Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

This book was written in third person but would switch back and forth so fast as to who was narrating the book so I kept getting confused and found it hard to follow and it really took me out of the story!

This book is good. The main character is strong -willed and I love her unwillingness to bend to the will and expectations of others. The story however didn't capture me. It felt slow paced and repetitive, and I didn't feel the desire to read on.

LOVE LOVE LOVE. I love the mix of Indian culture with the fantasy and elemental magic, the queer romances with the family sagas…this was a fast-paced read with loads of action and throughly enjoyable. Possibly my favourite book of the year.

I’m hoping this is the first in the series because I really want to know what happened with the king and find out his intentions…I’m now following Zeena Gosrani so I can read her next books as soon as they come out. What a Rani she is!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the relationship between Thiya and Amina, I enjoyed the journey to Tumassi and Thiya exploring her magic and I enjoyed the rich, cultured setting. If I had to criticise, I would say that some of the fight scenes were a bit too jumpy, with a lot happening at once, but other than that, it was really good.

I really liked the fact that Thiya and Amina were in an already established relationship. We see a lot of new beginnings in Romance and Romantasy and even in other genres, so it was nice to see a book that had them already in a romance. It’s good to get different perspectives on things sometimes.

I did feel that there wasn’t much point having the fire mage along, since most of the magic training he gave was “trust your instincts” but he came in useful a couple of times, I liked his romance arc and he gave some good conversations so I’ll forgive him for that.

Overall an enjoyable read.

I always love a fast fantasy read to can I quickly enjoy. I liked the world and magic system as well as the desi and sapphic rep in this book. This book is filled with adventure which I couldn’t put down. This is definitely a good read that I would recommend.

*3.5 Stars*

I liked this. It was a very fast read and I was pretty into it. I wanted to read it as fast as possible. It did feel a little two-dimensional though. I didn't really feel the romance. I didn't understand most of the MC's decisions. But I really liked the world and the magic system and the writing.
This didn't fully work for me but I did like it overall and I'm looking forward to seeing whatever Zeena Gosrani writes next.

I’ve taken time to think about this one. I really enjoyed the story, The world building was solid and I wasn’t completely able to predict what was going to happen.

The love story, the magic system and the way it just feels so satisfying. I want more, more, more!

I was so addicted to what was going to happen next that I read it every moment that I could. Thiya was just so much fun and all I wanted was to be sure Amara came back to her!

This Dark Heart is a queer YA fantasy that immerses its readers in a magical world inspired by Indian folklore. I loved the richness of the writing and the lush scenes Zeena Gosrani was able to create.

I felt this story started off really strong, but the pacing mid way through the book wasn’t quite right and the resolution felt rushed. I am left with a lot of questions that I hope will be answered as the story progresses and feel the characters are strong enough to keep me engaged. I really loved Thiya as a main character and seeing her relationship with Amara. I will always love queer joy and adore that we will see even more queer characters in later books.

I feel this story has a lot of potential and will greatly appeal to a younger audience exploring the romantasy genre.

This Indian inspired fantasy has been a really enjoyable book to read and not one I would usually read myself so a pleasant suprise!

A very moving love story which takes us on an adventure through the kingdom of Agraal as our MC Thiya tries to rescue Amira against forces trying to harm her.

I loved both of the females in this story and love them both together. (We need more lesbian stories!)

4 star read for me.

The world of Agraal is haunted by shadow monsters called ‘Daayan’. They come out at night to posses and feed on the living. Thiya is the royal family’s only daughter, they are cursed to never have magic again after her aunt created the daayan. But after one of the monsters attacks her father at a ball, Thiya discovers she might have magic after all. In order to force her hand at make her fight the daayan, an earth mage called Isaac kidnappes her girlfriend Amara. Thiya and her brother Lochan join forces with fire mage Kayan to bring Amara home but the forces behind her disappearance might be darker than it seems.

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Firefly Press for the eARC. This was such a fantastic debut. The pacing might have been my favourite thing, you know a book is well paced when you can tell when the story beats are hitting and this is exactly how I felt reading this. I also really enjoyed the fast pace of it.

The characters are well written and well developed. Thiya does make a few stupid decisions but she’s 17 so I don’t expect anything else from her. I think Ravi was my favourite though, I would read a whole book just about him, I love a good sarcastic annoyance. My only negative feedback was that the climax could’ve been more dramatic, I felt there was some untapped potential there.

Although the book is marketed as romantasy it doesn’t feel like it, I say this in a good way, there was actually plot, not just romance, which I love. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun Y/A romantasy quick read.

Thanks to Firefly and NetGalley for providing the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not paid for this review.

