So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole had me intrigued with its compelling title and premise. A unique tale of two sisters, Farren and Elara, navigating a post-war world. Farren emerges as a national hero, while Elara grapples with her identity in her sister's shadow. The premise is captivating: “Are you going to save your sister? Or are you going to save the world?” However, the execution left me feeling a bit frustrated. I wish the storytelling had drawn me in more.

The struggle was real—over 12 restarts! I usually thrive on fantasy, but the world-building felt incomplete, and I didn’t grasp the magical elements fully. However, I appreciated the themes of trauma and the complex relationship between the sisters. I found it hard to connect with the characters, especially Farren. I actually actively disliked the fmc. I hope this was the authors intention…good job. The audio version made it a struggle to follow the world-building. Honestly, I was ready to give up, but I’m trying hard to support Black authors so it kept me pushing through. The story dives deep into trauma and sibling relationships, as a Black woman in America, I felt the title resonated with me on a personal level. 

**Score:** 3.5/5. While I struggled the entire time, the representation in fantasy is vital, and I hope for a prequel that dives deeper into their backstory.

💬:“Being forced to learn the language of your oppressors is an oppression of the mind. They rewrite your history when you’re too young to know what you’re giving away, and before you know it, it’s too late to reclaim what you’ve lost, she said.”

Cole, Kamilah. So Let Them Burn (The Divine Traitors Book 1) (p. 82). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Kindle Edition. 

📖Genres: fiction, fantasy,  young adult, dragons, LGBT, queer, mythology

📚Page Count: 392

🎧Audiobook Length: 11hrs 24mins

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️ - 2.75/5

TW -

blood, child abuse, colonization, cursing, death, fire/fire injury, injury/injury detail, murder, racism, violence, war

So Let Them Burn is a Jamaican inspired fantasy about two sisters who get separated from each other against their will, it's book one in the Divine Traitors series. Elara and her younger sister Faron live in a country that was just at war, although the countries are currently vying for peace, there's still conflict behind the scenes. 

The setting and backstory are really fleshed out and I liked the dragons and I enjoyed the fighting and action scenes. The end of the book was really exciting. 

The author created a sense of urgency within the premise of the book and then the entire first and second half of the book fell flat because nothing happened. 40% of the way through Faron asks

the gods

for help and they say no, then 60% of the way through she goes back and asks them for help again. Like the first time, they decline to help. At this point 20% of the book has gone by and almost nothing has happened. 

I really didn't enjoy most of this book, the pacing was too off. Most of the beginning and middle of the book was just exposition, and it was frustration. The author would tell you something, not show you and that's not quite as exciting as it could be. It also felt like the author was writing in mundane scenes (even though she created that sense of urgency) just to fill the space so she can make the end of the story lead up to a sequel. 

Here are a few other things I didn't like about the book. The character relationships had little development but

both Faron and Elara find love with their respective companions that they each used to hate.

The action scenes were really entertaining, it's unfortunate that they weren't spread out more. Most of the action scenes were at the end of the book. The end of the book was very info dumpy with "surprises" she revealed. 

I didn't enjoy this book for the most part, I only enjoyed the ending. Due to that I'm going to give this 2.75 out of 5 stars
⭐️⭐️ - 2.75/5

I listened to this audiobook on [Spotify.com]