I absolutely LOVED Heart of Night and Fire! Nisha J. Tuli did an incredible job with world building & bringing these characters to life. I also appreciated that this story was inspired by Indian & South Asian culture - it brought something really special & made this book stand out!

I found Zarya to be a delightful FMC - she’s funny, headstrong, & determined to find out the mysteries surrounding her past. I loved watching her come into her own throughout the book and can’t wait to see what else we learn about her as the series goes on.

I also can’t wait to find out more about Rabin in the next book - I would’ve loved to see more of him in this one, but I’ll impatiently wait to see how he fits into Zarya’s world.

This cover DOES NOT disappoint.
Fantasy ✔
Strong Woman ✔
Magic ✔
Hidden Secrets ✔
Slow Burn Fantasy ✔

Zarya finally breaks free from the spell of her childhood - and travels to the city of Dharati. Overwhelmed but quickly adapting, Zarya finds her place. Until the city is attacked.
Zarya fights but can't help but feel involved.
The imagery. The slow burn romance. Zarya herself. I ate this book up! Great start to a new series.

#bookreview || HEART OF NIGHT AND FIRE (The Nightfire Quartet #1) by: Nisha J. Tuli

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮𝓼 𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝔂 𝓲𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓷. 𝓦𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓮𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓴 𝓽𝓸 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓲𝓽 𝓸𝓻 𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓲𝓽."

Ever since I started seeing Nisha's book on TikTok, I knew that I needed to read her books. When I read The Trial of the Sun Queen, I was obsessed with her writing; thus, my love for her books exploded.

Heart of Night and Fire is the first book in the Nightfire Quartet series. It's about a girl named Zarya, and the rest is history! Hehe, I'm not spoiling the story because it is so good.

At first, I thought the story was kind of similar to the trial of the Sun Queen, but in the end, it was completely different. I had a lot of eye-rolling moments while reading this book and was so ready to dnf it at 31% percent because I couldn't handle Zarya's attitude. She was mad all the time, and her sarcastic answers just infuriated me. She really pissed me off, but I still continued reading until I felt somewhat relaxed and my feelings towards Zarya changed.

I can really see Zarya changing for the better, and I love how mature she is in accepting everything, and that's one of the reasons why she's my favorite strong female character.

The story is clearly and beautifully written. It captures you right from the first page to the end. The words just absorb you and make you feel like you are inside the book, witnessing everything that's happening. It's definitely the best story I've read this month.

Wow! This was something new and unexpected. The story draws inspiration from Indian mythology, creating a familiar yet unique world. It also has some of my favourite tropes, like enemies to lovers, found family, fated destiny and an amazing female main character.

In addition to a complex world, the characters are also multifaceted. Many of the characters have great character arcs and evolution during the story. The main character Zarya is strong, independent, naive, optimistic, caring… and so on. She and the other main characters feel like real people, not just empty shells.

The balance between action and more character driven storylines was great. There was a LOT happening but you still got character growth and experienced all of the feelings. The pacing was good and the chapter lengths were perfect for binging the story.

I’m very hooked on this world and need to know what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending an advanced copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Zarya has spent her whole life trapped in a house in the forest with Row and his apprentice, Aarav. Desperate to be free, Zarya is sick of her questions not being answered, not being allowed to leave the grounds, and being restricted by Row's magic. She dreams of exploring the world but it seems like her dream will never be able to come true until one day when she wakes up to an empty house. She goes outside and finds that the magical barrier being upheld by Row is gone and so she leaves. Unfortunately, Aarav catches up to her and they begin to head back to the house but are interrupted by Vickram and Yasen. Since Zarya and Aarav have been living in the wilderness, they are immediately seen as suspicious and are brought to the capital.

