Sunchaser

The Weatherworker Chronicles

De: Emily Barlow

Narrado por: Cheryl-Annette Parker

She can bend the weather to her will...but will that help her forge her destiny?

Glorya, fresh from weatherworking school and armed only with determination, is ready to make her mark. But when her dreams land her on a ship battling the treacherous coastal storms, she faces a tempest unlike any she's ever known.

Navigating fierce weather and uncharted cultures, Glorya must prove her worth amidst deadly foes and nature's raw power. Will her ingenuity be enough to rise above the crashing waves, or will she be swept away before she can claim her place in the world?

Join Glorya on an unforgettable journey filled with adventure, self-discovery, and the relentless pursuit of her dreams!

*Note: Sunchaser is a novella and is the prequel for Stormkindler, a full length novel and the second book in the Weatherworker Chronicles. Stay tuned for more in the Weatherworker universe!

©2022 Emily Barlow (P)2025 Emily Barlow

Interesting Prequel

Glorya is a young woman who has just "graduated" school learning to use her powers as a Sunchaser. She can help affect the weather and in turn help others, such as helping ships make safe passage in the seas. Without any experience, she begins her journey hoping to get a job at a port she walks into. She is given a job on a ship and excels at her first time on the sea. From there on, she travels from port to port taking jobs on different ships and proving herself time and again, despite tough conditions and even sabotage. She also learns that there is more to weather working than just traveling by water and that when things get tough, she has what it takes.
This is a prequel so it's shorter and we don't get the full view of who Glorya is, aside from how determined and capable she is. She doesn't let anything get in the way of what she knows she is capable of. She throws herself into her journey whole heartedly and not just the weather working side. She learns new languages and customs as well.
There are a few journeys we are taken on with her and they all have their share of high stakes action. Since this is a shorter book, we get less about the trip and more of just the "harrowing" adventure parts. I definitely would love to hear a longer version of one or more of these trips and maybe that will be the case with the rest of the series. The narrator also does a wonderful job bringing all the characters to life.

Highly recommended

This prequel is actually three short stories so I was gifted with windows into several points in Glorya's early career as a Sunchaser. Truthfully, I was expecting a different style of story - more action and magic - but I found I thoroughly enjoyed the humanistic narrative. Despite the brevity forced on the author by the limited pages available to her, I was quickly pulled into this story because it was crafted expertly and the characters were unique.

I liked the medieval feel of the world. The harshness of living on sailing ships dependent on good weather for survival really pared the story back to essentials and let me see how sound the author's writing was. While Glorya's magic was not broken down into basics, the author gave enough detail for it to feel substantial, and in her case, effective and creatively used. The scenes where Glorya diffused the storms were mesmerizing; I'd happily read more of those.

A big stand out for me was Glorya's total lack of prejudice. Despite her young age, this open-mindedness made her feel mature and very likeable.
I took a little while to settle into the narrator's style. What initially felt like detachment and low energy quickly translated into the quiet strength and resilience that, to me, were Glorya's defining qualities. The narrator's voice actually strengthened her appeal and made it easy to understand why she was popular with workmates, superiors, students and friends.

Sunchaser is a magnetic and adventurous story. I loved the strength of the FMC, in particular, and am looking forward to sharing further travels and excitement with her in the next book. If you're looking for a twist on the chosen one trope with some elemental magic thrown in, I highly recommend this book.

Great world building!

Emily did a great job building a vast world filled with intricate lore. Will definitely be reading her again!