Faron Vincent in So Let Them Burn: Character Analysis of the Childe Empyrean

Overview: The Childe Empyrean and the Girl Behind the Title

Faron Vincent is the seventeen-year-old protagonist of So Let Them Burn, known across San Irie as the Childe Empyrean—the mortal who can summon gods and channel their power. Five years before the novel opens, she freed her island from the Langlish Empire, a feat that turned her into a living legend and a national symbol. But the title weighs on her. She resents the expectations that come with sainthood, and she struggles to reconcile the girl she was with the weapon the world expects her to be. At her core, Faron is defined by one unwavering loyalty: her love for her older sister, Elara. That love drives her to lie, to risk her own life, and ultimately to make a choice that shatters her relationship with everyone she holds dear.

The novel traces Faron's arc from a restless teenager who cheats at a footrace to a young woman who willingly flies away on a dragon with a corrupted god, hoping to save both her sister and the boy she loves. Her journey is one of self-discovery, but it is also a cautionary tale about the cost of power and the danger of letting others define who you are.

Plot Role: The Liberator Who Becomes the Catalyst

Faron's actions set the plot in motion from the very first chapter. She opens the novel by telling three lies—to her teacher, her sister, and herself—and then cheats in a race by summoning the sun goddess Irie. This impulsive act establishes her character: she is willing to bend rules to win, but she is also deeply uncomfortable with the pedestal she has been placed on. When Queen Aveline arrives at her home with a request for Faron, Elara, and Reeve Warwick to attend the San Irie International Peace Summit, Faron agrees reluctantly, sensing that something is wrong.

Her role as the Childe Empyrean makes her the key to the conflict. When a dragon attacks Pearl Bay Palace, Faron is the only one who can fight it. She discovers that the dragon is bonded to Elara, and in a desperate attempt to save her sister, she follows a mysterious voice that tells her to summon the dragon. This act tethers her to the dragon's soul and sets off a chain of events that leads her to Gael Soto, a knight who claims to know how to break the bond. Faron's decision to trust Gael and open the door to the Empty—the realm where the First Dragon, Lightbringer, is imprisoned—unleashes a catastrophe that costs lives and severs her connection to the gods.

In the final chapters, Faron confronts Iya, the first Empyrean who merged with Lightbringer and now wears Reeve's face. When Elara arrives as the newly empowered Maiden Empyrean and threatens to trap Iya in the Empty, Faron makes the pivotal choice to go with Iya on Lightbringer's back. She believes she can find the dragon's weakness and save both Reeve and Gael, but the decision leaves Elara heartbroken and Faron flying into an uncertain future.

Motivations and Traits: Shown Through Actions

Faron's motivations are rooted in her fierce love for Elara and her desire to escape the confines of her sainthood. These traits emerge through her actions rather than through explicit statements.

• Impulsive and reckless: In Chapter One, she cheats in a race rather than accept defeat, and later she sneaks out of the palace to attend a party. Her impulsiveness leads her to trust Gael and open the Empty without fully considering the consequences.

• Protective and self-sacrificing: When Elara is bonded to a dragon, Faron risks her own life to save her. In Chapter 29, she thinks, “There was nothing she wouldn’t do for her sister,” and this belief drives her to make increasingly dangerous choices.

• Resentful of her role: She tells Elara that she hates being the Childe Empyrean, and she resents the gods for choosing her. In Chapter 39, Irie notes that Faron “has resented us for it ever since” becoming the Empyrean.

• Stubborn and proud: She refuses to apologize to Reeve even when she knows she is wrong, and she insists on doing things her own way.

• Adaptable and cunning: She lies easily, as she admits in Chapter 40: “She’d been a liar longer than she’d been a saint.” This skill helps her survive but also leads her to deceive those who trust her.

• Desperate for agency: Faron wants to be more than a symbol. In Chapter 29, she resolves to “stop letting people dictate the kind of saint she was” and to prove she can save the world on her own terms.

Chronological Arc: From Restless Teen to Willing Exile

Faron's arc can be divided into five phases:

1. The Restless Liberator (Chapters 1–3): Faron is introduced as a bored teenager who cheats at a race and dreads the queen's visit. She is haunted by her past and unsure of her future.

2. The Reluctant Diplomat (Chapters 4–9): At the Summit, Faron performs for foreign dignitaries and battles a dragon that is bonded to Elara. She discovers the bond and follows a mysterious voice to summon the dragon, tethering herself to it.

3. The Desperate Seeker (Chapters 10–29): Faron seeks a way to break the bond. She meets Gael Soto, who offers a solution: open the door to the Empty. She trains with him, grows stronger, and eventually opens the door, releasing Lightbringer and losing her connection to the gods.