Like any fantasy book, the first few chapters are filled with worldbuilding and introducing us to the characters. Since the book is being told from Zarya's perspective, I wasn't super impressed with Row and Aarav but the more you learn about their motives, the more complex you begin to feel about those characters. Once Zarya gets to the capital, it feels like the action is starting and the pace of the book picks up. It's difficult to put this book down as we learn more about the world and the secrets that have been kept from Zarya.

I'd recommend this book to fans of fantasy and adventure. The vibes are end of the world, last survivors, slow burn, adventure, and seeking freedom.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Zarya has spent her life stuck in a cottage in the swamp. When her guardian disappears and the wards trapping her broken, she makes her way to the city of Dharati. There she searches for answers, but the city is under siege from demons. In order to protect her new home and new friends, Zarya fights, but who can she trust? Who is the (extremely handsome) stranger in her dreams? And why does her magic need to be kept secret?

The worldbuilding in this book was incredible, drawing from Indian influences and Indian Mythology, the world Zarya lived in felt rich and colourful.

Zarya was a down to earth character who was craving family, love, friendship. She was a likeable character and I enjoyed reading about her self-discovery through this book. Yasen was a great grumpy character and his character development was great.

If romance is what you are reading this book for, it is a serious slow burn and there is not much of it in this book. That being said, Vikram and Rabin were interesting male characters. Vikram wasn't my favourite though, as charming as he may be. Rabin with all his mystery and mainly turning up in dreams was what I was interested in.

The plot was great, filled with action, mystery, secrets, angst, friendship and a little sprinkle of romance. I am a sucker for the found family trope, and this book was no exception. The book was initially quite slow going, but definitely worth it in the end.

I eagerly anticipate the second book in this quartet being released.

It is clear from the first page that Tuli knows how to write, for someone who enjoys atmospheric stories this was a treats. I also loved the way indian mythology was integrated because I mainly read about greek or norse mythology before, and I really enjoyed this.
This could've even been a 5 Star book for me, however, the action picks up a little to late. While I enjoyed the care Tuli took with the worldbuilding it was also quite time consumes and therefore left little room for action. I loved that Tuli still managed to flesh out the characters and we really see Zarya's growth, and I expect this book set up the world and there will be more action in the next book.

I want to thank Nisha J. Tuli, Second Sky, and Netgalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

I will start this review by saying that I enjoyed this book, mainly because I liked having a main character with different facets, who has real feelings and evolves as the book goes on. I also liked this new fantasy universe, which breaks away from the now classic vampire, werewolf, or fae universe.
This book is inspired by Indian mythology and feels like a rich universe.

We follow Zarya who, after being imprisoned by her mentor for her own protection, is about to discover the world and meet new people following her mentor's disappearance.
I enjoyed watching Zarya discover the world, the notion of friendship and love, things she spent her childhood only reading about in her books.

I have to admit I struggled with the slowness of the book.
The action comes very late in this first volume, and the rest of the book is really about introducing the characters and discovering the universe through Zarya's eyes.
This book really reminded me of the Gild book by Raven Kennedy: in this tome, we feel the potential of the universe created by the author, but we're left wanting more because 80% of the book is a big introduction to the universe, and the discovery of the secondary characters.

For those of you who, like me, have trouble with slow-moving books, don't put this book down. I really think the author's universe is worth the effort, and that Volume 2 will be fantastic.

I was introduced to the beautiful writing style of Nisha in Artefacts of Ouranos, then in Wicked. This book keeps on with that style of world-building that wraps you in and feels like a dreamland or being inside a Disney movie, full of wonder and color.
The characters in Heart of Night and Fire are interesting, realistic, flawed, badass, redemptive, sarcastic, loveable, hateful, you name it! They evolve, especially Zarya, our amazing FMC, that grows from sheltered and somewhat naïve - but not lacking in intelligence - into a brave and cunning person, looking and finding eventually all the secrets kept from her about herself and her roots and her family, her past.

I’ve bever been to Asia, but Nisha made me feel like i did. Like good books do, it took me places and taught me things and made me dream. I definitely want to visit and know more, a lot more, about South Asian Mythology - it sounds fascinating!

