The concept of this book was really interesting. A world where the sun has effectively been taken out of commission by a great darkness after a coup by the current queen,  Iyzabel, who has forced all the magical creatures she can find into giving up their magic in exchange for their lives. Siria, a red headed schoolgirl at a boarding school, with emotionally disconnected parents, is readying herself for her presentation to the queen, knowing that being chosen will lead to (perhaps) a level of acceptance from her parents. To say things don’t go to plan at the choosing ball is an understatement, leading Siria to flee for her life with a magic wielder and two nymphs (picking up a banshee on the way). Effectively Siria is the last hope for the country to see the sun again as the last surviving sun child. She must travel to the edges of the land, where the darkness is weakest, to tap into the power of the sun in the hope that she can use its power to break through the darkness and free the land.

A good pace to the story, maybe a little fast at times as Yarrow transporting Siria out of danger meant there wasn’t always a satisfactory resolution to their dangers. The main characters are a bit up and down as a group, with Siria particularly finding it hard to trust the others, but it was nice to see them grow together over the course of the tale. I likes that they weren’t typical hero species (naiads and banshees tend not to take centre stage). It would have been good to delve a bit deeper into the characters, and to find out more about the villains, especially the queen, whose perspective and story aren’t really told. Overall an engaging book which shows promise for future offerings.

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

This was a much-anticipated release for me and I am so thankful to have received this copy. I went into this book not knowing much about it. The blurb intrigued me and with the magic, mythology and premise, it held on tight. 

A kingdom shrouded in darkness and under the rule of an evil Witch Queen, who despises and fears the sun and light-filled ways of old, seeks to destroy all who thrive in it, deeming them a threat to her regime. The last sunchild especially. The world created seemed grand and lush, I just wish that there were more descriptions to really immerse yourself in it. Some descriptions fell flat or were half-finished, and lacked a certain luster that would have added to the richness of the story. I did like that the darkness that enveloped the land, had varying layers, where the sun could peak in and allow crops to still grow but the further away from the kingdom you went, the darkness was stretched thin and you could feel real warmth.  

Siria Nightingale is an ordinary girl living in that kingdom of darkness. Never having seen the sun in her 16 years of life but always feeling a pull towards it. Unbeknownst to her, she is the last living sunchild. A nymph who wields fiery powers like the sun and is prophesized to end the darkness and bring back the light. She is someone I started off not really caring for, she was very whiny and naïve BUT by the end of the story, she learned to accept herself, and her powers. I ended up liking her quite a lot. The other characters felt like they were just there. The dialogue seemed forced or superficial. I did not particularly care for one of the other characters, Merrall, because she was bitchy (a peeve of mine) in like 85% of the book. I didn’t understand why she was that way to Siria, it didn’t seem necessary to the overall story. Also, Sira’s romance with Linden felt underwhelming, as she is mainly caught up in his looks and not what makes him a good man, their dialogue lacks a certain depth and I felt it overshadowed her journey of self-acceptance.  

The story itself was enjoyable. I had a very hard time putting the book (Kindle) down because I wanted to know what happened next. A lot of the writing was not exactly my favorite but it did flow nicely. There were a lot of fade-to-black scenes, especially around the main character. It was also over-saturated with tropes, like the Chosen One, Best Friends turn Lovers, and this last one isn’t exactly a standard “trope” but it’s where the two main girls hate each other. Why can’t the girls be friends and help one another? This is something that needs to be normalized within the YA world. 

Overall, I found the writing style fairly basic but I think this is a good debut novel. As the plot developed, the writing developed with it, letting this book end better than it started. It delivered some important and powerful messages of self-acceptance, self-love, and confidence. I feel this book would be well received among younger YA readers. 

I would recommend this book for fantasy lovers looking for something different, if you can look past overdone clichés.

Ignite the Sun was a quick fun read. I loved the idea of a kingdom shrouded in darkness and controlled by an evil witch. Siria has been raised to fear the sun and the light. Siria has also been an outcast because of her unusual red hair. 

