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

Not going to lie, I couldn't put Ignite the Sun down. It was just so interesting and entertaining from the very first page. In it, you will meet Siria. She is sort of living a double life and doesn't know what is fact or fiction until people basically tell her. Even after finding out the truth of who she really is, and who her family actually is, still takes forever for her to believe it.

The amount of times she questions everyone close to her did end up annoying me in the beginning. I get it, they lied.. but they didn't know who to trust. Plus the whole magic thing about being forbidden to talk about it made it a smidge hard as well. Details though.

Besides that, this book also has a reunion or two, betrayal, magic, and a little battle. Her entire journey to the rebels and then her home was okay. Yes, it did have it's boring parts but the pacing and action were what kept me going. Oh, and the little romance that wiggled it's way into my heart. Yes, I had a ship and no I won't give anything away.

In the end, I am so happy that I got the chance to dive into this.

"Everyone's afraid of things. It's how you react that makes you a coward."
Ignite the Sun's premise drew me in right away and piqued my interest in it. The magical world being built up in the book is something I would like to see explored more and expanded upon. The mythos being created is something that drove me to finish the story. I wanted to learn more about nymphs, pixies, and witches. The aspect of the witches and how they gain their abilities was the most intriguing part of all; I've never read of another thing like it. The pacing of the book was well done and brought the reader through the highs and lows they were supposed to experience throughout Ignite the Sun. The ending was sweet and the battle scene was well plotted out. I appreciated the more open ending. I believe that one book is all that is needed to tell Siria's story, though perhaps over a longer period of time there could have been more character growth. Ignite the Sun has a little bit of everything: magic, a new world, romance, the dualistic dance between evil and good, a BEAUTIFUL COVER, and tight ending.

The writing style, in the beginning, was too dry for me; it was flat out boring. Siria reminded me of the trope "I'm not like other girls" and that annoyed the hell out of me. However, throughout the book, she began to grow on me and I enjoyed her character more. All of the other characters were nice, but that's all they were. They lacked depth and I could not connect with them in the way I wanted too. I could see Howard tried to make them as real as they could be but they did not add anything more to the story. When they were in the story I enjoyed it and when they weren't in the story I still enjoyed it. They needed to add something to it with their characters, not just build up Siria's character. I wished we could have gotten more background on Queen Iyzabel, maybe a few POV from her would have given the story more depth. Ignite the Sun seemed too plotted out and stereotypical at times which I did not like but other aspects of the book helped me to overcome these feelings to give Ignite the Sun a three-star rating.

In a world dominated by darkness, where its inhabitants almost forgot about the sun and learnt to fear it while living completely with no lights, lives Siria Nightingale, whose purpose in life is to please her parents and become one of the loyal servants of the Queen Iyzabel. However, she quickly discovers she is the lost sunchild with the power to bring back the sun and defeat the evil queen of darkness. She is of course in complete denial about the reality she is facing, but she will embark on a journey to learn the truth about her powers, her world and herself.

It is very clear from the beginning where the story is going and for the rest of the book, this is a story with a very simple plot and predictable situations. However, I have to admit I actually enjoyed this debut novel. If I consider this story not from an YA-addicted adult’s point of view, but from a teen’s point of view, this is actually not bad.

There were a few things that made me cringe a little bit, though. Sometimes characters do or say things that are so over dramatic, which made me laugh. For example, the association of black hair with darkness and blond/copper hair with sun was a tad childish, or freckles being considered a clear sign of being a sunchild, it was too simple an association. I am just concerned it may send the wrong signal. The “banished banshee” called Elegy was the most simplistic character, and the writer could have come up with another name or function for this character, maybe? Yet, this gives a nice fairy tale touch to the overall story.

In conclusion, it has a solid structure and world building, it’s well written, fast paced, and overall entertaining. I liked it because of its simplicity – and of course the cover is stunning, it’s worth it just for that.

How do you ignite the sun in a world teeming with darkness? Howard explores the answer in this lyrical fairytale that feels at once familiar and fresh. Her innovative world is filled with fascinating characters that will stick in your heart long after you turn the final page. A vivid story, beautifully told.

The main thing this book lacked was exposition - the disruption occurred so immediately at the beginning of the book that we never got a chance to establish the normality and build the world, instead this was done through rushed info-dumping after main conflict had be revealed. As a result of this, the characters didn’t offer enough sense of determination because the constant action left no room for them to develop into dynamic people.
The antagonist of the novel receives very little dialogue which seems counterintuitive for such a significant role. It’s a shame that elements of fantasy such as nymphs don’t get the most coverage within the genre.
This being said, I didn't particularly dislike any elements of the book - the writing style had several lovely passages, it was just the structural pacing which was detrimental to my cohesive understanding of the plot.
Overall, the book seems like the second half of a complete novel which has been put in fast-forward to squeeze into 336 pages.

