I really enjoyed Ignite the Sun. The narrator was good but at times when excited or irritated she would get a little pitchy. This was at times off putting. I however, enjoyed her narration through majority of the story.

I think this story had more to give. The beginning wove into this fascinating story but the ending felt a little rushed. I think this should have been a duology. It was not left open for more it ended and wrapped up. I just felt the pacing was already done so well and then the ending felt like it was very sped up. I really did enjoy this book and loved the story. I only knocked off 1 point for the quicker ending. It is definitely a book I will recommend to fantasy lovers and my students who usually prefer standalone's.

Once upon a time there was something called the sun…

In the Kingdom of Terra-Volat, ruled by an evil witch, the citizens have not seen the sun in 16 years. Siria longs to please her distant parents and to be chosen by Queen Iyzabel and move to the Royal City. Siria's whole life is thrown upside down during the choosing ball when unimaginable truths come to light.

I can't believe how quickly I read this book. I could not put it down. Almost straight away we were thrown into the action and the pace never seemed to slow. The chapters were short and I found myself breezing through the pages.

I loved the world building and I was honesty not expecting the mythical creatures that entered this world. I loved getting to know all the different species and their unique gifts.

It was pleasantly surprising to see such a diverse group of main characters. Unlike your usualy YA fantasy with a group of teenagers coming to the rescue, the story follows a child, two teenages, a woman and an old man, all of varying species. While it takes time for some of these characters to warm up to one another they soon form a strong bond formed on bravery and mutual respect.

While I do love the tropes of the lost orphaned princess turned chosen one it was fresh to see that Siria waa not destined to take the throne, but instead the Crown Prince had grown up in secret, preparing for the return of his sister and the return of the sun.

While I strongly enjoyed this book, there are a few things that stopped me from giving it 5 stars.

While the action and suspense started early in the book, we never actually got to see any of it. Everytime things got tough and arrows start flying Siria suddenly passes out or is magically sent away to safety. She always walked away relatively unharmed. This really dulled the story and I almost found myself loosing interest.

I also wasn't the biggest fan of the romance. I didn't feel any sort of connection with these characters and really was not invested in their relation.

While this was a great debut novel, there is plenty of room for the author to grow and I can't wait to read what she writes next. All in all I rather enjoyed this story and I recommend it you enjoy stories of mythical creatures and quests to save the world!

I received a free eARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Siria Nightingale has always felt a drawing to the light, the stories of the sun but in her world, this is far from reality. Siria lives in a Kingdom of Darkness. Queen Iyzabel has made the lands believe that the sun is dangerous and evil, and the darkness is their friend.
On her 16th birthday Siria finds out that she is none other than the soul surviving ‘sun child’. This scene was thrown at the reader way too quickly, I think a better foundation of the land, magic system, why the darkness is better, Siria’s fondness for the light should have been developed a little more.
Siria and her childhood bestie, (obviously who is a male… obviously she loves him, and he loves her... oh the tournament) flee the land with her grandfather and here begins their journey, to save the sun!
I am rating this as a 3-stars looking at it from a Middle Grade (MG) perspective, NOT a YA Fantasy. Siria lacks the character development and literally overcomes nothing. Everything is handed to this child on a silver platter. There was no moment in this book that I found I was in suspense, within a gripping moment, or wondering what would happen. well.
From a MG perspective, the language was well developed, the romantic side of this story was very much geared towards MG and the story was continuous – the ball kept rolling!

FYI I am totally up for the representation of a redhead with freckles. Rep-re-sent!

If I had two words to describe this book it would be adventurous and fun. It reminded me a lot of old time Disney. I liked the interesting world that it took place in and would definitely read any subsequent books.

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I was immediately drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover and the synopsis. I had never read a book set in a world of complete darkness so I thought it would be a brand knew world that I would be jumping into. Sadly, as much as I liked the characters and addition of all the fantastical creatures, I felt that the character arcs and the world-building left a lot to be desired.

