We Set the Dark on Fire

by Tehlor Kay Mejia

“We Set the Dark on Fire burns bright. It will light the way for a new generation of rebels and lovers.” —NPR

“Mejia pens a compelling, gripping story that mirrors real world issues of immigration and equality.” —Buzzfeed

Five starred reviews!!

In this daring and romantic fantasy debut perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and Latinx authors Zoraida Córdova and Anna-Marie McLemore, society wife-in-training Dani has a great awakening after being recruited by rebel spies and falling for her biggest rival.

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. Both paths promise 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 pedigree is a lie. She must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society.

And school couldn’t prepare her for the difficult choices she must make after graduation, 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 will she give up everything she’s strived for in pursuit of a free Medio—and a chance at a forbidden love?

• ISBN10: 0062691325
• ISBN13: 9780062691323
• Publish Date: 20 February 2020 (first published 26 February 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Katherine Tegen Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

YES!
+Dani takes no nonsense. She even tells off her blackmailer! She doesn't need anyone to tell her what's at stake if she's discovered, whether that's because someone tattles or she lets something slip herself. But, this also makes her a bit prickly since she wants to keep to herself, do everything herself, and rely only on herself.
+A bit of F/F romancing. It's certainly not the focus, but it was cute to see Dani flustered at times.

NO!
-I was bored through the first several chapters, because nothing was happening and I don't feel like I learned anything about this world. Dani is two days away from graduation, but what do they actually teach at this school? It's not what's in the "household handbook" that she receives upon marriage. What's going on with the wall? We're basically thrust into a story that already in motion, and we missed the opening.
-Someone breaks into the school to give Dani new papers that will pass inspection, and yet BOTH times she's suppose to get her papers checked...she doesn't. I know this is suppose to add some tension. Will she get caught?! But...that would be more effective if she still had her old papers. She attended that school for FIVE YEARS with forged papers, worrying about getting caught, but never did. The new ones are suppose to pass the new inspection process, so there's suppose to be nothing to worry about. Yet, they're never put to the test and not mentioned again. So that random boy was just to...introduce Dani to the resistance?
-Wouldn't this whole two-wife situation cause a surplus of single men? Where are they? What are they doing? Obviously, they're not the rich ones who pay for wives, but they're not mentioned. I would imagine that there's some kind of stress from them as well as from the people on the "wrong" side of the wall. But like I said, there's not much world building.

[girlinthepages]

So sad story, I was hoping to hear Tehlor Kay Mejia on a panel at ALA but it was too close to my flight time so I had to skip it to head to the airport. I had heard great buzz about the author and title in advance, and I was super bummed I missed the event! When I finally picked up We Set the Dark on Fire it was clear that the hype around this title is so well deserved. I'd heard it pitched as a Latinx, YA The Handmaid's Tale and the story definitely had those roots while still bringing it's own unique voice and ideas to the tale. It also reminded me of the recent release Girls with Sharp Sticks (which is great- I am totally here for these dystopian boarding school feminist reads!)

Set in a dystopian world (or is it with the way things are going, amirite???) it follows protagonist Dani who has attended school her whole life to take her place alongside a husband as his "Primera"- his main wife who is proper at all times and runs the household. Meanwhile, she's assigned to a household and husband that she must share with her nemesis Carmen, a Segunda (basically the second wife who is more like a mistress and does the childbearing in the relationship). The parallels in this structure to the The Handmaid's Tale is obvious, but I loved the modern and Latinx twist! The government is predictably corrupt and Dani and Carmen's husband is close to the heart of it, rumored to be the next president to a nation that denies the pleas of the poor and underprivileged outside of the borders of the city and blames its views on antiquated myths and folklore as an excuse. The story feels uncomfortably close to many current political events going on right now and is timely in its social commentary. It also juxtaposes the cruelty and corruption with a phrase out of Dani and Carmen's school handbook at each chapter heading, further reinforcing how the society and government normalize their corrupt actions and structure and brainwash female students into submission.

Overall: There's a lot of elements of this story I love but I don't want to get into because they delve into spoiler territory, as there's quite a few mystery elements in the novel, especially considering where certain characters' loyalties lie. I think this is going to be the start of a GREAT series and it's making me enjoy dystopian again!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Initial thoughts: Even though I mostly liked this book, I wasn't all that into it. Yes, I was intrigued by the premise — a marriage among the high class consists of three spouses, instead of two, though the central person still was the man who got to choose two women. For the girls at the academy, working towards becoming a desirable wife is their ticket to a better life. Amidst unrest and rebellions however, allegiances come into question and from that point, I didn't feel like We Set the Dark on Fire was all that original. I did like the ending (even if I somewhat predicted it) because it could pave the way to a very intense sequel.

[sarahjay]

At about 60% through this I started writing down my notes for a review so I'm just going to post those here.

- Pretty good first draft
- The second half of the book is semi-competent with moments of good writing here and there
- This book is trying to solve manifest destiny, classism, immigration policy, LGBTQ prejudice, and misogyny. The list of things about which it actually has anything new or interesting to say has nothing on it
- The romance is cute but I just wish everything around it was better
- Am I too cynical for YA suddenly
- I felt like I was reading The Belles, but slightly better, but still not good
- Sorry to drag The Belles again in an unrelated review
- There is next to no buildup for anything that happens. It feels like we started at the end of a series. Which by the way, it's a series, of course, because a YA dystopian-esque book can't just be one book, it has to be spread like the thinnest layer of butter across AT LEAST two books, whether there is enough material there for that or not (there is not with this one)
- There's a moment in the second half of the book where the protagonist is basically like "I think being greedy and prejudiced is bad, and people need to recognize their privilege, and I hope everyone can someday live in a world where people are allowed to love whomever they want," and then she came out of the book and stood in my living room asking me if I Got It, or if she needed to explain it some more
- I have got to stop falling for blurbs that say "this book is like The Handmaid's Tale" because no book that says that has ever been like The Handmaid's Tale, it does not in any way have that "vibe"
- I mean I guess read it if you want. The cover is cool.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Do yourself a favor, and be sure to read the author's note in this one! Sets up the whole book in such a marvelous way, and why this book is such a timely read.

The Things I Liked:

• •The characters were incredibly sympathetic. Even at the start, when they're making choices I'd rather they didn't (in some cases), I still fully understood why they were doing it. They had backstories that really made them relatable, and really helped as a reader to form a connection. And they grew so much during the course of the book!



• •The friendships and romance were great! Dani had mostly kept to herself in the beginning, which you'll understand in terms of where she's come from. But as the book progresses and she makes new friends and in some cases, more than friends, these relationships help shape the story in pretty monumental ways.



• •Bringing down the patriarchy is a plot I can always get on board with! Ugh, why is society so gross? Ours, theirs, it's all despicable, let's be real. The only difference between Daniela's world and ours is that they're more honest about the fact that they want women's only life purpose to be marrying some crappy dude. And wow, the aforementioned dude is truly a pile of human garbage. Dani being involved in taking it down? Perfection!



• •The stakes felt high, and the story was good. I enjoyed it, even the moments that were quieter. I loved the world-building, the marketplaces, and of course, wondering what is going to happen as Dani gets herself involved further and further into the rebellion.

The Things I Didn't:

• •It reminded me of several other books. I am not saying it was a duplicate of some other book, just a lot of themes from a lot of other books were used, in a way that didn't feel totally fresh? And because of that, maybe a wee bit predictable?

Bottom Line: Well, now I need to know what happens next! Dani is a strong character who has to make some incredibly difficult choices, and it's absolutely worth reading about them!