We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

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?

Reviewed by sarahjay on

2 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 26 February, 2019: Finished reading
  • 26 February, 2019: Reviewed