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.

I recieved a free copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


This book was amazing. It was full wonder, magic and love. With lots of danger, friendship, backstabbing and even a little romance. I loved Siria as a main character, she was different and learned all about magic and the sun children as the book went on. I loved how the history was revealed bit by bit.


I loved the suporting characters. They added a lot to the book, I felt as much for them as I did for Siria. The setting was amazing, it was well described and felt very real. The pacing was great and the ending was well planned and good. There was enough explanation about what happened after to leave me satisfied.


Overall it was a great fantasy book, that I would be happy to read again and again.


5 out 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Ignite The Sun follows Siria and her ragtag gang of friends/found family as they all venture North to find the Sun which hasn’t been able to penetrate the magical darkness in her country for 15 years. 

Overall I really enjoyed this book- and definitely look forward to seeing what else Howard writes. The found family aspects of the book were absolutely my favorite part and Elegy must be protected at all costs. It did feel a bit clunky at times, and definitely read like a fairly typical YA fantasy chosen one story but I did like the Sun/Darkness symbolism/storyline. 

I would have liked to see a bit more of an exploration of the limits of Siria’s powers, because they felt incredibly heavy handed and limitless. It made the villains rise to power a bit unbelievable. If a nearly untrained sunchild can conveniently learn to wield her powers in a handful of months, how was the entire country of multiple magical beings overthrown seemingly with ease. Everything just felt too convenient and the logic was lacking. 

That being said, I still gave it 3.5-4 stars because it was just fun to read if you’re able to suspend your disbelief and go with the story. 

I was a bit confused by the Christian publishing imprint and seemingly random Christian quotes that lead off some of the chapters though- the story itself doesn’t seem to be religious at all (other than a very loose light vs dark dichotomy) so that was weird 🤷🏻‍♀️

What if you had grown up your whole life in a place of darkness and then you find out that what you been told about sunlight, sun children and the darkness you lived in are all a lie.   That what happens to our character Siria Nightingale.   She spends her whole life and those around her as well wrapped in a cloak of darkness.  Like all stories like this on her 16th birthday everything changes.   She learns the truth about sunchildren, she learns that the total darkness is the work of something evil and she is the only hope.

Ignite the Sun is the story of a lost princess who must harness the light she was born to wield to break a darkness that consumes her world and to defeat the evil Witch queen who turned her life upside down. Siria Nightingale has always felt like an outsider at her boarding school, dreaming about stories of the sun while her classmates worry about things like marriage and dresses. That's why she's shocked when she's chosen to travel to Queen Izybel's court for her Choosing Ball. But what seems like a dream at first soon turns into a nightmare that sends Siria on the run and reveals an entire identity and power she never knew about before. As Siria fights for her life and learns how to harness the sunlight that has called to her for so long, she's thrown right in the middle of a rebellion to free her country from the witch she once regarded as her queen and accept who she is before she becomes the darkness' next victim. 
Ignite the Sun had quite a few things going for it. The concept that inspired this story was really great and original  I loved the magic system and how it combined the elements of nature with mystical beings such as fae, naiads and elves. I also thought the backstory of Siria's family and their ascent from power at the hands of Izybel was really well done too. I love a good lost family/secret royalty trope and I felt that Howard handled that really well. I also saw influences of Scottish lore in here. Unfortunately, I didn't love this novel as much as I wanted to. For a good half of the book, I couldn't stand the main character. All she did was whine and feel sorry for herself. Now, to the author's credit, Siria grows out of that, but she was like that for enough of the book to permanently turn me off from her character. Another issue I thought this book had was with pacing. A lot of places in this novel really dragged on to me, and I had a hard time maintaining interest in this story in many places. So I would have to rate it 3 or 3.5 stars. Ignite the Sun is a story about a lost heritage and lost legacy, and how we sometimes have to choose bravery in spite of what we feel to claim our own destinies.

