"A ghost from the past and a whisper of a future that is never going to be"

This was so colorful and vibrant, I loved it! This is my first Nisha J. Tuli book and I really enjoy her writing. This book is so vivid, and it transported me right into the heart of this Indian mythology-inspired, magical world. This book feels comfortable and familiar (in all the best ways), but at the same time, it brings in something new.

Zarya aka swap girl was kind of annoying. Like, do you have to be so stupid? But I guess it is what you get from spending your whole life in captivity only reading romance novels. The romance thing was kind of in the backseat for me - I don't really like her options at this point, but boy was I surprised - not only once, but several times about where things were headed! But Yasen, YES - my favorite, and I loved their friendship and banter ❤️

It left me hungry for more (no literally, I mean it, all the food they were eating...yum! And the chai🍵? Perfection!) I can't wait for the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher, and author for providing me with an advanced review copy.

Thanks to receiving this ARC from NetGalley.
I do love this new World from Nisha J Tuli! Zarya is our FMC and she’s been held prisoner in a swamp. The dark magic is taking over. She’s seeking life, adventure, and just something to keep her going. Fortunately during this time she’s given books that help her build a image of what she wants…Freedom!

Surprising to her, shes released, and she runs. Along the way of her journey she meets new people. She’s able to develop a found family <3 .As she’s been held prisoner she’s naive to a default, but has self awareness enough to be cautious.

The world the Author built is beautiful and dark at the same time. Dharati is a capital for different magic wielders and creatures. They come together to protect everyone, but there are secrets. Zarya is desperate to find answers and is willing to hide parts of her self.

The Magic system is complex, and the info is a lot to sort. I also wished there was more development with a certain character. There are plenty of questions that need to be answered..and I’m here for it.

Every time I finish book I’m shocked that after all this reading books keep surprising me like that.

First of all I wanted to thank NetGalley for giving me opportunity to read eARC of that book. However it’s not surprise for me that I rate it 5/5⭐️ - let’s be honest, Nisha is an excellent writer and I love every other book she send to our world. With Heart of Night and Fire there was no diffrence - I LOVED IT.

Heart of Night and Fire is everything high fantasy romance book needs. The book is developing slow, but taking circumstances - Nisha created whole new magical World based on Indian and Chinese mythology and culture - it is good for us readers, as we can slowly soak and adjust to presented reality.

FMC - Zayra - is 21yo lost in her rage girl, who is kept as a „hostage” in a small cottage at the end of the world. Her self-called guardian is a magic wielder. We get to know Row as a protective yet secretive man. One day he suddenly disappears and with him his protection and spells that binds Zarya to this place, which means she is finally free. It is not easy to just run into the wild, because there is something wrong with lands that surrounds her.

Her jounrney really starts when she meets two extremely handsome Rakshasas - magic wielders that also happen to feed on blood🩸. She will yet has to find out what powers she wields, who were her parents and whats her role in all this mess that is happening.

If you love:
🔥 magical world with demons, beasts, dragons(or especially ONE dragon), wizards and vampires
🔥 slow burn romance with not obvious love interest (so Nisha’s style)
🔥 political plotting and powerhungry side-characters
🔥 hidden great powers yet to release
🔥 chosen family
🔥 world inspired by Asian culture and mythology
🔥 sassy FMC who grows up during the read
🔥 LGBTQ+ representation
🔥 „Who did this to you?” 🥵💦

If you are looking for spice, you won’t find it.. yet. I am sure we will get some pickle in second book - I already crave for it!

5/5 ⭐️
0.5/5🌶️

100% recommended.

I love everything Nisha writes and this book was no exception. I can not wait for the next and hope we aren’t waiting long!
The found family 🤌🏻
The chemistry of characters 🤌🏻
The twists 🤌🏻
The tensionnnnn ugh 🤌🏻🤌🏻

I am never disappointed

I wanted so much to like this book more than I did. It was a bit difficult to get through due to pacing and needing to look up an abundance of terms for clothing, weapons, and names, that I’m unfamiliar with. I appreciate the cultural references, and I am happy to learn about cultures different from my own, however, just one page would have several words I had trouble with, and eventually my brain would just skip over them for simplicity. To me, it’s not as important to know the names of the garments worn. Simple is better, in my opinion.

The different types of magic wielders were also difficult for me to remember and understand. Maybe it was simply too much to remember?

The story itself is interesting, but there was more monologue than dialogue. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it made the book a bit slower paced for me.

There are 2 MMC for about 80% of the book, and then in the last part of the book, there is a third. I wasn’t sure who the real love interest was going to be, until the third one was introduced. I do think this is an interesting and different approach to the enemies to lovers trope, but I wish that that MMC were present earlier in the book.