For a world that sounded so intriguing, it did not feel unique at all. The first half seemed to be predominantly set in a forest, where I forgot that it was even a world with no light. Nothing really stood out to me as new. The powers were interesting, but they weren't enough to carry the story. I was close to DNFing it a few times, but pushed through, thinking the ending would be worth it. To me at least, this was not the case.

I know some people will love this book for the whimsy, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I enjoyed this debut! Siria was an interesting character and I enjoyed watching her develop over the course of the story. The idea of a sun child was original and kept me intrigued. The world building was also fantastic. It was interesting and Hanna Howard included just the right amount of details to keep me interest but not overwhelmed or bored.

The book did come across as more of a middle-grade read, however. I was bit surprised by more juvenile tone of the book, and I'm not sure if that is due to the narrator? I thought the narrator was great, she instilled good emotion into the story, but I went into this expecting a more mature, deeper story.

(8/24/2020) Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing an Audiobook arc! (3.5 stars rounded to 4 since I can't put half a star ratings)

Ignite the Sun was an entertaining tale about a girl seeking belonging. Siria Nightingale, the novel's protagonist, is a girl vying for a spot next to Queen Izyabel's court. The daughter of the noble Nightingales, Siria has a lot to prove. She's always been a little different, drawn to and curious about the mysterious tales about the sun. The sunlight of the previous kingdom of Luminor has been driven out of the kingdom of Terra-Volat by Queen Izyabel. She has also eliminated all but one sun-child, a seemingly (according to Izyabel) fire nymph that would have brought destruction to the lands.

Although I found the novel overall to be entertaining, I have several qualms.

I enjoyed Siria's character development throughout the novel. Although I found her to be a little over the top with her desire to serve Izyabel, the reasoning behind it is gradually explained. The other characters, however, mostly fall flat, except for Yarrow, an old gardener friend of Siria's. I don't think the side characters contribute enough for me to feel connected to them. I mostly found myself thinking that I don't want bad things to happen to them because I didn't want Siria to suffer rather than for them to not suffer.

The romance is one of my favorite tropes, the childhood friends to lovers. However, I think the build up didn't work for me. I think it didn't push up hill hard enough; I felt the yearning but not enough of it. That's my personal opinion though.

I felt as though not much really happened in the novel. It was mostly going from point A to B then fighting the big bad. This did allow for an exploration of the different races of the world. However, there isn't much we learn outside of Terra-Vollat. All I know is that Terra-Vollat is seeped in darkness but a place in the north is free from Izyabel's magic. I would like to know more about the rest of the world as well (are there sun children born in different continents as well? Why didn't anyone outside of Terra-Vollat do something about their plunge into darkness?)

The writing style felt very simplistic and elementary to me. That's not a criticism (this novel has a 16 year old protagonist and I get that's the intended audience!) rather an observation.

The magic system and different races are one of my favorite parts of the novel. Howard includes some races that are usually not seen in novels (no faes thank god). However, I have to say that the characters in the novel that possess magic, have powers that are incredibly overpowered. There are several instances that characters are able to escape a difficult situation because someone uses a super enchantment and a certain character develops their powers very fast with very little training.

Overall, I enjoyed Ignite the Sun, but I think there are things that can be improved upon for future stories. Just as a note: I also really liked the narrator of the audiobook!

I'm getting more and more into audiobooks and I really liked the narrator in this one.

The book follows Siria, who has always felt out of place in the reign of darkness of Queen Iyzabel. She has bright red hair, a physical revulsion to the darkness, and dreams of the sun.

I was very intrigued by the premise. I'm instantly drawn in by stories of rebels and dystopia in general, so I loved the overall worldbuilding and magic system.

The romance was very sweet, Siria's growth strong and believable, but it all wrapped up a little too neatly for my liking.

I'd like to say a big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me the audiobook to review.

“Once upon a time, there was something called the sun…”

And with this irresistible premise, Hanna C. Howard’s debut Ignite the Sun had my full attention (though that heart-stoppingly stunning cover didn’t hurt either). The novel’s protagonist is sixteen-year-old Siria Nightingale, who has never once in her life seen the light of the sun or felt the warmth of its rays. That’s because long ago, the kingdom’s tyrannical Queen Iyzabel decreed the sun dangerous and has since used her magical powers to shroud her entire realm in darkness, claiming to protect her subjects.