I had an issue with the character development in this story. They lacked depth and motivations that would've made me care about them more. The magic system in this story seemed to be lacking and the story would've benefited with more of the nitty gritty of the magic. I did love the world-building and lore that the world had though. The pacing was off in this story, but I realized that it was a standalone rather than the beginning of a series. It's not quite a bad thing. I feel that there are too many series now-a-days, I can appreciate a standalone. I

Overall, this was a quick read for me. I definitely recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty interesting story, all about a queen who covered the land in Darkness to save the people there from the vile sun, but in reality she is a witch who twisted it all for her own ends. The only hope is a sun child, the last sun child (someone who is born exactly at dawn) who doesn't even know who she is. For being in the dark (forgive the pun) about it all, Siria does a fairly good job of handling the sudden appearance of her powers as well as learning the truth about herself and her friends. I found the pace to be pretty good, though I think if it were longer and went into more detail about the lore of the island and even more about the queen and her tragic backstory, I would like it even better.  I thought the different species were fascinating (the various nymphs and mages and such). Maybe a companion book set in the past, to explain the whole story about Iyzabel and her sister and how the darkness came to be? I would read that!

I definitely would not want to live in a world with no sun, even though I sunburn fairly easily. And it was fun to think I could possibly have some sun child in me too, since I have freckles and red hair too. :) The was a fun book.

I loved the premise and I liked the characters but the story was a little too long. I kind of got the feeling that the author wanted to write a novella but then had to stretch it out. I'm actually surprised to see on Goodreads that it's 352 pages. I thought it probably barely touched 300. No wonder it felt a little thin.

Siria seems to not have had the amount of trials or consequences that a lot of protagonists in her genre/novel-length have had (in my experience). There's deep stuff happening but it kind of gets moved on from or resolved somewhat quickly. There would have been scope for a lot of depth and heartbreak here and it wasn't really explored. It was a little predictable at times and there wasn't a *huge* amount of tension.

The romance was fine but kind of felt like it got in the way, while at the same time also not being fully explored. It felt like Howard didn't know if she wanted to write a fantasy novel or a romance novel so she smushed the two together but didn't have a good amount of guidance as to how to handle that well.

Sometimes you see artists "redraw" their old art five or ten years later to show their improvements. I hope Hanna Howard keeps on writing and then rewrites this novel the way it deserves to be written.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

CW: general scenes of action and some betrayal

2.5/5

While this is a solid debut with good writing and a quick pacing, I wasn't into it. I found it almost too quick most of the time. I never really got a grasp of the world (although I enjoyed the inclusion of folk creatures that aren't usually front and center in stories, like niads and banshees) and it felt like it wasn't explained properly for me. I also never got attached to the characters. Every plot twist or issue felt like it was solved so fast. All in all, it felt like it could have used more editing and polishing to really bring this story to life for me. So good and I'd read another book by this author in the future, but not amazing.

First of all, this cover is DROP DEAD GORGEOUS and I can't wait to see what it looks like in person. 

The worldbuilding was pretty good and it made me want to read more! The pacing was perfect and made the book a lot easier to read. The romance was also super cute and definitely something I want to see more of. 

I think the concept is definitely intriguing, but the quality of writing could use some work. While it is a debut, the storyline still came off as quite simplistic and the mc was rather a "cookie-cutter" ya protagonist. It was difficult to connect with the characters because of this.

Overall, it's a decent debut but I'm not sure if I want to continue with the series

This was a quick, fun read that had a lot of complexities to it. Don't think that just because this book is fast or short that it doesn't pack a punch. First, we have to deal with a genocide as all of the Sunchildren, the enemy to our Queen of Darkness, have been killed to prevent any tampering to her plans. Siria, our main character, deals with a lot of self confidence issues, and has a dysfunctional family. Though, I did love the adopted family story line. This book contains fun, light moments in contrast to the serious darkness that these characters face. It was a good balance. Overall, I enjoyed it and I really liked the ending. I wish we got a little more to the ending, but I'm happy with what I got so far.

Ignite the Sun is an interesting yet fairly unoriginal story. It is absolutely full of cliches such as the chosen one and lost princess tropes and even an “AnD tHeRe WaS oNlY oNe BeD” scene. This book also utilized “childhood friends to lovers” for the romance and though I am normally opposed to this specific cliche, I have to admit Siria and Linden are absolutely adorable. The main character had a very interesting and complex character arc that I really enjoyed except for the fact that it portrayed quietness as something to overcome, a notion that I strongly disagree with. I really loved the side characters, specifically Elegy and Merrall, they’re amazing! The book was extremely lacking in diversity, though. The magic system in Ignite the Sun was also extremely cool although the main character had just too many powers. These powers didn’t come naturally to her, though, and given the huge amount of power she had I felt this was necessary and enjoyed that the author chose to put this in the book. The plot itself was intriguing and extremely action packed, I was completely on the edge of my seat towards the end!
Siria’s journey kept me hooked and though it borrows from many classic tropes, Ignite the Sun stands on its own as a captivating and enjoyable read.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

“Ignite The Sun” is a young adult fantasy book centered around the main character Siria Nightingale, a sixteen-year-old who yearns to see sunlight for the first time after living in a world accustomed to darkness.