3.75 stars.
I loved this book!!! It was so so addicting. Once I started I couldn’t stop reading it. If it hadn’t been for my exam I would have finished this book in max 2.5 days. As the rating suggests, there were a few things I didn’t like, but before I get into them let’s talk about what I loved about Ignite The Sun.

What I loved

I loved Siria’s character. I loved following along her story, travelling with her and seeing the world through her eyes. I really connected with her.

The second point I would like to mention is I really liked the world of Ignite the Sun. It has a lot of different creatures, like nymphs, mages, witches etc, and each has there different set of magic rules, which is something I really liked. Even though the world here was not as complicated as some other fantasy books, but still I personally really enjoyed it. I think this book would be really good for Fantasy newbies, because the world was so easy to understand.

I think the biggest plus point of this book is how it is always moving. The adventure never stops in Ignite the Sun. You will never feel like putting the book down. There is always something happening, either revelations were being made, or they were being attacked, or Siria was discovering her powers. It was a perfect escape read for me, as I was completely transferred to that world. Each day, I really looked forward to the time I would be able to dive back into this book.

What I didn’t like

The first problem I faced was that there was not much time for the relationships to develop. Like, the scene where Siria called Yarrow her father. But before that scene there were only 2 scenes where we actually saw any kind of fatherly bond between them, and that too were not very prominent. I wanted more Yarrow and Siria time. I also wanted more Siria and Linden time. I personally thought a lot of the relationships in this book needed a bit more time than what was allotted to them.

Now coming to my second problem. Till 86-87% it was fine, Siria slowly realised her power, the way you would expect, but then all of a sudden in a mere few pages she had learnt everything there was to know about being sunchild and defeating the witch. It was all so sudden. In my opinion, Ignite the Sun should have been given at least 20 more pages here.

Overall

The problem in a nutshell was Ignite the Sun tried to do a lot of things in just mere 350 pages. Now, I am not saying that Ignite the Sun was a bad, it wasn’t. It was great. I really enjoyed it. But in my opinion I would have liked Ignite the Sun better if it was made a bit more longer or maybe made into a series, so that more time was given to the relationships and more time was given to Siria learning how to defeat the black queen. But, having said all this I would like to mention yet again that Ignite the Sun is a really good fantasy book. And if you are looking for an engaging, addicting, fantasy escape, you know what to buy!!!

This was fine. I'd say it's a good read for younger YA readers as it's pretty safe in terms of language, violence and sexual themes. 

While this kind of story has been done before I still thought this had the potential to be a decent read. At first I really appreciated how quickly it moved,  but at some point it started to feel both slow and rushed. This tells me that a) the action wasn't captivating enough and b) I didn't care about the characters enough. I'll read characters I love doing literally nothing and love it, or put characters I don't really care about in situations with real stakes and I'll start caring. 

The romance was quite cute. 

What wasn't cute was all of the coincidences and a lack of intricacy to the story. 

Still, I tore through this in a day and I'd read the author again. 

Thanks to netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Lasting Impressions

One of this book's greatest strengths is the uniqueness of the world this story is set in. What would it be like if the world was forever in darkness? The main character, Siria, grew up never seeing sunlight, and it shows through her nonchalant descriptions of what everything looks like cast in shadow. It's hard to believe that anyone could actually survive in such an environment, but the people in this book do, and I liked seeing he evidence of that. This story's world doesn't only include magical humans, but it includes other species of magical creatures as well, including elves, nymphs, banshees, and dwarfs. Learning about each creature and how they interact with the world was really interesting.

The reader sees all of the world through Siria's eyes in a first-person point of view. I felt an immediate connection with her in the beginning of the story as she yearned to fit in with those around her and earn the love of her parents, who chose to place the thoughts of their queen and kingdom before her. I sometimes struggled to have sympathy for her after the inciting incident since she tended to act selfish and thoughtless, but by the end I appreciated that this showed the progress of her growth and journey to become a more confident young woman. I also enjoyed reading about the other characters that joined Siria on her journey—their different powers and back stories fit well with the lore of the world and the general story over all. I do wish the villain's motivations were explored a little bit more as she didn't feel as if she had much depth until the very end.