The mystery man in her dreams is the cherry on top, sort of connecting all the mysteries in her life.
It’s full of small twists, but Nisha does a great job of making they seem flawlessly perfect, gently guiding you to see them for yourself before Zarya gets her confirmations.

I do have to admit that Zee/Yas relationship stole the show for me and Yas is my baby and i will mutiny and rage and burn the world if something happens to him! Nisha, please don’t stab my heart! Yas needs to be protected at all costs! Don’t go GRRM on us 😅

I don’t have the poetry streak i need to explain how engrossing this world was and how much i NEED the continuation of this story, that i am sure will compete with Artefacts of Ouranos on my favourite Nisha world 😄

Thank you, NetGalley and Second Sky Books for the chance to read this stunning novel!

For the past 20 years, Zarya has been trapped in a cottage surrounded by a growing dark swamp far from civilization. She is forbidden to use her magic, but she's unsure why it must remain a secret. Arav, one of her protectors, seems to despise her, and Rowe, the guardian who raised her, refuses to give her the answers she seeks. Zarya is ready to break out of the only life she's ever known.

One day her wish is granted as she finally escapes and finds herself in the dazzling city of Dharati. Along the way, she meets and befriends blood-drinking rakshasa, Vikrim, and Yasen. The magical Aazheri sorcerers within the walls have questions for her, but she doesn't know who to trust with her secrets. But there is a darkness outside of the city that threatens the safety of the people who live there, and Zarya joins the fight. Battling to protect the city and searching for clues about her unknown gifts, Zarya's dreams lead to more questions as she's confronted by a mysterious stranger. When the darkness threatens to destroy Dharati, Zarya and her friends band together and must do all that they can to protect the city. But if she is forced to reveal her magic, will it do more harm than good?

I absolutely loved this new world and story from Nisha J. Tuli. The world building she uses within this novel made me feel like I was right there walking beside Zarya. I enjoyed reading about Zarya and her grit and determination to help save Dharati despite just coming to it. She was such a fun female to read because she didn't put up with anyone telling her what to do now that she's left her "cage." I LOVED Yasen and the friendship that builds throughout the story. The forest meetings with Rabin were so intriguing and I'm excited to see how that storyline continues in book 2.

I cannot wait to see what happens with these characters in Book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley & Second Sky for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in a new South Asian inspired fantasy, Heart of Night & Fire will appeal to fans of Carissa Broadbent & Raven Kennedy.

Our FMC Zarya has been raised in seclusion with her caretaker Row. Her childhood has been kept a mystery from her and what little magic she has is forbidden from being exposed to others. After Row vanishes without a word and the magic that has been keeping her within the boundaries of her home evaporates – Zarya takes action.
Escaping to a nearby city, Zarya (along with the help of her new friends) search for answers about Row’s worrying disappearance. But she soon uncovers more than she expected.

Dark creatures straight from storybooks have started attacking the city with rapid frequency. Zarya has been having reoccurring strange dreams involving a handsome stranger. Answers must be found about what her forbidden magic truly is, as it may be the key to saving – or destroying – everything she has worked hard to find.

I had such a fun time reading this. It was fast paced and engaging. The world building wasn’t too dense and was everything you’d need to draw you in considering its book 1 of a planned 4 book series. It was immersive and descriptive and there is plenty left to be explored as we continue on.

I’ve read enough fantasy books now that it can be quite easy to predict what’s going to happen. But at no point reading this did I know the direction the author was heading in. There were twists and turns in every chapter and I loved that.

The characters and their relationships were interesting. My favourite character in particular was Yasen and I really enjoyed his and Zarya’s dynamic. There are a lot of side characters introduced in this book so it will be interesting to see how this is developed on in book 2. I’m personally hoping that it will be at least dual POV?