Very gay, very dramatic. Loved it. Lots and lots of drama in a really cool fantastical setting. I really enjoyed this book and Thiya is a bad ass. I’m really glad that people are talking about this one as it’s a good book and I am really happy I got to read this early.

This was great, unique, addicting, well paced and a book I would recommend. I liked the characters the plot and the ending, great book! Thanks

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'This Dark Heart' by Zeena Gosrani.

This is definitely a YA book that should be on people's radars for 2025. Not only did it have a gripping plot for me but I enjoyed Gosrani's writing style. Certain areas ran slow for me but it didn't take away from the overall atmosphere.

A desi YA romantasy with lesbians?? Gimme it!! The release of This Dark Heart is more than a year away but somehow I got the chance to read it early, and you know that? I am really glad that I did. The first chapter serves as the perfect introduction to this world, give just the right amount of explanations of the magic and the monsters (the daayans) without being too exposition-y (lol). I enjoyed meeting Thiya and seeing her pine after Amara, and be so intensely in love, was just amazing.

The story takes you on a sweeping adventure across the kingdom of Agraal as Thiya races against time to rescue Amara against forces who only want to harm her. While this book falls more into the younger YA category and may not seem to be a read for people who are more used to the intensity of adult romantasy, I’d say This Dark Heart is a pretty worthwhile read and I am going to be reading it again once it releases!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-Arc.

This was a great quick read for a sick day in bed, hooking me enough that I forgot to feel like death for a few hours. Plus, there were lesbians so it's always going to be a good time.

The main character, Thiya, is the princess of Agraal. A bit of a tomboy, she faces the criticism of her mother for not wanting to wear lehengas and the suffocating traditions of court. By this, I mean that she has to watch her girlfriend being courted by just about every man in the kingdom.

None of that lasts long, though, as the pair are discovered in bed together, and Amara is quickly shipped away with literally the first man to propose to her. As with all rushed marriages, there are some serious issues here. And so begins Thiya's journey to rescue her beloved featuring newfound magical abilities, one brother you like, another you don't, and a long dead aunt's hoarde of demons.

I liked this one a lot, and it's definitely right up the YA/fantasy genre. It even has a good message (if painful for teens). Definitely recommend.

I read This Dark Heart as an ebook (sent by Natgalley and the publishers firefly press) and rated it 4.5 stars. I really enjoyed and loved this book, I loved the characters especially the two female main characters, Amara and Thiya who have such a beautiful relationship and friendship and you can really see this through their love for each other throughout the book. I also loved how we got to see other relationships and friendships evolve throughout the book. Another favourite thing in this book for me is how strong willed and confident Thiya (one of the FMCs) is. The plot and all the twists and turns was so interesting and I had such an amazing time reading This Dark Heart. I was a little surprised when there were mentions/descriptions of more mature and explicit scenes in the book, which I personally didn't mind and am not fussed about, however I would look into that if that's something you are uncomfortable with, although it doesn't take away from the story at all and throughout the book only happens a couple a times briefly. I also wished the book was a little longer at end after everything had been resolved but overall I loved reading this book and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future and would definitely recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and Firefly Press for giving me an ebook of This Dark Heart and allowing me to read this amazing book.

Super fast-paced fantasy tale that explores a royal families secrets and is filled with magic, sapphic love and family ties.

With a fierce, witty heroine who's not afraid to stand up for herself, a love she's willing to fight for, a unique magic system and a family secret that risks all that she knows and cares about. Despite its fast pace you'll quickly come to love the characters and honestly I could read more about this royal family and the world created.

Debut author, Zeena Gosrani creates a fearsome world with a fiery heroine who would go to any extent to keep her girlfriend save, even if that means breaking the rules and risking her life.

I loved This Dark Heart for its complex world building, magic system, family secrets and especially love that survives them all!

Thanks to the publisher and the author for the eARC.

Very cute quick YA romantasy with some queer PG-13 spice. Grosani does a lovely job world building and exploring a non-white space with authenticity whilst balancing explaining an element based magic system.

Not my favourite read and nothing that gripped me but definitely a lovely book.

3,5 stars rounded up.
3 stars for me.
4 stars for a YA audience.
This Dark Heart is the story of Princess Thiya.
Thiya and Amara’s bond, the daayan, the story having been inspired by Indian folklore, the mage and all the fantasy were the strengths of This Dark Heart.
The plot and the prose were 3.5 stars for me, at times better than some other parts.
I appreciate the author’s declaring that she is dyslexic. As someone who teaches, works with and lives with people with dyslexia, I found the author’s openness and the fact that she is an author extremely poignant, encouraging and sweet.
I particularly enjoyed the solidarity between the characters, their fight together and the scenes set outside of the palace.