This is a book review of this romantasy novel which is book 1 of the Daughter of the Sun duology by author Hayley Turner.

I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Lightguard

Daughter of the Sun duology book 1

Releasing: 24th March 2026

Stay the course. Be the Light.

After fifteen years of hard training, 25-year-old Corinne Anastos is ready to become a Lightguard and receive her assignment as a Sword of Helaera. Corinne is the most powerful light mage they’ve seen at the monastery in decades, and she’s fought harder than anyone in her training class to retain that reputation—and to prevent the others from discovering her closest-kept secret.

When the day of her Anointing arrives, Corinne’s hopes for a life of honor are dashed. Instead of a placement protecting the sacred Boundary, she’s to be the personal guard for Aryel Serra, Prince of Ashera and heir to the throne. Powerful dark mages have threatened the prince’s life, and it’s now Corinne’s sworn duty to keep him safe, even if he is the most insufferable man she’s ever met.

A Lightguard must not stray from their path, and Corinne must do whatever it takes to live up to those expectations. Because if that voice in her head speaks true, if she fails to protect the prince and guard her own heart, the life she’s fought for will crumble around her.

~ ~ ~

My Review

The story follows Corinne, a Lightguard – a person with light magic (very cool) and also part of a religious-style collective that definitely leans heavily towards the cult-like sense.

This added an interesting flavour to the FMC as she is very cloistered and forced into a strict set of rules. So, when she finally takes a task protecting the Crown Prince, she is immersed in a world that is very different from what she’s grown up with.

I think the author did an excellent job of showing her naivety and her struggle with being around people who didn’t have the same rigid upbringing.

The MMC was a little less fleshed out for me. He was the bratty prince who disliked being guarded, but he seemed a little one-dimensional at the start. This could have been because the story was a little slower to build. I’m okay with that, as I like slow-burning stories. But he seemed a little underdeveloped.

The world-building was good; I love the magical system, the Lightguard concept, and even the creepiness of those who run the Lightguards.

The plot was simple enough, though the threat around the prince seemed unclear. There wasn’t much explanation why he was the target over the king and queen.

Pacing and action kick up around the last quarter of the book, though I would have liked a little more in the middle.

The middle slowed a lot for me as it seemed to repeat the routine (which can help to show the monotony of Corrine’s life in this role), but at some points, it did feel like I’d read parts before.

I did like it when Corinne was connecting and developing friendships with side characters. I would have liked these characters to have been a bit more fleshed out, too – though I suspect this will happen more in book 2 – but overall, their style and personalities had enough to make me like them.

The ending is strong enough to make me interested in seeing where this is going, and I will be looking out for book 2 of this duology.

Overall, I did like this book, and it did keep me reading.

My rating:

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Happy reading

Ari

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