FotS is a mystical, fantasy debut richly rooted in Yoruba culture. Anson did a terrific job in bringing this world to everyone along with introducing us to Lóre and Alawani. Each character felt unique from the next and not a bunch of talking heads. The pacing was just right, and I didn't get lost along the way. If you follow Marve's SM, she helps with accessibility in taking you through the world, so it was cool recognizing things that she'd previously post about.

Lóre is so unapologetically flawed that I smiled and rolled my eyes at times, but I. ADORE. HER. She is relatable in reminding me of my younger self (minus the issue with no powers and being hated for it).

Seriously, read this book. It's meatier than most, but 100% worth each page.

Ps. The ending absolutely took me out and I'm curious about if it'll be a series!
Many thanks to Marve, the publisher, and Netgalley for the eARC!

Absolutely OBSESSED. I finished this, and all i want to do is start the audiobook, like, IMMEDIATELY.

Notes:
Amazing opening sequence, love a good (and relevant prologue!)
Love the prose and voice it's written in
The worldbuilding felt complete, but never felt like info dumping
I want agbara oru
Wait, where did Remi come from?

One Dark Window vibes. I SAID WHAT I SAID., The quotes at the beginning of each chapter were perfect
Wheel of Time vibes similar to Rand leaving Tam, Lore left her father, and all the secrets he was holding stay with him
Blood Over Bright Haven - the rage against the system, the way she has to work harder than everyone else
Rouge from Xmen - spoilery until you are at about the 75% mark, but trust me.

Please find a US publisher too! I cannot believe I got to read this book! Thank you to the author for sending me an eARC!

Would I reread? YES, gimme the audiobook too, so excited!
Would I recommend? Absolutely yes, fans of Blood Over Bright Haven will devour this, and One Dark Window fans will be sucked into this magic system, fans of Epic Fantasy will feel the familiar tones, and X-men fans will see an ARC of a beloved character!

I was lucky enough to be given an E-arc for this and its been one for my anticipated reads of the year.
I adored the magic system especially. It's one of my first experiences reading something based on African mythology and I loved all the culture woven through the story. Lóre came across as reckless and stubborn at times but in a way that wasn't frustrating and her interactions with others felt so natural and real. I'm not a huge fan of politics but given everything else it still proved to be an enjoyable and easy read

It took a little while to fully immerse myself in this book as the lore comes thick and fast, with lots of terminology to remember, but the setting and magic system are unlike anything else. There's action aplenty, tons of intrigue, and all 4 POVs are unique and offer a different perspective on the world. Character motivations were complex, and at times I'd find myself rooting for all of them, even when they were opposing each other. The story kept surprising me right to the very end, with satisfying twists and turns leaving me eager to return to this world!

Did I finish this book or did it finish me?

I am SO grateful to have had this arc, and Firstborn of the Sun was so a rollercoaster read.

Our L'ore is the only one without agbára - the ability to harness power from the sun.

Alawani (her best friend) is an Àlùfáà, he must be stripped of his power in a brutal trial likely to kill him.

Unwilling to bear his death, Lóre vows to rescue him.

Keeping this spoiler free but I found this magic system so unique and it made the experience of reading this incredible. Watching our relationships develop throughout while Lóre learns who she really is was everything I need and more.

Can’t recommend this enough 💫

The ONLY thing I don’t love about this e-Arc was that I couldn’t hold it in my hands and take it with me everywhere, screaming for everyone in my path to read it.

It’s a fantasy world unlike anything else I’ve ever read, however I am fortunate enough to be a reader who is South African, and has experienced the rich cultures and beautiful lands of West Africa and Marves writing is so descriptive it took me straight back. I could feel the wind and grass and sand all the while sitting at home reading.

A few people have highlighted some minor typos and errors in their copies, I do know that I downloaded my copy quite late and didn’t see any so pretty sure they have all been corrected or I was just too engrossed in the world to notice anything.

There’s so much in this book I almost feel spoiled for choice. There is so much Lore (see what I did there) and it’s rich with culture and political intrigue and worlds that it can feel quite intimidating to start with. And I found that reading it in kindle rather than on the NetGalley app the formatting was a bit strange, I found the formatting absolutely perfect and much easier to read in the NetGalley shelf but that could purely just be a me thing or a phone thing?