There is romance which I did enjoy, but I’m not going to expand further than that as I don’t want to spoil anything.

Overall I am excited to continue the series and I would absolutely recommend if you love ‘romantasy’ books and want something a little less predictable!

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a few of Nisha Tulis book and fell in love with her writing style, vivid imagery, and amazing characters. This book was no exception.

Heart of Night and Fire is a fantasy/ romance novel inspired by Indian mythology, containing a world of magical creatures, demons, and royalty.

I read/ listened to this book and found both experiences enchanting. The narrator articulated the story with perfect inflections and pacing that kept me engaged and unable to put the story down.
I loved exploring Zaryas exploration of a complex world outside of her protected and sheltered upbringing, as well as her spunk and ferocity as she faced so many overwhelming experiences and challenges.
The story establishes the world and character foundations, for what will certainly be explored in more action and intensity as the series progresses. As this is the first book of a series, it is a bit heavier on the world building which takes some patience but as always, Nisha works in these details within the flow of the story in a way that's not forced or boring. The names, places, and other aspects of the world - being based on Indian mythology - can feel a bit foreign and difficult to track but it just takes some patience to map it out in your mind and track the various words. I did find some of the names and places having similar sounds which made it a bit more challenging to navigate but in those moments I just referenced the ebook to make sure I had it right in my head.
The story ends on an exciting precipice and I am eager to see where the story goes in the next book!

I had applied for an ARC of this book through the author directly, but unfortunately did not get it. Imagine my joy when I saw it was up for request on NetGalley.

I’m keeping this review spoiler free and to the point. Go read this book! Seriously, go read this book. Add it to your TBR and move it up on your TBR. This book was so good! And it’s only the beginning in a series.

It caught my attention as soon as I read the blurb, and I’m so happy and thankful that I was able to receive an ARC for this,

I cannot wait to read more from this author, and from this series!

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for the opportunity to read and review Heart of Night and Fire (The Nightfire Quartet Book 1).

Heart of Night and Fire is my introduction to Nisha J. Tuli. I read so many great reviews of her Artefacts of Ouranos series from Instagram Bloggers and I was excited to start a new series YA Fantasy series, especially a fantasy romance series set within Asian culture.

The cover is beautiful.

Zarya's story is promising and I think her books will do wonderfully with young adults rather than adults who like to read YA fantasies, such as myself.

I had a hard time connecting with Zarya. Even though she is 20/21, her dialogue and inner monologues read like she was much younger. I found myself skimming and skipping several chapters then finally reading the last few chapters in the book - which I admittedly enjoyed compared to the first 93%.

I may try to start the second installment of the series when its released to see if it the story will keep me interested; otherwise, I may not move forward with this series.

Please do not let my review keep you from reading this story. You may enjoy Zarya's story.

Full Disclosure: My ratings are based on loves. If I love a book, I will give it the 5 ❣️, 5 ❤️, 4 ❤️. Books that I don't enjoy will have 3 ⭐.

I loved how unique this story was and I really enjoyed reading about a story inspired by something fresh. This story left me feeling inspired and excited to see what comes next. The dedication was beautiful as well. My only issue is sometimes the writing felt a little offbeat for me but I got over that quickly. Thank you for letting me read this as an ARC and I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The beginning of the story had me intrigued! I loved the setup of Zarya being confined with Row and Aarav. This helped the reader understand some of Zarya’s behavior later on in the book; I.e. the feelings she has when she finally has a friend, some trust issues she deals with, etc.

There was a lot of world building, which I appreciated. I do wish I could have had more depth and connection with the characters. Some of the works building overshadowed the people who are the star of the show.

The last thirty pages definitely had me wanting to read more!

Thank you, NetGalley and Second Sky Books for the chance to read this stunning novel!

