So Let Them Burn is a Jamaican-inspired Young Adult fantasy that centers around two teen sisters, Faron and Elara. Five years prior to the story, Faron became her country’s Chosen One, ending the war and saving her people. Present-day, she is still trying to come to terms with everything she lost when she became gods-blessed. Elara is tired of living in her sister’s divine shadow and is ready to make a name for herself. Elara finds herself in a perilous situation when she bonds with a dragon belonging to her country’s enemy. Faron is desperate to save her sister as everything spirals out of control around them.

Though I did see some similarities between this book and other popular fantasy books, this was executed extremely well and I was intrigued from the very first page. I ended up reading this whole book in less than 12 hours. I really enjoyed the sibling dynamics between Elara and Faron, how their love for each other also had a sharper edge where sibling rivalry and jealously lives. This book had a lot of my favorite tropes such as Chosen One, slow burn, dislike to lovers, etc.

This was an easy, accessible read. Sometimes, fantasy debuts can be difficult to follow all the elaborate magic systems, world building, and politics. However, the author crafted a gorgeous, clever story while also making it easy for readers to follow along. The author also included thought provoking themes that we don’t often see in mainstream fantasies. While it had some storylines and plots we’ve seen before, it made up for it with diverse characters, queer representation, and a perfect balance between fast-paced plot and romance.

This is the perfect novel for fantasy readers who love dragons, intricate magic systems, and dual POV.

So Let Them Burn is an intriguing Jamaican inspired fantasy following two sisters and their different paths after war.

I really enjoyed this book and the only reason it wasn’t a five star read for me is because I thought the beginning was just a little slow.

I really enjoyed the 2 POVs from each sister, although I have to say that Elara’s POV was my favorite. I loved how her relationship with her dragon and with Signey developed. I enjoyed Faron’s POV slightly less. I thought she was very naive with the whole hiding her dealings with Gael. I did really enjoy watching her relationship with Reeve develop however.

Overall, a very solid debut and start to a duology. I’m excited to see where it goes.

Apparently I needed one more 5 star read to end this year. Perfection. Absolute perfection.

Kamilah Cole crafted a world ravaged by war, victorious, and still oh so broken yet with so much hope. We got a very real look at the "normal" citizens of a country that just recently won its war for independence while getting to see the after effects of this war on the children who were forced to be it's heroes, in several different ways.

I love a hero whose doing shit because someone has to and for very grounded reasons outside it, and that's exactly what we get from both Faron and Elara, though in different ways.

And the DRAGONS. I love dragons. Dragon riding. Dragon battles. This story has everything. High stakes, so much heart, so much love, political intrigue, and a very real feeling world whose magic system(s) and cultures make perfect sense. I can't wait to buy this to have for myself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for the e-arc!

Black people and dragons. What more can you ask for. Was giving very much house of the dragon and I loved every minute of it.

I feel like the less you know about this book, the better. All that's necessary to know before going in is that it's about two sisters and the lengths they will go to protect each other and their home. This aforementioned home has recently been liberated from the imperialist Languish empire that occupied San Irie for a time before San Iris fought and won their freedom. This book is incredibly timely, I think. It's easy to be distracted by the dragons and the magic and the gods, but this book's themes are rooted in issues that we are actively facing in our real world. These themes are evident in the narrative, but so carefully woven into the story, and I just think it was beautiful how Cole told this story and made it into what it was. The characters were amazing. The sisters, Faron and Elara, were soooo good and I loved having them as our narrators. I really liked their respective love interests as well. Plus, there's one character in particular who I'm not sure if I was supposed to fall in love with, but I did! This book is also queer (featuring asexual and sapphic rep), and I loved that these identities were discussed a little as well. Overall, I LOVED this book and already cannot wait for book 2, which I know will be phenomenal.

I loved this book so much. I was honestly surprised that it was a debut. The writing was so immersive and I felt like I was right there in the world with the characters.

I have also never read a Jamaican inspired YA fantasy so I was extremely intrigued. I will come back and edit this review when I get my thoughts together. I genuinely loved this so much and it is usually so difficult to review a book you loved so much.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

I had so much fun with So Let Them Burn; Kamilah Cole does a fantastic job building a world I desperately want to explore more in the sequel. For those of us who love good anti-imperialist fantasy novel, this is the one for you. Sapphic romance is always a plus, as is the inclusion of a well-built magic system that is easy for the reader to understand.
I look forward to picking this up on publication day.

4.5 Stars

So Let Them Burn is one incredible debut novel!

