aliceee_q's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
lonerinthecorner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.5
ellimacry's review against another edition
4.0
Had a hard time getting through the first few chapters, but it’s still a great read. The ending has left me heartbroken.
kirstyreadsblog's review against another edition
4.0
I was super excited to read We Set The Dark on Fire, it’s an f/f fantasy/dystopian and God knows we need more f/f/ fantasy. It’s also from a Latinx author and set in a world inspired by Latin America, so points for ownvoices and Diversity!
Content warnings: arranged marriage, sexism, dystopia
In the land of Medio a family consists of a man and his 2 wives, a Primera and a Segunda. A Primera deals with the running of the family and keeping up appearances whereas the Segunda takes care of the emotional side of things. Dani Vargas is at school to become a Primera, and she’s in line to be the Primera to the son of a high up politician. But Dani has a secret, she got where she is with fake documents.
I read the audiobook for this novel and the narrator was great. You could tell she was a fluent Spanish speaker and it definitely added to the experience. I did find it difficult at times to distinguish some of the words specific to this world but a quick check on goodreads gave me the info I needed so it was never a problem.
Continue my review here: https://kirstyreadsblog.com/2020/02/09/we-set-the-dark-on-fire-by-tehlor-kay-mejia-review/
Content warnings: arranged marriage, sexism, dystopia
In the land of Medio a family consists of a man and his 2 wives, a Primera and a Segunda. A Primera deals with the running of the family and keeping up appearances whereas the Segunda takes care of the emotional side of things. Dani Vargas is at school to become a Primera, and she’s in line to be the Primera to the son of a high up politician. But Dani has a secret, she got where she is with fake documents.
I read the audiobook for this novel and the narrator was great. You could tell she was a fluent Spanish speaker and it definitely added to the experience. I did find it difficult at times to distinguish some of the words specific to this world but a quick check on goodreads gave me the info I needed so it was never a problem.
Continue my review here: https://kirstyreadsblog.com/2020/02/09/we-set-the-dark-on-fire-by-tehlor-kay-mejia-review/
kiiouex's review against another edition
3.0
Oops! It was Too YA.
I know I read a lot of things that straddle the YA border but sometimes stuff falls over the fence into the mud on the teen side, and I'm just going to suggest, any book where I keep pausing in my reading to remember how young are these characters again? is not a good fit for me.
It's probably fine for teens. There's a lot of YA dystopia already, and this one certainly doesn't stray too far from the pre-painted lines. The cultural elements are pretty luscious, the f/f romance is a nice inclusion in an otherwise genre-standard kind of book (though it did not get much build up), but it's, y'know, YA. And it has the writing of YA.
Long passages of introspective dithering define this genre more than anything else.
So it's fine, it's a very quick read, it keeps forgetting what it wants to do but w/e, and the girl decides to confess all her espionage stuff to the girl she has a crush on, setting a terrible example to rebels of the future, but w/e. Just not for me.
I know I read a lot of things that straddle the YA border but sometimes stuff falls over the fence into the mud on the teen side, and I'm just going to suggest, any book where I keep pausing in my reading to remember how young are these characters again? is not a good fit for me.
It's probably fine for teens. There's a lot of YA dystopia already, and this one certainly doesn't stray too far from the pre-painted lines. The cultural elements are pretty luscious, the f/f romance is a nice inclusion in an otherwise genre-standard kind of book (though it did not get much build up), but it's, y'know, YA. And it has the writing of YA.
Long passages of introspective dithering define this genre more than anything else.
So it's fine, it's a very quick read, it keeps forgetting what it wants to do but w/e, and the girl decides to confess all her espionage stuff to the girl she has a crush on, setting a terrible example to rebels of the future, but w/e. Just not for me.
snchard's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the premise and the worldbuilding and the romance, but everything seemed a little obvious, bordering on preachy, for me to take seriously.
librariann's review against another edition
2.0
Ages 12+
Liked the premise and it kept me reading, but the romance between the wives felt fake and I feel like the characters were underdeveloped as a whole. Still, Latinx characters and relatively strong worldbuilding make this a get-to-the-end kind of read. Damn you, cliffhangers.
Liked the premise and it kept me reading, but the romance between the wives felt fake and I feel like the characters were underdeveloped as a whole. Still, Latinx characters and relatively strong worldbuilding make this a get-to-the-end kind of read. Damn you, cliffhangers.
jenibus's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, YES I KNOW I have a book waiting for me for book club tomorrow evening but I COULDN'T STOP READING THIS.
Minor spoilers but honestly I've been including this in all the blurbs I've been giving friend regarding this book.
In a dystopian society of the future (ish~), men choose their two wives: a Primera, who handles the business end of the household, the running of the servants, responding to correspondence, helping her husband in political matters when needed, and a Segunda, who handles motherhood and also tending to the husband's emotional needs. Our society is based on hispanic/latinx culture, where there's a strong economic divide between the classes. Dani, born in the lower class and with forged papers that let her attend the most prestigious school for promising Primera and Segundas, has been assigned as Primera to Mateo Garcia, one of the most politically powerful families possible. Except one of her school rivals, Carmen has been assigned as his Segunda.
EXCEPT THEN THE TWO OF THEM FALL FOR EACH OTHER INTEAD OF GARBAGE MATEO AND DANI WORKS MEETS UP WITH REBEL SYMPATHIZERS TO SPY ON HER HUSBAND AND HELP DESTABLIZE THE GOVERNMENT.
The book was great, I cannot wait until book two.
Minor spoilers but honestly I've been including this in all the blurbs I've been giving friend regarding this book.
In a dystopian society of the future (ish~), men choose their two wives: a Primera, who handles the business end of the household, the running of the servants, responding to correspondence, helping her husband in political matters when needed, and a Segunda, who handles motherhood and also tending to the husband's emotional needs. Our society is based on hispanic/latinx culture, where there's a strong economic divide between the classes. Dani, born in the lower class and with forged papers that let her attend the most prestigious school for promising Primera and Segundas, has been assigned as Primera to Mateo Garcia, one of the most politically powerful families possible. Except one of her school rivals, Carmen has been assigned as his Segunda.
EXCEPT THEN THE TWO OF THEM FALL FOR EACH OTHER INTEAD OF GARBAGE MATEO AND DANI WORKS MEETS UP WITH REBEL SYMPATHIZERS TO SPY ON HER HUSBAND AND HELP DESTABLIZE THE GOVERNMENT.
The book was great, I cannot wait until book two.
mxgancxtherine's review against another edition
this was fun!! the wlw rep was excellent we love gals being crime fighting pals. if anything a bit slow to start tho
bluebellreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
3.75⭐️ In the end I liked this book but it took a while and gave me no desire to read the next one