I love that this is a standalone fantasy book! Everything is all neatly wrapped up in the end—the story is done. Another thing I loved is the fast-paced nature of this book. The chapters are short and drive the plot toward exciting action scenes. There are moments when exposition slows the pacing down, but for the most part, I was really interested in reading the next chapter.

Quick Thoughts
-I loved the found family relationships in this book as well as the actual family relationships. All of them made my heart so happy.

Overall Thoughts

This is a strong debut that I think fans of Joanna Ruth Meyer and Laura E. Weymouth will enjoy. I can't wait to see what else this author writes!

Ignite the Sun felt way too convenient. Every character ended up having just the right skill to face each problem, and that made this book feel lacking of suspense and tension. Also, the "there's no sun, we live in darkness" feels jaded, but I think it was a decent remake of an overused trope. Overall, the writing was decent, but the plot and characters just weren't it for me.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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 is off. Very off.  

On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, she's 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.

The situation gets too tough? Siria passes out, scene fades to black, she wakes up (relatively) unharmed. 

The situation requires powers beyond her current level? Siria looks within herself, and then snaps her fingers and the powers come out.

The situations seems hopeless in every way, shape and form? Here's a couple of conveniently placed characters who literally have the exact skill set and/or personal connections needed to this situation.

When I read books, I want desperation. I want knife-edge tension. But halfway through, I figured out that there truly was no real danger cause whatever the main character needs will be given to her.

Other than that, this one was rather well-written and I did enjoy the characters. The plot was just completely tension-less.

Ignite The Sun is really a wonderful book about a girl who abruptly forced into a reality and it's her journey along the way. From the beginning, the book had me hooked. It was fast paced and and action-packed and that's exactly how all books should start. The characters in this book were all very lovable and I grew fond of Siria and her crew. Also, the story had some of my favorite tropes (ex: Found Family, only one bed), so I was loving that! The story was well-written. I enjoyed the world-building, I only wish it was a bit longer, as some scenes felt a bit rushed. But overall, it was  a great ride. 

* I received this ARC from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

When I first saw this book no Netgalley, the cover drew me in. The bright, but simplistic cover was an aesthetic that I have been gravitating towards. Read the synopsis and it sounded even more up my alley! Ragtag group of rebels – yes please! Evil witch – yes! The premise that was unique that made me decide I had to read this book was the ‘there is no sun’ aspect. I have never heard of a book taking place where the sun is considered to be legend – I had so many questions that I needed answers to.

Siria was an interesting character. She seemed to act to things rather realistically. Found out that there was a huge secret relating to her, freaked out. Found out the people she loved and trusted had kept that secret – freaked out. I was reading it and had expected the immediate forgiveness, but the author went a different route and had Siria require time to heal and trust. Mind you, this time seemed to go rather quickly, but still wasn’t instant and I liked that. Siria constantly felt like she was being weak and fearful, but there were many instances where she proved herself brave -braver than I would ever be. She was always worried about her friends/found family’s safety and would do anything to make sure the were safe.

Her found family was so perfect. Each character played a valuable role that helped Siria grow. But she also played her own part in their lives. The dynamics of this found family group felt natural, like every piece of the puzzle was accounted for.

The plot had its ups and downs. I found that I would be interested in parts, but then others would drag. There was a fair amount of time between goals in this story and moments where I had wished there was a faster way – or even skimmed passed. I had wished though that the ending had a little more time. It felt like the final part of the book was done in just a few pages, where the getting there was extended longer than necessary. I’m not saying I didn’t like the book, but that the pacing had its moments and I had wished other parts had more of a focus. This could have benefited from being a duology just so we had a little more time in the later half of the book so we felt the weight of it.

That being said, I enjoyed Hanna’s writing and plan on reading more of her work. She brings interesting ideas to the table, changing up the standard trope just enough that it feels new. I highly recommend this book for those who love the chosen one, found family, or outcasts tropes.

