☀️ 2.5 stars ☀️

"Once upon a time, there was something called the sun..."

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Siria Nightingale has always hated the darkness and wanted to see the sun, which she had never seen before, only heard stories of. But since she lived in a kingdom where it is told by Queen Iyzabel that the light is dangerous, all of the kingdom is kept in darkness.

When Siria attends the Choosing Ball, for a chance at a place in Queen Iyzabel's court, something happens that changes her life for good. She now must go on a quest with a group of rebels, in hopes of bringing back the light.

Since I'll be ranting about this book, first I'll mention what I enjoyed while reading, then rant about what I didn't like at all.

Things that I enjoyed in this book:

1. The Worldbuilding- I found the world to be very fascinating, from the royal city to the rebel camps. It felt realistic, and very well fleshed out.

2. The Magic System- I loved that it wasn't tied to a bloodline, but to the circumstances of ones birth. And that we got so many interesting magical creatures like: wood elves, mages, witches, sunchildren, etc. I especially liked how sunchildren are born and how witches get their powers. I never would have guessed that Iyzabel got her magic by eating a heart of a sunchild. And I loved that. It was a fun twist.

3. The first 30% of the book- I flew through the pages. This book was so gripping that I was sure it would end up being one of my favorite reads of this year. That didn't happen though.

4. The Audiobook- The narrator, McKenzie Fetters, did a wonderful job on this book. And their voice fit perfectly with the story and the characters. I recommend picking up the audiobook, it really adds to the atmosphere of the story.

Here's what I didn't like about this book (and the beginning of a rant) :

1. Mary Sue MC- Siria just got her powers, and she somehow mastered it all in two months. Btw, there aren't any more sunchildren to show her what she needs to learn and how, so she learns on her own and has a little help from a mage. But I guess she's a natural. So I went with it. There was something that annoyed me so much more. She took down a Queen who murdered all the sunchildren on her own, sixteen years ago. And those sunchildren had more time to practice their magic than Siria for sure (There were sunchildren of all ages), and I'm sure were more powerful than her. Yet they were all slaughtered, and Siria, who knew she had magic for only two months, took her down like it was nothing. I mean, make it make sense. This just didn't sit well with me at all.

2. The cartoony villain- Queen Iyzabel was an evil witch because she wanted to keep the kingdom in darkness, and because she doesn't want anyone to have magic other than herself. And that's it. She's evil because we were told she's evil. She doesn't really do anything in this book other than scream some orders and maybe attack with her knife. She doesn't even use her magic much, and she's supposed to be really powerful! I mean, at least we did kind of get why she became evil, but it wasn't explained all that well. She just didn't seem like a threat. And the way they took her down was awful. A complete disappointment.

3. Too many coincidences- There were just too many. I was rolling my eyes at most of them. THEY. WERE. SO. BAD. Example: Oh, the MC and a side character are plummeting down a cliff to certain death? No worries, because Siria can fly now. Problem solved.

4. Final battle- It was too short. The Queen was too weak. Siria had too much luck. There was no tension. It was obvious Siria would win. And it was obvious who would die (Apart from the Queen).

Thank you NetGalley and Blink for the Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book reminded a lot of a younger Shadow and Bone. It has similar themes but gears towards a tad younger of an audience. While it moved slow occasionally, I found myself very invested in the characters. I do wish we had a little more characterization, especially with our supporting characters The world building was great and nicely flushed out. I also really enjoyed the different lore with characters being banshees and elves.

The audiobook was a four. The narrator did great voices for each character and it never got muddy. I think it made the story even better than reading it would have.

I think it is absolutely worth a listen.
Thank you to netgalley for the advanced listener copy.

