✨ Goodreads Most Anticipated Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books of 2025 ✨
“Both a brilliant sequel and an epic finale, This Ends in Embers is a gut punch of a novel that will stay with you long after its ending. Cole balances breathtakingly high stakes with poignant character moments to craft a narrative so passionate it will burn a path straight to your heart.”
—Chelsea Abdullah, award-winning author of The Stardust Thief
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Perfect for fans of Raybearer and Fourth Wing, this astonishing sequel to the bestselling novel So Let Them Burn doesn't hold back. After all, there are no easy endings in war—especially when sisters are forced to fight on opposite sides.
Faron Vincent was once the saint of San Irie. Now, she’s done the unthinkable: betrayed her country. Alone, disgraced, and kidnapped, Faron is forced to help Iya grow his bloody empire. With her soul bonded to a ruthless killer, Faron has become an enemy to her people… and she fears they might be right.
Elara Vincent—the new Empyrean—must undo the damage her sister has caused. San Irie has been brought back to the brink of war as Iya proclaims no nation will be safe from his brutal invasion. But how can Elara save her sister, her best friend, her country, and her world when she’s already cracking under the pressure?
This heart-pounding conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology pushes these unforgettable heroines to their breaking point and beyond. Because when the lines between hero and villain are blurred, deadly sacrifices must be made.
CONTENT WARNINGS: explicit language, racism and ageism (challenged), stolen body/mind autonomy, threatened suicide and self-harm (in the context of harming someone you are bonded to by harming yourself), depictions/descriptions/mentions of war, blood, serious injury, loss of limbs, and corpses, depictions of PTSD (nightmares, unwanted memories/flashbacks, dissociation, anxiety, mistrust, hypervigilance, self-destructive behavior, panic attacks), violence against dragons (bleeding, biting chunks out of each other, being graphically blinded), people being incinerated alive, almost-drowning, kidnappings, torture, and major and minor character deaths.
“There is substantial character development as Faron works to discover who she is while Elara strives to survive the spotlight now that she is an Empyrean. As in the first installment, the narrative asks timely questions about the long-lasting emotional impact of young people being required to take on adult responsibilities before their time. A thrilling conclusion to a powerful duology and a necessary purchase for fantasy collections.” —School Library Journal
“This dramatic, sweeping finale to an explosive fantasy duology continues its exploration of the effects of war on young people from its unique post-childhood-trauma perspective. Combining the dragon-riding, breath-taking action of Rosaria Munda’s Fireborne (2019) with the political intrigue and complex relationship dynamics of Rena Barron’s Kingdom of Souls (2019), this is a stunning conclusion to the sisters’ story.” —Booklist
“Many of the first novel’s charms carry through this one, topmost amongst them the complex, flawed, yet easy-to-root-for sister protagonists and their dedication to each other. The writing successfully balances the tension between the pain of separation and comfort found in moments of connection and solidarity… Cole sticks the landing… with a satisfying ending with hard-fought wins, believable losses, and the end to war as its own kind of magic.” —The Horn Book
“Cole maintains her fresh and engaging prose as the primarily Black characters grapple with inner turmoil, external conflict, human relationships, and supernatural bonds. Readers will be better served by having read the first installment. Complex connections, higher stakes, and more dire repercussions combine to make this a compelling read.” —Kirkus Weekly
