So Let Them Burn

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole is a fantasy following the story of Faron Vincent who can channel the power of the gods.

This was such a well written story, I was completely hooked right until the end and I just couldn't get enough. I'm sad that I've finished it!

The characters are relatable and their relationships with each other were enjoyable to read about. I lived the relationship between Faron and her sister and the struggles that they had to deal with.

I adored this book and I can't wait to read Cole's next release.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with this arc.

I loved loved LOVED this book. It's not just one of the strongest debuts but strongest YA fantasy titles full stop that I've read recently; everything from the structure to the pacing to the character work to the worldbuilding to the prose was gripping, immaculate, and polished in a way I'd expect from a veteran rather than a debut.

Something I particularly enjoyed was the author's choice of where this story begins: namely, *after* what we would expect the story to be. The whole backstory--the war, the child chosen one and her devoted sister, the young orphaned queen retaking her country from colonisers--is the story we'd usually read (and one which sounded super gripping too), but THIS story? What comes AFTER? It's one we rarely read, and I found it just so compelling and fresh. We see lots of stories about breaking the grip of empire--but what about rebuilding in a post-colonialist nation? How do you grapple with the lingering effects of your country not being your own for so long, and what kind of future do you strive for? And on a more personal level, how do you face that already difficult transition from child to adult when your childhood has been ripped from you? There was so much rich, meaty thematic material in this title and Kamilah Cole explored it with so much nuance and tenderness, and interwove the larger thematic questions with the characters and their arcs so deftly.

Speaking of the characters, they were tremendous. I loved both our leads so much, and found both their stories so powerful and compelling. Their relationship formed such a strong emotional core to the book, and then both their romantic relationships were wonderful--sweet and tender while also being used so well to dig into more *themes*. I really, really loved how properly teenaged they both felt, too, and how much this was clearly a book written FOR teens, rather than for an adult YA-loving audience.

Finally, a quick note about the worldbuilding, which is that I loved it. It was so rich and textured, and I loved the obvious Jamaican influences while also how much it felt like its own fully-realised world.

In summary, this book was incredible, and I really hope it turns into the Next Big Thing in YA. I eagerly await the sequel and in the meantime will be recommending it to everyone I know.

Huge thanks to Little, Brown UK, NetGalley and the author for the eARC!

This book was fantastic. It has everything I love in a fantasy book. A unique magic system, dragons, sapphics but also had discussion of real life topics such as war. Which honestly I did find a little difficult at times due to the current world situation. But that just shows to me how realistic is was. I really loved this book and Kamilah Cole did a great job writing it!

A stunning debut filled with dragons, characters you will love and a plot that did not let me catch my breath for even a moment.

I loved this from start to finish!! The world building was so intricate and it wove perfectly into the fast paced plot that Kamilah Cole set out for us.

I loved the sister relationship between Faron and Elara because even though they are in a fantasy world, their relationship is so realistic to what people would have in real life. I love following their two POVs and seeing what adventures each sister got caught up in. I related to Elara as being an older sister myself and I loved her POV the most, especially because of the dragons!

I loved everything about this and I can’t wait to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc of this book

Really strong YA fantasy, amazing characters that I fell in love with and was really devoted to. I always love dragons in a story and this was so well done it was like art.
Definitely recommend!!