I really enjoyed Ignite the Sun by Hanna Howard! I felt drawn into the world the entire time and was eager to find out what came next with every turn! 

Probably my favourite aspect of the book was the world-building. Terra-Volat is an exciting, magic-filled world and I looked forward to learning about all the exciting places that Siria, Linden, and the others got to venture to. 

The characters were mostly interesting as well. I especially loved the inclusion of Elegy! As much as I wish I loved Siria (and trust me she is mostly a great character) I occasionally felt like her powers were too convenient. I loved the idea of the sun giving her powers but sometimes I felt like they were only there just so she could overcome a barrier she encountered. I didn't like Queen Iyzabel personally, but I think she was a solid character and I can see other people liking her.

There were a few things that I wasn't a fan of. Although the writing was enchanting at times, it also felt like the author was telling instead of showing. I didn't find this a big problem, but it was worth mentioning. There were some fairly common tropes in Ignite the Sun such as the light/darkness trope, but I think it was done well enough to be original in this story. I'm also not a fan of the friends to lovers trope, but I think that was done well too.

Overall I gave this book 3 stars. It's a solid read and definitely enjoyable! 
(I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

This book really gave it to me. The characters had so much to give and the plot really moved at a nice pace. I had a few questions overall about some of details but this book read beautifully. Very excited to see my frie3n ds reactions to it!

Strong world building meets a heroine with heart and more in an exciting adventure with an intruiguing twist.

Siria Nightingale has grown up with everything a girl could wish for: wealth, friends, and plenty of free space. She's a princess in her parent's estate, but one that loves to run around with the gardner and his son. She's wild and free, and her parents don't approve. So, when she finally heads off to school and four years later has the chance to be chosen to stand with the royals surrounding the Queen, she'll do what she can to make her parents proud. But as she stands on the dias, several things become clear. Her red hair will never fit in with the black of everyone else, others will never see her as someone who fits in, and her fear of darkness in a world of black carries a dreadful meaning she's not ready to face. Siria's worst nightmare is about to come true—she is the monster the Queen and her parents fear most.

I was looking forward to reading this one, and it is a tale to get lost in. The world in this book is vivid and bold, making it hard not to sink into it. While the blurb makes it clear that darkness reigns and an evil queen will have more than a few thrills throughout the plot, I was surprised (and thrilled) when mages, nymphs, dwarves and more mystical creatures stomped onto the stage. Especially when they blend right into the tale with as much finesse as they did here. These characters alone made this a book with reading, although Siria is an intriguing character in many ways herself.

Siria fits the role of a special snowflake in many ways, and this is something I'm not usually a huge fan of. She has secret, overwhelming strong powers and must learn to wield said powers from nothing. And lets not forget the chosen savior of their world and super strong heroine who can defeat anyone with a wink (if she gets those powers to go work). But her ample rough edges and corners...and a lack of arrogance...keep the cliche aspects from hitting too hard. Plus, she's got plenty to learn and enough character arc as she's thrown into a world she's hated all of her life. I just would have liked to get to know her a little better before her life flipped upside down.

What really makes this book (besides the world) is the side characters. They are rich and bold and simply a treat to accompany. These are what makes Siria an interesting character. Add the darkness to light aspect and an evil witch Queen who is determined to hold on to her power no matter what, and it's a read to cuddle up with and enjoy.

I received an ARC and enjoyed this adventure quite a bit.

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

This book was a really great read! I couldn't put it down! 

In this story you follow 16 year old Siria, who has never seen the sun and who has been taught that the light is dangerous.  On her 16th birthday she discovers that she is a "sunchild", a fire nymph. When the queen took over Luminar when Siria was a child she cursed the land into Darkness forever and killed all of the sunchildren. Now Siria is on a quest to bring back the sun and overthrow the queen. 

The world building in this book is truly amazing. There are elves, nymphs, mages, dwarves, banshees, and much more. The battle between darkness and the night was literal which I loved. All of the characters were relateable and complex. This is one of those books that you want to read on a winter day when your just waiting for spring to appear or a day when you can just sit down and power through it because you won't want to put it down.

