly, I had as difficult time with this book as I did with the first one. The writing didn't particularly captivate me. The story (for a story with dragons) was uninteresting to me. I honestly think this is not a bad book. It just failed to win me over. I'm sure it has an audience out there, but it isn't me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Kamali Minter and Keylor Leigh were fine narrators.

OMG, how much more can these girls take?!?

I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.

So Let Them Burn had me on the edge of my seat but this book! This book had me yelling at the pages! Picking up exactly where the first book left off Faron and Elara find themselves on separate sides of the conflict causing the story to dive deeper into the history of the land, really susing out the reason and need, if any, for there to be a seated Empyrean.

This is a true YA book, which is refreshing. Many YA-tagged books should be adult/ young adult, so kudos to Kamilah for writing a TRUE YA.

The narrators, Kamali Minter and Keylor Leigh did a great job of bringing the characters to life and pulling us into the world.

Thank you Netgalley, Hachette Audio | Little, Brown Young Readers, and Kamilah Cole for the ALC of this fun book!

This Ends in Embers is the second book in the Divine Traitors series and picks up after the shocking conclusion of So Let Them Burn. Cole continues to flex her world building strengths in This Ends in Embers. It was one of my favorite aspects of the first book, so I was excited to see it continue in this one. I loved getting to know more about the dragons and gods. With Faron and Elara separated, I thought Cole did really well to tie their storylines together into a cohesive story. As with most multi POV stories, I found myself drawn to Faron’s story over Elara’s. I did still appreciate Elara’s character growth, though. One element I struggled with was that Cole seemed to rely more on telling than showing at times. For the audiobook, I appreciate the choice to use two narrators, Kamala Minter and Keylor Leigh, to voice the separate POVs. It helped keep Faron and Elara’s stories separate in my mind. I also felt that both narrators brought appropriate levels of energy and emotion to the role to keep me invested. Overall, I found this to be a satisfying conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology.

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.