*received audiobook for free from netgalley for honest review* Really liked this book! it sounded really good but i wasn't sure how much it like it but i loved the story and the characters, the ending wasn't my favorite but mostly bc i liked the book so much lol

Siria has lived without the sun her entire life. She also has lived with aristocratic her parents but felt more comfortable with the gardener and his grandson since they came to work for her family.
After being away at school for the past four years, Siria is in a position to make her family proud, to impress the reigning queen. When Siria transforms to a sun child at the ceremony, her world begins to tremble.
Siria, with the help of the gardener and his grandson, sets out to bring the sun back to the kingdom. What she finds along the way changes her.
Opinion
I was a bit stuck at first about a society without the sun. I couldn’t wrap my head around things still being able to grow (like food and trees.) After I decided to let the authors artistic license reign and get over that fact, I truly enjoyed the book.
It is a charming and enchanting novel. The characters are fun and diverse. There are mundane humans and human like people as well (elves, banshees.) The world this book is set in is fascinating. It is old world yet different because of magic. Fans of dystopian societies are sure to enjoy this book.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was spectacular. While there were no extra sounds (like music or chapter breaks), none were needed as the narrator was so consuming.
I’d like to offer my thanks to Net Galley for providing me a copy of this audiobook for review purposes.

Siria lives in a world of darkness because light is bad. At least, that's what Queen Iyzabel says. Queen Iyzabel is a witch and all her subjects are loyal and love her and the Queen wants to keep it this way. This is why she must kill all the sunchildren. On a sunchild's 16th birthday they transform and come into their powers.

On Siria's 16th birthday, she changes. Lucky for her, some allies suspected her of being a sunchild and are ready to get her out of the kingdom as soon as the change happens. Now Siria must wrap her head around her new reality and recognize the lies she's been told her whole life. She's the last sunchild and it's up to her to save the kingdom and the magical beings who live there. It's up to her to bring the light back to the darkness.

This was such a fun story! The world building was great. There are dwarfs, elves, nymphs, naiads, banshees and all sorts of mythical creatures that gradually become known to the reader. It had tropes that I enjoy like "the chosen one". The plot was fun and while it had common tropes, it felt original with the sunchild idea mixed with typical mythical creatures.

The writing was great, the characters were well developed. Even though there was a band of characters, each was different and I didn't feel overwhelmed with all the characters or get them confused.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job as well. The inflection was there and I was entertained and completely immersed in the story even though I was supposed to be doing chores.

I recommend this book for fans of YA fantasy and give it four stars.

The book felt predictable and nothing original. If you are a big fan of middle grade or ya fantasy fairy tale retellings then you might enjoy this book.

The themes of good v. evil was heavy handed. Of course in a world where the sun is missing this would seem obvious, but I thought that maybe it would be a little more subtle. The story read like it was for a much younger audience because of this than I think they were actually targeting.

I was not connected to any of the characters. They reminded me a bit of characters from other works I have previously read, and didn't find anything special to draw me into the book. They seems juvenile mostly.

The writing wasn't bad, but it didn't stand out as anything amazing. I think this author will continue to grow and I would be curious about some future stories written by her.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Siria is a sun child and is being hunted by the evil Queen named Isabelle. She must find her strength and the rebels to help her overthrow the darkness and Isabelle.
I loved listening to Ignite the Sun. It was very entertaining to listen to and made me always wanted more after listening to the sessions of reading. I loved the world and all the characters. The journey and adventure was well done. I didn’t like how Siria discovered how to use her powers super quickly without the help of others to train her. Also, the ending felt a bit rushed. Otherwise, I recommend this for a fast, fun read.

**Thank you NetGalley & Blink for allowing me to review this audiobook**

For a debut novel, I liked it. There were a couple things that I didn't care for or could live with because I knew it was a debut.

There were certainly some themes that I found which I may have truly enjoyed & appreciated more had I read this a decade or so ago, but nonetheless they make this story flow better. There is that lack of parental love and of belonging, there's also the childhood love, which at times is so adorable and at others just too much. And of course there is the evil villain who happened to just be selfish and wanted all the magic for herself.

