Thank you to Little Brown Books for an advanced copy!

The second in a duology, this book picks up right after the end of So Let Them Burn. We follow Faron and Elara in their struggle to save their home and find each other. The author really expands more on the world building as well as the Gods within. I really enjoyed the narration as well.

3/5⭐️ I literally started reading this book in Jan because I was hella excited to see how this duology would end! But it got so slow for me around 40% in the book because of the back and forth between Faron and the other dragon riders and it was getting on my nerves! So I finally was able to finish it thru audiobook in April and I was highly disappointed in this duology! But it’s cool! I still like some parts of the books and that will always stay with me!

3.5🌟
This Ends in Embers starts up right where the first book left off. Sadly, I should've reread the first book because I forgot a lot about the world building and needed a significant refresher beforehand.
I felt like the overall pacing was off. The beginning was slow and sometimes dragged on and then the last quarter/ending felt rushed with the last battle being over before I knew it. Compared to the first book, I feel as though the characters left me wanting in this one; like the character dynamics fell flat. I would have loved to see more of Reeve's and Faron's relationship on page. I didn't feel as strongly towards the side characters as I did in the first book, so when we lost some in the battles, I had very little to no emotion about it.
Despite this, the overall ending was wrapped up nicely and I absolutely loved the diversity seen thoughout the series and the queer representation weaved in it.


Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest reviews.

This Ends in Embers – 15 Reactions While Reading

1️⃣ Emotional Overload – This book wrecked me emotionally. The betrayals, the sacrifices, the impossible choices… I felt it all. 💔


2️⃣ Confused at First – Since I didn’t read So Let Them Burn, I had to work to catch up on the lore and character dynamics. But once I did? Wow.


3️⃣ Stunning Imagery – Kamilah Cole’s descriptions shine. The battle scenes, the magic, the pain—it’s all vivid and immersive.


4️⃣ A+ World Map – Fantasy novels need great maps, and this one delivers. No confusion, no weird layouts—just a crisp, helpful guide. 🗺️


5️⃣ Dynamic Characters – Every character feels alive. They’re flawed, complex, and you want them to succeed (or fail).


6️⃣ Incredible Magic System – The magic is not just cool—it’s deeply woven into the world, making it feel essential rather than an afterthought.


7️⃣ Tense Sisterly Conflict – The Faron vs. Elara dynamic is painful in the best way. Watching them stand on opposite sides of war was gut-wrenching.


8️⃣ No Easy Choices – There’s no clear "right" side. The moral dilemmas had me questioning everything.


9️⃣ Villain You Love to Hate – Iya is terrifying, ruthless, and impossible to ignore. A villain that actually feels like a real threat.


🔟 High-Stakes Action – The battles and confrontations had my heart pounding. Every fight scene mattered.


1️⃣1️⃣ Queer Representation Done Right – The sapphic and demisexual rep is woven seamlessly into the story without feeling forced or tokenized.


1️⃣2️⃣ Political Intrigue – This isn’t just about magic and war—it’s about power, alliances, and the heavy cost of leadership.


1️⃣3️⃣ Rich Jamaican Influence – The cultural elements shine through beautifully, making the world feel fresh, vibrant, and authentic.


1️⃣4️⃣ No Easy Endings – This book hurts. There are sacrifices, consequences, and an ending that will sit with you for days.


1️⃣5️⃣ Can’t-Stop-Thinking-About-It – Even after finishing, I still can’t stop replaying certain moments in my head. This book lingers.


⭐ Final Thoughts & Rating

This Ends in Embers is a gripping, high-stakes fantasy novel that pushes its characters—and its readers—to the edge. It’s filled with tension, magic, and deeply emotional moments that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. While I do wish I had read the first book beforehand, I was still completely invested in Faron and Elara’s journey, their struggles, and the impossible decisions they had to make.

I loved loved this duology!!! Kamilah Cole is a truly talented writer. I can wait to read more from her. I loved the world she created in this series, the themes she touched on, and the well rounded characters.

This book was completely captivating and utterly gorgeous. Cole is a remarkable talent with the incredible ability to write world that you feel as if you could step right into.

This was good, and a satisfying conclusion. However, it was difficult to get into and did not hold my attention well

This is a solid duology closer. Devastating in the ending, but it tackles the horrors and trauma of war so well. It was a tough read because so much of it was despair, but the ending was ultimately hopeful. I love these sisters so much<3

This book jumps right back into the chaos that was the ending of So Let them burn.

I didn’t need a refresher at all. It was easily pulled back in. The stakes were high and things were surely moving and shaking

However I had the same “issue” here as I did with the first book. It felt overly teenaged angsty. I know I know I knowwww it’s YA. They are kids. I love YA, sometimes it can get a little preachy and teachy.

I would still recommend this duloagy!
The representation makes it all worth it.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this Arc!

This book was amazing. It had me on the edge of my seat rooting for the Vincent sisters and there friends I love the way the characters have grown from book 1 to this one. I love that everything is not black and white that the characters are so relatable you find yourself mad at and with them. I didn't want the story to end!