The idea of this book drew me in, I haven’t read many books where dark and light is more than just a way of saying who’s good and who’s not. The evil witch, Queen Iyzavel, who rules the kingdom of Umbarza, is wanting to destroy the last sunchild; a sunchild is someone who can draw powers from the sun. See, light and darkness are literally fighting each other. 
  The main character is Siria who is livings live one two sides in this world. She could at times be a little annoying, like any character but I felt that it was who she was, just questioning everything. But it didn't bother me that much. I really found her a good character. For me I found that the side character, the rebels, were the funniest to read about; like any good royal books the rebels sometimes steal the spotlight.   
  I love the world. I liked the kingdom descriptions, I like the bite we got about the magic system. The mythology is woven thought it made it whimsical. I like Terra-Volat was painted as the heart of the darkness. The way the author plots this book was good, I only found a few parts slow, but I felt that it worked with the few actions and battle scenes. 
    As far as I know, this is standalone. It wraps up well, but I would enjoy more books set in the world. I was pulled right in by the world and how things work, would like more. If you like YA fantasy, you might like this one. If your look for a classic dark vs light read, then dive into this one.

A perfect YA fantasy for readers that enjoy magic, romance, adventure and so much more!

Siria Nightingale has only ever heard tales of the Sun.  In the world she lives in, she has never seen the sun, it is only a legend. A witch known as Queen Iyzabel has shrouded the kingdom in shadows claiming it will protect her subjects from the dangers of the light. Even though she has never known the sun or light, Siria has always felt uneasy in the darkness and shadows. After years spent at academy, Siria is chosen by the queen to have a special spot at the Choosing Ball. What she doesn’t know is that she along with the others selected are suspected of being the long-lost Sun Child. Only the Sun Child can break the darkness and bring back the light to the kingdom. Siria along with the rebels sent to watch over her and help her try to save the kingdom and Ignite the Sun.

In Ignite the Sun, I felt Siria was the perfect protagonist. She grows throughout the story and comes into her own by the end. Her arc as a main character was truly enjoyable to read and follow along with. Readers watch as she starst the story as a young, impressionable woman ready to do anything to please the queen, until she learns the truth of her life and all she has believed to be the truth is a lie. The more she learns, the greater we see her grow as a character. She has her flaws, nothing in the story tries to paint her as the perfect person, and she embraces her flaws and learns to grow despite all that is placed in her way. Not once did I lack the ability to visualize setting or characters, Howard did a fantastic job painting a picture with words that readers will easily be able to follow along and enjoy. Readers that enjoy the mythological aspect of stories will be pleased with the history of the kingdom and how the dark came to overtake the light. This is a great story for Young Adults to read dealing with hate, bullying, teasing, and how to come into your own skin and be proud of who you are, even if it isn’t who you expected. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy fantasy, mythology, and hope for a life better than imagined for.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

This story is unique, fast-paced, and fun. Howard did well at introducing strong characters which added to the overall mood of the book.

In a land of darkness, the truth of one girl's heritage brings hope...and light.

Filled with magical creatures oppressed by a literally dark world, including nymphs, naiads, elves, banshees, this book is a tale of hope and good versus evil, or quite literally dark versus light. 

On her sixteenth birthday, Siria learns a truth that sends her fleeing for her life in search of the truth, along with the only people that she can trust. I liked how this book chose to use magical creatures that aren't featured as much as others are in fantasy, and I wasn't expecting that, so that ending up being intriguing. This book plays a lot with common tropes and themes, like dark versus light (literally), the chosen one, and I can't say that any of these was really done in a wholly unexpected way. I wanted so much to love this book, but I had trouble with the pacing, and thought that there were parts that lagged while they were travelling, but then I felt like the ending was rushed as a result, with pages of undisguised information dumping to explain the world and rules of the magic. 

I loved originality of the sun children and their powers, as well as the use of a plethora of magical beings. This was a quick read, both innovative and in other ways expected. I think that there was a good premise, with a solid theme, but it left me wishing for more layers in some areas.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I could not put this book down. From the very start we get action from the Queen trying to kill Siria ;our main character. Which sends her on a journey to awaken her true power that will either save her kingdom from darkness or destroy herself and everyone she loves. 

My biggest complaint is the romance. Like .... I guess young marriage in this time frame is acceptable...but she was brought up a lady, but still ends up sitting in this boys lap? I get "you love him" "we might die" but.... Her being a 16 year old I did not care for all that.

I really liked the premise of this book as it reminded of me dark elves empires. And I had a good time reading it. It is a standalone, which is always a plus in fantasy because we so rarely find fantasies that are complete in a single book, but I also think that kind of affected this book's potential.