Still, despite not knowing what a life in the sun means at all, Siria somehow misses the light. Deep down, she also knows she’s different from the other girls at the uppercrust school she attends, and it’s not just because her flaming red hair and freckles make her stand out. She can’t help but be fascinated by the sun, and the only two people who seem to understand this yearning are her best friend Linden and his grandfather Yarrow, who frequently regales the children with stories of the good old sunlit days.

But then came the Choosing Ball, an opulent event in which the kingdom’s elite vie for a place on the royal court. However, what should have been Siria’s opportunity to prove herself instead turns into a night of explosions and complete disaster when she is revealed to be a long lost Sunchild, creatures of pure light magic that have been outlawed by Queen Iyzabel. At long last, Siria discovers the truth of why she’s so different, but now that her identity is out, she is marked for death. With the help of Yarrow and Linden, she manages to escape, but then receives another shock as her traveling companions admit they are not who she thinks they are. In fact, Yarrow is a mage and Linden is a wood elf, and the two of them have been watching over her all these years, waiting to help her realize her powers and return her to her true people.

Over the years I’ve read my fair share of YA fantasy, and in that time I’ve been exposed to a great number of tropes and conventions which the genre has thrown my way, and I have to say many of these can be found in Ignite the Sun. From the exiled Chosen One to the wise old wizard who guides her, much of the book reads like your classic quest narrative and hero’s journey, with very few surprises. Our adventuring party also picks up a couple extra members along the way, including a haughty water nymph and a sweet, young innocent banshee. There’s even a romance based around the tried-and-true cliché of the secret crush on the super-hot best friend, and following right on its heels, the good old “she must break his heart in order to spare him” trope. The ensuing result is this all-encompassing air of sentimental cheese and hokeyness, which I think readers will either find endearing or utterly tedious.

As for myself, I confess to falling into the former camp. Sure, Ignite the Sun might be predictable, but it’s predictable in all the ways you want it to be. The story and its characters are warm, comfortable and familiar, offering lively adventure and gentle laughs. This is the kind of novel you can fall into very easily, becoming swept up in the world, its people and their relationships. While there’s not much doubt at any point regarding the direction in which the plot is going, there are some unique elements sprinkled here and there along the way, spicing up an otherwise average fantasy setting. I found myself intrigued by the concept of a Sunchild, and enjoyed the way all manner of other mythical creatures inhabited this world and had special roles in Siria’s life.

Perhaps it’s not too surprisingly though, that it’s our protagonist’s own personal journey that shines through the most. When the book begins, Siria is a self-absorbed young woman who never questioned the reality of the way things were presented to her, even when all that was wrong was staring in her face. Her only concern was to be accepted, marching in lockstep with Queen Iyzabel’s desires like everyone else clamoring for her favor. Only when Siria has lost it all does she finally realize what truly matters. The transformation is gradual and convincing, ultimately becoming the most inspiring aspect of the novel.

At the end of the day, while I doubt Ignite the Sun will be winning any awards for originality or breaking new ground in YA fantasy, this charming and entertaining debut was nevertheless a joy to read. I believe readers will either love it or hate it depending on how they feel about certain tropes, but being able to go with the flow will surely make it easier to find comfort and a simple delight in the book’s familiar themes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC, as well as the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

All opinions are my own.

Siria Nightingale has lived in darkness her entire life, but secretly dreams of the sun. She hears stories about the sun from Lunden, her childhood friend, and his grandfather to gain any knowledge she can about the "evil" that is the sun.
When Siria goes to the palace for a choosing ceremony, all hell breaks loose. She finds herself on the run, towards the sun, along with Lunden, his grandfather, and a few other outsiders. Siria must overcome the darkness, and "ignite the sun" in order to save the day.

"The light will always conquer the darkness" is the main gist of this story. It is marketed as an allegorical journey of depression and anxiety. Knowing this, having read the synopsis, and seeing the GORGEOUS cover, I was extremely excited to read this book. It however, left me disappointed.

