Ignite the Sun is an enjoyable fantasy read. The ‘world of darkness’ concept is intriguing and the fast pace means that we jump right into the story. The book does what it sets out to achieve but, to me, fell short of being a real standout.

The setting is the first thing that drew me to this book. A world covered by perpetual night evokes some great mental imagery and a creepy atmosphere! It’s used well, but I found myself craving more details about how daily life under perpetual darkness would be. There was also one really creepy creature that I would have loved to learn more about!

This book is story driven, and that’s reflected in the characters. Siria, the main character, grows over the course of the story, and it’s gratifying to see her gain confidence in herself. As for everyone else? They get the job done, but with the story happening around them, they don’t have time to develop much depth. As a result, I didn't get too emotionally attached to anyone.

In particular, I would have loved to learn more about the villain and her motivations. We’re given hints that she’s more complex than she seems to be, but nothing really substantial. As it stands, this is a straightforward good vs. evil narrative and that’s okay.

I received a free e-ARC from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ignite the Sun was a solid YA debut. I read this title a while ago, so I can't remember a lot of details. This review is based on my notes, so I apologise if it's a bit short.

This book had a fascinating premise - a witch Queen has shrouded a land in darkness, ostensibly to protect its people from the harmful light of the sun. Our main character, Siria, is a curious sort of girl, and yearns to experience the world in her grandfather's stories - a land filled with light. Which, of course, gets her in trouble, and leads to a fairly classic YA heroic fantasy quest. Complete with a ragtag group of rebels.

The writing in this book is very simple and straightforward, so it's easy to read large amounts of text in one sitting. I would have perhaps liked it to be a little more.. flowery?... but that's a personal preference.

My favourite part of Ignite the Sun was the worldbuilding and magic system. It's the most detailed and well developed aspect of the novel. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail, because I think it's nicer to experience it for yourself if you're going to give this book a go. But I will say that there are a few different types of magic, as well as magical creatures from European folklore and myth, such as wood elves and banshees with their own specific powers.

Like with most debuts, it does have some problems. Specifically, the pacing dragged in places, and the plot was somewhat predictable. The former isn't so much a problem if you're reading large portions in one sitting, and the latter isn't always a bad thing, if done well. Unfortunately a lot of problems are solved a bit too conveniently, and I felt like this was a disservice to the story. I think it took away some of the tension, and left me feeling kind of unsatisfied. I want to read about characters who triumph despite hardship, not ones whose problems magically (in the literal and metaphoric sense) just disappear.

Still, it was a pretty decent debut. I think fans of Shadow and Bone might enjoy it, because it has some similar vibes.

A delightful debut by Hanna Howard! She crafted a smart and creative world of characters you could immediately feel at home with. Little twists and turns kept the pace, and it was quite sad when it came to an end - I wanted there to be more! I had the opportunity to meet her prior to this book release, and I look forward to reading the rest of her work.

A young adult fantasy with a unique world and premise. This is a strong debut, but it was not a book for me. I do not read a lot of fantasy, so fantasylovers may love this. I ended up putting it away after I had read half of it.

Overall I did enjoy this book and will rate it 3.5 stars. The writing didn't draw me in particularly, it did not flow well in my own experience. Thank you for the e arc. There is a kingdom where sun is banished as it it thought to be dangerous. This is an experience of the characters to escape the darkness.

A pretty decent debut novel but it’s has some flaws. The writing and storytelling definitely need some work. Thank you so much for the arc!

Entirely underrated for a debut. I feel like it could have been a bit more intricate, but the simple approach does work for a more uncomplicated read. I'll keep an eye out for more by this author.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I admit in my joy at joining NetGalley I may have been overzealous in my requesting numbers. As this book has already been published, I am choosing to work on the current upcoming publish date books in my que. As I complete those I will work on my backlogged request and will provide a review at that time. I again send my sincere thanks and apologies.

3/5 stars.
I enjoyed this one. I found it quite unique in story premise and very captivating and entertaining. I think the writing could have been a bit better but overall I enjoyed it and would read the next book.

The start was extremely slow and i ended up being a little confused here and there, but after the 15% mark the main character kind of got a kick in the ass and started behaving like a sunchild and becoming one with her powers, not whine, cry and complain. Though i`d like to get more details about her and her powers, but it was still really good. I also enjoyed the romance, even though it felt a bit insta-y.