Faron is the Childe Empyrean — the girl who could wield the power of the Gods. Saint to her people. Brat to those who truly know her. She’s arrogant, a self-appointed Queen of lies, and has spent the time since the war cheating at races and being bored.

Her sister, Elara, is the opposite of her sister honest and with hopes to carve her own path in life by joining the Queen’s airforce as a Drake pilot — making a name for herself. However, all this goes wrong when it’s not a Drake that chooses her but an enemy dragon.

So Let Them Burn was told through a different perspective, instead of a book leading up to a war… we start one five years after where it’s already been fought and won. There was a bit of a slower pace to the story itself, and at times I wish there was more expanse on the initial war, however, it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the book. I loved the characters, the queer rep, the aftermath of a people still struggling with the trauma of the war, and the struggle the Queen, who was a teenager during it, has on maintaining peace.

The Jamaican inspired world is rich and imaginative and that ending! I also love the potentially — maybe — villainous or maybe not — Grey Saint and … oh, there’s a lot to be loved in this book! Thank you so much to Little Brown for the chance to read early!

Five years ago, Faron was 12 years old and chosen by the gods to wield their power and win a war of independence against the Langley empire that had long suppressed the people of San Irie. The war was won, thanks to Faron's power, the newfound queen Adeline, and Faron's sister Elara's work with the San Irie military. Now Faron and Elara have a new challenge on their hands, as Elara's been unwillingly bonded to one of Langley's dragons and thrust into the hands of the colonizers. Faron can still channel the power of San Irie's gods, but she's learning that their methods won't work to free Elara, and she may have to make some reckless moves to break her sister's bonds.

This Jamaican-inspired YA fantasy is intriguing, though nothing that really stands out from the crowd. It's supposed to be the first in a duology, and given the absolute cliffhanger this one ends on, I may pick up the second when it becomes available.

I read So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole. Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

This book was aggressively in the OK area for reading for me. There dragons were cool, and some of the ideas with them were interesting in how they came about and the culture that sprung up around them. The characters, well, the sister was really interesting. I liked the parts of her trying to fit in and learn in her new, hostile environment while also acting as a really bad spy. I honestly wish the book was more focused on her.

The problem was the other MC. For one thing, I kept having to remind myself that this wasn’t a sequel, or the start of a new series in an already established world, because while part of the fun in reading this is supposed to be that Faron has already had her big adventure and saved her people and this is the adventure after that, it left me needing to read the book before it. Like this book really needed to have written the first big adventure book/s before it got to this one.

Or it just could have been from her sister’s point of view, as that would have felt more natural.

Still, Faron’s parts aren’t bad, they just weren’t what I was invested in, and it felt half the time like I was getting enough of her sister trying to be this new person and navigate her new environment, because we kept going back to Faron. Like, I could have learned some of this information of how Faron (can’t actually write what happened because of spoilers).

Anyway, a fairly solid book, and I’m interested to see where it’ll go from here.

I couldn’t read this because the arc wouldn’t download on the netgalley app but it sounds interesting!

This book has gods and dragons and beautiful, complex relationships. It has multi-faceted characters, reluctant chosen ones and the people who start wars and the people who are forever changed by war. It felt like To Shape a Dragon's Breath meets Gilded Ones meets Buried and the Bound and I had such a fun time.
The characters are fantastic, the relationships were so fun to watch progress. Kamilah Cole wrote a masterclass in characters and relationships.

I would like to protect so many people in the book it was beautiful and I am going to be in agony until book 2

Oooh, this was good! I loved this cast of characters so much, even though that hurts me. I need the sequel rn.

Kamilah Cole's debut is an incredibly fresh fantasy read about sisterhood, dragons, and strength. It balances thrilling action with sincere emotion, all centered around a blazing heart. This voice is strongly needed for today's readers; with themes of anti-colonialism and taking down oppressive systems, teens will draw real-world connections to struggles they face too.

Ummmm EXCUSE ME??? WHAT WAS THAT ENDING!?!?

Excuse my screaming but that's how invested I've become with So Let Them Burn. This is such a strong debut, and a wonderful addition to the YA fantasy genre! For those wanting dragons, ancestral magic, and sapphics, this is for you.
This Jamaican-inspired fantasy was gripping and I found myself eagerly reading, time becoming nonexistent as I existed solely within these pages. A lot of this reminds me of what Legendborn did with a stereotypically Eurocentric tale and injecting it with the diverse voices and perspectives that's been sorely lacking. I can't wait for more people to read this one!