The idea of light versus dark, using the sun, seems like a genious idea to me. This could have been so badass! The only badass part of the book was in the last 5%. During the journey to the sun, Siria is whiney, selfish, and weak. She only continues on her journey out of guilt. I am not a fan of a female main character that is weak and complaining nonstop. YOU ARE THE SUN CHILD!! THE CHOSEN ONE!! WHY ARE YOU CRYING??

Once Siria finally reaches the sun, she instantly becomes a different person. She sees the light, and allows it to fill her. (This is where overcoming depression comes in.) She is strong and confident. She knows what must be done. She forgives those that have wronged her on a whim. It just isn't realistic.

As someone that has struggled with anxiety/depression most of my life, I can tell you that it doesn't work like this. Do NOT say that you just have to look towards the light. One glimpse of greatness does not make everything else go away. Yes, it is a journey, but it is not a straight line. There are detours, backtracking, and times where you just need to rest.

I wish there would have been more details on the side characters and how they received their powers. In the end, I did enjoy the action at the end, as well as Siria using her powers to heal others (the one time she wasn't selfish). If there are other books to come, I will probably use the library, if at all.

*The following is based only on the audio portion, and not the story itself.*

The narrator did a good job when she was using her normal voice. The second she started doing fake accents, and the crying bits, I was annoyed. I debated turning the audio off, and just reading the book like normal.

So I'm giving this three stars which I give most books. I enjoyed it, but I was disappointed in this book.

This was such an interesting world and concept and even the plot itself had SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL. I think the book wasn't built up enough - I needed more. More of the world, more of Siria's life before and yet less introspection from Siria. She got better as the book went on, but she was very annoying at the beginning of the book. I also disliked how she conveniently wasn't there for any of the battles. I'm not a battle person so I wouldn't have minded it if it happened sometimes, but when it's every time it becomes too much.

Despite all of this, I did enjoy the book overall and I think that as a debut book, the author has a lot of potential.

The audiobook and narrator was enjoyable and I love listening to new narrators so thumbs up for that.

I received the audiobook for this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This one follows around Siria where she had no idea what would happen to her once she gets 'chosen' by the Queen. She has this immense need in herself to please her parents and wants to be chosen by the Queen, And well, it backfires a bit.
I did like the world-building and mystical creatures that were ever-present in this book.
I personally thought that Siria was quite whiny for the first half of the book and then she suddenly became so comfortable in her skin, in a matter of days. She had even mastered the powers that she was granted with in a short period of time, that I was kind of shocked.
The villain backstory really did not do much for me, and left me sourly disappointed.
But overall, it was a decent read.

"Once upon a time, there was something called a sun." This is a fun, fantastical story about the way things used to be. About the search for light in a world of darkness. Which is very relateable actually, and a perfect escape for the current ways of the world. There is fantasy, mythology, and love, which always makes for a great story. I truly enjoyed the world that Howard built and would love to know more about the 'myths' of the old days!

Book 183 towards my goal of 280! 4/5 stars for this YA fantasy read! Great for fans of The Seventh Sun, or The Queen's Rising! Great characters, especially side characters. Unique magic system. Definitely recommend to someone who enjoys the genre! Narration was great!
*I received this book in exchange for honest review from Netgalley*

I was not a fan of this book at all.
The main character has o keep being told that they need her help, she is the 'chosen one'.
She just wants to go back to her cushy life and keeps complaining about everything.
The other characters are calm with her and very understanding.

Ignite the Sun by Hanna Howard
Pub Date 08/18/2020
Syfy fantasy YA

I absolutely loved this book. I can believe how much I enjoyed this one, I didn't want it end. I hope there is a second book to follow.

This fantasy was one about darkness against light. They haven't seen the sun in 15 years. It had super cool characters like a sun child, naiads, wood nymphs and even a banshee.
Siria Nightingale is sort of an outcast at the all girls school. Siria is hoping to be picked for the Queens court. But soon finds out that there much bigger things to be had.
Her and her gardener, who she thinks of as a grandfather and his son are all about to make the journey of a life time.

