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.

What a beautiful start to this new series!! I love Nisha J Tuli' lyrical and evocative writing style. And the way the fantasy world was vividly described, I felt living vicariously through the mere mentions of it. So excited for the next instalment. I just know it’s going to be my fav series already!

This book was so good. The magic was unique. The fmc was fierce and could handle herself. I can't wait to see where it goes next. I'm sad it's done cause I need to know now ! Haha definitely read this you won't be disappointed 💕💕

Looking for your next romantasy obsession? Don't sleep on Nisha J. Tuli. Between this book and the Artefacts of Ouranos Series, she's definitely an auto-read author for me.

Heart of Night and Fire has a unique and compelling concept with great characters and character dynamics. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it even broke me out of a weeks-long slump, but it felt like it was missing a little something for me. That said, while this wasn't a 5 star read for me on its own, Heart of Night and Fire establishes a great basis for Zarya's story, and I can't wait to see where things go from here.

Read for:

- Secluded/Sheltered FMC experiencing life outside her "neck of the woods" for the first time.
- Found family
- Complex family dynamics
- Visits from a mysterious dream man
- Incredibly unique monarchy system

--- 3.5/5 stars

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The novel was fun to read but I did struggle at the beginning with the writing. The writing was simple and short sentences which I didn’t expect with adult genre but getting passed that it was great

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing my advanced review copy. ✨

✨ WHAT I ENJOYED:

1. THE WORLD BUILDING: the world in Heart of Night and Fire is lush, beautiful, and brimming with new creatures and magical beings. you can practically smell the hot chai and smells of the city when reading this book and the descriptions of clothing, homes, cities, and landscapes was absolutely on point and a joy to read.

2. THE MAGIC SYSTEM: the magic system here is heavily detailed, but rich and keeps things interesting. you are introduced to more than a handful of magical creatures and individuals that have amazing powers that help understand the all-encompassing system.

3. YASEN: i have so many wonderful things to say about yasen, but to keep it spoiler-free i'll just say that i loved his relationship with zarya. the banter was A+

✨ WHAT I NEEDED MORE OF:

1. ROMANCE? CHEMISTRY?: not sure how to really state this, but the chemistry between the main love interest(s) and zarya was lacking...something. there wasn't enough depth to the relationships and i honestly wasn't really rooting for anyone. the overall romance was very YA for me...on that note, there was little to no spice and the spice felt almost...forced? like there had to be a mention of it to set up the next books probably?

2. CHARACTER DEPTH: i feel this way with not only the romantic interests, but with zarya. she is bad-ass in her own way but sometimes she acts very very teenager. the shift between mature, bad-ass zarya and head-over-heels moody teen didn't give me the depth i wanted from her.

3. THE PLOT: there were times where i was like 'this book seems so long???'. i feel like there wasn't enough happening in this book for me to get super invested. even the last 30% made me want something new and exciting to happen but it was focused more on the relationships (or lack there of) of zarya and other characters within the book. if things did happen, it felt almost rushed, and was followed up by chapters of the characters discussing what happened instead of the reader getting to witness that first-hand.

i rate this book 3.75 out of 5 stars (rounded up to 4), and enjoyed the breathtaking world that Nisha Tuli created for the reader.

i would recommend this to people who love an intricate magic system and rich, haunting world-building!

I really love all of Nisha's work! I loved the mix of folklore/mythology from different cultures. There was a lot of worldbuilding in this so I am looking forward to hopefully getting more true story and plot in the next.

"The stars overhead beckoned— she’d never seen so many of them in one place before— and she reached up, drawing on their brightness as their light twirled between her fingers."

Zarya has been shut away from the world, living in a house on the edge of a swamp, for as long as she can remember. Protected and imprisoned by the mysterious Row and his apprentice, Aarav, Zarya can only dream of escape and the world beyond.
Until one day, Row's magic fails and suddenly there is nothing to keep Zarya from running headlong into a world on the edge of war.

Firstly I would like to thank Nisha Tuli, Netgalley, and the team at Second Sky for giving me the opportunity to read this and only asking for my unbiased review in exchange.

Because I really really wanted to love this. And I'm genuinely disappointed that I didn't. I loved the premise and the opening chapter so much that I sort of want to ignore the fact that the rest just didn't live up to that promise.
I found Zarya to be really irritating; a lot of characters repeatedly say how smart she is, but instead she comes off as impulsive and naive (which does work with the plot, but importantly she is only naive when there is room for it in the plot. She's very independent otherwise.) A lot of the characters come off very flat, and I think it's possibly quite telling that two of the main male characters I couldn't quite keep straight who was who (grumpy or love interest? Those are the archetypes and beyond that the names were a little secondary,) for most of the book, and that didn't actually seem to impact the plot at all.
The pacing was also a little off. There's actually a scene with three days worth of intense physical trials. This is an increasingly common trope and one I really enjoy. It was literally covered in a paragraph:

"Over the next three days, Zarya faced challenge after challenge and managed to complete every task, usually dragging herself to the finish line."

