DNF @ 40%

I tried, but I’m so bored.

I actually really enjoyed the first 10-15% of this - I feel like it had loads of promise and, whilst the characters were lacking development, there was time for them to improve. But now I’m almost halfway through and these characters have no personality.

I don’t understand where this attraction has come from between Vikram and Zarya - it’s very underdeveloped. Also, Zarya is so immature. I find the way she’ll just randomly be like ooooh I really wanna have sex so weird. Like it comes out of nowhere and, I get that it’s because there’s gonna be some smut in the future, but it’s very out of place at the moment.

The writing style is a bit jarring - we seem to jump around a lot in the plot in a way that is completely nonsensical. Also, it’s just really boring.

I love the idea of the world and the descriptions of food, but the promise of a better second half isn’t enough to keep me going.

I’m going to start by saying I hate when a book or author is advertised by comparing themselves to successful authors such as JLA, SJM or Carissa Broadbent. It never lives up to the hype.

I promise I can tell you about this book in 5 minutes and you’ll understand how pointless it is. Plot? You wouldn’t fucking know until 90%? Slow burn? Barely. You find out at like 80ish% he is to be the new queens steward and they cannot be together. It was not even spicy. They made out and she had dirty thoughts.
The twist that’s barely a twist. It’s annoying because you know nothing about him besides he disappeared for years, but the FMC saw him in her dreams like a handful of times and talked with him.
I understand words building but this entire book was absolute fluff for you to just find out she’s a princess and has magic. Like I could have told you that, I didn’t need to read 40 chapters to figure that out.

Thank you for coming to my tedtalk.
Oh yeah, I got this from netgalley for my honest review so here ya go 😬

4.5 stars

Look, I am always on the hunt for more South Asian fantasy books and I am so glad that I stumbled upon this one. Heart of Night and Fire had me hooked from the first line. The worldbuilding was simply incredible and felt very immersive. As someone who's Indian, I loved recognizing all the references (and trust me there are a lot). Nisha J. Tuli's writing just flows off the page and sucks you into the beginning of what I believe is going to be a very magnificent story.

In terms of the characters, I liked Zarya the most. She's fierce and determined, and also unexpectedly funny. Because the story focuses on Zarya, her character development is visible the most. But it's done really well and you really see her grow. Though, I would have liked the same for the other characters as well; I'm hoping the next book in the series does that. One thing that I did like was how Yasen slowly grew into a friend and a grumpy older brother figure for Zarya and I'm excited to see more of their dynamic.

In terms of the pacing, I do think it might feel slow for some people at the start, but it picks up pretty quickly and the story moves on fast as Zarya learns more about herself and her powers and the mysterious figure that haunts her mind.

Heart of Night and Fire is the start of a lush, captivating fantasy series set in a world inspired by South Asian myths and legends. Like I said, this book was extremely immersive and establishes a great start for what I think is going to be an utterly magnificent series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

more of a 2.5 stars / Heart of Night and Fire follows Zarya who has been trapped in a gilded prison—her home—for as long as she can remember by her keeper who is adamant that her powers are not to be revealed to the outside world. One day, she is able to leave her home and arrives in the city of Dharati, where she finds that dark creatures are besieging the city and growing stronger.

Heart of Night and Fire is described as "Packed with enemies-to-lovers tension, heart-pounding action and devastating twists, The Nightfire Quartet is an epic fantasy romance that begins with a slow burn and builds in intensity.". Though, in this first book there is practically none of that. I will note that book one might still be a build-up to what is to come in the rest of the series.

What I did like was the Indian-inspired mythology aspect of the book, and I feel like the global plot has a lot of promise. Though the execution was quite lackluster in my opinion, especially the first half of the story. With its messy execution plot-wise, it was a major letdown in comparison to the second half of the novel. Without spoiling what happens, I don't think the series of events that led Zarya to Dharati had a good reason for them, and the story seemed to have various inconsistencies.

Zarya's portrayal in the first half lacked depth and was characterized by immaturity and an excessive innocence that was incongruous for a twenty-year-old. It felt more like reading a YA-contemporary romance at times, which is strange considering she is 20 years old at this point. Her constant desire for 'romance' at all times also significantly reduced my interest in the overall plot. Even though her character did improve in the second half, it was hard for me to identify or relate to her.

The main character Zarya is not the only character that was lacking in this story. The 'side-characters' also seem to be missing any complexity or even meaningful relationships with our MC. Whereas Nisha spent a lot of time describing how handsome Vikram and Yassen were from Zarya's POV, she skipped giving them unique personalities. However, I have to say that Rabin and the events that happened between him and Zarya kept my interest piqued in the second half of the novel.

