We Set the Dark on Fire opens with Medio mythology, weaving a story of two brother Gods and the jealousy that tore them apart. There are so many intricate details to the world-building in this one, every element felt so deliberate and added something unique to the narrative. But if he discovers her deception, she won’t live long enough to see such a future. When Dani sees first hand how ruthless the government can be, she must decide if she’s willing to fight for a safer future for everyone by standing in direct opposition to her husband. Further complicating matters are Dani’s growing feelings for her husband’s other wife Carmen. In exchange for their aid, Dani will have to become a spy in her new husband’s household, but Mateo Garcia isn’t just the son of a powerful father, he has direct influence over the policies that have kept people like Dani in poverty. Just when it becomes certain that her secret will unravel all her well-laid plans, she’s thrown a lifeline by an operative of the notorious revolutionary group La Voz. As a graduate from the Medio School for Girls, Dani will become one of two wives to a son of one of Medio’s most powerful political families. She’s risen above her station and is on the verge of fulfilling all the dreams her parents have had for her.

Daniela Vargas has done everything in her power to hide that she was born on the wrong side of the island of Medio. Tehlor Kay Mejia’s debut, We Set the Dark on Fire, is an empowering dystopian fantasy with real-world correlations about classism and immigration. Look how far you’ve risen, how many people you’ve fooled.” You hold those shadows and bring them to life when you need them, and they’re flawless. 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?” She must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society.Īnd 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.

Both paths promise a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class.ĭaniela Vargas is the school’s top student, but her pedigree is a lie. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband’s household or raise his children. “At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society.

We set the dark on fire series