By Nico
Five years ago, the gods granted twelve-year-old Faron Vincent the ability to draw on their vast power to drive out the colonizing Langlish Empire and save her homeland of San Irie. Now seventeen and nowhere near recovering from the trauma of the war, Faron is just trying to figure out what to do with her life—all while still being heralded as the divine savior of her people. Only her older sister, Elara, understands at least some of what Faron is going through, but Elara has other plans, too. She’s determined to
During the war, the only thing Faron could count on was her protective love for Elara. So when a peace summit gone wrong leaves Elara bonded to an enemy dragon, Faron knows immediately that she’ll do whatever it takes to get her sister safely home. Even if that means disobeying the direct orders of the gods and seeking help from a powerful entity who could destroy them all.
Meanwhile, isolated from her friends and family among the very people she would’ve given her life to defeat, Elara grapples with defining herself beyond the shadow of her sister’s power as she attempts to uncover the latest Langlish plot and better understand their greatest weapon—their dragons. A challenge that would be difficult enough without her sharp-witted and inconveniently pretty co-rider, Signey Soto.
Faron and Elara will have to find themselves to save each other—and their failure could cost San Irie its independence, and each other their lives.
Intense, fast-paced, and fiercely defiant, So Let Them Burn was absolutely incredible. It’s rare that I read a book which I truly fall in love with from the first page, but this book refused to allow the alternative to even be an option. With impossibly vibrant characters, a delicious flip on the chosen one trope, and a keen commentary on colonialism, I’d be astounded if this doesn’t make it into my top ten books of this year.
There is so much to love about this book, but its true heart lies with Elara and Faron’s messy, fraught, and profoundly loving relationship. Both could so easily become cookie-cutter characters—the chosen one years later, the two-dimensional older sister—and yet they bloom to life thanks to Cole’s deft writing and the emotions that carry them off the page. I love Faron’s stubborn determination, struggle to define herself, and fierce diatribes, but I’d be lying if I said Elara wasn’t my favorite character in So Let Them Burn. Her feelings and motivations are so multifaceted and authentic as she attempts to carve out space for herself in the world, while simultaneously fighting to save everyone she holds dear. I cannot find words to express how much I resent that ending, and how much I need the sequel right now!
I also have to give a shout-out to the worldbuilding. Dragons are plentiful in fantasy; a unique system which they are central to is far more difficult to come by. Similarly, the push-pull of the different forms of magic within the world—dragons, astrals, the gods—lent San Irie and Nova a depth and complexity that I couldn’t resist. I am so excited for the next book in this series!
I highly recommend So Let Them Burn to readers ages thirteen and up looking for a gripping, multilayered, irresistible fantasy novel that will make you remember what books are for.
Five years ago, the gods granted twelve-year-old Faron Vincent the ability to draw on their vast power to drive out the colonizing Langlish Empire and save her homeland of San Irie. Now seventeen and nowhere near recovering from the trauma of the war, Faron is just trying to figure out what to do with her life—all while still being heralded as the divine savior of her people. Only her older sister, Elara, understands at least some of what Faron is going through, but Elara has other plans, too. She’s determined to
During the war, the only thing Faron could count on was her protective love for Elara. So when a peace summit gone wrong leaves Elara bonded to an enemy dragon, Faron knows immediately that she’ll do whatever it takes to get her sister safely home. Even if that means disobeying the direct orders of the gods and seeking help from a powerful entity who could destroy them all.
Meanwhile, isolated from her friends and family among the very people she would’ve given her life to defeat, Elara grapples with defining herself beyond the shadow of her sister’s power as she attempts to uncover the latest Langlish plot and better understand their greatest weapon—their dragons. A challenge that would be difficult enough without her sharp-witted and inconveniently pretty co-rider, Signey Soto.
Faron and Elara will have to find themselves to save each other—and their failure could cost San Irie its independence, and each other their lives.
Intense, fast-paced, and fiercely defiant, So Let Them Burn was absolutely incredible. It’s rare that I read a book which I truly fall in love with from the first page, but this book refused to allow the alternative to even be an option. With impossibly vibrant characters, a delicious flip on the chosen one trope, and a keen commentary on colonialism, I’d be astounded if this doesn’t make it into my top ten books of this year.
There is so much to love about this book, but its true heart lies with Elara and Faron’s messy, fraught, and profoundly loving relationship. Both could so easily become cookie-cutter characters—the chosen one years later, the two-dimensional older sister—and yet they bloom to life thanks to Cole’s deft writing and the emotions that carry them off the page. I love Faron’s stubborn determination, struggle to define herself, and fierce diatribes, but I’d be lying if I said Elara wasn’t my favorite character in So Let Them Burn. Her feelings and motivations are so multifaceted and authentic as she attempts to carve out space for herself in the world, while simultaneously fighting to save everyone she holds dear. I cannot find words to express how much I resent that ending, and how much I need the sequel right now!
I also have to give a shout-out to the worldbuilding. Dragons are plentiful in fantasy; a unique system which they are central to is far more difficult to come by. Similarly, the push-pull of the different forms of magic within the world—dragons, astrals, the gods—lent San Irie and Nova a depth and complexity that I couldn’t resist. I am so excited for the next book in this series!
I highly recommend So Let Them Burn to readers ages thirteen and up looking for a gripping, multilayered, irresistible fantasy novel that will make you remember what books are for.
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