Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson

Blurb:

A HEART-POUNDING YORUBA INSPIRED FANTASY NOVEL SET IN AN EPIC WORLD OF COURTLY INTRIGUE AND FORBIDDEN POWER . . .

‘Absolutely Radiant’ BEA FITZGERALD
‘A Dazzling Debut’ ANDREA STEWART
‘Enthralling and epic’ ANNA DAY
‘Readers are going to LOVE THIS BOOK!’ ANGELA MONTOYA

In Oru L'ore has a secret. She is the only one without agbára – the ability to harness power from the sun. On pain of death she must conceal it from everyone. Including her best friend, Alawani.

But when the gods declare Alawani an Àlùfáà – a great honour where he will serve the gods and the Kingdom – he must be stripped of his power in a brutal trial likely to kill him. Unwilling to bear his death, L'ore vows to rescue him.

When she desperately attempts to channel agbára an icy shadow magic instead pours from her hands; a power she learns originated from a forbidden, secret land beyond the six rings of Oru.

One where she and Alawani must now seek sanctuary and discover a secret that could bring the Kingdom to its knees . . .

Review:

“Agbára oru is a curse that blinded our kind to what the gods truly were. Cursed are those born of the sun and sands. Cursed are we all who wield the power of the sun. Cursed are the sands that bury our bones. Cursed are the gods that made us so.”

I started following this author on Instagram after being blown away by the GORGEOUS cover reveal.  I LOVE seeing new authors with exciting fantasy worlds that include new myths and cultures, not to mention forbidden magic, politics, tragedy, and secrets!

The author offered me an eARC and I cannot express how excited it was to see that message!

Honestly, I finished this book, and all I wanted to do was restart it with the audiobook!

“The deal was money for protection. Now it’s your life for her protection. Touch her again and die.”

This book starts with the most amazing opening sequence.  Now, I love a good prologue, but this was epic, like the beginning of the Star Trek series with Chris Pine. I loved the rollercoaster of emotions I got from characters I barely knew!

I loved the prose and the voice it’s written in, and the little worldbuilding snippets at the beginning of each chapter! Reminded me of Mistborn, or One Dark Window!

I would say the story is both character and plot driven. The world building felt complex but not confusing, and I didn’t feel like it ever became info dumping, a few times I wondered why the main character doesn’t know stuff about her culture, but she did grow up as an outcast. 

“Us against the world. Til the sun falls from the sky. This is our vow.”

L’ore – is the only one in the country without Agbara, the power of the sun. She is forced to hide this from everyone to keep herself safe.  She uses the forbidden magic (of the old gods) to blend in when she needs to. Her mother was a maiden of the Sun Temple but was killed when L’ore was young.

Alawani – L’ore’s best friend and the son of the late king, he is prince in name only, as the crown passes from King to High Priest. He is given the great, and unexpected honor of being declared Alufaa.  To accept this honor, he must give up his powers in a ceremony that he will likely not survive. But Alawani has always felt that he was destined for great things. 

Maidens – the maidens of the sun temple reminded me of the Aes Sedai from Wheel of Time, they have their own political agendas, and they wield lots of power.  

When L’ore inevitably tries to save Alawani from his fate, she desperately tries to channel Agbara again. And to her horror and everyone’s surprise, she channels something else entirely.  On the run from the maidens and the crown, she and Alawani must discover the secrets of her past and uncover her own story in the process. 

“I’ll come back.  I’ll survive this. I have to, or I imagine you would wage a war with the gods so great, the sun will hide from you.”

I loved seeing the magic of the sun being used in fantasy.  We have seen a lot of darkness and shadows in the last few years, and it was really exciting to see light as the main source of power here!

I liked the main characters, and I think they both have room to grow, a lot of the side characters were really fleshed out and I could really feel their own voices shining through. I am hugely excited for this book to be published in October and look forward to getting my own copy and listening to the audiobook! This is easily my favorite ARC I have read this year!

Would I reread? YES, and gimme the audiobook too! I’m so excited

Would I recommend?  Absolutely yes, fans of Blood Over Bright Haven will devour this, 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 a character arc of a beloved favorite!

Firstborn of the Sun comes out on October 23, 2025, right now it looks like it only has a UK publisher. It’s available on Amazon for UK readers, and Waterstones is carrying a special edition!

Recommended for Fans of Blood Over Bright Haven, One Dark Window and Wheel of Time!