I found the overall storyline to be interesting, but the magic system could have been more nuanced. I have come to dislike systems where 'things are the way they are', I require more reasoning and history behind it; which I felt was missing from this book. The protagonist is a typical YA heroine, but she is enjoyable to read nonetheless. Although, I would have liked the relationships that she is tangled in, whether they be friendship or romance, to have more foundational strength.

Overall, it was a okay, light read; but the pacing, the unexploited potential and the unnecessary romance made it a little annoying.

3 stars! 

Ignite The Sun is a good debut and an entertaining read. 

Siria Nightingale has never seen the sun. Not because she is locked away somewhere but because in her world, there is no sun anymore. It's been 15 years since Queen Iyzabel has established the Darkness and since then no one has seen the dangerous sun. Siria, however, hates the darkness and wants to know all the stories about the sun and the times when light was around. 

Ignite the Sun had the opportunity to be outstanding but I believe some things just weren't feeling quite right for me. The pacing is good and the world building and magic system is intriguing and captivating. 

I know the whole 'there's no more light in the world' thing has been overdone a little recently, but this one actually makes sense and is interesting from the very start. The magic system and the world of this was what saved this book for me and kept me interested until the very end. 

Overall, it's a good debut with a good premise and it's an entertaining read.

Ignite the Sun's concept drew me in right away. I loved the idea so much. I also loved the world that Hanna Howard created.
The other characters were also unique and a good quest story always keeps me interested, especially when its heroes taking back 'the light' from dark powers.
It's a sweet book I'd recommend for younger audiences 13-14 years old.

*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 Nightingale is 16 years old. She always felt out of place and she don't know who she is until something happened and  the truth was revealed. She is in danger because of who she is. I don't like her at first because she is annoying and whines a lot but then I grew to like her. 

Btw there is a different kind of creatures including herself and goshh that is interesting af! But there is only a little information about those creatures. Linden, Yarrow and Merrell were the one who helped Siria throughout her journey and I liked all of them!! 

Siria passed out whenever she used her power goshhh I mean this story need another pov so that I can experience the tension over what happened whenever she passed out. 

It was an easy read and kinda predictable but I like it anyway! Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for Ignite The Sun ARC!

One of the best aspects of this novel was the worldbuilding. In fantasy, there is almost nothing quite as important. I have read many fantasies where the story would have been so much better if the worldbuilding was done right. I also really enjoyed the main character, Siria. It was interesting to see her grow, even though her constant questioning of everything did get old after awhile. This seems to be something that occurs quite often in YA fiction nowadays.

I will say that there were some parts that were boring or the pacing was just too slow. This always knocks at least one star off for me. 

In the end, this book fell right in the middle for me. It was good, and I enjoyed reading it. But overall, I couldn't give it a 4-5 star since I generally save that kind of rating for books that just completely blew me away.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a very fast paced adventure with just the right about of fantasy. I loved how each of the characters contrasted each other so well. Each character was very unique and came from very different places. I could not seem to put this book down. I thought the plot was very fresh and unique but it wasn't very hard to understand or figure out which I enjoyed. Now on to the complaints. In the first 1/3 of the book the main character complained A LOT. And I mean Harry Potter in the Order of the Phoenix a lot. But once you get past that it is a pretty good book overall. Also a couple times I thought there were some plot holes but I'm not quite sure. They were very small if there were any (or maybe I just misunderstood what was happening which is also very likely haha.) And for the final one, there could have been a little more depth in some of the plot details or characters but it wasn't an obvious lack of depth. All in all a good read and I would recommend.

I sped through Ignite the Sun. I didn't want to put it down and I was so 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 by the many, many magical creatures in this world. We have Mages, Naiads. Elves, Pixies, Satyrs, Shefauns, Wyrms, Witches and Banshees. I especially loved the different quirks each creature has, and ways they are identifiable.

Ignite the Sun is set in a world where the sun is but a distant memory, believed by the public to be a dangerous force of evil.. Instead, their world is shrouded in darkness by Queen Iyzabel. When Siria attents the queen's choosing ball, what she discovers will change her life forever.

I really appreciated that our MC, Siria isn't a typical YA protagonist in the sense that she isn't trained in combat, nor is she especially strong. She's also incredibly emotional, and I loved how the author allowed her (and other characters) to feel and express emotions. This book is heavily centred around friendships, and the lengths you would go to save the people you love. Siria did start off with a 'woe is me' attitude that made me dislike her at first, however I grew to like her by the end of the book. 

