Scan barcode
camzfernandez763's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The book is a fun read. I stayed up until ungodly hours until I reached the ending and now I can't wait to read the second book.
I also couldnt help but think of Wuthering Heights whenever it was mentioned that characters have the same soul. Given the circumstances of the characters, I found thay deliciously romantic and tragic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Racism and War
Minor: Bullying
kittyinez's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
"For the peace and progression they could all achieve together if the empire stopped for a second to realize that land was not to be owned and cultures were not to be assimilated."
So good! Sisterhood, self-discovery, friendship, love, and dragons all mixed in to a story about how the scars of colonization/imperialism don't just fade away when the oppressor leaves (and especially when they come back for round 2). So much of this felt realistic because it mirrors reality, and I'm invested.
Faron: a messy, imperfect, asexual, Slytherin-esque chosen one.
Elara: the brave, intelligent eldest daughter struggling to have her own identity.
So good! Sisterhood, self-discovery, friendship, love, and dragons all mixed in to a story about how the scars of colonization/imperialism don't just fade away when the oppressor leaves (and especially when they come back for round 2). So much of this felt realistic because it mirrors reality, and I'm invested.
Faron: a messy, imperfect, asexual, Slytherin-esque chosen one.
Elara: the brave, intelligent eldest daughter struggling to have her own identity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Body horror, Racism, Violence, and Blood
chellyfish's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and War
This was a fascinating and original book that is part alternate history (ie, if Jamaica had a successful revolution like Haiti) and part fantasy (but also there are dragons and a variety of magics). Faron's role as the Child Empyrean was an interesting way to explore how people carry the trauma and responsibility of earlier generations. Some folks seem to have a beef with Faron not being traumatized enough from the recent war (her main dislike for being the Child Empyrean seems to be the attention and expectations it brings). I don't share that critique and I don't wish trauma on a young Black girl. I feel similarly about the moment Reeve consciously admits he invaded the safe space of the night market - we can have some relief some times from constant depictions of racial trauma. There are much better reasons to critique the book than these moments. For instance, I'll be curious to see how Elara'spages_with_panda's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
(I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher Little, Brown Book Group (UK) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
This was such a fun book!
The characters were interesting, the magic system was unique, but I felt like there wasn't a lot of action.
There was some great rep (racially and sexuality-wise) with Elara being into girls and casual Queer relationships (the queen having two moms for example). I also think Faron's relationship with Reeve was fun to watch develop, especially as their both dedicated to Elara.
It went by very fast, and for the first part I genuinely thought I had started on book 2 or something because what do you mean we missed a whole war!? So listening to the main characters talk about these wars and battles that had already happened was a bit confusing for a second, I wish we could've experienced that with the characters instead of as exposition or flashbacks.
I think I would've liked to see more exposition on the worldbuilding though, some things weren't clear enough for me but maybe it'll clear up in the next book.
The characters were great. Having the alternating POV from Faron and Elara made the story interesting and I really liked both sisters. I liked how (spoiler for the last chapters):they basically switched at the end too. Faron really went through some development, and I'm curious to see where her story goes. I did have to remind myself that they're still pretty young kids though, so give them some grace...
We didn't really see a lot of fighting or action until the very end, which was disappointing.Faron really only used her powers for "kid-stuff" rather than anything substantial, especially when it would've saved the life of someone close to her.
The majority of the book felt dedicated to Characters > Plot, and it did have some romance side-plots for each sister, which is a plus if you're a fan of that.
The twist ending was a bit predictable, but it's a YA book so I didn't expect anything super complicated. Over all really great, can't wait for book 2!
This was such a fun book!
The characters were interesting, the magic system was unique, but I felt like there wasn't a lot of action.
There was some great rep (racially and sexuality-wise) with Elara being into girls and casual Queer relationships (the queen having two moms for example). I also think Faron's relationship with Reeve was fun to watch develop, especially as their both dedicated to Elara.
It went by very fast, and for the first part I genuinely thought I had started on book 2 or something because what do you mean we missed a whole war!? So listening to the main characters talk about these wars and battles that had already happened was a bit confusing for a second, I wish we could've experienced that with the characters instead of as exposition or flashbacks.
I think I would've liked to see more exposition on the worldbuilding though, some things weren't clear enough for me but maybe it'll clear up in the next book.
The characters were great. Having the alternating POV from Faron and Elara made the story interesting and I really liked both sisters. I liked how (spoiler for the last chapters):
We didn't really see a lot of fighting or action until the very end, which was disappointing.
The majority of the book felt dedicated to Characters > Plot, and it did have some romance side-plots for each sister, which is a plus if you're a fan of that.