I've read so many of the reviews for this book and think that fantasy is judge a lot harder then the average thriller is. So please don't go by the reviews, read this one anyway. I laughed and enjoyed this one so very much.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank to the publisher and to #netgalley for a copy to read I loved it.

This one was a bit younger than I originally thought. I felt more of a Young Reader vibe than Young Adult. The main character had more qualities of a 12-year-old girl than a 16-year-old young woman.

I loved the world-building and magic system. I thought the use of light/ dark magic was cleaver and I loved learning about the other magical creatures as well.

Lastly, the narrator was awesome. Her voices were perfect, clear, and fun. I would definitely listen to one of her other narrations.

I’d recommend this to middle school/ 9th/ and 10th graders that love fantasy!

This was a typical but enjoyable YA fantasy book. Its not bad, just a tad predictable. It did make use of quite a few YA tropes but luckily it ignored some of the worse ones. There was no love triangle, Siria wasn't a plain girl just like everyone else, she had a bit of a personality, and she never let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding.

The story was interesting, a girl finds out she has sun powers and only she can save the country from an evil queen who has covered the land in darkness but fist she needs to discover her powers and go on a quest with a rag-tag group of friends.

The whole thing was basic but not bad. It held my interest enough that I never considered DNFing it. This would be a great book for young readers. It has a better lead character than Twilight or The Hunger Games.

If you have a young kid in your life, this would be a good gift. If you're an adult and want to read it, you could do worse.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me this free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

2016 me would have completely loved this book. It has all the makings of a fun, engaging YA fantasy novel- a cute, funny love interest, an expansive magic system, a "woe is me why is this happening", but overall compassionate Chosen One MC who becomes determined to bring down the big baddie, a female villain who doesn't waste everyone's time explaining why things need to be going her way. Character driven plot and great pacing and action scenes. Found family.

2020 me still found this a fun and engaging read, but now I'm used to a little more happening with plot than spending the entire novel escaping the long way through a forest, only to go back for the Big Fight. The villain is a character the MC hasn't spoken to. All the side characters are really Nice*TM and lack any real depth beyond the fact that they've all lost family in the Villainous Takeover. Things actually go (mostly) according to plan.

So. It was fun.

I will say though, that the narrator did a splendid job! This audiobook was a very engaging listen and I did thoroughly enjoy every second of it.

You know what I should have done? I should have listened to that little voice at the back of my head—the one I NEVER listen to—that whispered, "DNF it."

I have been deceived by that downright stunning cover. While the premise of a world deprived of sunlight was what immediately grabbed my interest, I found it to be poorly executed. The world-building felt ... incomplete. I struggled to absorb the details. Worse, I found it difficult to remember that this is a world of pure darkness. Literally the premise that drew me in, and it didn't click well for me. I was surprised to find that this was a world of nymphs, witches, banshees and the like. It was an interesting twist! The villain I found to be rather weak, who basically hates the sun and doesn't want anyone else to have magic.

I knew this would be rather wholesome given the imprint, but I didn't expect such a cringe-worthy and tropey book. This was not a good Chosen One trope. I usually don't have a problem with those stories, but I want the main character to be more, "What? Oh, sh*t, sweet. Let's do this." Instead, Siria served a lot of whining. I really stopped caring toward the end, but in the beginning, my understanding of the plan for her to save the world was to travel across the country and be yeeted into the middle of the ocean where direct sunlight was. The romance was not one for me to be a fan of, and I didn't think it really added anything to the story.

Even though the Chosen One trope was rough, I could have dealt with it had it not been for the main character. We are given very little opportunity to meet her before BAM! You are the one who will save us all. She lost my support pretty quick once I realized how properly whiny and snobbish she is. "You only care about me because I'm the Sun Child. I don't want to walk across the country. My parents don't love me. I can't touch anyone ever again because I have no desire to learn to contain my new powers." Wah.

The audiobook narration was not my cup of tea and my very well have ruined the whole book for me. While the sample initially appealed to me and led me to request it, it turned out to be far too over-the-top dramatic. Several of the voices were downright annoying or had accents that just seemed ridiculous.

I wish I had more better to say, but all in all, this was disappointing and not for me.