So Let Them Burn
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Narrated by:
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Kamali Minter
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Keylor Leigh
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By:
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Kamilah Cole
About this listen
'Clever and utterly fresh. So Let Them Burn takes the fantasy genre and soars into brilliant new heights' Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights
'With fierce protagonists and compelling conflicts, So Let Them Burn is a YA fantasy to root for!' Namina Forna, author of The Gilded Ones trilogy
'A complex, thought-provoking, thoroughly enjoyable read' Irish Times
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 The Priory of the Orange Tree and Fourth Wing.
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 neighbours.
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
I initially found Faron to be unlikable, she felt too immature for her age. Having been a soldier and a child with divine power behind her it is a little hard to believe she would not have been forced to mature quicker, to become more adult-like in her younger years.
The story itself has an interesting plot, but it felt a little rushed at times, or that as a reader you are thrown in the deep end, having to understand what has happened in this world before the story picks up.
I am a person who loves dual points of view, being able to explore the world through different eyes, and while the novel does that, to me personally it felt that the world and the story could have been developed more had it been a single point of view. The division between the two sisters does provide an insight into their personal beliefs and lives, yet it also seems to rush the narrative as two sides are explored, aiming to do more within the limits of the novels length.
Though, I do not want this review to just be criticism on the writer's craft. I did start to enjoy the book a little more as the action picked up in the end. I cannot say I particularly cared for the beginning, or that the story drew me in, but there are aspects that can be appreciated.
I liked the character of Reeve, and would have enjoyed if his story had been explored more, particularly from his point of view, but nonetheless, his character in this novel was my favourite.
I think the novel tackles some important topics surrounding colonialism and the aftermath of attaining freedom, suffering of a country and it's people, and the destructive nature of power.
The novel lends it's hand into exploring identity and desires, what it may feel like to lose one's own autonomy, to be forced from home, or to lose yourself in the expectations of others.
While the novel is not one of my favourites, and I may not pick up the sequel for a while yet, I cannot deny that it has it's positives and I can understand why others would enjoy it.
An interesting premise to explore the themes that it does.
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