Zarya has forbidden magic, but no one will explain why it's such a dangerous secret to keep. She escapes to Dharati, she searches for answers with the help of blood-drinking rakshasa and magic-weaving Aazheri sorcerers. The city is attacked every night by dark creatures, and they've grown stronger since Zarya's arrival. She chooses to fight for the city as well as search for answers, and the mysterious and handsome Rabin haunts her dreams. He generates desire, but she doesn't know if she can trust him. As fighting intensifies in the city, Zarya must decide if saving the city is worth revealing her secret magic, or if it will destroy everything.

Zarya chafed at being kept confined to a small radius surrounding a cottage in the jungle. Rot creeps in, there are demonic creatures that would happily kill and eat humans, and magic is held by only certain classes of creatures or people. No explanations were ever given to her regarding her birth parents, other than it's too dangerous. The first chance she gets, she heads out, and the people she meets are guards for the nearest queendom. Once brought there, she tries to find her place by becoming a guard, while also intermittently trying to figure out why she has dreams of Rabin, who her mother is, and why she can pull down starlight. We find out some of this as the book continues, which also brings up even more questions about Zarya, Rabin, the princess, and the other nations.

The world-building and magic is really fun. We learn a bit about the magic system as Zarya does, as well as the creatures of myth infused with it. The creatures outside the city walls are getting more dangerous, and a creeping darkness is out there. On top of that are rivalries between kingdoms and queendoms, and a sixth element to magic that once brought horror to the land. Of course, she gets involved with this; we wouldn't have a story to read if she didn't. Her actions have consequences, and her initial secrecy means she doesn't get answers until the end. At the same time, it's not unreasonable for her to keep those secrets. We know that some characters are more trustworthy, but she doesn't. And the queen's advisors are without key knowledge about Zarya that we have. This keeps the tension high and adds new questions for the reader. As the first book in a quartet, it strikes the right balance and makes me want more.

I truly adored this book. It has everything I would want in a fantasy book: a unique magic system, hidden powers, excellent character development, the perfect amount of feminine rage, and a strong female MC that grows into herself throughout the book (Zarya is also a badass). I also LOVED the side characters in the books and felt very invested in them. There is a slow burn romance in this book that is ~slow~ but works well in the story. I cannot wait to read the next book and can’t wait to get a physical copy of Heart of Night and Fire as well.

A Heart of Night and Fire was a great read with a strong female main character. I really enjoyed the South Asian inspiration. reading this has moved other Nisha Tuli books I've been thinking of reading higher up on my TBR.

I’m utterly convinced that Nisha J. Tuli can do no wrong.

If Nisha writes it I will buy it, consume it, and lay myself down at her feet to beg for more. Her newest book, Heart of Night and Fire, only cemented that fact into stone.

First of all, Nisha has an uncanny way or writing the kind of characters I can’t help but instantly fall for. I’m talking strong, kick ass FMC’s with a sarcastic sassiness to them that makes me unhinged. It always leads to the most delicious banter between them and the other lead/supporting roles. Zarya delivered and then some. Were there a few times I was a little frustrated with her? Yes, but given her story I still understood the reasons behind her thoughts, her words, and her actions. Even in a fantasy we love to see that bit of realism and believability.

As far as as the fantasy aspect? I’m really not sure what more I could’ve asked for. When I say this book is rich in lore I mean it is RICH. As someone not overly familiar with South Asian mythology and culture it was a fascinating and eye opening experience to learn as I read. I think it goes without saying, too, that more true diversity in books is still something we desperately need these days— not just with side characters or sprinkled within the plot to say it’s there. Despite not being of South Asian descent, myself, it left me with such a good feeling to see another brown girl as the star of the whole damn show. My roots may lay elsewhere but I could still see myself - someone who is not white, not your typically depicted FMC - represented in Zarya’s story.

And what a story it is! I won’t give spoilers away, but there were so many secrets and mysteries and questions popping up in my head. I literally cannot wait for the next book in this series and wish I could fast forward to the day it’s in my hands.