I do wish we had seen more of Queen Iyzabel in the beginning. She was a very textbook villain with the odd bit of context here and there. Naturally, I disliked her. However I like my villains to be a little more than just 'evil.' I also found the dialogue to be very simplistic, however it was easy to read and follow. I would recommend this book to the younger side of YA, beginners of fantasy, or if you're just looking for a fun, fast-paced adventure with elemental magic!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read this all in one sitting! Stay tuned for an interview with the author, Hanna Howard, below!

This was a fantastic, magical debut! At times, the "romance" aspect was a bit cheesy, and there were some aspects of the plot that didn't make sense to me, but the action moved along quickly, and I never felt like the story dragged. I was completely engrossed in the story! If you like books with magic, you will probably love this.

I'll keep this review short and sweet so you can enjoy the interview.

In Ignite the Sun, there are many different characters with some sort of magical powers (elves, mages, naiads, sun children etc). If you could choose to have one magical power, what would you choose and why?

HH: Great question! I am very attracted to the idea of elemental magic in fiction, because I think the idea of natural power being wielded is really cool, but I confess I wouldn't really find it very useful in my day-to-day life. :) So from a boring, practicality standpoint, I think I'd have to go with teleportation. I am always running late--and I hate airplanes--so if I could just zap myself somewhere without the bother of travel, I would be really jazzed.


What were some alternative ideas for Ignite the Sun ?  Are there any scenes that you liked but eventually had to take out?

HH: For most of its existence, IGNITE was called SUNCHILD. When my agent took it on submission to editors, we renamed it SOMETHING LIKE THE SUN, and then after she acquired the rights, my editor started the process of finding its permanent title. Some favorites in that process were, A FLAME TO SPITE THE DARK, SET THE SUN TO RISE, and BREAK THE DARK, but in the end IGNITE THE SUN won out. :)

And yes! This book has actually been through more than a dozen revisions over the course of nearly a decade, so there have been many, many scenes that have eventually been axed, and quite a few that I loved. Two of my favorites were early moments in which Siria, fueled by emotion, finds herself airborne by her power without yet understanding how. One of these was during the group's escape from the royal city. I had a really clear image in my head of what the scene looked like: Siria, glowing like a torch as she rose above the boat on the dark river, her light the only illumination for miles, and my sister in-law recently told me she had always imagined that scene as the book's cover. But for several very good plot and character reasons, we had to cut it.


Which part of the book did you enjoy writing the most?

HH: Any scene in which Siria uses her power I absolutely loved writing. Light and dark imagery has the most compelling and powerful language for me, and I loved being able to use it in such a literal sense. I also love writing flying scenes, even though I am myself afraid of heights. :)


What is your favorite writing snack?

HH: This isn't really a snack, but tea is absolutely my favorite accompaniment to writing. I prefer the English brands--PG Tips, Yorkshire Blend, or Typhoo--and I usually make a large pot of it and drink it with a splash of milk. I don't know how many thousands of cups I have consumed over the course of this book's writing and revision, but it must be many...


What was your favorite book as a child?

HH: When I was a child I didn't really read books about people (with the exception of Harry Potter and the Boxcar Children); I much preferred animal books. Some of my favorites were the Hank the Cowdog series, and anything by Bill Wallace. Later, as a young teen, I started to get into what we would now call YA (though at the time I probably just thought of it as teen lit). My favorite book became Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine, and it remains my favorite standalone novel to this day.


What was the best part of the writing process?

HH: Drafting this book was really fun--watching the story unspool--but in general my favorite part of writing is the word-polishing stage. Once all the initial hard work of plot and character revisions is done, and it's just a matter of honing each sentence to a sharp point, and shining it until it glows... that's my favorite part.

You have so many fun character names! How did you decide what to name your characters? Were there any you liked that you didn’t end up using?

HH: Thank you! :) I like my names to have some meaning pertinent to the characters they go with, but of course that doesn't always happen. Siria is a tweak of the name Sirius, which is the brightest star in our sky, and comes from a Greek word that means "glowing" or "scorching." And a nightingale is obviously a bird that sings in the night--a metaphor for what Siria becomes. Yarrow is a hardy medicinal herb with lots of uses, but also sort of rambling and tough looking. Linden trees are lovely, with heart shaped leaves, and a lot of sort of broadly-appealing qualities. And an elegy is, of course, a lament for the dead. The one name I had to edit out was the name Iris, for the rebel leader who became Briar. My agent thought it sounded like a female name, but I really liked the sort of feminine, soft name on such a prickly, mean man.

