This is a great example of the kind of book I love: an adventure/coming of age story, light on the romance, heavy on queerness and identity! I loved it!

Cas and Finn and Remy are all so relatable in their own ways. They’re also incredibly frustrating in their own ways. But the three of them together are a magical blend of heroism, intellect, kindness, bravery, and loyalty. To have a friend group like this would be all the support you’d need to conquer the world, I’m pretty sure.

The pacing was a bit sporadic - too slow in some places, and so fast in others I had to rewind and relisten to grasp all the concepts (I audiobookes this one). Some of the side characters also seemed added in just to prop up our MCs- which is okay, just made the actual plot drive a little weaker, in comparison to the character-driven spirit of the book.

Overall, just shy of four stars. I will probably read the second one that just came out eventually! The multitude of queer identities in this story makes it heartwarming. It also makes it feel like a safe place, which reminds me why YA is such a gift.

4.25/5, a really fantastic novel. Though I haven’t read her first book, I can tell you that Pamela N Harris did NOT have a sophomore slump with this one.

This Town is On Fire is a tense, perfectly paced coming-of-age YA novel. It focuses on Naomi, our 17 y/o MC, entering her senior year of high school. Though she’s the Black girl on the cheer squad, and besties with the rich white girl Kylie (and crushing hard on Kylie’s equally pasty brother Conner), she has never really felt “different”. That is, until she debuts her natural hair, her attention drifts to the new Black led dance team at school…and her best friend gets featured in a racist video online and endures the social media shit storm that follows. Naomi realizes then how caught she is between her two worlds: the old one she’s always been a part of, and the new one pointing out the cracks that might’ve always been there.

This story is powerful, strongly motivated, and beautifully character driven. We see each and every person defined and redefined as they progress through the novel. The pacing is literal perfection; the switches between “now” and “then” are well placed and well explained, the dialogue feels genuine and honest, and the character decisions are realistic (no matter if they’re also heartbreaking, embarrassing, or frustrating as hell). I love Naomi so much, she was so so relatable to me. I’m white, but the push and pull she feels throughout the book (does she fight or keep the peace? Does she stand up or sit it out? Should she accept what she sees or look deeper?) feel so akin to struggles I’ve had- with my queer identity, with being female-born, etc. There is so much to learn from YA books- how to be true to yourself is a lesson I’m still leaning in my late 20s, and books like this are so beautiful for the grace and depth with which they present that journey. I wish I could’ve read this as a teen.

And of course, the racism aspect. Poignant, delivered with impact and grace, and completely 1000% relevant to today’s culture (at work, school, or socially). Naomi’s back and forth with the status quo vs being an activist is such a powerful statement of self determination mixed with self preservation. The line between those can get so blurry, and Harris perfectly exemplifies the complexity of standing up for what you believe in and keeping yourself alive and healthy.

This is really a book you need to read to fully understand. It’s immersive and gorgeously written, and you’ll leave it thinking more about the world and how you can make it better. And hopefully, about how to also love yourself more. Thank you so much to Pamela N Harris for this story- and for being SO NICE when I bought it from you at the Petersburg Book Fest in 2025! Hope to see you again this year :)

This book is a physical manifestation of the word “lush”. It’s beautiful. It’s enchanting. It’s wonderful. I try to prioritize queer romance if I’m going to read romance/romantasy, but wow it would’ve been such a loss to not pick this one up just bc it’s a straight romance! (Also, there’s queer rep in here!!!)

Neither of the MCs are annoying. It’s actually so fantastic to be able to say that. Arris is a dreamy, head-in-the-clouds type but with an ACTUAL appreciation for life. Since he’s doomed to die by the hand of his bride, he takes every breath with reverence and pride, believing that fully experiencing each step and bite and blink of life is a joyous requirement. Demelza is here to prove herself, to be useful, and to find and live up to the potential she really hopes she has somewhere inside of her. They’re an unlikely pair of friends- Demelza being basically wild, thanks to her mother excluding her from the more mannerly pursuits her sisters engaged with; and Arris being a naive, seemingly too-optimistic prince bound for a youthful death thanks to the curse from a sea witch way back in his royal lineage. But they strike up a bargain, with Demelza offering her truth services to help Arris survive a deadly tournament to pick his possibly-murderous bride.

I enjoyed this so much. Couldn’t put it down- I think I read it in two sessions. It’s a very mature YA, with a coming of age that’s truly about the MCs learning about the world, relationships, and themselves, without cheesy whining and foot stomping tantrums. We learn along with them the importance of trust, self esteem, honesty, and vulnerability. It really spoke to me personally. The side characters, though slightly weaker in actual space taken up/thorough descriptions were super interesting, engaging in the moments they did have, and provided great framing for Demelza and Arris’s journeys. I’ve also gotta mention the setting- the sentient castles?! SO much fun. Dare I say, if you are trying to fill a boy-wizard shaped hole in your shelf (put there by a terrible, awful woman who ruined her own legacy), the shifting castle grounds and walls that talk and mythical creatures in this book might be for you.

I was so excited to read a stand alone fantasy, but I actually ended up hoping the author will grace us with another book in this world! Even a spinoff (PLEASE give me more of Yvlle’s story, she was such a pleasant surprise for me throughout the book! I love her!) would be fantastic. 5/5. This deserves a higher rating on here, this is what “YA romantasy” really should be!