An interesting magic system. I appreciated inhabiting the novel's world and the characters' perspectives. I wonder if the back story would have been more interesting as a novel than the actual plot? The pendulum swinging between over-powered children saving the world and cutesy teen romance grows tedious. I get that she's writing YA, but that doesn't mean the writing has to be as clumsy as the kids themselves. ( )

Young adult book about a young woman who must choose between saving her sister and saving her island.
Faron Vincent uses the gods to help her save her island from enemies. She is now a legend, but she has no one to fight. After attending a peace summit, she encounters her sister, Elara, who has bonded with an enemy dragon. Faron is told she must kill her sister to break the bond. Faron is torn between her love for her sister and her duty to her people.
This is a fantasy novel, and the beginning of a series. I won't likely continue it, but for those who like the genre, they may enjoy this novel. ( )

Faron and Elara are sisters with an extremely strong bond. Faron was able to call upon the power of three gods during the war between her country and the Langlish Empire, securing a victory. While an uneasy peace exists, nobody is foolish enough to think war can't break out again soon. Reeve, son of the head of the losing Langlish leader, defected with plans that helped end the war. Despite his help, many of those living in Faron's country, mistrust him. When the Langlish ask for a peaceful summit, they bring some of their dragons, but when one of them succumbs to a mysterious fury, Elara finds herself as the second bonded rider with that beast.
What ensues is complicated, full of tense moments and treachery, not to mention a reluctant romantic attraction between Elara and Signey, the girl first bonded to her dragon. Add in an entity that may have been responsible for dragons coming to their world in the first place, a growing attraction between Reese, the boy who defected, and Faron, plenty of half-truths and deceptions,plus some dandy battles, and you have quite the tale. The ending sets up a sequel nicely. ( )

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
Taken from the author’s website:

Explicit language, depictions of PTSD (nightmares, unwanted memories/flashbacks, dissociation, anxiety, mistrust, hypervigilance, self-destructive behavior), explicit descriptions of war, blood, and corpses, grief (expressed in healthy and unhealthy ways), racism (challenged), minor character deaths, a near-fatal beating, and stolen body/mind autonomy.

I’ve read many great books in the last year, however, it has been a while since one has left me as emotionally wrecked as So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole did. This is a book that I have been waiting to read for a very long time, and it did not disappoint.

Faron Vincent is the Child Empyrean, a human who prayed to the gods when she was twelve during a war to ask them to save her people. They responded by giving her the ability to channel their power and the task of finding the heir to the throne. Five years later, Faron is seventeen, a revered hero who uses her divine powers to win street races. She has lots of power and no cause to fight, especially when the Iryan Queen, her former fellow rebel fighter, is holding a peace summit with the very people, the dragon-riding Langley Empire, who they were fighting not long ago.

As the infamous Child Empyrean, she’s expected to attend, and she’s even angrier when she’s forced to attend early because the Langley Empire used a loophole to bring extra dragons with them. It’s already a tense atmosphere, and then protesters meet them at the site of the Summit. Queen Aveline is questioning her decision, while at the same time recognising that another war would devastate her queendom.

Everyone is watching the Langley Empire even more closely, especially with the extra dragons and their riders in attendance. When one starts to attack the peace summit, Faron feels vindicated in her fury – until she realises her sister Elara isn’t just involved, she’s bound to the dragon. An Iryan bonded to a dragon has never been heard of, and as if this didn’t make things complicated enough, the Commander of the Langley Empire informs them that the attack was the result of a complicated illness that is affecting their dragons and riders. A Fury that takes over both, resulting in destruction.

The only time it didn’t was at the peace summit when Faron stopped it. The Langley Empire want her help to stop it before tragedy strikes, but the problem is Faron has no idea how she did it the first time. To make matters worse, they want to take her sister into the heart of their lands to learn how to ride a dragon, a creature that symbolises Iryan trauma.

Pulled apart for the first time in their life, Faron and Elara must try to survive as they decide who to trust, work out what’s real and whether their former oppressors truly want peace or up to something nefarious.

Where do I even start?! Cole has created an incredible book that is powerful, explosive and stunning to behold. Every word is laced with emotion, and this one will leave you emotionally wrecked. Just when you think you know how things are going to go down, Cole rips the reader’s complacency out from under them.

We get two stories for the price of one, as Cole drops details of the war and Faron and Elara’s traumatic childhood throughout the narrative. She does it in such a way that it adds to the story rather than information dumping in large clumps, helping the reader to see through the character’s eyes and recognise the significance of current events. I much preferred this method of storytelling rather than having to read through a first book dedicated to the sisters’ childhood. I’ve always been interested in the idea of what happens to the chosen one after their save-the-day moment is over, and that is the story Cole is telling us in So Let Them Burn.