4.5 stars

Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Can’t believe this duology is over! I loved it. I think it was incredible to get 2 sisters’ POVs, Faron and Elara, throughout, instead of a couple in a relationship. Romance is a subplot sure, but the love that Faron and Elara have for each other and their people is held above all of that. I honestly didn’t know how this was going to wrap up, and I was stressed for everyone involved. I absolutely loved Elara’s character arc! It truly came full circle at the end, and I love the growing relationship between her and Signey. I also love that Faron is able to come to this realization that she made a lot of impulsive choices that may not have been the smartest, and she’s willing to own up to that. I loved all of the dragon history we received and how involved they are.

I can’t wait to see what else Kamliah Cole writes!

CW: war, violence, death, fire/fire injury, death of parent, racism, kidnapping

I inhaled the first book - massive reading slump and lack of interest was tossed aside to consume this duology.
Cole has so much to offer. I am here to tell you this is a MUST READ.
Colonization. Tyranny. Racism, classism, all prejudice not just between the groups but also within. Ace representation. Loss of childhood, forced to become a hero. Carrying the weight, expectations, the pain of not being accepted for just yourself.
Incredibly romantic love stories. Queer rep. All the rep.
I cannot wait for Cole's next release!

What do you do when the world casts your sister as the villain?

THIS ENDS IN EMBERS returns in the aftermath of the attack on the city of Deadegg. Faron Vincent, kidnapped and forced to bond with an ancient dragon, will stop at nothing to defeat Iya and Lightbringer and save those who were taken from her… even if that means becoming the villain. Elara Vincent, the recently named Maiden Empyrean after her sister’s betrayal, is desperate to protect her country, San Irie, and the rest of the isles from Iya and Lightbringer’s wrath.

The Divine Traitors duology is a Jamaican-inspired Joan of Arc retelling with dragons and sisterhood. As with the first book of the series, THIS ENDS IN EMBERS is weaves complex relationships: between family, between friends, between bonded dragons, between citizen and country. Highlighted at the center is Elara and Faron’s sisterly bond: a relationship built on love, loyalty, sacrifice, forced maturity, and the impossible choices they are forced to make. While the pacing is slow to start as we are reintroduced to the continent of Nova and the magic system, it builds toward a sweeping, satisfying conclusion.

If you love liars, saints, and dragons, don’t miss this one!

Thank you Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

First off, a MASSIVE shoutout to @thenovl @wordsiren for blessing me with this duo!

Now, let’s get into this duology that absolutely set my soul on FIRE!🔥🐉

📖 Book 1: So Let Them Burn Faron Vincent is THAT girl—gods-touched, battle-scarred, and a legend in her own right. Five years after leading her country to victory, she’s stuck playing nice at an international peace summit (yawn), until her sister, Elara, goes and bonds with an enemy dragon. Excuse me?! And the gods? Oh, they’re out here saying the only way to break the bond is to, um... k!ll her sister 😱.

This book serves up lush world-building, high-stakes tension, and characters that OWN the page. Faron is ferocious, stubborn, and wielding her power like a queen 👑. Her love for Elara is the heartbeat of this story, even as they’re forced down wildly different paths. Oh, and let’s not forget Gael—that mysterious chaos boy who came to ruin Faron’s life (and mine 😭).

Also, the magic system? CHEF’S KISS.
That ending? RUDE. Absolutely devastating. I was NOT okay.

📖 Book 2: This Ends in Embers If book one rocked my world, book two burned it to the ground 🔥. Faron—once the savior of San Irie—is now its traitor. Taken, disgraced, and soul-bound to a k!ller, she’s forced to help Iya build his empire. Meanwhile, Elara has stepped into the role of Empyrean, trying to undo her sister’s damage while war looms like a storm cloud.

Faron’s inner struggle between survival and morality had me on the edge of my seat. And Elara? Watching her find her voice while carrying the weight of a nation? Chills. The stakes were SKY HIGH, the twists had me gasping, and the emotional gut punches? BRUTAL.

Romance? Check.
Found family? Check.
DRAGONS? ALL THE CHECKS. ✅🐉

✨ Tropes You’ll Love:
🔥 Chosen One (but make it complicated)
🔥 Morally gray heroine (aka my weakness)
🔥 Sisters on opposite sides of war (pain)
🔥 Found family
🔥 Enemies-to-maybe-something-more 😏
🔥 Betrayal & redemption arcs
🔥 Political intrigue & rebellion
🔥 MAGIC. DRAGONS. ALL THE CHAOS.

If you love fantasy that hits you in the feels while serving action, heart, and DRAGONS—The Divine Traitors duology is a must-read! 🐉💀💖

A few days before the release of these very cool updated covers I’d bought the original cover of the first book for this set🥲 Luckily I like the original covers too but these new ones are so so good😍

Review 7/10📖

Liked:
🔥This book picks up exactly where the first book ended which I personally love when a sequel does!
🔥The pacing of this book read much quicker than the first which I felt had a few slow points.
🔥The sister dynamic continues to be a shiny start in this set.
🔥Both in this book and the first I like how the author played with the line between hero and villain. It was one of my favorite themes of the books.