Anyway. Go read Firstborn of the Sun. I insist.

This is the kind of book readers are asking for when they say they need more BIPOC original stories and also BIPOC writers. It was such a fresh take on rebellion, colonialism, gods, and dynasties.

The story is based on the gods within the Yoruba belief system and gives us a clear look at their powers. For me, being able to learn about a new African based pantheon was exciting, especially seeing it through an insider’s eyes. To be absolutely transparent, it took me a bit to get accustomed to the many different names and symbols, but once I got it, I got it! It makes me want to recommend this book to anyone who is bored with the same ole same ole. This book is not like anything you have read before, which makes it a treasure to me.

The plot revolves around four main characters, and in the interest of keeping things spoiler free, all I will say is that these four have the ability to rattle and break the entire world in the book. They slowly discover their actual power versus their potential and when they start to stand on their own, things get exciting.

Along the way there are secrets, and then SECRETS! There is betrayal, and hidden pasts and forbidden magic that kept me engaged as a reader wondering about the consequences of the main characters’ actions.

By the way, speaking of characters, there are characters in here who will also make you feel like throwing hands, many, many, many times. They made me punch the air with annoyance. For me, though, that is a sign of great reading. If I can feel that hard, the author is doing their job.

Overall, this is a complex story, and a good one. I feel safe recommending this to like-minded readers and I cannot wait to see what comes next in this series. Thank you once again to Marvellous Michael Anson, and Michael Joseph of Penguin Random House, for gifting me with this arc. This was fun!
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Good book, infuriating main character.

An introduction to a really interesting world, filled with unique magic system, gods and brimming with culture. The authors writing is good and I kept wanting to pick the book up ( even though I got tired after 3 chapters cause we got captured/have to fight our way out at least twice in that page time). I think there’s a lot of potential for the rest of the series, exploring this whole other side of the world. The author did a good job introducing a lot of questions and only giving us answers to some.

Lore got on my nerves though. Maybe that was on purpose as she’s meant to be headstrong character who doesn’t listen to anyone and is moved by passion. I think I would have a problem with how immature she was if she was younger or anyone else was magic equally asinine choices. I think majority of the problems she has are caused by her inability to think objectively and with foresight. Upside is that there’s a lot of room to grow and I hope that happens in future instalments.

I applaud the authors ability to flesh out really well quite a few characters, as I felt like it was equally their story ( and often preferred to read from their perspective).

Not sure if this is YA or adult - I received the ARC at a YA event, but it felt more adult to me. So just a note that it’s on the older side of YA.

Will for sure continue the series and check out new stuff from the author - I just really hope that this story is about Lore maturing not Lore being an immature brat who is always right.

This is a heart-pounding, spell binding fantasy that will have you hooked from start to finish.

This story follows our main character, Lore, who is powerless in a kingdom where everyone is born with magic and being without it is a death sentence.
When her best friend is chosen by the gods to become a high priest and face a deadly trial, Lore makes the reckless decision to save him. But that choice changes everything. In the process, she discovers she possesses a dangerous, forbidden magic of her own.
Now, Lore must flee the only home she’s ever known, uncover the truth about her origin, and survive a kingdom that wants her dead.

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. I love the way world is structured. The way the author weaves mythology into the lore and the culture is so masterful and creative.
The political intrigue and conspiracies among the royals and government officials in the kingdom were one of my favorite things.

The book has 4 POVs:
-Our main character and outcast, Lore.
-The crown heir, Tofa
-A Prince, Alawani
-A powerful warrior, Milua
These characters were so interesting, layered, and different. I enjoyed experiencing experiencing every single one of them.


The culture and mythology:
This book is inspired by Yoruba mythology and culture so reading this was such an amazing experience. I am a Yoruba woman and it was so good to see parts of your culture being represented in the people of the Kingdom of Oru.
Reading about Yoruba gods like Sango, Oya, Ogun and Obatala was such a magical moment. The writing was so immersive and I was consumed and transported to this world. Every moment spent away from this book was me looking forward to getting back to it.

The romance:
I loved how raw, complicated and imperfect it was. It was also really cute. I love their bond and how they showed love to each other. I really loved Lore’s fierce loyalty and devotion. Alawani’s protectiveness and attentiveness, oh my dear heart.🥹
Did Lore frustrate me at times? Yes, but I love her and I wouldn’t have her any other way.

The ending:
The plot twist in the last 100 pages had me yelling in in my room at 1am.
I did not see those sequence of events coming but I think it was very clever and interesting.
The ending is a perfect set up for the rest of the series and I am very excited for book 2.

Highly recommend if you love fantasy with romance and rich lore and culture.

Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph for sharing an ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Wow! What an amazing and captivating fantasy novel African mythology done to the finest. Lots of tension and immesly great world building! Interesting political intrigue and magical system was so interesting mutiple POVs and a great range of characters that you really connect with. Absolutely smashed this book what a pleasure to have read the ARC.

Thanks to the author & MPJ

The starting and final 10% of this book was fantastic, would read this over and over again. The middle left much to be desired. I was a bit confused by L'Ore as she seemed to loose herself as the book went through, going from a tough warrior to a meek queen. I was a bit shocked by this as her description at the beginning seemed to set us up for a strong warrior, but instead she was led by her heart (this makes sense at the end, but it got a bit tedious before you understood more about her character).

Tofa and Milua was a great character, but I do wish their connection was fleshed out more.

Would I read the second one? Yes, because the book set it up well at the end and now has me latched in. I think there are holes in the plot and storylines that make it hard to recommend it initially, but the world building was done well and I am interested in the characters.

3.5/4 (rounded up)

(apologies for the lack of accents in the names)

I have read quite a few Afro -fantasy titles recently, mostly young adult. In that context I found this to be great in some respects but difficult in others. On the down side, A pronunciation guide would have helped as I found the names tricky. Also the obvious romance was clumsy and a little wearing.
On the plus side the world / mythology was engaging and the plot reasonably paced if a little repetitive at times . The feisty fmc was suitably flawed and saved the whole from being completely predictable.
There’s enough there that I will pick up the sequel when it comes out!

I did enjoy this book but for me it could have been much better. It was very confusing and took a while for me to understand what was going on and at times I didn't. That being said, I enjoyed this book and the plot but for me it just didn't overwhelm me and make me want to continue reading it.

Thank you to net galley, the publisher and Marvellous Michael Anson for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review

“On the night of a great blood moon, seven children were born to a man. Nearly two decades later, the mysteries of that night still haunt the kingdom.”

This book was so much fun to read and I WISH I could already read the second book as I DESPERATELY want to know what will happen next with L’ore and the others. (But it will be a wait as this book itself is only coming in October this year — but I am all here for it and eagerly waiting).

L’ore - who to be fair is a bit reckless and stubborn — is thrown into a destiny she didn’t know about. Which unfolds and unfolds as progressing through this book. Secrets, loyalty, betrayals; it has it all.

Fan of the world-building. The kingdom of Oru with its Agbára (magic of the sun) and forbidden old magic was very interesting. The by Yoruba mythology inspired fantasy is intriguing and exciting. The politics and structure of the kingdom, with its conspiring and scheming powers, was well done.

I really enjoy a book with multiple points of view when done well. And reading from the perspective of L’ore, Alawani, Milua and others really added to the story and suspense. Somehow really enjoyed reading from Milua’s perspective in particular, not sure why.

Highly recommend this book! Hope this book will do well and we will see a lot more from this author.


Thank you Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Firstborn of the Sun.

DNF
My thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Net Galley for a free DRC of "Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson.
I came into this story extremely excited to read an Epic Fantasy with African inspiration.
What I did not expected and it is my fault for not checking, this has a heavy Romantic focus.
There is no way I'll push myself trough episodic characters speaking in broken English and immature angst. The two main characters are so helplessly in love with one another, but are not aware of that and not confessing because they fear that will ruin their friendship. You can't expect me to buy that in a Adult novel, that is teenage heartache that I have no patience for.

Wow! This was my first Yoruba mythology book and safe to say I was not disappointed at all!

The story was so intriguing and immersive. A lot of the times when I read cultural books, they feel watered down to meet the needs of the Western market but FOTS is absolutely swimming in Yoruba culture. I’ve been following Marve for a while and I’m so glad I was approved for this ARC! Absolutely gorgeous!

I enjoyed the mythology in this book and the multiple perspectives throughout. I was initially intrigued by the cover but found that once I got into the book I was hooked by the story and variety of characters. I was really immersed in the world and loved the characters of Lore and Alawani who have grown from childhood friends into something so much more that this. The author has created a wonderful fantasy/mythology book that has layers of intrigue and surprise in it. There were so many questions answered about the past and where the characters may be heading whilst leaving more open to explore in future books. It was definitely a refreshing book in comparison to my current reads and enjoyed the differences lain out here. I definitely want to know more about Yoruba mythology because of it and I am thankful for that. Very excited for the next instalment, thank you to NetGallery, Marvellous Michael Anson and Penguin for the ARC read, I am hopeful it will do as well as it deserves.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 4.0 stars.

I am a massive fan of the yoruba mythology mixed in to this story, it’s not something I knew a lot about so I did learn something from this book and it was highly engaging.

The characters and the world building are rich and quite detailed once the story gets going. At first I didn’t really find any reason to be attached to the characters, but the author knew how to change that.

I only wish there had been a pronunciation guide included as there are a lot of names and words I found myself looking up.

I'll admit it: I’ve grown weary of the recent wave of African stories written by Black writers in the diaspora. More often than not, save for Skin of the Sea and The Gilded Ones, the research often feels shallow, the culture watered down, and the result rarely honors the real, lived experiences of those still rooted in the continent. So, when I heard about Firstborn of the Sun from the author's Twitter account and finally got the opportunity to read an ARC from the Author's newsletter, I braced myself for more of the same thing and was ready to read for the plot alone.

But wow — Marvellous Michael Anson completely proved me wrong.

This book is a breath of fresh, fiery air. It’s an unapologetically Yoruba fantasy that doesn't just sprinkle cultural references for flavor, but deeply immerses you in Yoruba spirituality, language, and worldview. Unlike all those other Hugo Award-winning writers that pull the "This is not a history book, it's a fantasy based on Yoruba culture" safety card from their artillery time and again, it’s clear that Anson knows this world intimately and took the time to learn everything she didn't with care. Firstborn of the Sun is still very much Fiction and Fantasy with a rich nod to her ancestral history, brilliantly blended together in a way only a true-born writer can.

The cast of characters is compelling, the plot? Absolutely jaw-dropping. I'm talking "mouth open, phone slipping from my hands" levels of shock. There’s a richness here, a depth to the politics, power dynamics, and magical lore that kept me reading long into the night.

That said, it wasn’t perfect.

The first few chapters were a real struggle for me. Unlike books like Fourth Wing (which I hate to love), where the opening scene throws you into meaningful action that sets the tone for the entire plot, Firstborn of the Sun felt like it was meandering a bit in the beginning. Chapter one was just a fight — which I usually find hard to care about without context — and chapter two was mostly Lore and Alawani flirting, with very little grounding in who they were or why I should be invested.

Speaking of which — I'm not sure if Anson was going for a friends-to-lovers arc with Lore and Alawani, but if so, the "friends" part felt skipped. Their chemistry was there, sure, but they felt like flirty lovers from the jump, and I would’ve appreciated more build-up to that dynamic.

Still, when this book gets going, it goes. And it more than redeems its slow start. The worldbuilding is stellar, the twists are gasp-worthy, and the themes of power, identity, and legacy are handled with grace.

So If you're looking for a fantasy that truly honors its cultural roots while delivering an emotionally rich, magical story, Firstborn of the Sun should be at the top of your list. I’ll be recommending it for years to come to pretty much everyone I know and would be getting a physical copy once it's out..

I was so grateful to get an ARC of this book!
I enjoyed this story a lot and learning some about Yoruba Mythology.
I wish there had been a bit more showing rather than telling with some aspects of the story, but I cannot wait to continue this series.
One other thing I do wish it had is a pronunciation guide. I was looking up words frequently.