It was frustrating to get build up and excitement and for that to be the pay off. And this happens repeatedly throughout. So much space is given to a relationship with an interchangeable love interest that the actual plot gets completely set to one side.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

I really wanted to love this book, but it sadly fell flat for me and I ended up DNFing at 24%.
The worldbuilding and setting were great, I loved that it was Indian-inspired and it initially made me really excited to dive into this story.
Sadly, the plot failed to catch my attention, it felt like a story I've read many times before, and I just wasn't invested enough to keep going.
I also wasn't a fan of the FMC. I understand that she grew up sheltered and hasn't seen the world, but I found her annoying and immature. Again, it makes sense why she acted the way she did, but it's a type of main character I struggle a lot with these days.

I will definitely still check out the author's other work, but this one was not for me.

3,25 ★

“𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤.”

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this Arc!

My gosh that was so much fun like guys the last part of this arc literally kinda cured my reading slump? How??? This was such an interesting and unique read- I was craving a good fantasy book and this definitely delivered 🤭 the writing style was nice although I thought the random f and f-ing word being thrown here and there was a little random😭 I enjoyed the last part wayyy more than the first part, but overal I had fun reading!

“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙪𝙣—𝙕𝙖𝙧𝙮𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙬.”

Things I would have liked: A map. I needed it badly.

I feel like this story really needed a first person aspect. I never really have a problem with third person but for this story? I needed it, especially in the first 170 pages. I didn’t really get in the story. Like I loved it and enjoyed it a lot, but I never really forgot I was reading. I knew Zarya but I didn’t become her while reading. This only happened in the last like 80 pages.

“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮”

The mysterious guy 🤭🤭🤭 I was reading for him and for him only but guess what? He only appeared around 5 times in the story 🥲🥲 I thought it was going to be a slow burn romance between the mysterious guy and the magical girl but no we just got nice guy forgot-his-name🙄 was it slow burn ? Yes, but the kind of slow burn that didn’t give me satisfaction. I needed wayyy more scenes with the guy 😔 but who knows, maybe the next book will give us more of that.

“𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙕𝙖𝙧𝙮𝙖 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙜𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙.”

And that plot twist ??? When we found out who you know who was???? Nahh that one got me staring at my wall and kicking my feet I am so excited for the second book like give. It. To. Me. 🔪🔪🔪

“𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮.”

Anyways I enjoyed the story and I can’t wait to continue this journey 🤭🤭

Smut: yes like 2 scenes? Maybe 3? I forgot sorry 😔

Heart of Night and Fire is an exciting, character-driven, epic fantasy that includes a fascinating magic system, a world on the brink of chaos, and a slow burn romance. I thoroughly enjoyed Heart of Night and Fire. For me, the characters were the best part of the book. Zarya is a strong female lead. I really enjoyed having her as the narrator. While she doesn't always make the smartest choices, the reader can absolutely understand why she makes the decisions that she does. I loved her relationships with Yasen, Aarav, and Vikram. I want to see more of all three of them in the next book. And, then, of course, there is Rabin. We were just starting to get to know him/understand his mystery when the book ended. I need the next book NOW.

In addition to the characters, the world building was beautiful. The clothing, the food, and the architecture was all so lovingly described. Everytime I finished a chapter, I just wanted to eat. Since this was the first book in the series, there was a lot of world building (again, done beautifully), but I'm expecting the next book to have a lot more action and hopefully more romance. I can't wait!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @secondsky publishers for this gifted book! When I realised the publication date was September 15th, the same day I picked it up, I was initially stressed. But let me tell you, this book did not disappoint.

Heart of Night and Fire is a Fantasy Romance inspired by Indian and South Asian culture. It tells the story of Zarya, a young woman who has spent her life confined to a coastal cottage under the watch of a mysterious man. Her life takes a turn when he disappears, freeing her from her captivity.


Initially, I thought the book might fall into common tropes, but Nisha navigates them skillfully. As someone who doesn't usually read Fantasy Romance, I found myself pleasantly surprised at every turn. I eventually stopped trying to predict the story and simply let myself be swept away.


Nisha's storytelling is captivating, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment in this quartet. If you enjoyed series like "An Ember in the Ashes" or "The Daevabad Trilogy," this book is definitely for you. It's now available in bookstores, and if you're in South Africa, keep an eye out as it should be arriving soon.

A great start to a new series.

Nisha J. Tuli is a fantastic romantasy writer, the first book is a lot of scene setting with a small amount of romance and spice. You can tell that there's a slow burn in the works and that this will grow into the series. Can't wait for the next book!