Meh:
🔥The action was sometimes too detailed for me. I’m not an action scene person.
🔥The side characters were just okay. The romance was better but again I was mostly invested in the sister dynamics.

I love a good Duology and overall this is a fun set for dragon story lovers! Also for anyone who, like me, loves a mind link trope. One of my all time favorite tropes💕

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for a copy of this book! This Ends in Embers is out now📖

3.5/5 stars This Ends in Embers marks the conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology, bringing Faron and Elara Vincent’s story to a dramatic and action-packed close. Once the saint of San Irie, Faron is now disgraced, bonded to a ruthless killer, and forced to aid Iya’s violent conquest—making her an enemy to her own people. Meanwhile, her sister Elara, the new Empyrean, struggles under the weight of leadership, desperate to stop Iya’s invasion while trying to save her sister and her country. As war looms, both sisters are pushed to their limits, blurring the lines between hero and villain and forcing them to make deadly sacrifices.

I really enjoyed the first book and thought it was a strong debut YA novel, but this final installment didn’t quite have the same appeal for me. The attempt to expand the worldbuilding and develop the characters—especially Elara—was a solid effort, but with so much action driving towards the conclusion, it almost felt like we didn’t have enough time to fully flesh out some of the world-building or character development. I rarely say this but it may have benefitted from being made into a trilogy rather than a duology. I loved Elara’s character even more in this book and her and Signey’s relationship was great, though I was a bit underwhelmed with Faron’s character development. I found myself enjoying Faron’s POV chapters significantly less than Elara’s and I couldn't clearly understand her motivations behind staying with Iya.

That said, there were aspects I truly enjoyed, including the queer representation and how naturally queerness is embedded into the world. The demisexual rep, in particular, was fantastic to see, as it is so underrepresented in the fantasy genre. Even though this one didn't hit quite as hard as book one, I would still highly recommend the duology and feel like it is the obvious choice for people looking for a fresh and more diverse perspective on dragon fantasy.

This Ends in Embers
Genre: YA Fantasy I Duology
Length: 401 pages
Read: February 1 - February 6, 2025
Rating: 4.5⭐️

First let me begin with saying how much I love this duology, it had everything I needed: dragons, a perfect villain, unexpected twists, and turns, a hero you were rooting for and a romance (or two) sub plots. I love a well done sapphic romance and my boy Reeve who I would do anything for.

This duology has dragons, war, school, the epic battle scenes, and the romance sub plot. An entirely different storyline from any book I’ve read with those elements as the story is told from the perspective of Elara and Faron being on opposite sides as the tensions build willing to quite literally burn down the world to save each other. I can’t wait to read Kamilah Cole’s next book, I thoroughly enjoyed the divine traitors duology.

The pacing really picked up in the second half of the book and all of the twists and turns that came about really made me love this book. It was probably the quickest I’ve ever finished a book reading about 70 pages per hour. The allegories to our past and current political climate along with the ongoing theme that carried over from the first book of colonization. I was unable to put it down until I finished. I would highly recommend if you loved the dragon bond we saw in FW, I think it has all of the elements of that book that I really enjoyed, but it also expands upon the world building and has this great back story that I really enjoyed, and what you would do for a loved one in that type of situation. It really just hit upon all of the parts I loved of that book, but made it even better. I really love duologies and if you’re looking for a shorter series to give you a fun and fast paced story, I would highly recommend reading So Let Them Burn and This Ends in Embers.

This was such a bittersweet ending to this duology. I loved this world and the characters and I am sad to leave it. I hope that in the future the world is revisited. Certain deaths in the ending broke my heart, and others felt like justice being served. However, it was kind of anticlimactic because just ended with little explanation of the major events. I feel like more should have been explained about the decision with Torrey, and the magic that was used to make the ending happen. There was a lot of explanation in the build-up, but not as much in the moment. I did enjoy seeing Faron and Elara's point of views from opposite sides of the war and how they were each prepping to handle it without being able to be in contact. The storyline flowed so well and was just so well developed. There weren't any parts that left me wondering how we got there. I appreciated how the romance aspect was very minimal. I also appreciated the look into dealing with other countries in times of war to seek allies, and how the people react and revolt. My favorite part is how the response to "I love you" wasn't "I love you too", but rather "I love you" with an emphasized you. I know that is such a small detail but it really was so sweet and meant a lot. I am genuinely sad that this world is done. I want to visit it again in the future, check in on the characters, and see how they have grown since they have gone through two wars before escaping their teenage years. I also feel like they need more time to mourn those they have lost.

Kamilah Cole is such a master at storytelling! The character dynamics are so complex, but it's still easy to get invested and follow along. I think this was such a great continuation of the first book and I'm sad this duology is over!

Initial Reaction: 9
Characters: 8
Setting: 9
Plot: 8
Pace: 7
Style: 8
Ending: 8
Enjoyment: 10
+ A Seat at the Table: 4/5

67 + 4 = 71 / 16 = 4.4375
Rounded Rating = 4.5