So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

I picked up So Let Them Burn while reading two hard-hitting romances and felt like I needed a palate cleanser of sorts. So when I saw this making the rounds in the book community, I took a few keywords, Jamaican-inspired fantasy, and dragons, and ran into the story blind… for the most part. That’s right folks, I may have read a few reviews and even responded to them in the comments with excitement for the book. And that was maybe the best decision for me! 

Here are a few things that worked for me.

Magic System and World-Building - I find with YA Fantasy, that when it comes to world-building, especially at the start there’ll be some info-dumping. Though, some authors are great at weaving the world with the characters and the plot. And in a way, Kamilah does both. Some moments felt extremely info-dumped and confusing while others were more effortless and you could glean information on San Irie, and the magic system while diving more into the characters at the same time.

I will note that I came into the story with a preconceived idea of the world based on the fact that it is Jamaican-inspired. I thought the land would physically look like the island. Similar in both shape and size. Instead, however, we get a landscape that has flecks of Jamaica as well as other Caribbean islands as well.

Then there was the imperialist empire, Langley. I just about cracked up when I heard its name. Langley… as in Langley, VA where the CIA headquarters is located. The empire eerily evokes both American and British imperialistic ideals. Which was brilliantly displayed in my opinion. 

Regarding the magic system, I won’t lie there are still elements of it that confuse me. However, Faron/Empyrean’s being able to summon, channel, and use the power of the gods and goddesses was easy to grasp. It was even easy to grasp the ideas of Astral/Ancestral magic for a few citizens of San Irie based on their heritage. 

But it was the gods of Langley, and the history of the dragons didn’t entirely make sense to me until the end. And then there was the use of dragon relics. Another element that didn’t quite click into place until the end. 

Culture, Language and Customs - technically speaking these are each a part of the world-building aspect of a story. But for this review, they deserve their own section. 

Starting with culture, San Irie embodied so much of Jamaican culture, outright and overtly that I adored. And for me, the shining victor was the incorporation of Jamaican cuisine. I was expecting mentions of the most popular dishes like oxtail, jerk chicken, and curry goat. Which we got. But then there was talk of dishes like ackee & saltfish— which although its the national dish I’ve yet to read a book that makes mention of it, breadfruit, & BULLA cake! Even down to acknowledging what we consider breakfast foods vs dinner put a large smile on my face. Although these things may seem very minute, and acknowledging that I’m a first-generation Jamaican-American, this inclusion may not be enough for some, but it was a pleasure for me.

Then there was the veracity regarding enslavement and colonialism. Those small and big conversations, including protests, and riots serve as reminders of what we as a people went through and refuse to go back to. The depth of that anger and rage might not have been as palpable as I’d have wanted. But the inclusion of it, definitely made the story feel more three-dimensional. And showed Caribean resistance. 

Language, patois is known as a dialect rather than a language in the real world. One that is comprised of a mixture of several languages with main roots in the English language. But Cole makes it more than that in this story. Patois is the language of San Irie, and is used somewhat in defiance to the language of the colonizer, Langlish. Now although it took me a minute to grasp this intention, by the end, I did, and it made me smile. Because in a lot of ways, to me, patois is a language, with various rhythms and cadence that a people created. And folks who are not native to or who may not have been born, raised, or lived on the island would comfortably understand. It’s a connection to those of us who live outside of Jamaica, can comfortably commune and talk and relate to one another.

Customs, now although we don’t get too deep into Jamaican customs, San Irie have a few of their own. Ranging from historical events to religion, and the monarchy. All of which helped enrich the world. The same can also be said of Langley and the Langlish. There are colors, and symbols that are at the core of their traditions including their governance.

Reluctant Chosen One Trope with a slight twist: Faron & Elara Vincent are sisters with responsibilities forced onto them due to things out of their control. For example, Faron is appointed Child Empyrean by the gods to battle against the Langley Empire and Elara is forced to be a child soldier with proximity to the responsibilities of the C.E. and a desire to be more for her people. 

Then there’s the child queen, Avaline Castell, thrust into power unknowingly due to the deaths of her mothers… who didn’t raise her.

In terms of reluctance, Faron and Avaline fit the bill. But where Avaline embodies the typical hero tropes, even if some measure of disdain for them is there, Falon is the anti-hero. One who abhors her responsibility and tries to skirt around it as much as she can. 

Then there’s Elara, the hero who is not even the slightest bit reluctant but is also thrusted into positions that don’t necessarily fall in line with her plans. She was the twist that, now looking back on it I’m not sure how, I didn’t see coming. 

Character Developments & Revelations: I loved how our MC’s Faron, Elara, & Avaline develop throughout the story. As well as our side characters, Reeve & Signey. With their developments tying so closely to the plot and its development as well–as it should mind you– I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoilers. But the spiral of revelations we get during the second half of the book, for me, propelled the story more, made it enjoyable, and created excitement for what’s to come in the series. 

The Bond Between Sisters: The fierce loyalty Elara and Faron have for one another, even to the detriment of their world and life as they know it. I know this can be seen as childish and foolish. But as someone who would burn the world for the people she loves or find a solution that would let me have my proverbial cake and eat it too, yeah I ate that up! 

Politics and Governance: My poli-sci heart could wax poetic on how the different government structures were explored in this story. 

The monarchy system of San Irie which flows hand in hand with the gods and goddesses, reminded me so much of English’s monarchy system when England had a relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, before King Henry VIII left the church. Then there’s the parliamentary, somewhat fascist system of Langley where the military and council govern hand in hand. I feel like I’m rambling a bit but overall this was executed well.

Now here’s what didn’t work for me:

Romance: Okay listen, I’m rooting for the couples so far. But I will say there’s a tone of the oppressed falling for the oppressor that I picked up on. Now for both circumstances that isn’t entirely true but… the tone was still there.

Although, I’m a romantasy girlie through and through, meaning I usually love the inclusion of romantic elements in these type of stories, apart from maybe one couple, I just didn’t see the need for romance to be included in this story. 

Sidebar: I’ve also read a few reviews that acknowledge one couple over the other, writing the other as solely just friendship. But for me, they missed the whole point of the character’s demisexuality, as well as the end.

Narration: Now don’t get me wrong, I happen to be a massive fan of one of the narrators. But, this is where having non-Caribbean folks narrate a Caribbean-inspired novel grinds my gears. Improper pronunciation of certain words, foods, etc. When words are mispronounced it irritates the life out of me. And unfortunately, this happened a good amount of times while reading the book. L

Pace: I’m a stickler for pace. And somewhere between parts 3 through 5 of the story, lagged for me. Since I listened to this on audio, those lagging moments resulted in me spacing out and having to rewind to find my place quite a few times.

Needing the Map: This is more of a personal thing but I don’t usually feel like I NEED a map per se when I’m reading a fantasy. Especially for the first book of the series where we’re trying to find our footing. But for this book, I needed it. Which may also be due to the preconceived notions I mentioned earlier and the fact that I listened to it on audio. 

Overall, is this a book that I would sing its resounding praises off the side of a cliff? Not necessarily. HOWEVER, there are so many things about this story and series that I’m absolutely excited for. And as far as the first books in a series go, this was really good. I highly recommend it to folks who read and liked/loved A River of Royal Blood, Raybearer, & Wings of Ebony. And maybe throw in a splash of The Gilded Ones for good measure.