So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole Book Review

 So Let Them Burn 

(Divine Traitors #1)

by Kamilah Cole

Published Year: 2024

Page Count: 334 pages

Medium Used: Kindle Paperwhite 

Genre: Dragons, Gods, Magic, Young Adult, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Sister Bond, Political Intrigue, 2026-read.

Rating: 4.85/5

When I started to think about the apt rating for this book, I was conflicted between bestowing it a 5 pointer or a lower 4.5. I finally settled with a 4.85 because while it wasn't a story that was blowing me away, it was logically sound and highlighted the moral ambiguities, natural flaws in human nature impressively. There were a couple of places where I had to back up a bit and rewind to understand the author's sound and clever conclusion!

There are quite a few things that impressed me and educated me in this book. First off, the writing is great. It is very riveting and gave off a refreshing vibe. Even when good and evil are fighting off each other, the vibe is not one of  despondency. I liked how dragons -  the fabled mythical creatures that are widely loved - have not one soul bonded rider but two. I enjoyed the little twists that fell perfectly into place and pace of the narrative. I liked how the gods are thrown into the mix along with magic wielding humans and traitor evil beasts. Keeping all these accolades aside, I would like to give a shout out to the author because this is her debut novel and it is so damn good. I would have liked it to have more emotional depth and demonstrated the selfless bond between sisters Faron and Elara a bit more. But still, it makes for a terrific read. I wish there are more reader interactions on sites like Goodreads that bring this book to the notice of other readers that like to explore obscure gems! 

A bit into the story. A child of twelve years has prayed to the Gods to rescue her island from war and her prayers are answered. She becomes the Childe Empyrean and a war hero. Six years later, she learns that her sister is bonded to a dragon of the foe nation and that her sister has to be taken away for training. She asks her gods to rescue her sister but their only answer is to get rid the world of these dragons which don't belong to the mortal realm. The only problem, it is not possible to get rid of a dragon without taking out its riders too. So she finds - or thinks she does - a solution to her sister's predicament. But it backfires and leads to an even bigger problem. An age old problem that even the Gods have been looking for a way to resolve. The Childe Empyrean loses her abilities to communicate with her Gods and becomes enfeebled into handing the torch over to her sister. The book ends on a note of no solution in sight and the sisters parting with unspoken promises and assumed betrayals. 

Do check this out. It doesn't disappoint. :)