On her 16th birthday, Siria transforms into what is called a sun child. She had no idea that she was one, all she ever wanted was to do and be everything her parents and society asked of her. She goes to Queen Iyzabel's ball under the assumption that she may be considered to be the Queen's chosen one. Upon her transformation, Queen Iyzabel declares that Siria must die but is interrupted.. Because of this, Siria is now on the run with Linden, Yarrow & Merrell and eventually Elegy throughout Terra-Volat. They are all very different from each other, not just in age but also in ability of magic. I did wish that they were more developed, and I did get the feeling that the author tried with the Queen but not until the very end and even then it seemed rushed.

Siria undergoes a series of personal growths: harnessing her powers, her self-confidence, etc. These growths are seen throughout the book after the ball incident. She starts with some bombshells provided by Linden and Yarrow. As the story progresses, Siria discovers important "pieces" that help her figure out who she is.

The thing that I really enjoyed was when Yarrow explains how magic works to Siria.

There weren't enough descriptions of the scenery for my taste, but I feel like that was meant to be intentional, since the Royal City of Umbraz is meant to be dark, but it somehow still lacked. The same goes for the writing style. I liked how it flowed, it was well paced, but I did find myself having blank moments, I wasn't fully pulled into the story. I don't know if this was just because I listened to it rather than reading it (and I actually liked the narration!).

I have mixed feeling about this book. I liked it, I did enjoy the narration, but it just wasn't enough.<

For full review, please visit my GoodReads Page. You can click the link below.:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3519917288

As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:


1 star: Did not finish
2 Stars: Finished but do not recommend
3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
4 Stars: Loved this book!
5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.
Ignite the Sun is a really solid debut YA title that shows a lot of promise for the

Let’s start with the ways this really worked for me. I loved the concept of this book and its allegorical approach to anxiety and depression. The idea of light versus darkness came through loud and clear. The sun became the heroine’s source of power, forcing her to seek out the light to make it through her trials. Siria uses her greatest fear, the light, as her ultimate catalyst, giving her the strength to overcome the kindom’s great evil.

The Issues
I want to prove in a few points why I liked the book but thought there could be improvement.

The concept of the story was incredibly vivid, but a lot of the most visceral and action packed scenes weren’t explored as they could have been. The descriptions of light and darkness, the colors, the water powers, all were painting a beautiful picture. Then, a challenge would come and more often than not, Siria passed out. Since the story was told through her POV, we wake up with her in the aftermath, but miss the action. As each of the encounters worked well for the overall story, I would have liked to experience them.

I loved Siria’s character arc, as I was a big fan of her by the end, but I felt the beginning took too long to develop. It almost seemed liked this concept was intended for a series rather than a standalone novel. It took so long for me to invest in Siria, mostly because she took so long to come to terms with her powers that I almost felt whiplash from how quickly she accepted them and began mastering. In a series, I feel this could have been explored at the correct pace.

Along the same lines, Ignite the Sun needed a longer final confrontation. This is a compliment, because I really liked the ending, but needed more from it. I wanted to be spend more time there, inside of that battle, watching Siria fight for her future. The emotional toll of the ending was perfectly on point, but with a little expansion could have had an even greater impact.

Conclusion
So, all in all, I really did like this book. Such an interesting concept and would be perfect for people who enjoy dystopian YA, as its a solid addition to this ever increasing genre.

Ignite the Sun is a quick, simple, straightforward YA fantasy that makes the whole light-versus-dark concept quite literal. Set in a world where the sun has been blocked from view by an enormous shield of darkness, the story follows a reluctant heroine on a quest to overthrow a corrupt leader and restore light to the world. Though certainly not a perfect book, and though it is a bit predictable (which isn't quite my taste), this story is nevertheless a great choice for younger YA readers.

