Book Review: Facing The Sun by Carol Beth Anderson

I don’t quite remember how this book even got on my TBR list (which tends to happen more often than not), but I’d jotted it down and had it ready on my kindle for my trip last week. Which means, I didn’t quite know what I was getting into. And I’m kind of very glad that I didn’t.

This is by far the most unique and original fantasy I’ve read in ages. It was absolutely terrific. It’s a story about Tavi, a sun-blessed girl (meaning she has magical powers) who is very special among her kind. It’s not uncommon for people to be sun-blessed and have access to magic in Anderson’s world, but Tavi is something of her own. We follow her as she grows up, grows into her abilities along with her friends, learn to handle them and accept them, and the dangers and wonders that follow. It’s, for the lack of a better word, magical.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that I’m not the target audience for this book. I’m a big burly dude who likes horror flicks, violent TV and heavy metal. This is a story about teenage girls growing up and all the changes that comes with that, magical or otherwise. You’d think maybe this wasn’t my cup of tea. So the fact that I still absolutely loved it, speaks volumes of Anderson’s writing skills.

Not only is the story, and the world-building, and the completely-unique-and-original magic system fantastic, but the writing is lovely too. It’s delicate and tense, but at the same time playful and and upbeat. It a fine balance between being very detailed but at the same time not lingering too long on the things that would bore you. I don’t remember exactly the amount of hours, but I read this book much faster than I was planning to, simply because I couldn’t stop.

If you’re looking for your new favorite fantasy book, one which I can almost definitely maybe guarantee won’t be like anything you’ve read before, make sure you pick up Facing The Sun by Carol Beth Anderson. Like I said, I can’t remember exactly when or how this book found a place on my reading list, but I’m so glad it did.

You can check out the book here.