What is your favorite quote from the book?

HH: Ooof, hard question! I've always been very fond of the closing line in the prologue: "Once upon a time," he said, turning back to us as the bowl glowed orange and a trickle of smoke crept from the corner of his mouth, "there was something called the sun."

If you could spend the day with one of your characters, who would you choose and why?

HH: I think probably Yarrow. I wrote a lot of my dad into him, and since we lost my dad to cancer in 2015, a day spent with Yarrow might be a bit like a day spent with my much-beloved father, with the added benefit of magic. :) I would probably spend most of the day fending off his thorny sarcasm and asking him to demonstrate the full extent of his mage power and/or reminisce about the days before Luminor fell.

This is a very fast paced book, which doesn't work for everyone but worked for me, I always prefer to just get on with things. Very early on Siria is presented at court with other girls who look like her (pale, ginger, I'll get to that at the end) and is revealed to be the last remaining sunchild, a threat to the Queen who has surrounded the Kingdom in darkness.

Ignite The Sun managed to do something that has only ever happened once before, in The Winner's Curse - it made me fall in love with the male love interest within the first few chapters. I loved forest boy Linden, he was a very sweet, caring character without being saccharine in his love for Siria.

Linden and Siria's relationship has almost started at the beginning of the book as they'd known each other for years, but status kept them apart. Over the course of the book they start to realise that there is a possibility for them, and they start to explore that.

While this does rely on the old fantasy chosen one trope, the found family aspect and the constant action kept me gripped. Making friends with a mermaid and a banshee who join their ragtag group, they travel across the land of darkness very much like in Wizard Of Oz, trying to escape the notice of the Queen's Guard along the way.

I did not think of it when reading, but thinking back on it I've realised why it bothered me so much that Siria was constantly seen as beautiful - it didn't come across that the sunchildren, which was basically very attractive girls with sun magic - were ever anything but pale, ginger, freckled. So no-one of colour. I'm not sure what that message is supposed to be.

The story seems to have been wrapped up in this book, which is good, but I enjoyed it enough that I would really like a sequel, from the banshee Elegy's perspective. She's only twelve in this book, and a really interesting character as she's been essentially kicked out of home for not being good enough for her mother, so moving the story 4 years on would be fascinating.

Introduction To Ignite The Sun
Queen Iyzabel has shrouded the kingdom in darkness, leaving sunlight an old legend. Unable to satisfy her quench for lightness, sixteen year old Siria enlists the help of rebels so that lightness may return back to the kingdom. Full synopsis here.

Plot of Ignite The Sun
The concept of this book is amazing and I love the play on lightness and darkness. I especially loved the different mythological beings such as banshees, elves, nymphs, dwarves naiads and more. It was an interesting dynamic and whilst I wish we got to know more of the side characters, I understand that this is a chosen one story so the focus is on Siria. Whilst there were unbelievable aspects of the story, such as Siria being able to battle people who have had years of training, I did find myself fully gripped and immersed within the story.

I adored the relationship between Siria and Linden, with the childhood friends to lovers trope- this was done so well! Even Siria’s relationship with older characters, I got the teacher and student trope vibe from them!

The writing whilst easy to read, often played on show rather then tell. Because of this, I found I wasn’t able to connect to all of the characters. Also, some scenes were longer then needed whilst others were merely explained within a few sentences. The world building is my favourite aspect of this book, it’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to explore that more!

Characters
Each character had their own individual backstory which was so interesting. They all had a purpose and weren’t there for the sake of a plot device too. Although, I wish we got to know more of their personality and see why the group was so close knit. For me, I love it when character banter in books lightens up the tension, but there wasn’t much of that for me.

For spoiler reasons, I’ll only describe my thoughts on Siria!

Whatever she knew growing up has basically been a lie and so readers watch her internal struggle deciding between what is fact and fiction. A fierce young heroine, desperate to return order and happiness to her world. Siria’s character is relatable and realistic, I don’t think I ever felt frustrated with her in the book.

Conclusion Of Ignite The Sun
Overall, I’d rate this 3 stars. Whilst there are some flaws in this book, I did enjoy it. I’m sure Hanna Howard’s books to come will be bettered and improved. And I will be reading her next work!