Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - So Let Them Burn

Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

20 reviews

sydapel's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring medium-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

4.25

A really stunning debut novel that centers the complications of sisterhood and colonialism, plus dragons!! What more could you want?!? I've been teasing my friend that I'm going to read the Fourth Wing book just to see what all the hype is about, but she recommended this instead and it was so worth my time. My only wish is that the third act was less rushed, in reading it I felt like it left me with far more questions than answers, even though I know there will be a sequel.

Content Warnings

clovetra's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

i remember discovering this book after the debacle that was c*** c****** review-bombing fellow authors. i was super excited to read this, but i think for me it fell flat in some places.

first tho lemme say what a GREATTT character elara is. god i loved her, her chapters, and what her plot followed. she seemed cool yet down to earth, and as a fellow lesbian ofc im gonna root for my homegirl! i also really liked the characters who followed elara’s story, as they all felt fleshed out with believable personalities and character developments.

however, i didn’t like faron at ALLL, and i think that’s the main issue of this book. the book felt like it was flip flopping between her or elara being the MC…. except i really didn’t care about faron. and it’s not even like “oh i didn’t like her”. i know her character is meant to be unlikeable to some degree. i just felt nothing for her. emotionless. i did not care about her plot line, her character development, her highs and lows, none of it. ok maybe her progression with reeve but that’s because dude seems cool. shout out reeve ur not getting ur own paragraph but youre in my top 3 of characters from this book. anyways back to the topic of faron — girl irritated the hell out of me. and not in a quirky way. like i adore protagonists who are unlikeable and evil and shitheads. man i just came off the poppy war in love with rin. i just couldn’t find energy to CARE about her when all this cool interesting shit is happening with elara! especially when faron’s plot is very predictable whereas elara’s had a twinge of mystery the entire way.

and then there’s the issue i have with the plot…. everyone’s motivations feel fucking stupid. aside from reeve, elara & signey, nobody’s goals long term make any sense. i felt like when reading this i was in crazy town. like why are yall literally going scorched earth over something so inconsequential. and the “plot twists” were foreshadowed well, ill give this book that. except the plot twists themselves felt…. Lacking in emotional investment. like i know i was supposed to be going “😧” at every reveal but i was just like “…..😦…..😐”. i really didn’t care long term. idk maybe the plot points needed more time to cook? but in the same vein it felt like faron’s story was flopping around for like 60% of the book where elara was the only one getting shit done until faron’s story goes from 0-100. idk the pacing of the plot as well as the moving parts of the plot felt….. Odd! i can’t really put my finger on what issue i’m having dont sue me im on a new antidepressant my brain is full of rocks.

i defo will be tuning in for the other book because i love my girl elara!!! i need to know what happens to my homegirl!!! and reeve!!!! my boy!!!! but if it weren’t for them sorry i wouldn’t be picking up the next book. anyways im gonna go drool at some signey and elara fan art.

Content Warnings

bree_h_reads's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I was a bit nervous given my recent track record with debut novels BUT this one was amazing.

I wasn’t expecting the book to follow characters POST a “chosen one child” story, but it was a pleasant surprise. I thought the way the book explored how the girls were impacted by that was really well done. Not just how war and colonisation changed them, but the impacts of being figureheads and symbols of hope. They’re also used to really effectively show the impacts of colonisation. Not just the trauma but the disconnect from their culture and the small resistances to keep it.

I think the characters in general were really well done. Each felt distinct and like real thought was put into WHY they are the way they are. No group felt homogeneous. Even the Langlish had variety in their views and thoughts on the war and wanting to do better. It’s not something I often see and I really enjoyed it. The characters also allowed for a solid look into how both characters suffer in conflict, but didn’t turn the oppressors into victims.

I also really liked the world building. It all felt really unique and like a lot of thought was put into it. The world felt very real.

However, there were some flaws.

The middle and end felt a little rushed. This led to what felt like some leaps of logic and not being able to connect to the supporting cast. This was especially prevent in Elara’s story where her connections to her supporting characters were so vital for emotional payoff. We just never saw enough for a proper bond.

Overall, though, it was a great book. I highly recommend and can’t wait for book two.

Content Warnings

hamstringy's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I think there’s a lot to love about this book: the characters are interesting (Faron in particular is an archetype I wish was explored more), the world is lovingly crafted, and the plot pulls you in. I think at times I wish it was a little more show and a little less tell, especially with Faron and Reeve’s relationship, but I think it ultimately wasn’t a core flaw of the book. Loved the willingness to tackle complicated questions and especially loved

the problem of “an enemy wearing a friend’s face” being approached with nuance and love first.

Content Warnings

cattheteawitchfairy's review

Go to review page

adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This book was interesting but I don’t think it was the greatest. A cool concept although I wasn’t as much a fan of the execution as the dual perspective jumped over things that I thought would have helped the plot develop, and the actual book starts at the end of a load of action which I think would have been beneficial as a prologue of some kind. It told a lot of the backstory and exposition rather than showing it and overall, I enjoyed my time although it did have many flaws.

Content Warnings

kimapede's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous inspiring 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

Content Warnings

elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad 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

WOW. A truly exceptional novel. I am thoroughly devastated that I cannot simply will the next book into existence. In So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole takes everything that can be amazing about young adult fantasy and elevates it with beautiful storytelling and entrancing world-building. I cannot wait to read more from her.

Content Warnings

ainadei's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective 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

3.5

Okay, WOW. What a book. The premise of it all was so interesting too. Two sisters, a war, Jamaican mythology, and dragons! How could I resist?

I won't lie, the first quarter of the book was a huge struggle for me. The constant mentions of the war and the child soldiers who saved their country within it had me suspending my disbelief much more than I wanted. I really had to push through, wondering what would've been wrong with having characters who were a little older. Outside of the plot, there are also a few strange sounding metaphors and similes that made me go "huh?".

Faron was also very frustrating for me most of the book, making me wonder how she made it through the war the way that was described if she was as immature and short-sighted as she was during the book. Elara's journey and growth however was a beautiful thing to read, and I loved seeing her develop throughout the book. The strength of their bond was something so powerful that I hadn't read in a book like this before and I absolutely loved it, especially as an oldest sister who'd do anything for her younger ones.

After the first quarter of the book, the story really picked up and became something magical!! The world building is good, the plot twists are twisting, and the way it all comes together in the end has ensured that I will be reading the next book once it's out!!

If you love dragons, magic, and well written sibling bonds, this is for you! If you're the type to DNF a book quickly, this is probably not for you, lol.

Content Warnings

zombiezami's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

4.0

It took a little effort to get into this, but the story started to flow about 25 percent of the way in. I liked the characters quite a bit, especially Ilora. I think the book could have started stronger if it hadn't yada yada-ed the whole war that took place before the book. There was a lot of exposition that could have been more engaging in a show, not tell model.

Content Warnings

chellyfishing's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional 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

Content Warnings

More...