Overall, Heart of Night and Fire didn't have much of what I look for in an "enemies-to-lovers new adult fantasy". Although the first half was rather disappointing, the second half was able to make up for some of those flaws. However, I don't think I will be picking up the sequel because this book couldn't keep me engaged enough with the story as it is now.

This book was SO. GOOD.

I was a little worried that I wouldn’t like it at first, some of the vocab made my head spin and I felt myself having to read & then read things again to make sure I understood.

But, LET ME TELL YOU. It got better. The world building, the character development, the mystery (like who the heck is Zarya’s actual love interest), the unpredictable PLOT TWIST & how it all came together at the end. Chefs kiss.

I can’t wait for the next book in this series. I need more of Zarya & Rabin immediately.

Overall I really enjoyed Heart of Night and Fire and devoured the book within a day. The world building was a bit clunky but I think it was primarily due to all the different terminology for the types of people/creatures/beings on top of the Indian culture that was mingled throughout and which I am personally not familiar with. That being said, the world building was enjoyable to explore, and the writing made everything fun to visualize.

My biggest complaint and the reason for not giving 5 stars is that I felt that the secondary characters could have used a lot more development. I feel like I didn’t have a strong connection to any of the secondary characters, the exception being Rabin, and that was only because the sense of mystery surrounding him for most of the book was so strong.

I can’t wait to hear about when the next book is coming out and am looking forward to reading more about the world and it’s characters!

I freaking loved this book so much! I needed a good fantasy! And this book blew my mind. I loved all the characters! It moved pretty fast paced and the plot twists were...WOW

Thank you Netgalley, Second Sky publishing and Nisha J. Tuli for letting me read the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed myself during the first part and the last part of the book, but I felt it was a little slow half way into it. You really can picture all the aesthetic, the world building that the author has created which I like. The slow burn romance is good, but I feel like there were not much growing when it comes to the characters...they felt pretty same throughout beside the romance who grew.

But even if I missed something I think it's overall a good fantasy that is worth your time and to read.

My rating is 3,5 ⭐

3 ⭐️ overall but I’d say the last quarter of the book was worth a bit more.

Zarya’s story intrigued me from the get go, being secluded away with no real understanding of who she is, where she’s from and why she’s there. The author does constantly remind us that she’s 20/21, which I see more as the character needing to reaffirm it to herself. Her thoughts and actions very much feel in line with her given age including the need to prove herself, the thought that she might know better than everyone around her, the need to remind everyone she’s so “grown up” and her impulsive and sometimes insecure behavior. However, on the flip side we see some lovely moments of maturity and self reflection, of acceptance of herself and others and accountability for her past thoughts, feelings and actions.

The relationships and emotions of the characters definitely took on a more “told vs shown” quality to them and I wasn’t passionately attached to anyone throughout the majority of the story to be honest. I absolutely wouldn’t consider this anywhere in the realm of “enemies to lovers” that I’ve seen a couple of other reviews mention. There is a bit of tame romance splashed here or there but wasn’t the main focus even though it did help move the plot and character development forward. The slow burn here is probably some of the slowest smoldering of embers I’ve read recently but you can tell that the burn is coming. When the (predictable but not in a bad way) relationship reveals come into play in the last half of the story it leaves a lot more room to explore those interesting past/present/future dynamics in the next books.

The plot for the first half of the book felt a bit meandering, and I wasn’t quite sure exactly what the overall arc was going to be or where the author was hoping to lead us and leave us. I loved the rich cultural imagery and often found myself researching the food and clothing names I wasn’t familiar with. The world of Rahajhan is exciting and full of a diverse range of magic wielders and countless demonic creatures and I’m excited to see where the adventures and politics take this series in the future. The first half of this book felt more prequel-like than I had originally anticipated but the stakes, the tension and the character’s relationships really came to play for the last quarter of the book. The higher stakes and the revelations at the end will have me coming back for book 2.

I breezed through Heart of Night and Fire, a testament towards how interesting I found the world and characters that Nisha J. Tuli created.

I adored the characters in Heart of Night and Fire. I found Zarya to be very relatable and smart. All of the choices that she made are things that I could see myself doing (if I were maybe braver and more socially adept). Her relationships with Yasen and Vikram were lovely and left me wanting more with every chapter. The spicy chapters were just enough where it didn't feel too rushed, left me vaguely satisfied and yet also wanting more. Perfect for those that enjoy the slow burn and hate insta love but also need a little bit of something. I'm not sure when the next book in the Nightfire Quartet will come out, but I cannot wait to read more about these characters (especially a certain new character ;) ).