In a world where the sun has been obliterated by magic so that the darkness can reign and fuel the powers of a dark Queen sixteen year old Siria Nightingale has her world turned upside down at the Choosing Ball where the Queen chooses new members for her court and Where she discovers that her whole life up until her life has been a lie. She failed to love the darkness that she instead fears, and chose to love those who society deemed below her. What results is an emotional twisty adventure where Siria must learn to love the truth about herself, as well as fight to bring back the sun she has never seen to her kingdom.

For me this book was another fun, light, YA fantasy adventure whose loveable characters reminded me a bit of the casts of Havenfall or The Black Witch Chronicles, great for a bit of escapism from our real world if you love the genre.

While I’m not sure I enjoyed the magic system in this book, I loved the sections of writing describing when people who have never seen sunlight, or a forest that has not been starved or sunshine see what to us seems pretty normal, but is actually quite majestic when you think about it for the first time.

Flipping through a few of my recent reads that are similar, I think you’ll enjoy Ignite The Sun if you enjoyed Havenfall or Garden of Thorns. Also, do follow @hannachoward on Instagram as I’ve really been enjoying her behind the scenes of the writing process posts in the build up to publication!

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. 

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

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. Sixteen-year-old Siria Nightingale has never seen the sun. That’s because Queen Iyzabel shrouded the kingdom in shadow upon her ascent to the throne, with claims it would protect her subjects from the dangerous Light.

The Darkness has always left Siria uneasy, and part of her still longs for the stories of the Light-filled days she once listened to alongside her best friend Linden, told in secret by Linden’s grandfather. But Siria’s need to please her strict and demanding parents means embracing the dark and heading to the royal city—the very centre of Queen Izybel’s power—for a chance at a coveted placement at court. And what Siria discovers at the Choosing Ball sends her on a quest toward the last vestiges of Light, alongside a ragtag group of rebels who could help her restore the sun … or doom the kingdom to shadow forever.

Ignite the Sun is a compelling young adult high fantasy novel and very much follows the style of traditional, lyrical fantasies. The world is so lush and richly-imagined that becoming immersed in it is effortless and the beguiling magic system is creative, engaging and completely enchanting. This fresh-feeling debut strikes the same vein as old school fairytales and is complete with nymphs, banshees and witches. The cast of characters is superbly wrought and so vivid that I found they came alive on the page.

It moves at a perfect pace with the author weaving mental health issues into the narrative; these are dotted throughout but the author never strays into becoming preachy or letting such issues take over the story. The light and darkness of the narrative are metaphors for the light/dark times experienced by those suffering from mental health issues, and especially depression. It's the perfect escape for these troubling times and I'm sure readers will adore it as much as I did. There is mythology woven throughout adding a fascinating depth to it all. Siria is a great protagonist and ultimately this is her journey of self-discovery. Many thanks to Blink for an ARC.

Ignite the Sun is one of those stories that’s unique and easily captivating. It’s brimming with bursts of beautiful prose and extravagant worldbuilding. The chapters end in a way that grasps your attention and guides you to the start of the next chapter. It was hard to put this story down, mainly for the fact that I needed to know what happened next. Ignite the Sun is a YA fantasy debut that someone could finish reading in two days, if not one. It’s the first book in a while that I’ve been able to devour in less than two days.

Siria could easily be described as a delicate flower, in my opinion. It takes her most of the book to develop a hard shell, to understand that she’s not the weak girl she was made out to be. It also took her awhile to become acquainted with her new life and the powers hidden deep inside her. Siria does grow constantly throughout the story, but it’s only her growth I saw through the pages. The secondary characters, her companions, are not illustrated as strongly, but still represent the important roles they play in Siria’s life. My only big downfall with Siria was her constant questioning of everything and everyone. She’s uprooted from the only life she’s ever known and in an instant, she’s painted as the kingdom’s number one enemy, and must flee with those that kept her true heritage hidden from her. I understood her frustrations and why she questioned them, but it took awhile for her to come to peace with their choices and her lineage.