Actual Rating 3.5

The Heart of Night and Fire is a slow burn enemies-to-lovers epic fantasy romance inspired by Indian mythology. We follow Zarya who escapes a guided prison that she's been held in all her life by her guardian.

The first scene was action packed, but after that it sort of fell for me and I couldn't seem to find my way back. I feel like it had a lot to do with the writing style. To me it read overly descriptive and very meandering. There never seemed to be any urgency in the story telling and there was a lot of exposition on what felt like unnecessary detail.

I do think that there is an audience for this this book, as most of my friends really love Nisha's writing, it just wasn't for me. I do love the Indian mythology and the lush setting.

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

A highly enjoyable read, I loved every second. The characters where beautifully written and the story is gearing up to be one for the charts. It had my favourite troupes, enemies to lovers and found family and this had that. Amazing books sad I read it so early now I have to wait longer for the next one.

Still looking forward to it

Ok, so when the author said slow-burn she MEANT it. It took me the end of the book to figure who the love interest was supposed to be lmaooooo. Anyway it was a good fantasy book but I didn’t absolutely dore it either. I enjoyed the heavy presence of Indian culture in the world building (mostly when it comes to clothing and I had to google some of the clothing mentioned) and I really need to learn more about Asian mythologies just to see where all those creatures come from (I’ve read a bunch of asian mythology inspired books but have no clue what the original myths are). I enjoyed the way the author did her world building, basically using her character’s innocence on her own world to introduce us to said world although I would’ve needed a map to refer to because all those kingdoms kinda confused me and the plot twists at the end didn’t hit as it should’ve because of that. This is a first installment in a new series and the first maybe 50% felt like a big introduction to the magic system, world, characters and the stakes. I’d be interested to read the next book just to see where this goes even if the final plot twist left me a little unsatisfied since it’s a trope that’s used a lot in fantasy and it felt quite unoriginal, if I must be honest. 3.25 stars

Heart of the Night is the first book in the Nightfire Quartet, featuring Indian Mythology as the base with a few tropes like found family, a love triangle and the chosen one. There are a lot of things to enjoy in the story overall and I had a good time. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more if I’d known more South Asian based lore but it isn’t a requirement. I’m also not really a fan of love triangles but that didn’t play a huge role in this book.

Zarya has grown up trapped within a magical boundary with her guardian Row and his apprentice. She is about to turn twenty-one and all her life has been spent secluded with only a father figure and a Aarav who she fights with like a sibling. Row has taught her how to fight and she has a little magic but Zarya has no idea why she has been cut off from the rest of the world. When Row goes on one of his trips and the magical boundary breaks, Zarya is so excited to travel to the city of Dharati, to see what she has been missing her entire life.

In Dharati, Zarya finds the adventure she has been craving her entire life. It is a city full of magical beings that help fight off the demons at night that come to the wall. Every night the city is attacked and only the magical wall and the elite guard trained for just this purpose keep the city safe. But the creatures seem to be growing in strength and Zarya wants to help defend her her new home and her new friends in the city. As she trains and talks to some of the magical members of the community, she learns more of her mother and tries to figure out why Row worked so hard to keep her existence a secret.

There is a small love triangle happening between Vikram, one of the head guards of the elite fighting team and Rabin, a man Zarya only seems to see in her dreams. For me this is a minor thing, since they didn’t get a lot of page time together and Vikram has some other stuff happening in his life that makes him somewhat unavailable so I don’t see this being a hard love triangle, but it could be too soon to tell. Zayra is an interesting character, but at times I found it hard to be in her head. She isn’t socially acclimated being so sheltered and so sometimes she acts much younger than her 21ish years. But it is understandable why

I enjoyed the setting of the book and some of the lore. Parts of the lore were really strange to me, like the Queen being a tree but the general idea of it was cool. I am interested in learning more about Zarya’s magic and seeing her growth over the next books as she figures out how to use it. I’m also very interested in Rabin and his story. He left his family and the city years ago. Why are his and Zayra’s dreams connected and how will that play into the bigger plot of the story?