Siria is taught that Light is dangerous, and she still tries to get used to the darkness and tries to focus on potentially earning herself a place in the court, but once she eventually finds out some crucial information, she and her best friend Linden embark on the adventure that a lot of the plot of the story is centered around. She is the last sunchild, and on the trip, she learns how to use the powers that she has.

The plot of this book was very intriguing, and unlike a lot of the other fantasy books I’ve read, and the adventure that makes up the majority of the plot line kept me captivated as I continued to read this book. Overall, I thought it was a very interesting story and I would definitely recommend that fans of fantasy check this one out.

What is the last book you just wanted to hug? A book that made you want to crawl inside? A book pulled you into the story and made you forget you were reading?

For me, it was this book! I was catapulted along a whirlwind adventure and found myself sneaking off to read whenever I could. The setting was gripping, I want to hang out with the characters, and already have plans to reread so I can visit them again! 

I recommend this book wholeheartedly. It is one of the best books I’ve read this year!

I have been reading a lot of fantasy YA books lately and I am always looking for one that holds my interest and keeps me turning pages. 
I will admit, the start to this book was slow and not very strong. I was lost for about the first 10% of the book because there wasnt a lot of background or world building at first and it left me feeling underwhelmed.
However, this book really started picking up about 1/3 of the way into the book. At first, Siria, the MC was whiny, felt sorry for herself, and distrusted everyone around her. Right around this point, she grows up and decides to accept who she is, and I really loved her character once she went through this change. I think the supporting characters were stronger than her through the book.
I almost feel that this book would have been better as a duology, because the beginning and ending felt very rushed and I wish there would have been more information on this world and the different people, because this was a great and unique idea. 
Overall, it was a good book in the middle half, I just wish the beginning and ending were written better to grab and keep my attention.

This book was incredibly interesting. I found the mythology and overall premise incredibly fascinating, and that was what kept me going, especially the witches and the idea of stealing powers. I have to admit, though, that I really wasn’t a fan of the characters. They seemed really shallow, and I couldn’t find myself connecting to any of them, unfortunately. The romance felt forced and weird, and I didn’t particularly enjoy it.
Great concept, not 100% sold on the execution.

I was hooked at the very first sentence in the prologue: "Yarrow, tell me about the sun." This book is so good!

Siria doesn't know why she doesn't like the darkness. She doesn't know why she is infatuated with the sun. She has only wanted one thing for as long as she can remember: to be on Queen Iyzabel's court. And it's the only thing her parents want her to do, the one thing that may make them proud of her.

I enjoyed how the story unfolds. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out where a story is going. This one kept me guessing until the final scene. I had my theories but those flew out the window. The journey that Siria and her little group of misfits embark on is about more than defeating an evil witch. It's about overcoming everything that holds them back, everything that has brought them together in the first place.

The action scenes are well done. They make the reader feel as if they are there too. I really enjoyed the world building and the magical system. The way these were written made it believable and to seem possible. I felt a part of the story rather than only reading it.

I laughed and cried I became angry. I sobbed and cheered. I see the connection of this story to depression and anxiety now. As I was reading it, maybe not so much. I was too engrossed in the story. Now as I look back, I definitely see it, especially one particular scene close to the end of the book.

This is such a great debut novel! I hope to read many more by this author, I gave this book 5 stars and highly recommend it.

I straight up LOVED this book. Siria's journey was heartfelt and emotional. I thoroughly enjoyed how she came to love and accept herself and her newfound power. I love that she was motivated to protect those she cared for but didnt just suddenly turn into a badass like in some books. Siria grew into herself as a "hero" and her relationship with Linden was sweet to read. I'm happy there was more to her story than just her love interest. 

One of my favorite scenes was when Siria ended up at Bronya and Roarks farm. The connection she formed with Bronya and learning about her mother and the rest of her family was truly touching and when she left to find her companions you could feel the ache the characters had to of felt at their parting.

10 out of 10 I highly reccomend this book for anyone wanting to go on an adventure. I dont want to write much more because I'd hate to give the whole book away but BUY THIS BOOK.

Thank you #netgalley for my copy to read and honestly review

Ignite the Sun is a debut YA fantasy set in a world of darkness ruled by and evil queen, and Siria gets swept up in a plot to take her down. This one's a fast paced and fun read with a fairy tale energy and seems to be a standalone novel. Which is rare in YA fantasy. Very enjoyable, but I would have liked the villain queen to be more developed. She comes off as 'evil just to be evil' could benefit from some more backstory.