One thing I will say about Siria is that she is wholeheartedly devoted to her friends and newfound family. Originally, she’s devoted to the Queen and her kingdom, but her journey proves that those closest to her are more worthy of her heart. She’s definitely one of those characters that thinks with her heart, which is what made this story more personal. I could tell the author poured her heart and soul into this story and into Siria. It’s one of the parts that made this story so interesting.

Queen Iyzabel is a worthy opponent and villain. Like most villains, there’s a reason for their villainess ways, which they use to justify their actions. Iyzabel is no different. But in the beginning of her reign, she failed to wipe out the one bit of light that could defeat her: Siria. Some of my favorite scenes were finding out the backstory about Iyzabel, so I could better understand her character and actions. She’s encased the kingdom in complete darkness and almost has everyone brainwashed to believe her horror stories about sunlight. Iyzabel is a villain that knows how to manipulate those around her, even without using magic. She’s deadly and not afraid to go after what she wants and what she believes she deserves. And all those qualities make for a woman destined to be a great villain.

The story itself was interesting enjoyable. I really liked the premise and I thought the storyline was unique and well executed. It’s a fast paced fantasy read that I was able to finish in days. Howard’s writing is well-developed and charming. Her writing effortlessly captures your attention and leaves you enthralled. That’s one of the main reasons I kept reading: I really enjoyed Howard’s writing and how beautifully she brought this story together. Each scene flowed well into the next that I never felt there were breaks or rough patches between the chapters. Howard wonderfully brought the world to life with vivid descriptions and lush prose, and that right there is one of the reasons why I’ll pick up her next book.

Ultimately, Ignite the Sun is a great story, with a unique and strong plot, but needed tighter character development. Even with the lack of some elements, I found Ignite the Sun to be a strong debut that I believe many readers will be able to read and enjoy in one sitting.

Ignite the Sun follows a Siria Nightingale a girl who has never seen the sun!

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

Siria lives in a kingdom that only knows darkness, the Witch Queen keeps the light away to 'protect' her kingdom from the dangers of the sun. But Siria has always been obsessed with story's of the sun, even though they were forbidden. 

When Siria travels from her school to the Queens's court she soon discovers she is not who she has been forced to believe she is. 
She questions everything about her life, her parents, her friends and everything she's ever been told about the sun. 
Now she must discover who she really is and try to control an unwanted power to try bring together a bunch of rebels and bring the light back to her kingdom!

I seriously could not put this book down, I loved the premise of the story the first time I read the blurb and knew I had to get a copy of this. It's been a while since I've read a really good standalone book. I'm very happy I had the chance to read this. 

I think my favorite thing about this book was the world building, it was so well done. I loved the fact that we got see a variety of different beings, including Nymphs, Witches and Banshees. The different magical abilities made the world feel really unique and interesting. 

I'm usually not a fan of 'Friends to Lovers' troupe, its probably one of my least favorite, but I actually enjoyed it in this story, it felt really genuine and I was routing for them beginning to end. 

I liked that Siria eventually came to terms with the fact that she had this rare magic ability, she became this strong independent young woman towards the back end of the book and I'm all here for that!

After loving Hanna C Howard's debut I'm keen to see what she does next. 

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

Ignite the Sun by Hanna Howard
Publication date: 18th August 2020
Rating: 4/5 stars
(I received a free arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review contains SPOILERS.)

Sixteen-year-old Siria Nightingale has never seen the sun. The light is dangerous, according to Queen Iyzabel, an evil witch who has shrouded the kingdom in shadow.
Siria has always hated the darkness and revels in the stories of the light-filled old days that she hears from her best friend and his grandfather. Besides them, nobody else understands her fascination with the sun, especially not her strict and demanding parents. Siria’s need to please them is greater than her fear of the dark, and so she heads to the royal city—the very centre of the darkness—for a chance at a place in Queen Iyzabel’s court.
But what Siria discovers at the Choosing Ball will send her on a quest that could bring back the Light—or doom the kingdom to shadow forever. Accompanied by a ragtag group of rebels, she sets her course for the North, toward the last vestiges of the sun.

