Review: Facing the Sun

Facing the Sun by Carol Beth Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tavi is born facing the sun. This is a very big thing in her world. Those born facing the sun are given a gift. There are some who even have two gifts. Tavi is special. She's born full blessed. This is a rarity that has never happened before. In other parts of the world, something else that has never happened before happens. Somebody has learned another way to obtain gifts. Another way to live life. One without restrictions.

I really enjoyed this story. I LOVED the idea behind the story. I just feel that it didn't fully live up to its potential. I'm not saying I hated the story or that it wasn't worth reading. I just feel like I expected a lot more. I really don't know how to fully explain it. Maybe I can put my finger on the exact reason why I feel this way with the rest of the trilogy. It is a very beautiful and wholesome story though. I will say that.

Tavi has got to be one of the most well-rounded children I have ever read about. I mean she has her moments where she's jealous or she's childish. She recognizes she's doing it though. She also recognizes it's wrong. I'm horrible with names, so I can't really say all the other characters. There were some adorable ones though. I loved Tavi's older sister and her cousin. They were such great supportive characters. Then the "meadow boy" I loved his wit. Give me a character with wit or snark and you will have me fall in love with a book.

I listened to this book and read along when I could. The book was narrated by the author herself. I really liked her voice. She has a talent for narration. I've considered getting into narration myself. I've also considered writing books. It's nice to know that the option of narrating my own books is an option. I had to double-check that this was her first narration. Her narrating reminded me of another narrator I listened to in the past.

While I feel like this book didn't quite meet it's potential, I really enjoyed the story very much. I look forward to seeing where the rest of the trilogy takes us. I see many great things in store for the lovely Tavi. I am also unsure of what will happen with the greys. It's hard to give a solid opinion on them. I'd like to see how that unfolds.

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