So Let Them Burn

At 12, Faron Vincent was chosen to become the child host for the gods of her island nation San Irie, an event that successfully liberated her people from the colonizing, dragon-riding Langley Empire. Now, at 17, with no battles left to fight, she uses her abilities to win small-time bets and cause trouble for her family and the queen. Meanwhile, Faron’s older sister Elara, 18, stews in the shadow of Faron’s legacy. While the sisters are attending a peace summit, Elara soul bonds with one of the Empire’s dragons, embroiling the siblings in an urgent matter of international politics. Knowing that one wrong move could throw San Irie back into war with the Empire—a conflict that the queen fears they might not win—Faron and Elara work to break Elara’s bond, only for them to discover that her circumstances are a symptom of a much larger plot, one that expands beyond the gods’s reach. Via the sisters’ expertly balanced dual POVs, each imbued with a lushly wrought, moving, and action-packed narrative, Cole delivers a raucously enjoyable debut that provides an insightful look into the ways in which violence and colonization can affect a populace long after a war has ended. Characters cue as Black. Ages 12–up. Agent: Emily Forney, BookEnds Literary. (Jan.)