Guess I would say this is a surprisingly nice fantasy story!
4 stars, because I think many aspects could be made more interesting (and I would've appreciated some representation as well), but a really great story nonetheless!
You got your standard Chosen One-evil witch queen fantasy, but I felt like it was well-executed, and don't get me wrong, this book had it's own vibe! Maybe it was because I feel like a lot was up to my imagination as well, and now I just had fun making this my story too.
The beginning felt very quick to me, but towards the end I got the kind of "slowing down (and coming into power)" sort of thing I require to actually like a story.
I liked the world building as well, it was simple enough to think about, but not an idea that I read in other books before.

The first half started really strong and overall I enjoyed the story. The writing was a little simple and convenient, but an enjoyable read. 3/5 stars

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book as fantastic!! I absolutely loved it. The writing was phenomenal.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

While Ignite the Sun had intriguing world building, the plot felt too convenient at times, which took away from the overall enjoyment. I feel like this was a solid debut novel and Hanna Howard will continue to improve.

Siria Nightingale has spent her entire life in darkness.

And no, she wasn't locked up in a cold cellar. Her entire world is literally shrouded in darkness.

Queen Iyzabel always told her people that the light is dangerous and has hidden her kingdom for protection...and while Siria can't quite put her finger on it...something felt off. Very off.

On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Siria is called into the royal city along with a handful of similarly aged girls.

The night was dreamy - suspiciously so - and soon Siria (and the rest of the girls) fall under the Queen's spell.

But when the Queen announces her plan to kill the sunchild hidden among the girls...let's just say things get a little dodgy.

Siria flees her only home with her best friend and hid grandfather. They must trek their way across hazardous terrain, flee bespelled guards and fight bloodthirsty creatures to try to find the sun.

But the longer she goes without, the more she doubts that their small party could hold a candle to the evil Queen's army.

So.

This one started pretty darn good.

I LOVED the world-building and most of the magic system.

I feel like the whole world-doesn't-have-sun has been done so many times but this if the first time I've found myself nodding along and going, "yup. this makes sense."

I was also really intrigued by the way Siria developed her powers.

But what ultimately threw me out of the book is the sheer amount of coincidences.

A book that started with such promise, but was let down by what I can only call lazy storytelling based upon contrivance and convenience.

I listened to the audiobook instead of physically reading this so I'm not really sure what to feel because I found it to have dragged on a lot until the last 50 or so pages where everything happened all at once. If I read this physically, I'm pretty sure I would have hated it and gave it a lower rating.

The whole story was cliche but the world setting was great and I liked it. I liked the diverse cast and their different magical race and powers but they lacked personality and we're superficial and troupey.

Moreover, I didn't like most of the book since the 90% of it was the journey to the mountain/summit to get Siria's maximum powers and then everything ended so shortly and too fast because most of the final battle was cut short or skipped through because Siria would be knocked out or transported somewhere else. If half the journey was cut short and more focus was on the last battle, the book would have been great because for the small parts that I read, it was well written.

Overall, it was an okay read but I definitely would have enjoyed it less if not for the audiobook. From how short the final battle was, I was at least hoping there would be a time skip to see how things changed for the better after defeating the queen but the book ended abruptly which contributed to my dissatisfaction.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

The premise for this book is what captivated me. As a fan of dark fantasy this was quite literal interpretation of that interest. The characters in this book and the general intrigue and conspiracies definitely followed through on what I was hoping for the storyline and I really enjoyed it.

The world building is beautifully done and the characters and dark land stick with you well after you've finished.

Some parts felt a little dull or too much dialogue/dragging but overall still an engaging and interesting read.

As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.

Once I began "Ignite the Sun," I couldn't put it down. Howard quenched that classic fantasy adventure structure I'm always thirsty for, but can never seem to find. This story checks all the boxes, including: a mid journey joyful scene around the campfire, training to control powers, a slow burn romance, characters who are not what they seem, along with a myriad of magical creatures that support Siria on her journey to overcome the evil queen and being the light back to power.
This book kept me hooked from the beginning anticipation the catalyst "Choosing Ball," through the characters' travels to join the rebels up north, all the way to the climatic battle back in the castle where it all began. This debut sparkled. ~ Reviewed by Mia Nassivera