Imagine a world in which anyone younger than the age of 15 has never seen the sun. In Ignite the Sun, Darkness covers the world, thanks to an evil witch who has so much power and influence over others that any sense of rebellion can only be found in the regions furthest from the royal city. Enter 16-year-old Siria Nightingale, a young girl who wants nothing more than to fit in yet has no choice but to accept her role in bringing the sun back to her people. 

Siria has never seen the sun but has a particular fascination with it. Even so, she cannot openly express this fascination because everyone believes that the sun is evil and that Queen Iyzabel shrouded everything in darkness to protect them. She also destroys anything or anyone that connects to the sun i.e. the sunchildren, or other magical beings who might have any power to overthrow her some day.  

Having grown up in a privileged household with detached, emotionally distant parents, Siria’s only friends are the gardener Yarrow and his grandson Linden. As she continues her studies at the Gildenbrook School for Girls, she hopes to earn a place among the Queen’s court, hoping that her parents will ultimately accept and approve of her. However, during the choosing ceremony, Queen Iyzabel reveals that the last sunchild is set to transform at that moment and she must be killed in order to keep the sun away. Guess who the chosen one is? 

With the help of Linden (who is actually a wood nymph), Yarrow (actually a mage), and a water naiad named Marrell, Sira escapes the royal city and begins a very long and dangerous journey north to reach the rebel group, work on a plan to overthrow Queen Iyzabel, and bring back the sun – all while having to adjust and learn how to control her new powers. This gives her plenty of time to get caught up with the truth of how the queen came to power, how everything she has been taught to believe is in fact a lie to keep her in power, and how she is the only one who can defeat her (or die trying, of course). 

Unfortunately, things become even more complicated once she finally reaches her destination. The rebel group isn’t the same as they were when Queen Iyzabel first came into power, and a horrible event forces Siria to finish her quest with limited assistance and resources. However, now that she has access to the sun, she might just stand a chance. 

I wanted to like Ignite the Sun more, but unfortunately it was pretty predictable and filled with stereotypes we’ve seen in young adult fiction before. Although, I will give credit to Hanna Howard for her creativity in her world-building and magic system; for example, how magic can be manipulated for evil outcomes (i.e. to take life rather than heal) and the process involved in taking magic from someone else. Even so, many moments and descriptions felt like they could have been fleshed out a bit; I was left wanting more. 

On the other hand, I appreciated Howard’s descriptions of the sun and the effect it had on life (or the effect without it). The citizens were weak and depressed, lands needed artificial sun to grow crops, and Siria becomes a different person (literally and figuratively) once exposed to it. Siria’s struggle to accept who she is, and the effect her powers could have on those she loves if she does not learn how to master them, adds more depth to her character and gives the reader insight as to the complications of possessing this magic. 

Siria’s journey is exciting at times, but I feel like Howard could have gone into more detail with backstories and character development. Siria does grow as a character, but that is almost expected since this is her story. We get a lot of action and more reveals at the end, but again they were almost predictable. Nevertheless, since Ignite the Sun is Howard’s debut novel, I can see that she has potential to flourish as an author and improve her craft. 

Hanna Howard was able to squeeze me into her busy schedule as a new mom to discuss her experience leading up to her first published book, how she came up with the story, and what she plans for the future. Check out our Cantina Conversation on Episode 97 of the Nerd Cantina podcast to hear the interview.

Readers can also take the quiz on her website to find out to which Volatian Magic Species they belong (yours truly is a Mage and the description is quite accurate).