This book has little to no spice, except for one scene with FMC alone and a few kisses.

I am interested to read the second book to see where everything leads. This felt very much like a first book- setting up the stage for battle in book 2. In my experience, first books often have a lot of information and not a ton of action, and this seems to follow that pattern.

First of all, I'd like to thank you NetGalley, the publisher Second Sky and Nisha J. Tuli for providing me with a free advanced reader copy. This review is entirely voluntary, and it truly reflects my genuine thoughts about this book.

If you love City of Brass, The Serpent and the Wings of Night or Trial of the Sun Queen (obvs), and you're looking for another high fantasy book with slow burn romance to get lost in, this book is definitely for you!

Rate: 4.5/5
Spice: 0.5/5 (but I think authors is going to give us SO MUCH MORE in the next book in the series)
Tropes:

Secret/Hidden Powers
Hidden Identity
Found Family
Magical Creatures
Political fights
Slow burn

I got lost in this book completely. Our FMC annoyed me a little bit for the first pages of the book, but the author excellently explains what she has been through, and how she became the woman she is, when we meet her. The confrontation with the big world gives Zarya the opportunity to try all the things, that she read in the books about, but mostly to test herself as a friend, woman, lover, and fighter.


Nisha J. Tuli in amazing way shows us Indian world and mythology, that is a fantastic background for a great high fantasy story with magical creatures. The number of proper names characteristic for this culture could be overwhelming in the beginning, but let's be honest, this is exact reason why we read books. To live in different worlds, to learn new cultures, to fight with talwar and to eat a piece of paratha.

This book will be perfect for a reader who likes strong FMC, ready to fight for her loved ones. The world-building is amazing and I didn't even notice how fast time had passed when I was reading this story.

I wanted to love this. Everything in the description drew me in but nothing was delivered:
Fans of JLA? the rakshasas don't bite in a protective way or a sexy way, they just have sharp teeth
Fans of SJM? in a venn diagram they share the fantasy genre
A slow burn? So slow he's only mentioned 4 times.
Enemies to lovers? Their 2 interactions have been him saving her life...?

The content of the novel itself is okay. The mythology is fascinating and the story held my interest but it's kind of all over the place. The characters and the plot lacked depth. Everything sort of happens around Zarya and yet nothing really progresses. The city just takes pounding after pounding from 'the darkness' until Zarya comes into her magic at the very end. I guess we're supposed to accept that her dark magic is actually good demon-killing dark magic even though we learned mere pages earlier that the 6th dark magic is the bad kind of dark magic. We meet all these characters that are forgotten about by the end of the book. And then the romance is whack. We're first presented with Vikram. But this is enemies-to-lovers and he's very charming so it can't be him. Maybe her suitor is Yassen and it's turning into a love-triangle? Nope, they become besties. Could it be Rabin? I guess so but he pops up 4 times throughout the whole book and saves Zarya from mortal peril twice so I don't see how he's an enemy. There needed to be more depth and involvement in the plot.

Captivating Blend of Indian Mythology, Fantasy and Romance

First of all, I’d like to express my gratitude to Netgalley, the publisher Second Sky and Nisha J. Tuli for generously providing me with a free advanced reader copy. This review is entirely voluntary, and I want to emphasize that it truly reflects my genuine emotions and thoughts about the story.

Star rating⭐⭐⭐⭐ Spice rating 🌶️

I haven't encountered any works by this author previously, so I was brimming with excitement upon receiving approval for her new book before its official release. Given my fascination with mythology and its encompassing tales, I was particularly enthusiastic about delving into a novel influenced by Indian mythology. With my limited exposure to this subject matter, this felt like the perfect chance to immerse myself. Zarya's journey in Dharati and her romantic storyline captured my interest. If you're in the mood for a captivating fantasy story with a touch of romance, "Heart of Night and Fire" might be right up your alley.

The author has crafted an intricate world that left me curious to explore it further in the upcoming sequels. Though I had to take my time getting familiar with the Indian names and their meanings, I thoroughly enjoyed the infusion of Indian mythology and the fantasy elements. On the downside, the pacing of the story felt inconsistent at times, fluctuating between moments of leisurely development and sudden acceleration. This interrupted the flow of the reading experience and diminished its immersive quality. While not a major issue, a smoother pace would’ve been more appreciated.

In addition, I struggled to form a strong connection with Zarya, the main character. The romantic dynamics between her and the other characters didn't quite resonate with me. I didn’t feel the passion or tension I desperately crave in a romance. While Zarya undergoes great personal growth and transformation, I found it challenging to truly understand some of her perspective and emotions.This is disappointing because the storyline itself is enthralling and gratifying, it holds a lot of promise.

