This is my favorite book and consuming it in audio format just made me love it that much more.

Narration: 10/10
Story: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10

Simply such a great novel that has colonization and diversity and dragons and sapphic relationships and queer characters and morally grey characters and characters you want to hate but secretly love (hi Gael I love you I’m sorry) 

Read this in preparation for the sequel that I have both the digital arc and ALC of. Can’t wait, since i have started that already. My hold expired and then i just got it back again so i quickly finished a little less than 70% of the audio in just today. So good. Highly recommend. 

OH WOW THIS BOOK WAS INCREDIBLE!!! It took me a hot minute to fully sink my teeth into it, BUT OH MY GOSH I ADORED THIS STORY!!! All the characters were absolutely incredible!! I loved them all

(except Iya and the adult Warwicks, they can go jump off a cliff)

and I could hardly tell what was coming next except

that Reeve and Faron would fall for each other!

I loved and felt so deeply the sisterly bond Elara and Faron had, it was so real and beautiful <3. Speaking of Elara, I freaking ADORED HER!!! She is so strong, caring, and an absolutely kick butt woman!! Lastly all of the dialogue and descriptions in this book were absolutely brilliant!! I am ANXIOUSLY AWAITING THE SECOND BOOK!!!

I was a bit nervous given my recent track record with debut novels BUT this one was amazing.

I wasn’t expecting the book to follow characters POST a “chosen one child” story, but it was a pleasant surprise. I thought the way the book explored how the girls were impacted by that was really well done. Not just how war and colonisation changed them, but the impacts of being figureheads and symbols of hope. They’re also used to really effectively show the impacts of colonisation. Not just the trauma but the disconnect from their culture and the small resistances to keep it.

I think the characters in general were really well done. Each felt distinct and like real thought was put into WHY they are the way they are. No group felt homogeneous. Even the Langlish had variety in their views and thoughts on the war and wanting to do better. It’s not something I often see and I really enjoyed it. The characters also allowed for a solid look into how both characters suffer in conflict, but didn’t turn the oppressors into victims.

I also really liked the world building. It all felt really unique and like a lot of thought was put into it. The world felt very real.

However, there were some flaws.

The middle and end felt a little rushed. This led to what felt like some leaps of logic and not being able to connect to the supporting cast. This was especially prevent in Elara’s story where her connections to her supporting characters were so vital for emotional payoff. We just never saw enough for a proper bond.

Overall, though, it was a great book. I highly recommend and can’t wait for book two.

It took a little effort to get into this, but the story started to flow about 25 percent of the way in. I liked the characters quite a bit, especially Ilora. I think the book could have started stronger if it hadn't yada yada-ed the whole war that took place before the book. There was a lot of exposition that could have been more engaging in a show, not tell model. 

💬:“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]

What a unique spin in the YA fantasy genre, I loved the magic system and it being ancestor based. It covers tough topics such as colonialism with grace and it's clear that Cole wrote about her background with such passion but incorporated it into magic so well. I loved the sisters and their dynamic and loved the take on"I will burn the world for her" being for a sibling.

A few things I was anticipating but didn't get was background if the previous war (touched upon but not in heavy detail of what exactly Faron did), the dragons (I wanted more, MORE dragon dialogue and more than one dragon talking). 

It does end on a cliffhanger and it's such a cliff hanger I very much pulled a Zuni "That's it? Where's the rest of it?!" I want the next book yesterday.