4. The Fallen Saint (Chapters 30–37): Faron grapples with the consequences of her actions. She loses Reeve to Iya, watches dragons attack the island, and feels responsible for the deaths of Queenshields. She confesses her mistakes to Elara and helps her sister reach the gods.

5. The Final Choice (Chapters 38–40): Faron confronts Iya in the Victory Garden. When Elara threatens to trap Iya in the Empty, Faron chooses to go with him, hoping to find Lightbringer's weakness and save both Reeve and Gael. She leaves Elara behind, flying into an unknown future.

Relationships: The Bonds That Define Her

Elara Vincent (sister): Faron's relationship with Elara is the emotional core of the novel. Elara is the only person who truly knows Faron, and Faron would do anything for her. Their bond is tested when Elara is bonded to a dragon and later when Faron's choices put Elara in danger. In Chapter 39, Elara insists, “Faron would never join him,” and Faron's final decision to leave is motivated by a desire to protect Elara from having to make an impossible choice.

Reeve Warwick (love interest): Faron initially distrusts Reeve because he is the son of the Langlish commander, but she gradually warms to him. Their relationship evolves from mutual suspicion to a tentative truce to a passionate kiss. Reeve's soul is trapped inside Iya, and Faron's decision to go with Iya is partly an attempt to save Reeve.

Queen Aveline: Aveline is a mentor figure who sees Faron's potential but also fears her recklessness. Faron resents Aveline's formality but respects her strength. Their relationship is strained when Faron goes behind Aveline's back to open the Empty.

Gael Soto / Iya: Gael is a knight who claims to want to help Faron, but he is actually Iya, the first Empyrean corrupted by Lightbringer. Faron trusts him, and that trust leads to disaster. In the end, she sees both Gael and Reeve in Iya and feels a strange kinship with him.

The Gods (Irie, Obie, Mala): Faron's relationship with the gods is fraught. She resents them for choosing her, and they resent her for not living up to their expectations. When she loses her connection to them, she feels both relief and loss.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Theme and Symbol Connections

Faron embodies several of the novel's central themes. Her struggle with the Childe Empyrean title reflects the burden of divine sainthood and the cost of power. She is a symbol of liberation, but she is also a person who never chose her role. Her relationship with Elara highlights sisterhood and sacrificial loyalty, as she repeatedly puts Elara's safety above her own. The novel also explores colonial legacy, imperialism, and post-war trauma through Faron's memories of the war and her interactions with the Langlish. Her lies and manipulations connect to deception, espionage, and hidden agendas, and her final choice to go with Iya speaks to the struggle for self-determination against divine and imperial control.

The dragon bond itself is a symbol of the entanglement between Faron and Elara, and the Empty represents the consequences of unchecked power. Faron's journey from child saint to willing exile mirrors the novel's exploration of what it means to grow up under the weight of expectation.

Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Faron cheat in the footrace in Chapter One?

Faron cheats because she is competitive and refuses to lose, but also because she is tired of being seen as a symbol. She uses her power to win, even though she knows it is against the rules, because she wants to prove she is still capable of ordinary victories.

2. What motivates Faron to trust Gael Soto?

Faron trusts Gael because he offers a way to save Elara from the dragon bond. He tells her she is stronger than the gods believe, and he appeals to her desire for agency. Her love for Elara overrides her caution, and she believes Gael's plan is the only way to break the bond.

3. How does Faron's relationship with Reeve change over the course of the novel?

Faron initially sees Reeve as a traitor and a spy, but she gradually learns to trust him. Their truce evolves into friendship and then romance, culminating in a kiss before she leaves for Deadegg. When Reeve is possessed by Iya, Faron's feelings become complicated, and she ultimately chooses to go with Iya partly to save Reeve.

4. Why does Faron decide to go with Iya at the end of the novel?

Faron decides to go with Iya because she believes she can find Lightbringer's weakness and save both Reeve and Gael. She also wants to prevent Elara from having to trap her in the Empty, which would break Elara's heart. Faron sees a reflection of herself in Iya—a person ruined by power—and hopes to redeem them both.

5. What does Faron mean when she says, “She’d been a liar longer than she’d been a saint”?

This line, spoken in Chapter 40, reveals Faron's self-awareness. She has been lying to herself and others for years, hiding her true feelings and desires behind the mask of the Childe Empyrean. It suggests that her identity as a saint is a performance, and that her real self is more complex and flawed.

For more on the novel's ending and lingering questions, see the ending explained and questions and answers pages.

Faron Vincent is a character defined by contradiction: she is a liberator who feels trapped, a saint who lies, and a sister who would sacrifice everything for family. Her arc in So Let Them Burn is a powerful exploration of what it means to carry the weight of a nation while trying to find your own path.