A decent debut - somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.

This is a nice YA fantasy. Nothing too innovative. The writing style is simplistic but not dull, which makes reading this book a quick task. The style reminds me a bit of Shadow And Bone trilogy - not that it takes inspiration from it, it just has some similar vibes. I did like it. It almost felt nostalgic, as if I  was reading a tale I used to love.

Ignite the Sun's blurb sounded so promising. Prepare for an unpopular opinion. 

The world-building and magic system were good. They were both well fleshed out and believable. 

Unfortunately, the characters and plot  fell very flat. 
The MC, Siria, learns that she is a sunchild and because no other sunchildren are around, she has to figure out how her magic works within two months. Then she manages to slay the evil Queen, who had killed all other sunchildren before Siria's birth. Sorry, that's just not believable at all. 
By the way, we are being told that the Queen is evil, because she got her witchcraft by eating a sunchild's heart, Now she screams a lot and wields her knife for emphasis. She reminded me of the Queen of Hearts. 

The plot was boringly predictable with too many conveniences/coincidences. Lots of possible conflict situations and plot twists were neatly resolved by adding a sprinkle of magic and a lucky coincidence.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really didn't have many expectations going into this book, so after finishing it my main feeling was "ehhh". It's fine, the writing is okay, the premise is interesting but undersold (after reading the synopsis I thought it might be similar to Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy with the conflict between the sun-summoner and the Darkling; that's not what this is).

Mostly I felt like the characters were a bit underdeveloped, particularly the villain, and that things were just too convenient for the main character. Any hardship she encounters, the solution just falls into her lap.

So overall, it was fine. Not memorable but not a total waste of time.

I was really intrigued by the sound of this plot going in and so I did initially have quite high hopes; I won't say it was a let down as such but I felt the pacing of the book was my main issue.

I did like the overall world itself; the different nymphs and mages that existed in this world were well explained and it was easy to keep track of who was who and what this meant for their powers. I also liked the inclusion of banshees (although wish we got a little bit more about their backstory as they did feel a bit shoved in at the side). It was also a very easy read that I was able to fly through.

I think my problem with it is that, for the majority of the book, absolutely nothing happens. I noted that from around 25% to roughly 60% all we experience is the group walking... and walking... and more walking through the woods. Every now and again there might be a paragraph or two of action, but god forbid we actually get to see it - let's instead just knock the MC out so we wake up after all the action has taken place. And then... when they finally get where they're going, instead of really doing much they have a bit of a party, and then the walk back to where they've been starts again. I just found it a bit boring at times because there was so much wasted pages on them walking around; there was also a bit too much romance whilst apparently running for your lives. If this had been cut down by a good 10% it would have made the book much better and better paced.

I also found the MC a difficult character to get on with at times; we barely get to know her before we find out she's the "chosen one" and not just the chosen one but the lost princess, last of her kind, saviour of the world. It was a bit too many tropes in one for me with our MC in this book and her attitude was honestly quite annoying at times. She just whined so damn much I wanted to shake her. She then suddenly masters her powers with little help or input... again another trope that I don't love. 

I just felt there was too much wandering through woods and not enough character development; it suffered from telling and not showing and just ended up falling a bit flat for me. I didn't hate it at all but I just didn't completely love it. 

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of NetGalley.

So throughout my booktube "career", 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

This book. This F–KING book. Ignite the Sun by Hanna C. Howard was amazing. When I first started this I was unsure. The writing felt clunky, but the world building was amazing. My God, it was so great. The world and culture and subsequent magic system was amazing. It was all so well written and built in such a way that it made me love the world that much more. The magic really made this world and was new and the fact that it had it’s limitations made me love it all that much. That being said, there were moments where this deviated away from that, but I could ignore that mostly because of how much I loved the characters. Each nymph and magical species had their own strengths or weaknesses and I was here for it.

The characters were also pretty wonderful and varied. There was definitely a degree of found family here which is another of my favorite tropes. The romance was always enjoyable to read and I was rooting for them to be together from the start.

The plot was believable and woven in a way where it felt real. Nothing there felt like it was out of the norm for the world and I was having a really good time while reading it. I did have to suspend my sense of belief alot more than I usually do in fantasies, but this was a wonderful book filled with magic, hope and found families and the power of friendship and light.

The one thing that kind of detracted from my enjoyment of this was that the formatting for the e-book that I received was not good. I had a hard time reading it at times due to the formatting. This is probably just a me thing and is not something that affects the finished copy! (I checked with Amazon’s e-book preview.

I thought the plot was very unique and interesting. The concept of a kingdom where light has been entirely outlawed is so fascinating and I really was intrigued by the opposing factions of characters who believed in the light versus the characters who believed in the dark.

