Sunborn Rising: Beneath the Fall

Barra’s world is dying. Slowly, ring by ring, the loft grows darker, less vibrant. With clues left in her father’s research notes, Barra and her friends, Tory and Plicks, must find a proof to show the elders. To save their world, they must Fall and go farther into the darkness than anyone before them.

Sunborn Rising by Aaron Safronoff is a young adult novel set in the imaginative world of Cerulean. Safronoff has built a rich and vibrant world, full of layers. Each of the main characters is unique and complex.

Barra, Tory, and Plicks are typical teenagers — still on the threshold of childish behavior, but wanting to be taken seriously in their thoughts and endeavors. As with most coming of age sagas, this leads to trouble. The story really picks up about a third of the way through when the trio makes the discovery that leads to said trouble.

The accompanying drawings are beautifully detailed and allow the reader to see the world of Cerulean through the eyes of its creator. They are reminiscent of the movie Avatar in the vividness and color palette.

Although the descriptiveness of the writing will be sure to appeal to the YA crowd, the author uses a bit of a higher level of vocabulary, so older readers shouldn’t feel like they are reading a children’s book. Don’t be surprised if you have to look up the definitions of a couple of words.

My one complaint regarding the story is the elders’ journey to find the wayward trio. It seemed glossed over and summarized in an effort of expediency to move the story forward.

Even though Sunborn Rising is the first part of a two-part series, it doesn’t end in a huge cliffhanger. While it sets up for the second half of the battle, it provides a satisfying close to the first chapter. That isn’t to say you won’t be left wanting to know what happens next, but you also won’t feel like you were left with no answers to the saga that took place.