The twist ending was a bit predictable, but it's a YA book so I didn't expect anything super complicated. Over all really great, can't wait for book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: War
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation
serena_hien's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Death and War
zaonic's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Kamilah Cole knocked her debut book out of the park.
So let them burn is all the embodiment of being the chosen one and what happens afterwards. The jealousy of friends and family, the heartbreak of lost friendships, the feeling of being trapped by what and who you are and the absolute crazy bonkers things you'd do to save the one you loved most.
This book, unlike most high fantasy epics, starts off AFTER the war. After the adventures, during a time of peace. But we all know peace doesn't last forever. So let them burn follows the story of two sisters, one a Childe Empyrean another the older sister always trying to live up to her sisters shadow.
What a delightful take and breath of fresh air for fantasy. While it starts off as a medium paced book the tone and pace quickly shift and pick up to have your heart and your head throbbing at the next twist and wondering how in the world the author will end this book.
Dear reader, this book ends on the most wrenching of cliff hangers. But fear not, because the next novel is to be published in February of 2025 and I, for one, cannor wait to plunge back in.
So let them burn is all the embodiment of being the chosen one and what happens afterwards. The jealousy of friends and family, the heartbreak of lost friendships, the feeling of being trapped by what and who you are and the absolute crazy bonkers things you'd do to save the one you loved most.
This book, unlike most high fantasy epics, starts off AFTER the war. After the adventures, during a time of peace. But we all know peace doesn't last forever. So let them burn follows the story of two sisters, one a Childe Empyrean another the older sister always trying to live up to her sisters shadow.
What a delightful take and breath of fresh air for fantasy. While it starts off as a medium paced book the tone and pace quickly shift and pick up to have your heart and your head throbbing at the next twist and wondering how in the world the author will end this book.
Dear reader, this book ends on the most wrenching of cliff hangers. But fear not, because the next novel is to be published in February of 2025 and I, for one, cannor wait to plunge back in.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Colonisation
oxfordcommas91's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was such a creative take on the trope of "young woman chosen by Gods gets powers and saves her kingdom." I loved how this picked up years after the big fight with our two female main characters who are grappling with their identity, future, and place in the kingdom after everything that's happened. This unique plot had lots of action and was a unique twist on many of the typical fantasy plots that get a bit stale after so many books. It kept me on my toes the whole time and even though it's a YA, it's complex and satisfying enough for an adult audience. I appreciated the genuine/authentic representation for young women of color and queer folks and think the author did a beautiful job creating a unique world that was also steeped in Jamaican history and culture. Absolutely obsessed with this book (and the characters). The only downside was that I realized too close to the end that this was a series and not just a one-off ... I am definitely counting down the days until the sequel is released in early 2025!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Abandonment
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
3.5
It's been months since I read this book but here is what I remember: dragons, anti-colonialism, sapphics, feminine rage, and rivals to lovers! I predict that my second reread will bump up the star rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Death and Slavery
blacksphinx's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall I had a fun time with this book but when I sat down to review it, all I could think of was that if someone asked me for an anti-colonialist fantasy novel with dragons, I would give them To Shape A Dragon's Breath instead. This was both a more action-y and a more romance-heavy book than I was expecting; depending on the ending of the duology I'd be comfortable handing it to any fantasy romance fan. What really kept me going was some interesting and unique aspects of how magic works in this world and what a "dragon" actually is. I think Kamilah Cole has a bright future as a writer and I will be checking out her next books.
When it comes to aspec representation, I think it's really important to say upfront that Faron is a demisexual character being written by a demisexual author. I think if I had just heard "aspec protag" without that context, the book would have deeply hurt me because without it, it's very easy to see Faron's character arc as "a young woman thought she was aro ace but just needed to meet the right man to fix her." This is #ownvoices so it's not the case, and as an asexual (not demi) person I can't criticize it. I wish being demi and experiencing attraction for the first time, and what that means to her/how she feels about it, was given more attention in the novel. Especially because the dual romances took up so much page count, so it's not like the romance was a small side plot.
When it comes to aspec representation, I think it's really important to say upfront that Faron is a demisexual character being written by a demisexual author. I think if I had just heard "aspec protag" without that context, the book would have deeply hurt me because without it, it's very easy to see Faron's character arc as "a young woman thought she was aro ace but just needed to meet the right man to fix her." This is #ownvoices so it's not the case, and as an asexual (not demi) person I can't criticize it. I wish being demi and experiencing attraction for the first time, and what that means to her/how she feels about it, was given more attention in the novel. Especially because the dual romances took up so much page count, so it's not like the romance was a small side plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit
themdash's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail