Sandra

It’s a DNF for me.

I can’t do it anymore. We are two books in and I don’t care about any of the characters. The MMC was underwhelming, unseasoned and one dimensional. I’ve seen no growth or development and I don’t think I can sit through another book or two in hopes the MMC gets better.

We get a romance… I guess… with Coralen. She left me feeling is unimpressed with her wannabe girl-boss personality. Queen Edna is a forgettable character that went through a traumatic experience. Which… I’ve seen this trope done too many times.

I didn’t even connect with Maquin. And blah blah blah. The characters just didn’t do it for me.

The writing is decent and I liked some of the battles but after a while the constant action scenes just fell flat. The middle of the book drags a lot and I had to force myself to finish it.

Hmm. It’s interesting enough to continue reading the other books. But it’s just okay.

This dragged too much.

Not as good as other stories from Robert Chambers. It’s atmospheric though.

It’s rather dry and repetitive if you’ve read other short stories by Robert. Cats, death and endless monologuing.

Hmm. Not bad. Interesting and intriguing. Need to process what I read.

Interesting. Not really profound though

It’s short poems. Some make sense while others do not. I think its about death

Fast read… however it’s giving middle book syndrome.

Aspects are good but other parts are boring.

I have to ponder this one a little more.

So, it’s about an hour read which is a positive but it’s just… below-average read. Boring. If we look at this with a modern perspective it is problematic but that’s not my issue. My issue is that the writing style and overall story is nothing spectacular. 2.5

Fast read and it’s interesting. I’m intrigued.

A rather interesting and delightful retelling. Different and I enjoyed it

*sigh*

Some parts of the book are good. But so much of this is utterly boring. The characters are easily forgotten about. The story is… not unique and has been done time-and-time again.

October 2024:
Waiting... patiently waiting.

The big question to be asked is...
Hardcover or paperback?

October 20th:
In six more day. I will only have to wait for one more month. Let's goo.

November 6th:
Aaaaaaaa it's almost release day. Let's goooooooooooo

November 10th:
I know, I know.... But y'all it's almost time for the book to be released.
insert hyperventilating meme AAAAAAA
Also, the pre-order link should be happening soon. I did ask if a hardback would happen when the pre-order link comes. Right now.... That is to be determined at this time. Which... I get. It's a big book. Kinda bums me out, only because the paperback will be destroyed with the way I read.

Interesting and it definitely should be read alongside house of leaves during the letters portion of the book. There is roughly 9 letters in this that are not in house of leaves.

This is a gothic, first person narrator who is visiting an old friend in San Francisco. When they sit together they hear a soft tapping coming from the wall. His friend is fixated on a young woman. However, her life was cut short. But… after her passing, he hears tapping on the walls.

First, I want to say thank you to my local library for saving me money.

Secondly… umm. This wasn’t any good. It’s horribly predictable. The world building, where is it? It’s pretty much non-existent. I can fine my missing pen more than I can find the world building. The chemistry and romance.. it’s like my father… missing. The plot twist was easily guessed before I got to the halfway mark.

The ending (imo) was rushed and the pacing was weird to me.

Anyway…

But… I will end with this:

Saying this is like the hunger games or divergent is a stretch.

It’s a fast read. However, I need more plot, character development, tension and atmosphere like good creepy horror books have. It’s not creepy, just short and boring when you get to the halfway mark of the book. It started off strong but fizzled out.

This was a fascinating, confusing and frustrating read.

Johnny is boring and annoying. I do feel bad for him but at the same time I don’t. Now, I do feel bad about Johnny’s mom. That was sad to read about.

I loved the story when it followed the Navidson’s. That was exciting and fascinating. It made me question some things. Like… how the house is tied to the mental health of all those that are within the house. I was devastated about Tom and Jed.

Karen I didn’t really like. But that’s just because she is too weak but I was glad that she overcame a struggle for Will.

I do wonder what happened to the cat and dog.

I also think that “Mr. Monster” is a metaphor for the monster within people. Referring to the scene with Holloway during the 8 day exploration.

Also, I wouldn’t state that this was scary. It’s more psychological than horror.

As for my biggest issue with the book. The way a lot of the female side-characters are written and portrayed. It PMO. It was dehumanizing and sexiest. It’s like all the females are nothing more then a males toy and something that pleasures them. Besides Karen.

Update May 2025:

Review:

Thank you for allowing me to be an ARC reader for Firstborn of the Sun. This story was amazing, eventful, full of culture, emotional and beautifully written. It captured my full attention before I even got done reading the Prologue. By chapter five I was invested.

Now, the ARC did have some flaws that looked like that pesky autocorrect caused. But… that’s not why I didn’t give it a full five stars. I’m not giving it a full five stars because… now I need to go back in & reread it without the pressure of being an ARC reader.

Notes during my ARC reading:

Prologue:

The prologue is a strong opening to this book. However, there are a few small errors on page 9.

1) Second line from the top has “view.s”

2) Second paragraph, fifth line down. The spacing between “herself again” doesn’t match the rest of the formatting.

3) Second paragraph, 13th line down has “mó . rèmi”.

But overall… that prologue is absolutely amazingly and truly grabs the attention of the readers.

Loved the translation from prologue to chapter 1.

Chapter 1:

On page 17 the second line from the bottom there is a spelling mistake “form”. Which I think it was AutoCorrect's fault but it should be “from”

On the top of page 18, there is a wording issue of “one of one” instead it should be “one-on-one”

Chapter 3:

On page 39, 5th line from the bottom “… their bodies and leather short leather skirts…”

Not sure if a comma is supposed to be in there or if it’s supposed to be one or the other.

Page 44 the line said by Alawani “who are you?” was marked by another read as "needs new line?" because it might confuse the audience.

Page 45, 4th line from the top of page it was marked by another reader that before the word “Earlier” it does not have the start of speech marks but it ends with them.

Chapter 4:

Page 57, 3rd line from the bottom, another reader underlined this quote and asked if it should be italicized like the other memory quotes.

Chapter 5 to the end the mistakes are limited but I don’t remember because I was invested and forgot to mark them.

But... Overall, I believe another round or two of editing to check & fix the grammar, spelling and other small mistakes throughout the book (especially in the first 5 chapters.) (Not sure if it has already been mentioned/done). However, it is a beautiful story that packs a lot of emotions.

The quotes at the end of the chapters/start of new chapters are perfect and resonate with me.

It's truly one of the most diverse, emotional and amazing books I've read so far in 2025

October 2024:Y'all don't understand how excited I am for this book. I've been following the progress of this book since the very start. This is the one book I'm looking forward to in 2025.

It’s not bad. I loved the premise of the book. However, it does fall short for me.

Takes about 30 minutes to read has about 100 pages.

It’s interesting, I guess. I’m not really a religious person but if you are then you might enjoy this.

It’s not bad, it’s average. Umm this is poetry for all those that are curious. The poems are short as well.

‪Easter Night by Alice Meynell‬

‪3.5 ⭐️ ‬

‪If I read the word “alone” one more time, I will lose my mind. ‬

‪“All alone, alone, alone he rose behind the stone”. ‬

‪Shhhhhh‬

Not as good as people make it out to be.