Nisha J Tuli is a new to me author, but I’m enjoying exploring new lore I’m not as familiar with and the South Asian feel to all the characters.

“Hope was a potent thing. even when forced with innumerable dangers, the city found a way to celebrate, to bring light into the darkness, to smile in the face of adversity and find comfort in the shadows.”

I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley, SecondSky Books and Nisha. Thank you for this opportunity to read this.

First off, this was a really compelling read. It started a bit slow and had a lot of cultural things that I had no idea what they were - but the author did a fantastic job of giving context clues so that you could infer what they were.

Second, the characters were really interesting on the dynamics between them. There wasn’t as much depth until it was further in the book but it still was nice to read.

I enjoyed the plot and the really unique twist on different types of beings - especially vampire-esque beings. The way she wrote about the Queen was very fascinating development and magical component that isn’t often written about.

Overall, I truly did enjoy this and am really excited to hear about when book 2 is coming out. I can’t wait! I wanna know more about Zarya and the connection she has to other characters.

This was my first book by Nisha Tuli, but it won’t be my last. I was immediately captivated by the world building. I loved how much research and effort went into cultivating this world and bringing a piece of India/south Asian culture with it.

The secrets Zarya was puzzling through had my attention from chapter one. I loved how fleshed out the characters were able to be developed throughout the story and then once we got to a certain point the plot really started moving and the action didn’t stop.

I can’t wait to discover more about the world and Zarya’s family, her ability, and most notably more about Rabin. 👀

I am waiting on pins and needles for the next in series!

I always love a good south Asian inspired book. And this book definitely fulfilled thag request. The Indian mythology in this book was beautiful, along with the well curated magic system. The only thing that fell a bit flat for me was the romance aspect. When they slow burn, they truly meant: slow slow slow slow slow-burn. However, I still enjoyed this book and am excited to read the next installments to learn more about Zarya.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very exciting fantasy novel. There was a lot of action and there were not many slow points in this book. The system of magic was very interesting and I cannot wait to leave more about it in the next installment and to see it build. The slow burn romance in the book was well done and had a lot of angst that was perfect. I look forward to the next installment of this series.

New fantasy romance series that will suck you in! This story was everything I want in the first installment of a fantasy romance series- vivid imagery, complex characters, and an intriguing world with a unique magic system. I absolutely fell in love with Zarya. She is a strong and resilient FMC who can fight her own battles. Although she has questions about her parents and past, Zarya is not afraid to fight for what she wants and a better life outside of her isolated existence. The other characters in this story were also complex and well-developed and felt real and relatable. There is just a touch of spice in this book, and without giving anything away, it was the perfect amount for this story. I did not see the twist coming and I love the amount of action packed scenes! The development of the world and the Indian mythology influence was something that felt fresh and made the story feel that much more enchanting. I cannot wait to read what happens next!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for ARC. I received my copy in exchange of an honest review.

Heart of Night and Fire is the first book in The Nightfire Quartet series, Follows 21 years old Zarya who was imprisoned her whole life in a cottage with two men. But when her jailer, Row, disappears, she can finally get free and walk to a new world beyond her prison's bariers fulls of magics, Mythological creatures and and of course Demons!
Well, this was my first experience in reading a fantasy book set in Indian concept and calture with Indian mythological creatures like Naga, Yali, Agni etc.
I really enjoyed reading an Indian fantasy novel, it was so unique and new to me.
I liked Zarya as main character, But my favourite character was Yasen. OMG! He is a very good friend to Zarya and I loved their friendship and how all the things goes on between them.
But about the romance part... It was "meh, well okay but I don't give a shit about you two" type for me cause I really don't care about Vikram. However, if Zarya and Rabin are going to be engaged, I'll be happy and satisfied with it.
At the end, I just want to wish that Suvenna get a much more role in the rest of the series.

I loved this world and really enjoyed the writing style! I have read Nisha's other series but I really enjoyed this a lot more! She builds up the FMC and really has her grow on the pages as we read.