Though I did have mixed feelings on the book, my overall impression was still definitely a favorable one. Howard has crafted an engaging fantasy universe full of Things We Love To See, like elemental magic, multiple varieties of magical creatures (including things that resemble dragons, mermaids, and banshees, among others), and a resistance movement against a straight-up evil queen. There is a classic light-versus-darkness battle, with the added dimension that comes from considering the impact of darkness on a population--problematic conditions for growing crops, paler skin, less-vibrant wildlife, and so on. And all of this is illuminated by Howard's highly visual writing style, with attention to color and detail that paints a vivid picture of this universe for the reader to enjoy, from the eerie black/purple/green palette of Iyzabel's court to the bright, shimmering colors of nymphs using their magic.

I was also pleased with the way the romance in this book played out--a classic in-love-with-my-best-friend deal, with no weird love triangle or toxic, seductive bad boy sweeping in out of nowhere. Instead, the tension between them stemmed from personal difficulties and insecurities, making for a believable relationship that is understandable even to those of us who aren't literally trying to save the world. All the romance was very PG, nothing beyond kissing and intense feelings, if that sort of thing matters to you.

Thematically, I liked the places this book was willing to go. A lot of emphasis was placed on the concept of choice, about how your actions determine what sort of a person you are, and how fear only makes you a coward if you won't fight it. Siria undergoes a good amount of growth as she faces her fear that what makes her different could make her a monster. Through a variety of side characters, different reactions to grief and struggle are also represented, from rage and rebellion to learned helplessness to numbing by distance, all the while pointing out that there is no "correct" way to deal with emotional damage--and the only incorrect way is to allow your actions to endanger others. That part, at least, it touched on from all sorts of angles, including when loyalty becomes conflicted between ideology and family, or between your own safety and someone else's.

All that said, I did have some hangups with this book. For one, despite the amount of conflict and talk of war in it, it was very light on action. The main character does very little fighting and is (more than once) literally teleported away during major action scenes, so we are cut off from what could have been epic moments and instead just get "before" and "after." Even beyond those moments, there were just a lot of "plot conveniences"--not plot holes, but just weirdly convenient things that happened to work out perfectly to keep the story going. The story as a whole, actually, was pretty predictable, no major twists, and all conflicts very quickly and neatly resolved.

I also was not a huge fan of the side characters--while Siria herself was relatively interesting, I feel like her companions all came across as one-dimensional, mostly there to fulfill specific roles for the plot but otherwise not doing anything to warrant emotional attachment to them (example: a death that probably should have been upsetting to me was instead rather "meh"). One of the most interesting characters, a banished banshee, felt painfully under-utilized (maybe we can get a spinoff about her?). And finally, the ending was just too fast--there wasn't really any time for the story to settle down, which seemed out of place given the way the rest of the narrative had proceeded. A couple revelations were also dropped near the end, ostensibly to help give context to a certain character, but the way they were presented was rushed and confusing instead of clarifying.

Funnily enough, my feelings on the audiobook narrator were very similar to my feelings on the characters overall. The narrator's voice was perfect for Siria--just the right level of youth and brightness without being too childlike, with a very expressive tone and excellent articulation and text stress. As a narrator, storyteller, and protagonist in general, this worked quite well. That said, she faltered more on the side characters' voices. Yarrow sounded like a caricature of an old man, rather than the wise father figure that he is. Several characters are described as having strong accents, but the narrator did not give them any sort of accent while speaking; other characters, she would give an accent early on but then would be inconsistent with it, and that definitely jolted me out of the story, albeit briefly.

All that said: though not overwhelmingly original or mind-blowing, this was still a decent read that plays nicely into some old favorite formulas of the YA fantasy genre. Given the nature of the story and the lower maturity level (in terms of profanity, violence, etc., it is very minimal), it is a great choice for younger YA fans especially.