I liked that there were moments in So Let Them Burn that I knew were coming; they were comforting amongst the chaos, and there is a lot of chaos in this book. There are tropes, but there are also some tropes that Cole turns on their head, and one was of particular interest to me as a disabled reader. I can’t say anything specific as it’s a major spoiler point, so you’ll need to just trust me on this one.

Fantasy novels with dragons and dragon-riding seem to be back in fashion, and a certain novel is a comp for So Let Them Burn. Personally, I wasn’t a huge fan of that one and if you’re beginning to get a bit fed up with dragons don’t let it put you off reading this one. While dragons and dragon-riding are a part of So Let Them Burn, consider them to be just one ingredient in a much larger recipe. This book is so much more than just a book about dragons.

It’s a book about race, culture, conquest, oppression and war and the trauma caused by them. How does someone begin to heal from that trauma when the cause of that trauma is still present in their life? That question is at the heart of So Let Them Burn, and please seek out reviews by readers of colour who can talk more about the specific type of trauma and related topics present in this book, as it’s not my place to do so.

All of Cole’s characters are brilliantly written, and her action scenes will leave your heart pumping. It did not surprise me that I bonded with Elara quickly, the rule-following sister being similar to myself. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I felt the same way about Faron who is nothing like me. That is always the sign of a skilful writer to me, someone who can create a character and embody them fully to the point that you feel them that strongly when you read their book.

There was a point in So Let Them Burn where Faron is told to just do her best, and it’s the first time that she’s not held to any obligation since becoming the Child Empyrean. She’s not expected to be a weapon, an all-powerful hero or a saint. She just needs to do her best, and I felt that deep in my chest because the feeling of obligation is something we’ve all felt at some point.

In case I’ve been too subtle; So Let Them Burn is the dragon fantasy book that you need to be adding to your reading list ASAP.

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When Faron Vincent was 12 she prayed to the Gods in desperation to help save her people. They listened and allowed her to channel their magic to liberate her island from colonization. Using the help of her new powers, the child queen and Faron’s sister Elara, they defeated the dragon-wielding Langley empire and claimed their independence. Now at 17, she’s been using her magic to win petty races and annoy her classmates. Growing more and more angsty as the queen continues to tout her around to impress potential political allies.
However, when Elara unexpectedly bonds to their mortal enemy’s greatest weapon Faron is forced to look within to save her sister. And when the Gods tell her that the only way to break the bond is to kill Elara Faron must decide what is more important to her. Will she choose to save her country's newfound freedom and lose Elara? Or will she trust the stranger who claims to be able to save her sister for a price and betray the Gods?
Wow, wow wow!!! A solid four-star read for me. This book is definitely on the longer side for a YA but is on par with fantasy. The dual-pov was the perfect choice. Seeing both Faron and Elara’s perspectives gave depth to the story and allowed me to empathize with both their struggles. Also learning about Jamaican culture and their Gods was incredibly interesting.
The themes of racism and colonization were very present and contrasted the white-washing that is common in fantasy books. The way that the different skin tones were described was a great example of how to properly use physical descriptors in a way that isn’t stereotypical or racist. There was no “white savior” storyline and the author never shied away from making light of how slavery and oppression affect a country and its people without sugarcoating. I think if a white author wants to write any characters of color they MUST read this book first, no exceptions.
The characters themselves were nuanced and extremely well-written. I found myself annoyed with Faron throughout much of the book which just showed me how real she felt. And I related to Elara as a sapphic older sister so freaking much. Her storyline resonated with me in all the right ways and I found myself wanting to skim Faron’s chapters a little bit just to get back to her. Not to mention one of the best enemies-to-lovers arcs I have read in a long time. Whew!
The themes of sisterhood and family both warmed my heart and broke it honestly. I have never had a sister so I couldn’t necessarily relate on that level but I can only imagine the lengths I would go to to save my brother. Also found family, especially when queer, storylines always get me right in the heart. I did tear up quite a few times reading Elara’s POV regarding this.
I do have two gripes though, so to say, with this book. One is that I have to wait until 2025 to find out what happens!!! The cliffhanger had my mouth gaping and I am so angry I have to wait over a year to get my conclusion. Yes, I admit that isn’t a bad thing inherently but I am so impatient!! My actual only criticism is that it does get a little slow in the middle. This is 100% a personal opinion but I did find it dragging for about 50-70 pages. I completely understand why, it just took me a bit longer to finish than I anticipated because of this. But I mean that is such a small critique, and it just boils down to personal preference.
All in all, I highly recommend this book even if fantasy isn’t your usual go-to. It is not my favorite genre and YA is not my first pick. However, this book defies convention and surprises you at every turn. If you like sapphic stories, dragons, and badass Jamaican god-channeling women then you are in the right place. Happy reading!
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for sending this eARC for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
CW: Anxiety, attempted murder, blood, bones, bullying, death, depression, fire, genocide (not on page but mentions of), misogyny, racism, slavery (not on page but mentions of), violence, and war. ( )