A review by rashmipmenon
Heart of Night and Fire by Nisha J. Tuli
5.0
Heart of Night and Fire is a story about Zarya who has been living her life up until the age of 21 in confinement under the supervision of a 'parental figure' Row and his apprentice, Aarav. Row Keeps Zarya locked in a house that he had bound by powerful magic. The three of them have been living in isolation ever since a blight left the village stranded and most if not all inhabitants escaped to other villages and towns.
One day Zarya wakes up to the house devoid of Row and his magic binding her. She uses the opportunity to escape, using Row’s horse Ojas. Zarya soon encounters Rani Vasvi's Guards Commander Vikram and Lieutenant Yasen. They take her to Dharati along with Aarav who had set out in search of Zarya. In Dharati, Zarya learns more about her parents, her past, and about the mysterious figure that appears in her dreams, and the strange but powerful magic bubbling in her. She also encounters various mysterious beings like rakshasas, apsaras, and the immortal Aazheri mages. What transpires between these characters during Zarya’s journey and attempt to uncover details about herself and the mysterious figure she has been dreaming about forms the crux of book 1. The mysterious figure turns out to be the love interest, Rabin. The romantic tension and build-up between these two characters was done well even though Rabin shows up a little later in the story. That makes sense as the author took the time to build and establish the world for us. The world-building is done exceptionally well with the right amount of details and no info dump (Thank you!). I absolutely enjoyed the tropes used in this book including the slow burn, found family, and self-discovery of magical abilities, among others. I’m not a huge fan of the love triangle trope, but it did not bother me much in this book. The twist at the end was definitely an impactful one. I had my doubts and I’m glad it turned out this way!
I must say that I am very impressed with the usage of Indian lore and mythology. As a mythology enthusiast, this is the kind of representation I have been looking for in the Fantasy world for South Asians!
I listened to the audiobook version of the book and the narrator Shiromi Arserio did a wonderful job. I am so in love with this book that I am buying myself the physical book for my personal collection. I can’t wait for Book 2 in this series which I believe is coming in February!
I give this book 4.5 stars rounded up to 5! If you enjoy reading slow-burn fantasy romances and are a fan of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout then you’ll LOVE this book!
Thanks to Netgalley, author Nisha J. Tuli, and Bookouture Audio for providing me with the advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
One day Zarya wakes up to the house devoid of Row and his magic binding her. She uses the opportunity to escape, using Row’s horse Ojas. Zarya soon encounters Rani Vasvi's Guards Commander Vikram and Lieutenant Yasen. They take her to Dharati along with Aarav who had set out in search of Zarya. In Dharati, Zarya learns more about her parents, her past, and about the mysterious figure that appears in her dreams, and the strange but powerful magic bubbling in her. She also encounters various mysterious beings like rakshasas, apsaras, and the immortal Aazheri mages. What transpires between these characters during Zarya’s journey and attempt to uncover details about herself and the mysterious figure she has been dreaming about forms the crux of book 1. The mysterious figure turns out to be the love interest, Rabin. The romantic tension and build-up between these two characters was done well even though Rabin shows up a little later in the story. That makes sense as the author took the time to build and establish the world for us. The world-building is done exceptionally well with the right amount of details and no info dump (Thank you!). I absolutely enjoyed the tropes used in this book including the slow burn, found family, and self-discovery of magical abilities, among others. I’m not a huge fan of the love triangle trope, but it did not bother me much in this book. The twist at the end was definitely an impactful one. I had my doubts and I’m glad it turned out this way!
I must say that I am very impressed with the usage of Indian lore and mythology. As a mythology enthusiast, this is the kind of representation I have been looking for in the Fantasy world for South Asians!
I listened to the audiobook version of the book and the narrator Shiromi Arserio did a wonderful job. I am so in love with this book that I am buying myself the physical book for my personal collection. I can’t wait for Book 2 in this series which I believe is coming in February!
I give this book 4.5 stars rounded up to 5! If you enjoy reading slow-burn fantasy romances and are a fan of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout then you’ll LOVE this book!
Thanks to Netgalley, author Nisha J. Tuli, and Bookouture Audio for providing me with the advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.