For the past 20 years, Zarya has been trapped in a cottage surrounded by a growing dark swamp far from civilization. She is forbidden to use her magic, but she's unsure why it must remain a secret. Arav, one of her protectors, seems to despise her, and Rowe, the guardian who raised her, refuses to give her the answers she seeks. Zarya is ready to break out of the only life she's ever known.

One day her wish is granted as she finally escapes and finds herself in the dazzling city of Dharati. Along the way, she meets and befriends blood-drinking rakshasa, Vikrim, and Yasen. The magical Aazheri sorcerers within the walls have questions for her, but she doesn't know who to trust with her secrets. But there is a darkness outside of the city that threatens the safety of the people who live there, and Zarya joins the fight. Battling to protect the city and searching for clues about her unknown gifts, Zarya's dreams lead to more questions as she's confronted by a mysterious stranger. When the darkness threatens to destroy Dharati, Zarya and her friends band together and must do all that they can to protect the city. But if she is forced to reveal her magic, will it do more harm than good?

Another incredible novel by Nisha J. Tuli. The exquisite world-building made it so easy to see Dharati and the magic forest in my mind. Zarya is a force of nature! One of my favorite main characters! Her past holds so many secrets, and it was fun to journey with her to find those answers. Love, love, love Yasen!! The evolution of their friendship was so natural and loved their banter. The twists and turns in her encounters with Rabin had me on my toes, so it will be exciting to see how that relationship continues to evolve.

I cannot wait to see what is to come for all of the characters throughout the series.

The author added a note in the beginning reassuring readers that everything within this story is inspired by a specific culture, but not directly derived from it and I loved that she added that. And when I saw the dedication, my heart absolutely melted. It was so incredibly sweet. There were moments in the writing that felt lush and interesting and the characters had a sort of found family aspect that melted my heart. Unfortunately, some of the dialogue also felt clunky and the main character's thought pattern and choices took me out of the story and impacted how much I was able to enjoy the story. The romance was interesting, but I'm not necessarily committed to finishing or continuing with the series. That is all personal preference though and I can definitely see where and why someone would love it.

Heart of Night and Fire is a quick, enjoyable fantasy romance read, even if the name is a bit cliché.

I liked Zarya but felt she was not very memorable. A couple of weeks after finishing the book, my lasting opinion of her was that she was too quick to forgive Aarav, who she apparently spent most of her life hating. Her forgiveness seemed unearned although it may be a character trait as she was also quick to forgive Vikram for deceiving her and Yasen for being complicit.

The world building was good although I felt thatva brief guide to the magic system would have been helpful at the beginning.

While the book is aimed at adults it reads a bit simplistic and a lot of characters lacked depth but this didn't stop it being enjoyable.

The romance was a bit lacklustre in this book given Zarya and Vikram didn't have much chemistry but I have high hopes for the next ones given the new love interest introduced in the last quarter of the book.

I ended up at a 3.5 stars for this one with a 3 star first half of the book and a 4 star second half. The first half mostly just suffered from horribly pacing in my opinion. The very very beginning hooked me with questions about secrets surrounding Zarya but then once Zarya made it into the city it felt like she didn't care at all about finding out these answers and instead was just hanging out around town. This really dragged the book for me because those secrets were what I did care about at that point and I just wanted her to do any actions to try and find out the truth. I also found I did not care one whit about the romance in the first half because I could just tell it wasn't the end game romance of the series. The other thing I didn't love about this one was how easy everything felt for Zarya. She just fell in with the two guys she met in the forest and I was constantly asking why in the world would they just decide they were friends with this random girl like they did? And I had a similar reaction later in the book when Zarya met the princess.

Now, once we hit the second half I think the book picked up quite a bit plot wise. We started to actually have things revealed so I was hooked again from that side of things. Zarya and Yassen's relationship had also found a nice stride with their bantering siblings dynamic that I was really enjoying. The world felt more expanded in the second half as well.

Overall I am glad I pushed through the slow first half to finish the book and I am definitely interested in the sequel when it comes out