2,5 stars. The book was nice and it had potential but I didn't“t like it as much as I thought. I liked the world building and the growth of the main character who went from spoiled brat afraid of her powers to confident and brave heroine. On the other hand the other characters sadly didn't‘ have the same depth and the villain in particular needed way more page time, she was more like a device to move the plot forward instead of a real character. A lot of the events of the story felt too convenient which took away any kind of suspence, I never actually feared for the characters‘ safety. I was not interested in the romance because if felt unnecessary and I personally prefer to see the romance bloom and evolve instead of having people whose feelings were born off page before the beginning of the book. Overall, I think most the problem I had with the book were a result of this being the author‘s first novel so I‘m still curious to see what she will write next!

Fifteen year-old Siria Nightingale lives in a world shrouded in Darkness; an outcast at the Gildenbrook school for Girls with her unusual red hair, who longs for affection from her emotionally distant parents. If she can just leave behind her childish fascination with the mythical sunchildren, and ignore her growing fear of the Darkness she knows she could be chosen to serve the Witch Queen Iyzabel. She would finally fit in. Even if it would mean leaving behind her only friend, the gardener’s grandson, Linden.

I’ve always been fascinated with magical beings so to have not only mages and witches, but water naiads, wood nymphs and even a banshee was what truly drew me to this book. Sadly, there’s not nearly enough about these characters and their interesting quirks. This fairytale is all about Siria. It made certain revelations and plot points inconsequential because they weren’t given enough build up. The same could be said of the world she inhabits. Early on, Siria sees “emerald-paned street lamps” in the misty green Royal City of Umbraz, a description which filled me with exuberant delight, to then be quashed without any further exploration. I would have loved to see more depth.

That aside, this book has its heart in the right place; the messages of acceptance, belonging, courage in action and the true meaning of family, are wrapped up in a cute fairytale with a classic good-versus-evil and chosen heroine storyline topped with a sweet first-love romance. I would have enjoyed this as a teen, and benefited from its positive message. Hanna Howard’s debut novel is a wholesome and interesting take on the fairytale story.

Full review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/48999856-ignite-the-sun

Ignite the Sun was a very enjoyable read. I loved the characters. I liked that the main character had some flaws to work on and ACTUALLY worked on them. Her development was great. The romance was adorable.

#IgnitetheSun
#NetGalley
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the E-arc copy of this novel. It has a great story. A lot of detail in one book though.

This book is about as blah as you could get really.

“Ignite the Sun” follows Siria as she works to gain the Queen’s favor only to learn that she is the lost princess whose death would allow darkness to reign forever and with the help of her friends she escape north to bring back the Sun.

The characters in this book are so one note that it seemed like cardboard cutouts slowly moving along a road to get from point A to point B and I’ve never been so bored. There were so many components here that if they were given the proper time and care to fully flesh them out this might have been a better read but instead we get brief instances of characterization only to fall back to this one dimensional view to the point that every triumph or downfall came across to me as a simple shrug.

To be fair near the ends I glossed over a lot because beach time I got excited thinking we were going to get something interesting it would get pushed aside for pages upon pages of nothing and I wanted to dnf so bad. We have someone who is brand new to the mythology and history of her people and yet I’m to believe she figures it out by herself right before it’s needed to take on the most powerful witch of all time? I don’t think so.

It’s clear the author was trying to breathe life into the idea that to defeat darkness one most be able to find the light and it’s even quoted here something along those lines but sadly the one holding the match in this book is someone so lifeless that it’s a wonder she ever managed a spark.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read this book.
I have to say I didn’t really enjoy this book as much as I thought I would but that seems to be a theme with me lately.
Let’s start with what I did like. I loved the mythology and the creatures involved in the book. I really enjoyed the take on witches. I would have also liked to see more about the villains and maybe get their perspective. I found the overall plot to be okay but not memorable. The writing was okay but things seemed too convenient at times and I think the author has potential.
The characters didn’t have much development and I couldn’t connect with them. The main character is the typical chosen one and I found her to be annoying. The villain didn’t have that much page time and I wish there was more. The romance I didn’t like and it felt forced. I also didn’t think it was needed and I’ll be honest the focus on looks annoyed me.

