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eliandherbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I truly loved this book and cannot wait for the next book in the series!
In "Heart of Night and Fire", we follow Zayra, who has been trapped in a cottage her entire life. When she can finally escape, she finds herself in the city of Dharati. However, the city is threatened by attacks that are only getting worse, risking the life of all those inside its walls. Throughout the book, Zayra fights to save the city and discovers her magical abilities.
This book is, I believe, the first book I've read that is based on South Asian mythology. I greatly enjoyed the mythological aspects of the story and how they were intertwined with the world.
In the beginning, for around the first half of the book, the world building is heavy, so the plot progresses slower. The world building is truly beautiful however, and sets a very promising basis for the books to follow. So, if you're snuggling in the first half - please push through! There are so many intricate details of the world, the different queendoms and magic users. The magic system is also well thought out, although it might get a little confusing at the beginning. Tuli also takes great care in describing clothing and meals, which I also enjoyed, as they helped to bring out not only the setting, but also a lot about the characters.
The characters were also well thought out and felt real. Their relationships also progressed nicely throughout the book, so I was able to connect with multiple characters and started rooting for them. They are not without their flaws, though this only adds to their realistic feel. The 'found-family'-trope is a focal point of the book. Again, I found this to be beautifully done, the characters had authentic connections and their relationship progression did not feel rushed.
This is definitely (speaking for this first book only) a slow-burn. I'm a little picky with romantic fantasy books, as I feel like the romance can easily take away from the fantasy plot or the world building. That is certainly not the case with this book, it's an epic fantasy with a subplot of romance (though I suspect this part may get a bigger role in the following books). The tension was well executed and I'm excited to see where their relationship is going!
There were two things I was a little concerned about whilst reading the book, though I am happy to report that these concerns were unfounded!
1) for a majority of the book, Zayra only has male friends. These relationships are well done, but I was a little scared that this would go into the direction of her being "not like other girls" or "being unable to be friends with women, because xyz". These types of friendship always seem (internally) misogynistic, so I'm very glad that this was not the case in the book! Not only does Zayra form a close friendship with another woman, she also against stereotypes such as "you cannot be friends with the opposite gender". Again, I can only praise the friendships in this book!
2) my second concern was the LGBTQIA+-rep. Though this was not heavy in the book, there is a gay character that plays a large role! The representation felt very natural and is also shown on page without any shame, which I appreciated. Yesen is very close with Zayra, so I was a little afraid that he would become a stereotypical portrayal of the "gay best friend", but that is not the case!
The only thing I might've wished for was a little more diversity in the characters, e.g. disability rep.
Long story short: While I was a little slow reading the first half, I ate the second half up! I loved the world, the magic system and the characters and am really excited for the second book! Again, this is definitely a fantasy book, not a romance with a slight element of fantasy. The writing was beautifully done, easy to read and kept me really involved. There were many twists in the story. Some, I saw coming, others I did not. However, all of them were well done and the book really kept me guessing what would happen next and how some characters and elements were connected.
Thank you so much to Second Sky and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for this book in exchange for an honest review, I was truly honored to have been able to read this book ahead of its release.
In "Heart of Night and Fire", we follow Zayra, who has been trapped in a cottage her entire life. When she can finally escape, she finds herself in the city of Dharati. However, the city is threatened by attacks that are only getting worse, risking the life of all those inside its walls. Throughout the book, Zayra fights to save the city and discovers her magical abilities.
This book is, I believe, the first book I've read that is based on South Asian mythology. I greatly enjoyed the mythological aspects of the story and how they were intertwined with the world.
In the beginning, for around the first half of the book, the world building is heavy, so the plot progresses slower. The world building is truly beautiful however, and sets a very promising basis for the books to follow. So, if you're snuggling in the first half - please push through! There are so many intricate details of the world, the different queendoms and magic users. The magic system is also well thought out, although it might get a little confusing at the beginning. Tuli also takes great care in describing clothing and meals, which I also enjoyed, as they helped to bring out not only the setting, but also a lot about the characters.
The characters were also well thought out and felt real. Their relationships also progressed nicely throughout the book, so I was able to connect with multiple characters and started rooting for them. They are not without their flaws, though this only adds to their realistic feel. The 'found-family'-trope is a focal point of the book. Again, I found this to be beautifully done, the characters had authentic connections and their relationship progression did not feel rushed.
This is definitely (speaking for this first book only) a slow-burn. I'm a little picky with romantic fantasy books, as I feel like the romance can easily take away from the fantasy plot or the world building. That is certainly not the case with this book, it's an epic fantasy with a subplot of romance (though I suspect this part may get a bigger role in the following books). The tension was well executed and I'm excited to see where their relationship is going!
There were two things I was a little concerned about whilst reading the book, though I am happy to report that these concerns were unfounded!
1)
2) my second concern was the LGBTQIA+-rep. Though this was not heavy in the book, there is a gay character that plays a large role! The representation felt very natural and is also shown on page without any shame, which I appreciated.
The only thing I might've wished for was a little more diversity in the characters, e.g. disability rep.
Long story short: While I was a little slow reading the first half, I ate the second half up! I loved the world, the magic system and the characters and am really excited for the second book! Again, this is definitely a fantasy book, not a romance with a slight element of fantasy. The writing was beautifully done, easy to read and kept me really involved. There were many twists in the story. Some, I saw coming, others I did not. However, all of them were well done and the book really kept me guessing what would happen next and how some characters and elements were connected.
Thank you so much to Second Sky and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for this book in exchange for an honest review, I was truly honored to have been able to read this book ahead of its release.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Minor: Sexual harassment
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