WE SET THE DARK ON FIRE
Author: Tehlor Kay MejiaSeries: We Set The Dark On Fire #1
Source: eARC via Publisher
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: February 26, 2019
Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:
Summary:
At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband’s household or raise his children, but both are promised a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class. Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student, but her bright future depends upon no one discovering her darkest secret—that her pedigree is a lie. Her parents sacrificed everything to obtain forged identification papers so Dani could rise above her station. Now that her marriage to an important politico’s son is fast approaching, she must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society, where famine and poverty rule supreme.
On her graduation night, Dani seems to be in the clear, despite the surprises that unfold. But nothing prepares her for all the difficult choices she must make, especially when she is asked to spy for a resistance group desperately fighting to bring equality to Medio. Will Dani cling to the privilege her parents fought to win for her, or to give up everything she’s strived for in pursuit of a free Medio—and a chance at a forbidden love?
Amazon | Chapters | TBD
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
This was a really interesting story but it didn't quite meet my expectations. I think mostly because of the writing style (which didn't quite jive with me) plus the feeling that it felt like THE SELECTION (which I hated) meets 2016 Political Climate which worked in some ways and didn't in others.
Most of my issue was with the writing style. I just couldn't connect to it or the characters - I don't know what it was about it, quite, just that I know if I hadn't been listening to it, I probably would have DNFed it. It was really slow to start and the way the characters are introduced into the story was off to me for some reason. But the whole concept was also kinda meh to begin with. It isn't until we get into the actual thick of things that I started to enjoy it.
I will say that even though it is addressed on page, I dislike some of the f/f romance aspect because of the bully to lover aspect. I don't really enjoy enemies to lovers to begin with, but I prefer it in a more "Romeo and Juliet" way (i.e. families hate each other and the kids kinda go along with it until they meet, etc.) rather than "you were literally terrible to me and now we're together" because it screams red flags to me. There are also a lot of layers to this romance anyway so it just didn't sit completely right with me.
The idea though is well thought out. I liked the real life parallels and how current politics are tied into this one. It really spoke to me and I liked seeing how the main character slowly became more entrenched in the world of politics. I like seeing characters learn and grow into doing what is right.
I liked a lot of the story and plotline well enough (and the audiobook narrator was really good!), but I thought something was missing from this. Will I check out the next book? Probably. Will I do it immediately upon release? Probably not.
This was a really interesting story but it didn't quite meet my expectations. I think mostly because of the writing style (which didn't quite jive with me) plus the feeling that it felt like THE SELECTION (which I hated) meets 2016 Political Climate which worked in some ways and didn't in others.
Most of my issue was with the writing style. I just couldn't connect to it or the characters - I don't know what it was about it, quite, just that I know if I hadn't been listening to it, I probably would have DNFed it. It was really slow to start and the way the characters are introduced into the story was off to me for some reason. But the whole concept was also kinda meh to begin with. It isn't until we get into the actual thick of things that I started to enjoy it.
I will say that even though it is addressed on page, I dislike some of the f/f romance aspect because of the bully to lover aspect. I don't really enjoy enemies to lovers to begin with, but I prefer it in a more "Romeo and Juliet" way (i.e. families hate each other and the kids kinda go along with it until they meet, etc.) rather than "you were literally terrible to me and now we're together" because it screams red flags to me. There are also a lot of layers to this romance anyway so it just didn't sit completely right with me.
The idea though is well thought out. I liked the real life parallels and how current politics are tied into this one. It really spoke to me and I liked seeing how the main character slowly became more entrenched in the world of politics. I like seeing characters learn and grow into doing what is right.
I liked a lot of the story and plotline well enough (and the audiobook narrator was really good!), but I thought something was missing from this. Will I check out the next book? Probably. Will I do it immediately upon release? Probably not.
Hmm, I'll have to think about this one before deciding if I'll read it, or not. Great review!
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