I was pretty let down at myself but, I had to stop reading this around the halfway point.
I was very intrigued at the beginning and the world building was pretty great.
The plot itself had the potential to draw me in, but it all felt very predictable. Evil Queen, Chosen one. You get the idea.
I will say that I appreciated the writing. I was able to follow along nicely. But I just felt that, unfortunately, I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters on a deep enough level to continue.

What a spectacular ride! Ignite the Sun follows Siria, as she discovers things about herself and her past beyond what she could have ever dreamed. Comraderie, acts of heroism, tolerance, and love work their way through this brilliantly told story.

Ignite the Sun! What a great title and gorgeous cover!
Siria Nightingale (great name) is about to turn 16 in a world where darkness rules and the sun is a myth. Her friends Yarrow and Linden (great names) have helped to guide her education, and unknown to her are part of the resistance. They have all been looking for someone who was born at dawn 16 years ago who will transform on their birthday into a fabled sunchild.

And adventure and a quest ensues!
This was a wonderful fun, fast read, in the vein of the Hobbit/LOTR but very YA appropriate.
Loved the mythology and the characters.
There is danger, lessons learned, bravery, sacrifice, young love, and all of that fun stuff.
It was just what I needed to read right now.
I hope to see more from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley for ARC of this wonderful book. My opinions are my own.

Ignite The Sun is a brilliant debut novel and Hanna Howard has created a wonderful story with a rich mythology and some very interesting and realistic characters that only add to the feel of the book.

The pacing is fast and pulls no punches which leaves you with a simply fantastic debut fantasy book.

I personally will look forward to seeing where this author will go next.

This book was a very interesting read and I enjoyed every minute of it! The cover caught my eye right away, the blurb pushed me forward, and I fell right into the story, not resurfacing until I finished the last page! What fantastic worldbuilding the author managed to bring to life, and I say from experience that is not an easy thing to well! Ignite the Sun was fascinating to watch unfold especially the characters themselves which were fully fleshed out and absolutely a delight to get to know!

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so imaginative and detailed that the information of the world building, as complex as it is, never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind. I loved this!

I wasn’t sure for the longest time how I would rate this book. The storyline was very unique and the concept was cool, but the weak characters and pointless action scenes detracted from the novel and brought the rating from four stars down to three.

In the beginning of the book, our main character Siria was just plain annoying. Another character summed it up pretty well when she described Siria as “a pampered princess who has known nothing but privilege and excess! All she has done... is whine and cry and feel sorry for herself. Never once has she stopped to consider that she might not be the only one here whose life is impacted by this mess. Never once has she considered that there are more important things at stake than her feelings.” And those feelings were made blatantly obvious numerous times throughout the novel. I read in the book’s description that the light vs dark struggle was metaphorical for anxiety and depression. I wasn’t aware of how present and obvious this would be. Siria whined about how she would grow “tired of sulking” and become “oppressed” by her “self-inflicted anxiety”. In the beginning of the novel especially, she was a weak, spineless jerk willing to toss aside her loyal childhood friends to please her cold parents. It was enough to make me want to abandon the book at 23%.

The plot in the beginning was also a little weak. We also never really got to know the bad guy. The last 5% of the novel explained her motivations a little more, but by that point I didn’t really care. The fact that Siria kept passing out during the middle of action scenes was also a little disjointing. I think there were definitely better ways to write and resolve those high intensity moments.

Now, on to what I did like. The whole idea behind the novel was pretty cool. I can just imagine the entire kingdom cast in resolute darkness, waiting for a certain special someone to restore the light. I did think it was a little odd she was the only sunchild left, and therefore the only one with the power to defeat the evil witch. Surely there would be someone else with that power who survived. Regardless, I was appreciative of the character development Siria underwent. She matured to be quite adept at accessing and using her power, and I liked how protective and devoted she was to her friends.

Hanna Howard had a very fluid writing style. It definitely wasn’t difficult to read, and I can tell a lot of thought went into writing this book. I would recommend it if asked, on account of how easy it was to read after you got past the 30% mark and because of its unconventional plotline.

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

This book had so many of the things I love most: a creative and unique world, realistic characters, a fantastic magic system, and a plot that continuously kept me guessing and wanting more.

In a world where the sun has been buried away by a layer of shadow controlled by the Witch Queen, a young girl named Siria Nightingale is preparing for the choosing ball in hopes of being chosen to become a part of the ever-powerful Queen Iyzabel's court. After a wild turn of events at the ball, Siria ends up on a journey with her childhood best friend, her family's gardener, and a nymph who would rather be with just about anyone else.