Ignite the Sun is a stirring classic romantic fantasy. Siria begins the book as a young nobleman's daughter craving the affection of her parents and the approval of the powerful queen Iyzabel. Things take a turn for the worse when a sudden transformation changes Siria's understanding of everything and sweeps her away on a wild adventure to reclaim a lost kingdom. While Hanna Howard didn't present anything terribly ground-breaking, this novel has a delightful balance of romantic tension, self-acceptance and classic light versus darkness. The aesthetic is really lovely, incorporating sassy mermaids, wise mages, sexy elves and a clever take on fire nymphs. The romance wasn't terribly surprising, and even at the height of its conflict, it wasn't very stirring, but it was sweet and added a nice note of familiarity to the otherwise fantastical settings. I particularly loved the gentle transformation as the main character realized how classism so strongly gave her advantages in life. Her resolve to not only confess that she had contributed to the sour state of things in the dark kingdom but to risk her life to correct these wrongs gives a soft push toward reconciliation for anyone facing racism or other inequalities in their own lives.
Although there are some battle scenes and injuries, this book is comfortable enough for middle school to young adult readers.

This story revolves around a young girl living in a world of literal darkness and a sadistic Queen bent on keeping it that way.. The story had an intriguing premise and potential for a captivating world building and magic system.. There was very little tension or sense of suspense; too many "quick saves" prevents the reader from really hanging of the edge of their seat or having a sense of concern about how things might work out in the end.. I reviewed this in audiobook format and luckily the narrator helped the story be a bit more engaging. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review.

Ignite the Sun is a YA Fantasy standalone where you will meet Siria, a sixteen year old girl, thrown into the conflict between the Queen Iyzabel and rebels who wish to stop the witch from keeping the Kingdom in Darkness. She already killed almost every "sun child" except for one : Siria. She had no idea who she really was until her birthday where everyone saw the proof on her skin. She's being hunted but she's lucky enough to get the help of some good people.

Overall, this book was okay. Unfortunately, I had a hard time focusing on this audiobook and I never felt invested in the story. The main character could also be a bit of a brat at times. I thought her reunion with a certain someone was cute and I liked the man who seemed like a father to her. There was magic, battles and even a bit of romance but it wasn't enough to make me on the edge of my seat, you know? I'm not mad I read it but I know it's not a book that will stay with me a long time.

(Thank you for letting me listen and review an ARC via Netgalley)

This book is a delightful pick for teen (or young at heart) fantasy readers. The story is interesting and fast paced, it is clean (but has a fun romance), and there are important lessons of self-discovery and self-acceptance. I really loved the protagonists development over the book as she learned more about herself and accepted her destiny. The book is a bit gruesome at the end, which may steer away younger readers.

Although I would love a sequel, I appreciated that the book did not leave me hanging. The story was full and complete, while leaving room to find out what happens next.

Finally, the audiobook narration was also well done.

In short, an excellent debut! Thanks netgalley for the free audio ARC.

I believe I would have liked this book better if it was a physical copy or ebook. The audiobook was quite painful to listen to. Not because of the narrator but because of the inner monologues that Siria has. She is such an unlikable character. She spends the few chapters just complaining and trying to grasp that she is a sun child even when it has been explained to her multiple times. Then they tell her that the magic blocked the knowledge so they couldnt tell her and she still whines about that. I was quite annoyed with her. As of the pacing of the story, I like the action scenes in the book but when there wasn´t action going on it felt like nothing was happening at all..
There was a lack of problems or better said, there was problems but every single one of them were solved so easily and in a simple way.
It was a good book, I enjoyed the world building a lot, the magic system was really good but I would have liked more tension or at least problemas that werent so easily solved.

MORE ON MY BLOG: https://dailydooseofbooks.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/arc-review-ignite-the-sun-by-hanna-howard/

While I was going through NetGalley to find an audiobook, I came across Ignite the Sun. I didn’t even need to read the description, as I knew from the cover it will be a story I’d love. I requested it, and in a few days, I received the audiobook. I began listening to it right away, and I loved it just as soon.