So....this novel is marketed as " an epic fantasy romance that begins with a slow burn and builds to a steamy enemies-to-lovers adventure" but I don't think this is a fair description at all.
It is slow burn to the point where it is painful and I didn't connect with any romance that did try to develop
Steamy? Where...? Did it evaporate?
Enemies-to-lovers? Were they actually enemies? Or is it just the animosity of misunderstanding??
I literally reread nearly 30% of this book because at the 60% mark I felt like I had missed something really important but I didn't gain anything on my reread. This was fine in the way that warm chardonnay is fine - I finished it but I was grimacing by the end.
At the end of the day there was just no character development to tie me in to the story and the plot is far more convoluted than I would prefer.
This was forgettable though I really wish I had been more captivated by the story. I don't know if I will continue the series (since there will be 3 more books)....I saw it compared to An Ember in the Ashes but I would much rather revisit that series at this point.

It was such an easy story to jump into, I didn't feel confused even for a second. There's no info dumps, we learn everything when Zarya does.

The writing in the past books I've read has been good, but I think it improved even more here, especially the descriptions. I'm partial to the food!!! GIVE ME ALL OF IT NOW!!!!!!

It's also very fast paced, which I like, and I also like that we got enough character development despite the speed.

Yasen is my favorite character, I love his friendship with Zarya, but because of his chemistry with her, I hoped he'd be the other half of the love triangle, not just a friend. We can't get everything we want though.

Zarya is my second favorite character (in her own story, I know), I liked being in her head, even when some of her choices didn't make sense.

Vikram is kinda just there, I don't mind him, and if the love triangle doesn't continue past this book I won't be upset at all. Even though I adore love triangles, but I think the final pairing has been clear since the blurb (enemies to lovers, which she and Vikram are not, unless if we get some twists?).

Rabin is probably my third fav, but that might change in the next books when we get to know him better. He didn't appear much in this one, but he certainly made an impact (we even got a "who did this to you" scene).


I really liked the plot, the world building, the mythology and I can't wait to see where it goes from here, and how much the characters will grow over the course of four books.

SO ADDICTIVE!

This is a fantasy filled with magic and romance, and the writing is so addictive that I couldn't stop reading! It also has:

- enemies to lovers romance (swooooon)
- secrets (you won't see it coming)
- magic (I LOVE this world)

From the beginning I was hooked. The author is so talented at chronicling the characters through such a tough journey. This book is full of adventure, belonging and found family that it was such a joy to read. Everything about it was amazing. We need more books about brown girls in fantasy and I can't wait to continue this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-arc!

What a book! I was hooked! And I need the sequel like a rakshasa needs blood. Nisha has built such a rich image of this fantasy world with vivid descriptions of the fashion and the food - oh my gosh the food! This book made me hungry! Literally and figuratively 🤭 I have so many questions and I can't wait to have them answered during the rest of the series.

Zarya is badass! It's obvious we are only finding out the tip of her abilities and more is to come. I really liked her character - she is one tough cookie on the outside (especially with all that's thrown her way) but inside she struggles with the same insecurities we all do.
The found family in this book reminds me of the Inner Circle in ACOTAR or the Celaena/Dorian/Chaol mix in ToG. Then we have the likes of the powerful Chiranjivi gliding in like The Cullen's 🤭 Not to mention our mysterious dream man Rabin.

Every Romantasy fan needs to check out this series! Perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and Throne of Glass.

Thank you to Second Sky Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

4.25 ⭐️

“A city of magic. A passion born in dreams. A secret that will set their world aflame. 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. ”

This is an amazing fast paced and action packed fantasy with lush world building that makes it easy to delve into the story and the world being described. I loved the magic system and how more was always being discovered about the world by the main character Zarya. The found family element was one of my favourites too and seeing the connection between the characters was really sweet, especially Yasen. The tension and chemistry between Zarya and Rabin was incredible; “his hand, his touch, this all felt like home”. I’m so excited to see what happens in the next book especially with how this one ended!

Thank you to @secondskybooks @netgalley and @nishajtwrites for the opportunity to read this book and being included in the book tour for Heart of Night and Fire, all opinions are honest and my own.