I was feeling overwhelmed with work and hadn’t read a book in weeks, but then I was approved for an arc of this book through Netgalley. I initially opened it just to get a feel for it but then I read the first page, and the one after that and the one after that ... until I had the book finished a few hours later. I needed this book more than I can convey. It helped me relax and release some of the tension I was carrying around.

Every now and then I come across a book that is so gorgeous, so poetic, so chock-full of FEELINGS that I feel like I'm having an extra-sensory reading experience—like I'm not just reading the words, but tasting and swimming in them. These are the books that make me alternately feel ecstatically delighted, and make me despair of ever writing anything half so amazing. Ignite the Sun is exactly that type of book!

It was beautiful, captivating, and utterly transportive... I can't recommend it enough!

3.5 stars

This book surprised me!

I'm not always the best at reading synopses, so when I started this book and realized it was a fantastical work about a world drenched in darkness waiting for a Sunchild to come of age...and maybe save everyone, I was immediately hooked.

The allegorical, strong light versus darkness themes were lovely, and I adored the unique "fairy-tale" elements woven throughout. Also, the romance was adorable, and I thoroughly enjoyed Siria's journey from fear and weakness...to so much more! Hanna Howard is a new-to-me author, and I'm intrigued to read what comes next.

Some notes: As I said before, I wasn't expecting a "magical" book, so the Fae/legend elements did surprise me a bit. There is a witch and a nasty/violent backstory. There is also a small amount of cursing, which came as even more of a surprise, since I was under the impression Blink was a "clean YA" publisher. In my recollection, there were three "d*mns" and one "h*ll," so do bear that in mind if you are part of a younger audience or would simply prefer not to read cursing.

I was intrigued by this premise until the main character was revealed to be the lost princess and magically transformed from a pale skinned girl to a girl who had so many freckles that her entire body was covered in them, basically making her a woman of colour... written by a white woman. I liked the explanation of the mythology and the magic system, and honestly it was the only thing that interested me enough to keep reading. The main character experienced almost instantaneous mastering of her powers even though they had been locked away for years and would usually take years to learn. As well, the pacing of the story was off; almost consistently through the whole book there would be a chapter of explanation, followed by a chapter of the group of characters running away from some dangerous creature.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blink for granting me access to a digital eARC of this book.

In a kingdom ruled by an evil witch, the sun has been banished by darkness, and only a sunchild, a fire nymph, will have the power to "Ignite the Sun" and bring peace and hope back to a broken and desolate land. Siria Nightingale is a young woman of high rank who has always been different from her peers. She not only detests the darkness that they all spend their lives in, but she actively seeks out the forbidden tales, depicting a world of sunshine, told to her by her family's servant, Yarrow. She also spends a great deal of her time playing with Yarrow's young ward Linden as she grows up. Though all her actions are frowned upon in polite society, she constantly seeks the approval of her parents. This means that when she comes of age, she is expected to earn a place at court with Queen Iyzabel. However, as the choosing ceremony draws near, the darkness surrounding the royal city seems more oppressive than ever, and it seems this particular choosing ceremony is not what Siria had hoped it would be... Soon Siria finds herself in possession of powers she never asked for, on the run for her life and trusting her fate in the hands of those who have deceived her all her life. Filled with romance, action, magic and heartbreak, this epic YA tale spans the breadth of a kingdom, builds magical lore and brings colorful characters to life! 

I gave this book a strong 4 out of 5. There were some aspects that were a little frustrating to me. For one thing, we're left with quite a few loose ends for several character arcs by the conclusion of the story. (If there are plans for a future installment, then I would have no problem with where things left off, but I didn't get the impression that this story will continue) Also, much of the feelings and thoughts of the main character Siria are spoon fed to the reader, rather than allowing them to see it and interpret the moments for themselves. In my opinion, this story is something that requires some much bigger world building and fleshing out of characters over the span of several books. I felt that we were lacking in a lot of the backstory necessary to feel more emotionally connected to the characters and to be able to grieve over the inevitable losses along the way.

That being said, I truly enjoyed this book. Putting aside the critiques, the writing in this story is just excellent! The descriptions of the battles made everything more visceral and you could feel the tension and the heartbreak. The romance plot was quite nice as well and featured a "old friends to lovers" sort of trope, which I'm always a sucker for!  I could not put the book down, and I think many fans of a hero's journey plot line will enjoy it!