I also thought Howard’s world building in this novel was fantastic. The amount of detail and thought that she has put into creating the kingdoms of Umbraz and Luminor and the histories of the two places make them seem that much more fantastical but also add a realistic quality to them. I also thought the different creatures she incorporated into her story such as Naiads, Nymphs and Banshees made the plot incredibly compelling.

I really liked Howard’s writing style. Her writing flows so well and is so enchanting and exciting that it just pulls you along and makes it impossible to stop reading.

Finally, I really loved the characters in this book. Siria is such a brave and loyal character who fights to protect her friends but also her kingdom. Linden is very sweet, loyal and cares very deeply for Siria. Yarrow was the perfect father figure for both of them. Merral was also an excellent ally and I thought Elegy was adorable as well. It was nice to see Siria show such care for Elegy when they unexpectedly met her and how she brought her into their little group.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting adventure story with a unique plot.

Once upon a time, there was something called the sun … In a kingdom ruled by a witch, the sun is just part of a legend about Light-filled days of old. But now Siria Nightingale is headed to the heart of the darkness to try and restore the Light—or lose everything trying.

Gorgeous cover and gorgeous story. It was such an interesting read. Highly enjoyed it!

this was a really good young adult novel, the characters were great and I really liked the plot of the book. I'd be interested in reading more from the author.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Wow! Such a stunning and interesting novel. I loved the plot and the light / dark contrast that played throughout the book. This is definitely a book you don't want to miss!

I really enjoyed this book but there are parts that a little confusing at times. It does feel like this should be a series. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy.

The book did not really work for me. I DNF'ed it. I wasn’t able to connect with any of the many characters in the book and I found myself putting down the book a lot because it was never really catching my attention.

Amazing!!!! I cant begin to tell you how much you need this book in your life! 
.
Such amazing talent, the writing is extraordinary and thrilling and left me breathless! I felt like I was in the characters shoes! Not overly detailed, complicated storyline but the timeline make it easy to follow. Adventure, romance, relationships, emotional, and breathtaking! The world building is easy to follow as well, a beautiful detailed universe!! Edge of the seat storytelling!!

I received an audio version of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Ignite the sun is a beautiful light vs dark fantasy book that has elemental magic and creatures that are both intriguing and well described. I loved the romance element entwined within this story and found it slotted in very well. I was fascinated with the cover and blurb of this book and was captivated with the idea of a 'sun child' and a world where sunlight and stars were legends. 

The narrator does a fantastic job to narrate this story and I found her voice soothing and captivating to listen to. 
I love fantasy books and this one was a great listen.

This was a super fun book! I enjoyed reading it. I loved the plot, which was absoluty amazing. I would highly recommend this book. It's a must read.

When I managed to get my hands and an e-ARC ( thanks Netgalley) it was ages ago. In a way or another, I finally started to read again and I decided it was time to read this book. And… it could have gone better.

Okay, I don’t think there’s any particular way to say that if you’re searching for a young adult fantasy book that stand out, this is not the book. But it could have been! I’ll talk about that later.
Ignite the Sun is a bit a book of occasions and feelings that I wished to see but the novel never gave them back. And yes, it’s a standalone, it’s a debut but so many feelings were not there. I’m huge sucker for anything that touches complicated family feelings, and I felt the whole situations was just merely touched and not even that well.

Let’s go with order… and whit that I mean starting with Siria. This will touch the spoiler territory, so if you don’t want to know a thing about this book, better turn away from this review starting from now. To be honest, it’s kind of impossible for me to discuss what worked and what not without making at least a bit of spoilers.
Siria is a chosen one, but also a special chosen one. I’m not against the trope, actually I think it’s one of many potentials (the weight of the world on your shoulder is a big topic), but the way it started, the way it was introduced was bit… BAM! Things are happenings, accept it, reader! Which okay, I can pass over that but at the same time so many things where revealed and they way it happened was very… not impactful? At the second revelations regarding Siria’s nature and origin, I rolled my eyes, because I was like: oh, wow, figures.

Now, this introduce another couple of things that didn’t work for me. Now, once the chosen one trope is on march, it’s here and nothing will bring it back or write in a new fresh way, other potential was wasted. Siria don’t really… feel love for her people? Don’t get me wrong, she loves her friend, and befriend other people in her company.
But when someone decide to save people she never knew before, that she’s supposed to protect and care about, how does she pass from survival to actual love for them? It’s something one should feel deeply and at the end of the book those are her people, her kingdom… which good for Siria, but I didn’t feel the big love she could master for her heritage.
It would have been amazing to see it explored! At the start of the novel we see a Siria afraid of her powers (the actual progression to loving her powers and owning them was actually pretty nice), afraid of hurting people, calling herself a monster. We have a girl that live 16 years under one single idea, she was partially grown to hate what she’s. True, some people in her life help her, but I wanted more. I wanted to see Siria feel love for the people and not just some people.