I am always a sucker for a good adventure story, and this one certainly did not disappoint! I was enthralled by the twists and turns that the group encountered throughout the story. The author builds up wonderful tension as the group moves along in their quest and had me genuinely questioning how they would get out of the latest tangle. Their problems felt real to me, as they were complicated and difficult to work around, just as they would be in real life, which to me makes a book so much more enjoyable.

I was also very impressed with the character building in this novel. Our protagonist has such an interesting character arc that is exactly what I'm craving when reading a YA coming-of-age type story such as this one. She realised her flaws and grew from them accordingly, struggling along the way in such a realistic way that left me very satisfied. In the beginning, Siria wasn't really that likeable of a protagonist, but she made me care about her story, and watching her transform into a strong and powerful girl was beautiful to watch. Something else that also stood out to me was how accurately the author captured what the teen experience is. Siria read like a 16 year-old rather than an adult that was stuffed into a teenage body and I really enjoyed the authenticity of it.

I was a huge fan of the world-building in this book as well. The idea of a kingdom without a sun is not a concept that I've seen frequently in YA and it was very interesting to see the way that this impacted the characters and their journey. I would have liked to have seen a deeper exploration into the practical consequences of this, like how the lack of vegetation would affect people or more information on how they are able to feed the entire kingdom, but for a stand-alone, it had a relatively good start. I think that the perpetual darkness could have also lent very well to a more atmospheric and ominous tone, which was present in the beginning, but I would have loved to have seen the author go all the way with it. The magic system was very intriguing as well. I thought it seemed relatively well-balanced and it went beyond just a simple elemental magic into the other implications that each element would have. The one thing that did strike me as a bit off about it was the mages- every other power made sense in connection with the others, especially the witches, but I was confused as to where mages get their power from and how it fits into the overall scheme of the otherwise element-based magic of the story.

All in all, I found this story to be a quick and enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy adventure novels and lovers of unique fantasy worlds.

Siria lives in a world that has not seen sun in almost 15 years.

“Tell me about how the sun would light up the whole world, and about the trees being green and leafy, and about grass, and blue sky, and sunlight, and birds, and magic—”
“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.”

This is a world full of darkness and cold ruled by an evil queen that killed her own sister to gain power and Siria finds herself in danger as the queen is after her because she is the last living sunchild.
In order to gain access to her full powers as a sunchild Siria must travel north where the darkness is weaker and sun is present. She travels with two friends she knows from childhood, Yarrow (mage and father figure) and Linden (an elf, the boy she loves), and also Merrall (a naiad). Along the way she discovers that she is also the lost princess and that she has an older brother who is alive and waiting for her.

"And I realized that Phipps Nightingale’s indifference was no longer an open wound in my heart, because he was not my father.
Yarrow Ash was my father. He had been since I was six years old, when he appeared at Nightingale Manor and took it upon
himself to love me as no one else ever had."

At the beginning she is a weak girl under the spell of the queen, with low confidence and scared of her new gained powers.
But during her journey and under Yarrow's supervision she gets stronger and learns to use her powers to grow plants, to heal and even fly.
This helping her to finally defeat the queen and restoring the sun in the kingdom.

A part of the story that I liked was the love story between Siria and Linden.
We don't get to see how the fel in love. The story begins with her already confessing her feelings for him, to herself tho :)))
She is so in love with Linden and he with her 😍. They are soo sweet ❤️❤️❤️
"But then his thumbs skimmed over the insides of my wrists, lighter than the brush of leaves, and just as quickly my head became muddled again. I looked up. In the glow of the lantern, his green eyes roved over my face. I could see uncertainty there, but for the first time I was sure I could also see his own longing, the mirror of mine.
I wanted him to kiss me more than I had ever wanted anything in my whole life.
My hands trembled as he slipped his fingers into my palms again, interlacing them with mine. I could feel his pulse against my wrist, as strong and wild as my own. His eyes softened so much they seemed to send spidery cracks through my entire body, breaking me into fragments held together by skin."
” The grin was back, and he released me to put his right hand over his chest, as though making a vow. “I therefore promise not to kiss you until you’re ready. Until you think it’s safe. Unless, of course, we’re going to die anyway.
Then I want a mercy death by burning.” 🤣

And I kept thinking about the falling star from Stardust. She was also glowing when in love:
“All those times you’ve lit up like a candle . . . Weedy, were those all because of me?” His grin was fiendish now, and it broadened as I flushed and glared at him. “They were, weren’t they!”

Loved the story and I give it 4.5 stars (for the slower start).

P.S.: Didn't like her real name. Glad she kept Siria 😁

This was a good read, easy and simple to follow. It’s one of those books that you can enjoy in an afternoon. It was fun and magical if not a bit predictable, but still good !