Ignite the Sun - by Hanna Howard

About the Book

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. But what Siria discovers at the Choosing Ball sends her on a quest that could bring back the Light ... or doom the kingdom to shadow forever.

Book Synopsis

Once upon a time, there was something called the sun ... In a kingdom ruled by an evil witch, the sun is just part of a legend about light-filled days of old. Luckily for everybody in the kingdom, Siria Nightingale is headed to the heart of the darkness to try and restore the light--or she will lose everything trying.

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 even than her fear of the dark. So she heads to the royal city--the very center of the darkness--for a chance at a place in Queen Iyzabel's court.

But what Siria discovers at the Choosing Ball sends her on a quest toward the last vestiges of the sun with a ragtag group of rebels who could help her bring back the Light ... or doom the kingdom to shadow forever.

Ignite the Sun is:

• A YA fantasy adventure that is exciting and unique, right down to its metallic book cover
• An allegorical exploration of the struggle with anxiety and depression
• Perfect for readers 13 and up

Review Quotes

'An original, deftly crafted, and fully entertaining fantasy fiction novel for ages 13 and older, 'Ignite The Sun' by Hanna C. Howard is especially and unreservedly recommended for middle school, high school, and community library YA Fiction collections.' -- Midwest Book Review September 2020--Midwest Book Review

'Fantasy lovers will enjoy this tale of family, conflict, and finding out where in the world one might truly belong. Adventurers will also enjoy following redheaded Siria's travels as she finishes her fourth and last year at the Golden Brook school. It seems like yesterday she was home with her best friend, brown-skinned Linden, listening to old man Yarrow tell stories about the myth of the Sun, before the Queen enveloped the world in shadow. Tomorrow she'll go to the Queen's Court, hoping to be chosen and make her parents proud. But she is spirited away in the night, driven to the Court early with other girls who have brightly colored hair. The Queen will do anything to find the Sun Child so she can keep her from fulfilling the prophecy. Siria stands on the stage with the others, fighting the heat and dashing the hopes of her parents as she suddenly explodes in a blaze of light. Now she is on the run, fleeing an angry Queen and trying to survive being bright in a land of dark while learning how to become what she really is. Fans of Jeanne DuPrau's 'Books of Ember' series will appreciate the action and adventure, and readers of Scott Westerfeld's 'Uglies' series will enjoy the coming-of-age questing and questioning expressed so well by the main character. VERDICT This well-paced fantasy will leave readers hoping for a second book to continue the saga; recommended for teen and older tween libraries.' -- School Library Journal, August 2020, Cathleen Ash, Manor H.S. Lib., TX--School Library Journal