The best thing about the book was by far the worldbuilding. It was rich, complex, and it was pure fantasy. In a kingdom where the darkness ruled, its inhabitants have never seen the Sun. Siria, the only sun child left, has to bring back the Sun and restore the light. How cool is that? Also, the world was full of magical creatures, and each of them had a solid backstory. There wasn’t room for misunderstandings. I also liked that every single character had something to do with the story, and wasn’t brought there only to exist.

The group of rebels that helped Siria go through her journey was round. Every single character had its own believes and mindset, and even if they were so different, they managed to work together and complete their task. I especially liked Elegy as I think she made Siria realize some of the importance of being inclusive and not believing the stereotypes. I adored the romance in this book, as it wasn’t too mild or too extreme. This book is designed to be a stand-alone, but I think there is a fair shot to a sequel. If so, I would love to see more of Siria and Lynden. Their love was sweet and full of hope.

The pacing was great, and I loved listening to the audiobook. I didn’t get bored, and the narrator did a great job. I could have sensed the emotions form her voice, and I enjoyed that.

There were also a few things that I didn’t like about this book. There was no diversity. There were zero POC characters, zero queer representants. The only reason why I gave this book one star instead of zero for the diversity point is because Siria was inclusive. She chose to help Elegy even if she was a banshee. Another thing that annoyed me is that Siria’s brother took the throne of the Kingdom of Light. Siria has been through hell and more to bring back the Sun, and her brother, who has been hiding for the past sixteen years, took the throne. What in Gaia’s name is that Hanna? He did nearly nothing and yet, he took the throne?! On the other hand, their reunion was touching and I almost cried.

Overall, the book was good. It was fast-paced, and it had a solid base. I could see a sequel being released and I would love to read it. I will be mad if the next book isn't more inclusive.

Overall I enjoyed Ignite the Sun. The audiobook was well produced and while I think the narrator was a bit over eager in points I still enjoyed it. Howard has a really complex and interesting world that she has built and uncovering the twists, turns, and specifics of their politics and culture was my favorite part of the novel. Siria and the general light vs dark plot is a bit cliche in points, but the world gives it enough interesting flavor to keep my interest.

This book was super refreshing and new! I am totally into witches right now and this was such a unique story. I loved the play of light and dark and how that worked together.

Not related to the book, but I had trouble downloading it on the app so it still needs a bit of work.

ANYWAY, back to the review! I found this an easy and interesting listen. I listened to it in one sitting and I was invested in the characters throughout it. In some ways, I got Selection vibes, which is totally fine because I loved that entire series so much.

I will definitely be interested to read more by this author. The cover is fantastic and I also enjoyed the narrator!

I thought this book had an excellent concept and I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, overall, it fell flat. I just wish there'd have been more development and it had run along with the interesting premise. If it had added something or had built the plot around it and played with it, it could've been great. However, with how it was presented, it turned into a sort of one-dimensional chosen-one story with lacking world-building.

Moreover, I couldn't really get invested in the story for two reasons. Firstly, I couldn't connect to any of the characters. Secondly, the pacing was odd for me. It was a getting from point A to point B type of story, taking place in an extended period of time, but the chapters were very short (which isn't a contradiction in itself, but in this case it didn't work). We had to follow the characters through this very long journey, but it's not like it was altroughout building up to something, or at least I didn't feel like it was. But then, if it's more of a character-driven story, I couldn't connect to them in any way. The only character that made me feel something was the one who called out the main character.

Lastly, it was enjoyable as an audiobook. I think the narrator, McKenzie Fetters, did a pretty good job despite the fact that sometimes I felt like the voices were a bit over-the-top for my liking.

Great potential but I couldn't get into it.

This was so good!! Especially the last 50% I couldn't put it down!! I love the story and how slowly Siria got to know her true self (is that how you write her name?)
I love the storyline and the world building and the magic in it even though it's an already use concept of light and darkness but at least for me it was really well done!
I truly enjoy this book and I hope we get to see more about this world of Light after 15 years of darkness.