Facing the Sun

Sun-Blessed Trilogy, Book 1

By: Carol Beth Anderson

Narrated by: Carol Beth Anderson

The glow itself seemed to be alive, breathing, spreading under the baby’s skin. One question filled my mind: Who is this child?

Tavi Malin is born facing the sun, filled with greater magic than any other sun-blessed child. At age 14, her magic awakens, but her uncontrolled power nearly destroys her school, leaving her confidence as shaken as her surroundings.

Tavi and her friends train to use their gifts, unaware of the threat developing in a distant city. Dissidents have banded together, and they’re killing to attain gray magic, an ominous new force that breaks the rules of ordinary magic. But to seize true power, the Grays must grow their ranks - and Tavi is a prize worth pursuing.

In a fight where confidence is as crucial as strength, even extraordinary gifts aren’t sufficient. If Tavi is to prevail against the Grays, she must find a courage that goes deeper than magic itself.

©2018 Carol Beth Anderson (P)2018 Carol Beth Anderson

Unexpected new favorite series

Great start to a new series! A new spin on the Gifted-at-birth type of magic world, as seen through the eyes of very relatable characters.

I was hooked quickly and didn't lose interest at all. The narration is well done and definitely added to my enjoyment.

Born with Magic

I'm so torn about this book. On one hand, the concepts were amazing and new, but on the other hand, they were terrifying. Let me explain.

Some children are born with magic. The magic of most is limited to a specific form, speech or hearing or touch are a few types. Very rarely, a child is born facing the sun, which means they have greater magic in multiple forms. Tavi is one of these rare, special, magical children. Some seek to use her, but she avoids them as she learns how to use her gifts. The ways she uses them are also beautiful.

Yet, there are limitations to all magic - limits placed by Sava, the giver and creator of magic. Magic cannot be used to kill or hurt a person. It is also limited by how much it can be used without resting and recharging (potentially also because that would cause harm to a person). But these limits can be frustrating to those who are suddenly and without warning unable to use it. This is where the story becomes a little terrifying. Because some people are discontent with the limits and want complete control - even if that means hurting someone to gain control.

The cost for unlimited magic is high. It requires death, specifically murder. If someone with magic kills another person with magic, the murderer's magic is transformed into gray magic. Gray magic promises power without limit. Yet, there are limits to gray magic as well. First, only those born with magic can gain it. Second, while it enhances the magic one was born with, it does not give the user other types of magical abilities. Regardless, the enhanced powers are far greater than those without Gray magic.

Carol Beth Anderson did a tremendous job showing how magic feels, how it works, and what the process of learning it is like, something many fantasy authors forget to do. As a narrator, Beth is fantastic. She captured both the good and the evil and all of the characters perfectly. I'm a bit in awe of her ability to do that so well. She also created a fantastic new magical system and showed how the system can be broken. While religion has not been too prominent in the story, it holds the story together, and there is something wonderful about a god who limits his gifts so that people cannot use them for evil. There was a political story on one side and a coming of age story on the other and they were somewhat, though not strongly, intertwined.

The Grays want Tavi. (This part of the story hinted of The Golden Compass, although I didn't see it going the direction of the Grays attempting to kill the god.) Do the Gray's just want Tavi's power? How would they use her? Can she be turned? While this is not the end of the story, these questions remain unanswered. The story ebbs and flows, sometimes quite slowly, although the action in the last third of the book makes it impossible to put down.

By the end of the book, the darkness was starting to feel pretty dark. The evil seemed like it really could win. And there were numerous deaths throughout the story, some described in enough detail that I hesitate to recommend the book for children. For those who can handle the violence, as well as those who enjoy fantasy and thought-provoking situations, I highly recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and have reviewed it willingly.

Captivating

Many thanks to Carol Beth Anderson for the complimentary copy of this audio book for my honest review. As a lover of L'Engle's Time Quintet, Lewis's Space and Narnia Series and Rowling's Harry Potter Series I found the start of the Sun-Blessed trilogy to have similar appeal. I also confess that I love listening to audio books narrated by the author because it gives a personal connection to the novel and Anderson has an excellent quality in her voice throughout the narration. Like others have commented, Facing the Sun is a clean, coming of age, magical, fantasy book. I love the deeply descriptive adjectives Anderson uses to describe the locations, people and emotions of the characters in the book. I especially enjoyed the short excerpts at the beginning of each chapter from the key midwife, Ellea Kariana, which sort of set the stage for what might be coming in the chapter without giving away anything. The plot of the novel was well developed and the weaving together of the various storylines - the Sun Blessed, Tullen of the Meadow and the Gray - was masterfully done. I enjoyed the hints of romance, but appreciated that the focus was more on finding oneself, standing firm in ones convictions and genuine friendship. I also appreciated the close family elements of the novel with all the good and bad aspects intertwined. I highly recommend this book and look forward to listening to the rest of the trilogy. In one simple statement, I'm hooked.

Fantastic New YA Series!

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook and am giving an honest review. I absolutely loved this book! It met all of my desires for a great story: character growth, romance, adventure, suspense, humor, and more! I found myself constantly smiling, giggling, or holding my breath throughout this book. This book is narrated by the author herself. She does a phenomenal job of voicing the many characters of this book and their emotions. I cannot wait to dive into the next book in this series, Facing The Gray!

Enchanting

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced complimentary copy of this book, here is my honest review. This is the story of Tavi and her young friends who were blessed at birth by being born face up but they don't come into their gifts/powers until puberty. The gifts vary in both expression and intensity, it's an emotional roller coaster as each "awakens" and they learn to use their particular gifts. I found this to be a new and imaginative take on the classic good vs. evil story. I was literally moved to tears twice as the story unfolded; first, during the telling of Tavi's birth and, secondly, when Tavi awakened and discovered the true and overwhelming power of her gifts. Tavi and her gifted friends undertake a journey that culminates in a show-down with some powerful "grays" (persons who have learned to use their gifts for evil).

The author does a great job as the narrator of the series. I noticed a little background interference during the prologue but was quickly distracted from this by the story being told of Tavi's birth.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, both on paper and on audio, particularly for a first time author and narrator. I'm eagerly awaiting the second installment in the series!