I found Heart of Night and Fire to be a breath of fresh air after reading NA fantasy books that were all different shades of the same thing. I loved how Tuli incorporated Indian culture and mythology into every paragraph. I feel like I learned so much while also having a lot of fun.

The only eh thing (and the reason for one missing star) is that the magic system was nothing new. It felt very much like something I have read in at least 5 other fantasy novels within the last 3 years. That being said, the creatures and mythology kind of made up for the lack of originality with the magic system, so I'm not too mad.

I am very much looking forward to the next installment in this series. I recommend to readers who like a bit of spice but also solid and original storytelling with a relatable and enjoyable main character. 4/5 stars.

Thank you Nisha J. Tuli and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Second Sky publishing for sending me an e-ARC for my honest review!

This book held so much promise; hidden magic, far away cities, and demonic monsters? All things I usually love in books. But with “Heart of Night and Fire,” the execution simply wasn’t there. The story starts off well enough: readers follow Zarya, a bitter and resentful girl who’s been locked away her whole life, looking to finally break free from the chains that bind her to her cottage in the woods. When her guardians disappear and she ventures out on her own for the first time, she discovers far more than she expected in secretive strangers and new sights.

For all my misgivings, the story is not without its merits. The plotline hook is wildly compelling, Zarya is easy to empathize with at first. The world-building has a solid foundation in Indian culture and mythos, invoking images of a bright, rich culture full of a wide cast of characters. Honestly, I think fans that liked the Shadow & Bone series but found the white-savior complex and cringey love triangle off putting would very much like this series.

But there were too many things that didn’t work for me that leaves me reluctant to continue the series. The story structure and character development is immensely juvenile; there is no struggle, there is no building of suspense, there is no character growth...there are simply black and white characterizations of “going from point A to point B.” The overly saturated usage of similes and metaphors is grating and heavily overloads the text with useless descriptors. The political structure and magic system of the world is pretty vague and ramshackle, none of it seems very well thought out. The combat scenes have jarring plot holes and injuries that are forgotten within the turn of a page.

Not to mention Zarya, who feels like a fully self actualized and static character with absolutely zero room for growth. Wow, she knows how to fight and can learn everything by reading? Where are her flaws? How can this character grow over the course of FOUR books? Her plot armor is so thick there’s no stakes whenever she’s in danger; why should she feel bad for lying to everyone who’s keeping her safe? Why should she hesitate before leaping headfirst into danger? She’ll never be in any real danger!

For the first book in fantasy series to contain such large plot holes and distinctly flawed characterization, leaves me ample room to place some serious doubts as to the execution of the rest of the books, and I highly doubt I’ll be picking up the sequel.

While I haven't read the other books by Nisha yet, Heart of Night and Fire is the type of book to make me want to go buy an author's entire catalogue!!! Described as an epic fantasy romance with slow burn and enemies to lovers- it did not disappoint. Full of beautiful descriptions of the food, clothings, and beings inspired by Indian culture and mythology, you are immersed in a whole new world! (if you aren't as familiar with Indian culture like I was, get google ready but its worth it)

The main character Zarya has been sheltered (aka trapped) her whole life with no explanation and told to hide her small bit of magic from others. When her father figure/warden/keeper, Row, disappears and she is finally able to escape- there is a whole world of magic, creatures, and conflict she couldn't have imagined.

Followed by her brother-like, pain in the butt, Aarav, they run into two rakshasa (think vampire) Yasen and Vikram who bring them to city of Dharati. There, she learns that the small demon problem she was aware of back home is much worse than she thought. Joining them in the fight to protect the city and its queen, Zarya begins to find friends (or maybe more...) and experience all that she's been missing.

As Zarya attempts to learn more about her magic and her past, she finds herself meeting a mysterious stranger in her dreams, Rabin. Who is Rabin? Can she trust him? Where did Row go and what was he keeping from her? Who are/were her parents? Can she tell anyone about her magic? Will she ever get to experience love like she's read about in books?

other things I loved:
Strong FMC
found family
nicknames :)
magical creatures
who did this to you
perfect amount of spice that I'm sure will get hotter in the rest of the books
not one, but TWO offers of "do you want me to kill him?"
twists and turns for DAYS, I was not expecting the ending at all

Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky and Nisha J. Tuli for the ARC xo

I'm certainly in my fantasy era at the moment & Heart of Night & Fire was a pacy read full of action & intrigue.

The tale is full of secrets & I felt like I was constantly waiting for them to be revealed or discovered depending on which of the numerous hidden elements the story was covering.