Also, I need the fan art. NOW.

"So Let Them Burn" is easily one of the best YA books I've read this year, skillfully balancing two fully realized POV characters, a dash of romance, a complex plot, and excellent pacing and prose. I especially loved that the story takes place after a revolution has been won, rather than bringing us through San Irie's war for independence--it's a choice I don't usually see in fantasy, and the aftermath of war was both intriguing and very well done. My only complaint is that with that ending, I need the second book immediately!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for ARC. I received my copy in exchange of an honest review.

When I requested this book as ARC, I didn't know anything about it except its interesting title. Look at that! So Let Them Burn... It's attractive and badass.
The story follows two sisters. 17 years old Faron who is chosen by the Gods. And Elara, who is chosen by the enemies of their Island; The dragons!
I really enjoy reading Dragon books, especially if they could talk! So we have Zephyra in this book, A cool dragon who reminds me of Safira from Eragon series.
There was some factors in the story that gave me Furyborn and Three Dark Crowns vibes, like the Island and the Gods and Goddesses, Women in charge and Divine Powers. Don't get me wrong, There isn't any huge similarities between these books. Just vibes, that's all. But you can finde the shadow of Priory of The Orange Tree in this book, Especially about the restructured villains!
I would have liked if we can get more chapters about Hearthstone Academy and Dragon Riding. It was a bit unbelievable that Elara got through all of that Dragon Riding Studies without any mention of them in the story.
And about the plot twist, Well... It was really predictable and I was seeing it coming, So it didn't shocked me.
At the end I want to say that I enjoyed reading this book and I liked that the story started from the middle of events, not from the very beginning.
I'm going to read the sequel as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the e-ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Rep: Jamaican-inspired fantasy, main sapphic characters and romance, demisexual MC

The book follows two sisters, Faron and Elara, and it takes place in a post-war, fantasy world with dragons. Both had very intriguing character arcs but they felt rushed through, and it became pretty easy to predict what was going to happen.

Elara was the easiest of the two to root for. I found Faron’s character to be very frustrating, however, I also understood why she acted the way she did. You can see how much it affected her having been chosen by the gods at such a young age to put an end to a war and save her people. That was an aspect of the book that I really liked. How it brought up topics such as child soldiers and post-war trauma.

Regarding the portrayal of Elara and Faron’s relationship, I thought that their dynamic as sisters was realistic given what they’ve both been through. I just wish we could’ve seen more of it, especially with how the book ended. That’s another thing this book struggled with: expanding on the romantic and platonic relationships. The only relationship in the book that I truly felt was solid, was the one between Elara and Reeve. I loved their friendship. The devotion and care that they had for one another was very sweet and clear from the start.

I gave this book 3 stars. I thought it was a good debut novel. The premise was really interesting but I think the story definitely needed to be fleshed out more.

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

Amazing. I loved the story of just how far these sisters were willing to go to save each other and their country. I’ll be waiting semi-patiently for the next book to see how their story continues.

This BOOK!!!

I knew from the start that this book was gonna be something special, but I was still so delightfully surprised at how much I loved it! It's got the makings of a classic YA, but with a uniqueness that really pulls you in. I haven't felt like this since reading Legendborn for the first time. There's just something about it that has magic pouring from its every word.

Getting to know Faron and Elara through their journeys was incredible to see. And I loved the twist that this is AFTER the Chosen One did her initial duties. I don't think I've personally read a book that focuses on the aftermath of the Chosen One after the big war or terrible events. Plus, the added sisterly bond, the resentment of being a/or related to the Chosen One, and the impact of putting too much over young shoulders really added so much depth to this story. (But obviously I can't not mention how amazing it was to see dragons and drakes, the gods, the academy, and how utterly magical everything was!)

The only thing that had me pausing in the story was the pacing, and I guess the choice of scenes sometimes. Considering the type of story and the stakes presented, I expected way more action than there was. There were more scenes that felt very High School, which is not a bad thing because this is a YA book, and that's what gives it the classic YA feel for me. However, I feel like with the stakes presented, there should've been more action sequences to match the vibes. I think the only time the action really matched the stakes was near the end when Faron goes back to her home and does The Thing. But even on Elara's side of the story, I expected to see more of the consequences of the Fury.

But this was an enjoyable book, and I will be waiting for the sequel because that ending had me going "Wait wait where's the rest of it???? what do you mean this is the end???" and basically stressing at 1am

4.5 stars rounded up!