danyreads:

TITLE: We Set the Dark on Fire
AUTHOR: Tehlor Kay Mejia
RELEASE DATE: February 26th, 2019
READ DATE: February 10th, 2019
PUBLISHING HOUSE: Katherine Tegen Books
RATING: ★★★★★

ARC provided from the publisher via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review (thank you Katherine Tegen Books and HarperCollins!!)

OOF, if it isn’t one of the most exciting, original, well written and gorgeously set up books I’ve read. it’s a YA The Handmaid’s Tale AND ALSO The Handmaiden all at once: a dark, forbidden sapphic romance with intensely vivd world building?? count me in!! and as if that wasn’t enough to pique your interest—it ALSO introduces a cast entirely made up of latinx characters!! (and I gotta say, I get it now. it’s pretty exciting to find a book that features a character with the same name as you!! I’ve never come across another Daniela, even if her nickname is Dani with an “i” and not Dany with a “y”, it’s still Daniela and it’s still something that caught me by surprise and immediately warmed me up to the book).

aside from the main character and I having the same name, though—We Set the Dark on Fire is absolutely captivating in its own right and deserves every piece of buzz you’ve heard about it. it’s beautifully written and gorgeously built. I read it in almost a single sitting and the entire time I was absolutely immersed in every single word. every character and chapter felt unique to anything I’ve ever read before, and the relationship between Dani and Carmen CONSUMED every single one of my thoughts for hours after I’d finished reading. everything about this book was beautiful, and the fact that it’s ALSO Tehlor Kay Mejia’s debut just makes it even better. We Set the Dark on Fire is truly a triumph!!

I don’t want to go into a lot of detail because I’m afraid if I get myself going I will literally never stop talking about this book. all I want to say is that this isn’t a book that you should allow to pass by, and I know it’s only February but I’m willing to bet it’s one of the best books I’ll read this year. I’m still reeling from it, to be honest. thanks again to Edelweiss+, Katherine Tegen Books and HarperCollins for providing a free copy!!

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