“Heart of Night and Fire” by Nisha J. Tuli is a fantasy romance read, inspired by Indian mythology. In the first book of The Nightfire Quartet, Tuli builds a captivating, heart-pounding action and cataclysmic twists, this book leaves readers wondering when the sequel will hit shelves.
The novel follows Zarya, a magically inclined individual who can manipulate starlight, and who’s spent most of her life under house arrest under the care of Row and his apprentice, Aarav, in the swamplands of their kingdom of residence. Zarya is left in the dark as to why she must conceal her magic and spend most of her days training, never seeing life beyond the metaphorical (or invisible magic) walls of her prison - until the morning when Row goes missing and his magical guards dissipate, allowing Zarya to leave for the first time.
After inserting herself into a demon attack with two handsome strangers in the middle of her journey, Zarya finds herself being escorted to the capital city of Dharati, with Commander Vikram and Lieutenant Yasen, along with Aarav, who trailed Zarya to bring her home. In Dharati, Zarya slowly begins to piece together her past, who she is, and begins to find her place and purpose in her newfound freedom. Along the way, she develops a love interest, trains to be a soldier in the Khada (the queen’s special forces and the kingdom’s main defense against the numerous demon attacks), is introduced to Row’s magical buddies who seek to help her find out who she is, and makes her first true friend.
While I loved the story once the action picked up, I was disappointed that it took me half the book to get to it. There was a ton of world-building in the beginning and it was honestly slow to the point where I almost DNF’ed it, but things get interesting once Zarya’s life in Dharati begins in earnest.
My other main issue with the book is that Zarya’s main love interest for the series isn’t really introduced and (physically) enters the picture until 80% of the book! (The twist with that was somewhat predictable but I loved it all the same!) There are some steamy scenes with Zarya and her “stand-in” but all of the enemies-to-lovers tension is between her and her mystery man in the dreamworld for most of the story until he finally makes his grand entrance. And then once introduced, he wants nothing to do with her.
Despite a slow start, this book ended on a high note for me with Zarya learning who and what she is. If you’re fond of fantasy reads with found family, enemies-to-lovers vibes, and hidden secrets at every twisted turn (and there are SO many), you’ll enjoy Tuli’s newest novel.
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