Same thing, kind of, for family matters. There are mention of Siria desperate desire to make her strict parent happy, then she discovers a new truth about her family and she… pretty much embrace it? Give. Me. The. Struggle.
Look, there’s nothing more interesting and difficult and cool than family relationship and here… so many things missing.

Now, to end with what didn’t convince me we have:

1) how is that, again, we have Siria the young adult protagonist that can’t befriend a girl of her age to save her life. Come on.

2) the villain. We have a female villain but she disappears in the background. Again, she’s another one with a lonely past, lost someone and bla blab bla. Sorry, I can’t master particular sympathy or empathy for villains. I do understand many things, why and where it went wrong but eh.. I would have appreciated to see Iyzabel been her worst self. This woman is terrible: she killed everyone around her she, one would suppose, could generally love. She destroyed families, lead genocidal wars, has entire rooms full of dead people like they’re a freaking collection… and she appear for so little that she’s almost wasted.
Also, I do think that the sad backstory launched at the last pages of the novel was a bit of a NO. Can’t Iyzabel be just bad? Because a sad event in someone life don’t lead them to all of the above. The topic is even slightly touched in the book, when her formative years are mentioned, that probably something went wrong, but now Iyzabel is a grown-up woman who took her decisions. There’s so much to explore.

Time for what I liked! At first, I had a lot of doubts about representations, but it was cleared with the worldbuilding and as more character where described, but let’s do a list:

1) "old school” fantasy species! Maybe it’s on me and the book I pick but has been quite some time since I found elves, nymphs and so on in fantasy book. I loved to see them back and also to see them so colorful!

2)Yep, colors! Colors are pretty much everywhere. For example, mermaids are actually blue, sometimes even have purple parts on their body. Usually elements’ colors matches the ones of the species they’re bonded to. I think it was pretty cool

3)Freaking elemental magic that brought to some interesting combat sequences. People in the book actually fight with their elements, like swords made of water, they are connected to minerals and other things that can enhance them. There are explanations of how one element can also be connected to flying or even healing. I appreciated this a lot. It even got quite dark when it came to witches. I needed more.

4)This out of the worldbuilding, but I love that Siria cries, is stressed and protest at the start. I know many readers won’t like (but in honesty, every time a female character has a human reaction, she gets hate… so, can I be surprised?) but it was just normal and I liked it

So, my ending thought is that Ignite the Sun could have explored much more a lot of topics and ended up wasting an interesting worldbuilding with a lot of potential, ending up to be a… fantasy novel like many others?

First of all, allow me to appreciate the author, publishers, and the Netgalley team for the opportunity to review the book. 
Ignite the sun is a world representing the thrive towards the light, our primal call for light, enlightenment, the weaponization of darkness, diverse creatures with many different powers ad each of these creatures fights for power for own group's survival and thrive. and each of these creatures determines the power rise of our protagonist. 

The work is a 3.2-star work, interesting to read, very fast-paced. 

The book perfectly shows human nature, behavior, and the consequences of some behavior. 
I loved the worldbuilding, idea of darkness, showing a lot more than just physical darkness, far more than that, and I would love to dive deeper into that aspect. 
Many thanks for the opportunity to review the book.

This book is exactly perfect. All the traditional elements I needed in a story at just the right pace and resolution. Every time I started to get frustrated a panicky, the conflict resolved and a larger one took center stage. "Ignite the Sun" is the story of a sun nymph who comes into her power by surprise in the midst of a reign of darkness. She must come to terms with who she is and save her kingdom and her friends. It's a beautiful fantasy story of self-acceptance, power, and determination to do what right, one step at a time.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

 Good versus Evil is definitely the fundamental story line in this novel. It becomes light versus dark. Literally. A kingdom thrown into darkness by an evil queen and a girl who doesn’t know she’s the light the kingdom needs. As she gets ripped from her home she realizes that she’s been lied to her entire life by everybody around her. 
 I really liked the development of this story. Some of the characters where a little flat but I have hope that the author will let us know who’s important to the rest of the story. 
 Magic, creatures, a journey to the unknown, and a shuttle love story. This novel includes everything you need for a good fantasy novel and I will be keeping my eye out for more of this world!

I really enjoyed this book but I could have done with more action and more tension. I can't wait to read more books from this author.