I honestly have no idea where to begin. Having just finished it, in only two sittings (i had to sleep, otherwise I wouldn't have dared put it down.), it's hard to take a step back to put my thoughts into coherent sentences. 

First of all, I love the cover. it's beautiful and matches the theme of the book. It was one of the things that drew me to the arc before I'd even read what it was about. 

The classic 'childhood best friends to loves' trope, which is often used to death, was spun in a much different light. Linden was determined to hate her, but still protect her, even before he met her, and Siria immediately decided they were to be best friends, and they have been, for ten years before the story starts. Instead of spending most of the book awkwardly pining after unrequited love, they stayed friends, and kept up their friendly banter right up to the reveal, and even beyond, which I think was a nice touch, because so many versions of this trope change the characters attitudes to each other so much that instead of being best friends, they become lovers, and nothing more. No more friendly banter, which in my opinion, is the best part. 

It was so interesting to read because the main character has never seen the sun. We know what its like, but reading from Siria's point of view, you begin to think maybe you take it for granted, being able to see the sun and the light every day. 
The magic system was also very interesting to me. Sunchildren, nymphs, pixies, banshees, elves, dwarves, witches, mages, it was explained so well, and I love that sunchildren really were sunchildren. Everything about them, even their appearance had to do with the sun (ie freckles). 

We were thrust into the story fairly quickly, with a little exposition on the world, and the people, before Siria's big reveal, and the action really begins. Some people might say that the pacing was off, or they didn't like how fast it moved at times, and how slow it seemed at others, but I loved it. I love that balance of fast and slow, action, and plot, so to me, it was preferable. 

Once we got to the rebels and everyone was complacent with letting the Witch Queen continue the way she had been for 14 years, I knew everything was going to go wrong, and with so little left of the book, it was honestly terrifying. I thought for sure Yarrow was dead. 
It turns out Siria didn't even need to wait for the equinox to see the sun for the first time, but I can't help but wonder, how much stronger would she have been if she had stuck to the original plan? if all our beloved characters' lives weren't on the line?

And while we're doing hypothetical questions, would any of this had happened if Izyabel's twin sister hadn't been a sunchild? Sunchildren are loved by everyone, as part of their magic, so naturally, Izyabel would have been pushed to the side, abandoned, neglected compared to her sister. She might have still done it, with other outside influences like Lormac, but she probably wouldn't have hated sunchildren as much. It's an interesting thing to consider, that indirectly, sunchildren can have a negative effect on their siblings and family. 

I have no idea if this is part of a series or a standalone, but I would love more books with Siria, Linden, Elegy, and Yarrow. 

I wouldn't say it was one of the best books I've ever read because I have read a lot of books, but it's definitely in the top ten of this year, and definitely, at the time of writing this, the best arc I've read so far. 

I would recommend this book to fans of Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes, and anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy.

I cannot wait to see this cover in real life. I have a feeling that all the goldy bits are going to be shiny, and it's going to be amazing.

It's a fitting match for the story, which is really, really good.

It's fast paced, exciting, the world building is amazing and the characters are great. I love Elegy and Eamon, but all the side characters are wonderful. I would happily read more about them, although this seems to be a one and done book. If we're really lucky, Hanna will write a side story or sequel later on.

I didn't think much of the villain, though. Everything is from Siria's point of view, of course, but the backstory we get for the villain just falls a little flat, for me.
Her mother liked her sister better, and her boyfriend/husband died in a war *she* started.

Still, as we couldn't get it from her point of view, this is the best we could do, and it's not a deal breaker for me. Just a little odd.

The ads for this book say that it's a metaphor for depression. If so, it's a very subtle one; I didn't pick up on it at all, and I didn't feel that events were being forced into shape to meet a metaphor the author wanted to address.

I really enjoyed reading this, and I'll be watching out for more by Hanna. Even if they're not set in this world, I think they'll be worth reading.