So Let Them Burn
Ratings10
Average rating3.8
Whip-smart and immersive, this Jamaican-inspired fantasy follows a gods-blessed heroine who's forced to choose between saving her sister or protecting her homeland--perfect for fans of Iron Widow and The Priory of the Orange Tree. Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. She's a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbors. When she's forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesn't expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon--or the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister. As Faron's desperation to find another solution takes her down a dark path, and Elara discovers the shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, both must make difficult choices that will shape each other's lives, as well as the fate of their world. "By turns hopeful and devastating, So Let Them Burn is a masterful debut with a blazing heart. I was captivated from beginning to end by Cole's sharp, clever prose and by her protagonists--two remarkable sisters with an unforgettable bond." -- Chelsea Abdullah, author of The Stardust Thief
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I am in love with the characters from this book! Faron and Elara work so hard to do the right thing for their nation as well as for each other. It is the driving force in this book.
I love that this starts after the war where the hidden princess becomes queen and the chosen one does their thing to save the nation. Seeing how the chosen one and the queen are working to live after this war was a refreshing spin on a fantasy trope.
The world building was sometimes confusing because I wasn't sure how technologically advanced they were supposed to be. The world felt vaguely Caribbean, but I did not feel that there was a strong Jamaican feeling in the book. There were dragons and they were important, but I would have liked just a little more of them.
To me these complaints are minor compared to the characters. I have to know what is going to happen to them! But now I have to wait until 2025. :(
Brilliant! Picked up just because I thought it was pretty but ended up loving the story.
I found Faron a bit whiney to begin with but she grew as a character and began to see her own faults (unfortunately too late
Jamaicans and dragons just make so much sense together.
The first thing that peaked my interest about this book was that we were entering at the end/ recovery stages of a war. Normally with fantasy we are either thrown into the thick of the war or the beginning, and I was immediately interested how things would play out.
From the start of the book I was immediately invested in Faron and Elara, then eventually Reeve and Signey.
Faron is literally Ikenna (from The Blood Trials and The Blood Gift) but Jamaican and a teenager, hard headed, and combative. My love for her as a character is so strong. She went into a kind of tunnel vision to solely save her sister, and I was here for it. Faron wants to go against the Gods and find a way to save her sister on her own? I'm seated.
Faron gave off the IDGAF attitude, but she really and truly cared about every damn thing. And it was executed so well in the writing.
Elara captivated me just the same. Being the older sister, she wants the best for her act now, think later sister. While also trying to be the best spy to the queen!
From the representation of a demisexual, and lesbian character, dual POVs between the sisters, to the concepts of Drakes and Dragons I loved every part of this story. I cannot stress enough how much I loved this story, and I ready for what comes next!
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