Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - We Set the Dark on Fire

I’ve had my eye on these rainbow books for a while now. The concept sounded so good, and I heard a rumor that it featured a lovely gay storyline between the two many female characters. So one day, after getting a shot and not passing out (I’m afraid of needles okay?) I treated myself to a trip to the bookstore and picked both books up.

Obviously this review is going to be for only the first book, as while I’m writing this I’m reading the second one, but I wanted to get it out as soon as I could.

“You will find a way to make a life you love.”

This story follows Dani, who has forged papers showing she lives on the ‘right’ side of the wall, and those papers have brought her all the way as the top graduate from Medio’s school for Girls. She’s set to marry the man in line to be president, and finally help her family get higher in life than they were before. But more than one wrench comes into play.

The rebellious La Voz knows her secret and blackmails her to spy on her new husband, and now she is married alongside her school-yard enemy who she may or may not have feelings for. What will Dani do? What won’t she do to protect herself and do what is right? But which way is right?

This book was filled with less action than you’d think, but what it does have is the inner turmoil of a woman who is just starting to get to know herself, and the truth of her world. She can’t run from her past, she has to fight for it to matter. Mixed in with Latinx representation, neck-aching twists, and a love story you can’t help but cheer for.

I really liked the way the world was built, it made me nostalgic for like the kind of classic dystopian world where the rich got to be up on the top with cars and guards while the poor lived on the edge of society in squalor, but they also have the fire in their hearts to fight. While this book was a fiction tale, the way the rebellion and the rich interacted, along with the actions of the police force, was very similar to some of the things we see in the world today. Which is sad to say but very interesting to also see in a book written right before it all got really bad, but during a time that this has been happening for a while now.

“Freedom has a price. People who want easy & pretty stay in their cages.”

I also liked the characters in this book because I felt each one was written so well to work on their own and mixed in with others around them.

For this book I rated it 4 out of 5 stars. I loved the intrigue, the story, and the romance within the book and how each one had its own level of danger, all intertwined together for an even more dangerous world for Dani to navigate. I hope that I’m able to get time to finish the next one before the month is up.

the fact that not only was it a forced marriage, but forced polygamy at that was a unique concept; having each wife serve a different purpose also helped to give a level of control over them that neither could connect with the other, just what was the same.

I wanted to punch BOTH Mateo and Sota, I just didn’t like either of them and I don’t trust them

the amount of double-agent-ness between both Carmen & Jasmin was crazy to me because how many more women within the rich and healthy are spies for La Voz?

I straight up thought Dani was going to die at the end, like she’s be able to kiss a girl and feel love and then die by FIRE, I was ready to mourn</spoiler

After when Carmen did, and all the Dani was dragged through, I don’t know if I’d trust ever again or help either side to do anything

Content Warnings

missh3ll's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

averyrembish's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

longlost's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

man this was a lot of fun. I wasn't sure I'd like the book considering I wasn't sold on the premise, but the writing style drew me in and I adored reading about Dani & Carmen + the critique of capitalism and societal structures was fantastic.

the ending, however, hurt me </3

Content Warnings

bluejayreads's review

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I picked this up mostly for concept - a world where each man got two wives, one to be a household manager and one to have and raise children. And I put it down because it truly isn't a bad book, it's just not for me.

This is a world of misogyny and political intrigue, where the rich live atop a mountain and anyone from beyond the wall is shot. It's very much a slow burn - in half the book, Dani has graduated, been married off, been asked to spy on her husband, and attended two parties, and spent a lot of time talking about her own thoughts and feelings. It definitely feels slow, but it also doesn't feel boring.

This book also does tension fantastically. I read this as an audiobook and could only listen for two hours at a time because I would start getting heart palpitations from the tension. The danger Dani is in is clear and present and vividly real, and even though I knew she would choose to take the risk to work for a free Medio (because there wouldn't be a story otherwise) I absolutely related to her desire to not help the rebellion, keep her head down, and just survive.

Ultimately, though, a high-tension slow burn is not what I want out of a book right now. Most of my reading is audiobooks I listen to at work to distract myself and engage my brain while my hands work, and this is not a good book for that. I don't discount the possibility that I may pick it up again in the future, but for right now I'm putting it down.

Content Warnings

corvidkings's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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