My favourite character was Yasen & I hope there's a lot more of him to come in the next book, but I do worry for him as the sense of threat in the story is so high.
I didn't feel very connected to Zarya, but it didn't detract from the story, I just felt her blasé attitude to Row & her secret keeping didn't make her a very relatable character.
There is a bit of focus given to descriptions of dress & food, which I ended up really enjoying (I don't normally) & the book has a really strong sense of place.

I'll definitely be picking up the next in the series when it comes out.

This book was so unique and I found myself hooked after the first few chapters! After that, I didn’t want to put it down!

Zarya has been trapped for nearly 20 years (most of her life) in a small coastline with her guardian and his apprentice. She is never told what happened to her parents, or even who they were. So she only trains each day with her sword, reads romance novels, and playing with the drop of magic she contains, while dreaming of what life on the outside would be like.
One day her guardian disappears along with the magic keeping her inclosed. Taking advantage of the situation, Zarya packs the essentials and sets out on her own. Not after long she encounters two handsome Rakshasas, a nearly immortal humanoid species known for drinking blood. She saves them.. Or they save her from attacking naga, which plague the swamp land she lives near.
She is taken to the city, what she has always dreamed. But the mystery of her missing guardian still plagues her. All while the city also is under attack by demonic beings.
This Romance Fantasy is another 5 star book by Nisha J. Tuli. She brings to life an intricate world full of magic, demons and politics. The twists and the slow burn romance are really captivating. Don’t sleep on this book!
Thank you Nisha, NetGalley and Second Sky for this eArc!

Good world building but too much focus on terms and aesthetics- lots of descriptions of food
The main characters lacked depth and emotion
Their meeting and initial interaction seemed forced
Zarya’s need for intimacy made it seem like she had a “crush” on almost every male character she meets- thinking others are jealous of her relationship with Vikram; who she JUST met while also being super attracted to Rabin
Zarya is perceived as a strong female lead but needs help constantly and doubts herself/ Row’s decisions to try to keep her safe
The second half is MUCH better than the first with some character development and better action scenes

I heard so many things about Nisha but this was my first book written by her. And this book full of Indian mythology, gorgeous clothing and delicious food was a great start.
While the world that she constructed is gorgeous, I found it a little bit lengthy and at times I just wanted to jump right into action.
I fell in love with the characters and their interactions. I loved that Zarya was a strong character right from the start and she just grew more from there. Yasen was one of my favorite! I loved how close they become and also how they would defend each other. Same thoughts about Aarav, and I’m sure he will be more close to Zarya in book 2. When Rabin came into picture, I was wondering how he will fit in. But Nisha twisted the plot and just ended the book making you feel bad that you got the chance to read the book in advance, meaning you will have to wait more for the next one!
A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC! All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

This book constantly talks about "almost" 21 year old Zarya and her secret past. This among other things, hints that the book is meant for New Adult readers. However, it reads as very young adult with frequent cringey phrasing and an overly petulant main character. I felt like I was reading fanfiction back in the early 2000's but I didn't know what the source material was. Now, I did give some stars for the world building. There's a solid set up for a lot of great lore ... Aside from the unfortunate use of the word "taint" as a noun (both spreading and being felt). This book could use at least 2 more rounds of edits to remove the repetitive sections and age up the character and storytelling techniques. For example, Zaryas "rage" and saying things were "implied" less than a page after they were outright said. Again, I was interested in reading the story and learning about the world but there's still plenty of work to be done for it to be appropriate for the target audience.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy.

I was so excited for this because of the whole desi/south asian vibes and I was ready to dive in but it very quickly became too much.

The first half of the book feels very confusing. Every other page is a description page of what each and every character is wearing and what they're eating. I know Tuli is trying to show all the south asian things ( shalwar, talwar, chana, etc), but it felt like she was doing too much. It didn't feel natural in the story, it felt forced. I've read her Sun Queen Trial books as well and that also has brown characters but she did it better in that book because it didn't feel like it was being forced on you.

Now let's move on to the FMC. Zarya is suppose to be a grown adult (20/21) but I swear she acts like shes 13. That one scene where she just comes out and asks these two men who she JUST met 24 hours ago if they use their teeth or eating or other things. Like WTF 😬 . To me she came off as a confused character who just watches things happen. I didn't like her with Vikram because for some reason to me he came off a lot older, like an uncle. I liked her chemistry with Yesen but that went nowhere and I'm like what was the whole point of that at all. Then comes our MMC who isn't even in this to be of any value

Over all this was a let down

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. I absolutely loved it. Loved the characters, loved the plot, loved the story. I read this book in two sittings such a great fascinating quick read.