Nonetheless, my interest is piqued enough to anticipate the release of the next book. Zarya's journey genuinely intrigued me, and I'm eager to see how the romance and plot unfold. I want to express my gratitude once again for granting me the opportunity to read and engage with this work.

Specials thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this EARC. The premise of Fantasy meets Indian mythology had me immediately intrigued!

Zarya has been caged her whole life, both physically and magically. She is restless and yearns for friendship, exploration, and love. Life seems monotonous until one day she escapes to the enchanted city of Dharati. I love how the author paints such a vibrant picture despite the fact that darkness and blight are slowly consuming this world.

Indian mythology..love!
Hidden secrets.. love!
Found family.. love love!

The only hiccup I have with this book (and it’s a tiny one) is the fact that it’s touted as an enemies to lovers slow burn romance. While we don’t really get much of this in book one, I can see how the author is setting up for more development of this trope in book two, and I. Am. Here. For. It!!

3.5 - I loved the rich, immersive, Indian culture and how the author was inspired by Indian myths and creatures. Unfortunately I found the magic system and names of all the different types of people very confusing to follow. I also found it EXTREMELY predictable and I kept waiting for characters to act a little bit more intelligently because I was shocked it was taking them so long to figure things out…

While saying that though, I am intrigued, and the world was unique enough (at least from what I understood of it!) to hold my interest. I will definitely pick up the second book when it comes out.

Thank you Netgalley and Second Sky for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars!

Zarya has spent her life trapped in a cottage. When her guardian disappears, she finally escapes the magic that was holding her in, and travels to the city of Dharati. She finds a new world, full of magic and intrigue. But the city is under siege, attacked by demons every night. Zarya joins the fight, making new friends, and uncovering buried secrets about herself along the way.

Heart of Night and Fire has amazing world building, that is incredibly descriptive and beautiful. It is full of twists and turns. It ends with the perfect set-up for the next book in the quartet, and I’m so excited to read more of this series.

Tropes: found family, enemies to lovers, slow burn.

As a Sarah J Mass fan I absolutely loved this the characters and the world building was just beautiful. I can’t wait to see where this world goes from here in the next book and I definitely want to pick up a physical copy when it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

I would give this book a solid 3.75 stars out of 5 stars. It was enjoyable to read, but I have a couple of issues with it.

The first being that this book is pitched as adult fantasy, but it reads more like young adult. Even though the world building blending in with Southeast mythology was pretty decent, personally I felt that it lacked the level of complexity that an adult fantasy book needs. I think the main characters were your typical, average, surface level characters--which isn't a bad thing necessarily, but to me, it didn't meet my expectations for an adult fantasy book.

The second thing that I didn't quite enjoy is how practically of all the answers to Zarya's questions are revealed in the last chapter in the book. It felt like there was a lot of anticipation building up only to get info-dumped all at the end. Even then, some questions that I feel like should have been answered in the first book of a series still remain, such as who Rabin exactly is and why he's important, how and why the monsters are connected to Zarya, etc.

Would I recommend this book? Sure.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Second Sky for approving me for an ARC of this book. I read this with my fellow fantasy pals, Bex and Amanda. As always I loved our chats as we went!

🌍Nisha J Tuli’s world-building is beautiful! There were many times that I could easily picture the city of Dharati and certain scenes played out so vividly in my imagination. From the beautiful costumes to the mouth-watering food, this book is packed with culture.

🤫There are so many secrets within this story. I felt frustrated with Zaraya and how much she concealed from others. I was waiting patiently for her to trust someone. The mystery of Row’s disappearance, and the stranger in the dream all kept my mind whirring! The friendship between Yasen and Zaraya was one of my favourite elements.

🥷🏻Action and drama are front and centre of the story. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster and kept tipping over the edge of danger. The fight scenes and different creatures were brilliant.

🌹The romance element took a little while to show itself but I am very much invested in the next book. I have so many theories about what might happen and I can’t wait to read book two.

Inspired by Indian mythology, Heart Of Night And Fire is a fantasy novel containing some romance that will develop further in future books.
Heart Of Night And Fire is my first book by Nisha J.Tuli. While I was not interested in reading the Trial Of The Sun Queen, my interest was certainly piqued after diving into this book!

One of the standout aspects of the book is undoubtedly the friendship between the main character and another prominent figure. The evolution of their bond is endearing and adds a layer of depth to the story.

The conclusion will leave you yearning to dive straight into the next book, although regrettably, some patience will be required.

Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 ⭐

Tropes: Slow-burn, found family, hidden secrets
World-Building: 4.5/5
Characters: 4/5 (would love to see more of the supporting characters' back stories)
Plot: 3/5 (maybe a little slow for me, but twists and turns)
Romance Level: 3/5
Spice Level: 1.5/5

I read the Artefacts of Ouranos series and enjoyed the romance that’s slowly blossomed between Lor and Nadir. You can imagine my sheer excitements at receiving an EARC via NetGalley (thank you!) for Heart of Night and Fire.

Tuli builds worlds like no other. I admit I know next to nothing about the richness of Indian culture and its mythology, but you are swept into this story’s vibrancy and glamour. Tuli also has an ingenious way out of keeping you hooked right from the beginning; I find I have questions and want more context at times (especially in the beginning) but the plot and characters make it so you don’t care as you’re swept into adventure. This ability to build anticipation also extends to the love interests, and I am so excited to hear about how their love develops.

I am a sucker for slow-burn romances, and when it comes to Tuli, if there's anything I've learned is don't fall into the first-love trap. I HUNGER for the development of Zarya and Rabin. I need more of them like YESTERDAY!

Overall, very good start for the Nightfire Quartet series, and I am so ready for the second book already!

A captivating fantasy world inspired by South Asian mythology, Heart of Night and Fire by Nisha J. Tuli follows Zarya in her quest to escape the place she was confined in her whole life. After noticing the borders that usually entrap her set by her parental figure Row, disappeared as well as Row, she takes off on a mission to the capital city, where she then stays. But who is the guy in the forest that keeps showing up in her dreams?

This incredible narrative started off strong, I loved seeing Zarya as a powerful protagonist. The momentum I got reading this, seeing her stick up for herself and push back against those who thought lower of her was strong. I can't wait to read more of her when the next book comes out. I also have a soft spot for Yasen, he was a great "tall and brooding" friend for Zarya.

The novel is mostly slow burn, and the first half of it went decently slow- but it was still very enjoyable to read. It was a nice build up to the intensity of the chaos that follows. I loved the visuals and imagery we received in this book, they make the world look stunning and I can't wait to see more action in the next book of the series.

I wish we saw more character development for all of the characters, but it seemed like only Zarya had development. There isn't a lot of depth in that category, and hopeful this builds on in the second novel.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. It was a nice build up for the series, and it was intriguing to read. I can't wait to read more of this series. I would definitely recommend reading this! Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky and the author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nisha J. Tuli absolutely outdid herself again with this incredible series inspired by South Asian mythology!

Let me start by saying I absolutely love the way Tuli writes. She seamlessly weaves modern elements and humor into her writing while also creating detailed, descriptive world building that’s easy to follow.

The fmc, Zarya, is sassy, strong willed and determined from the start, but continues to show incredible character development as the story unfolds. I absolutely loved her relationship dynamics between the other characters, and how each relationship grew with time.

The world building was so beautifully written, while also being the perfect amount. I was easily able to visualize the cities, landscapes and characters without being overwhelmed or confused.

I LOVED this book and I’ll be internally crying inside until I get the second book in my hands 🫶🏻

50000/5 ⭐️ 1.5/5🌶️

I loved this book! it was a very entertaining read.

As a south asian woman myself i'm ecstatic to see south asian FMC representation as well as our in-depth and amazing mythology.

I have my full review linked on my Goodreads page:

Username: Sahi (taylors version)

In a magical city, Zarya's forbidden magic fuels her quest for truth. Amidst dark creatures and a brewing siege, she allies with Rakshasas and Aazheri sorcerers, while the mysterious Rabin kindles her intrigue. As danger escalates, Zarya confronts her magic's potential to save or destroy her newfound world.

.Found family
.Southern Asia mythology
.Unknown powers
.Hidden secrets
.Elemental magic

This was an interesting read. While the initial pace is slow due to extensive world-building and character introductions, the latter half keeps you on your toes. It's refreshing to delve into a folklore-inspired narrative from southern Asia, evoking the scents of chai, the vibrant colours of the fabrics and with new creatures that enrich the experience.

Yet, I wish there would've been more interactions between Zarya and Rabin to cement their connection. This aspect of the book felt a bit rushed and I believe more meaningful exchanges would've solidified their lust for one another. Rabin's mystery serves as a major incentive to keep reading, so I would've wanted some more bread crumbs along the way.

Yasen shines brilliantly, I want him as my friend. And I love a good found family book and this one does it very well.

This book lays the foundation for the entire series, and I'm eager to know what lies ahead. I think it has great potential to be an amazing and well beloved series.

(Review to be posted soon on Instagram @Beco_books)