Intrigued by the allure of a fantasy narrative brimming with morally complex characters, pyrokinetic abilities, and rooted in Indian mythology, I embarked on a journey led by Yassen Knight, a former assassin pursued by a perilous rebel faction. Yassen, coerced into a pact brokered by his childhood comrade Samson, finds himself sworn to serve Princess Elena on the brink of ascending Ravence's throne, where her father, King Leo, teeters on the edge of madness. As these pivotal figures navigate the political intrigues of the court, the mystical ambiance of Ravence proves enchanting, leaving readers yearning for more than just the vast desert landscape. While the worldbuilding was adequately explored, moments arose where a more detailed depiction of the desert kingdom and the interplay between political factions and magical elements would have enhanced the narrative. Despite a beautifully illustrated map, my lack of familiarity with the surroundings hindered its full utilization.

Eagerly anticipating the fire bending element, I relished witnessing Elena's research and practice of her abilities. However, the significance of wielding fire lacked clarity, and additional conversations between Elena and Leo could have provided the necessary context. Promised strong, multifaceted female characters, I found satisfaction in Ferma, one of Princess Elena's guardians. While Ferma showcased physical prowess in the training room and unwavering protection for Elena, her true strength emanated from her moral character and compassionate nature. Serving as a stabilizing force for both Elena and Yassen, Ferma contributed significantly to their narratives.

The characters, with their introspective musings and at times unreliable narrations, stood out as the highlight of the story. Captivated by the intricacies of their inner thoughts, I often found myself uncertain of how to feel or whom to trust, heightening the narrative tension. Towards the conclusion, the pace accelerated, and a sense of hurried confusion set in. Despite this, the story culminated in a gratifying farewell, setting the stage for an eagerly awaited sequel.

This was a decent book. I follow the author on social media and she seems super sweet. The writing is pretty good but it was definitely slow, and I think have multiple povs was a contributing factor than that. If I’m reading a book with multiple povs I need to be equally interested in all of them for the book to hold up to my regular standards. Other than that I don’t have many bad things to say and I am interested to see how the series progresses.

It has been a long time coming but my review is here!


I'm a fan of in-depth world building but I need it well interwoven around the characters. The futuristic desert setting gave me some flashback to Dune but I feel the technology used didn't really mesh well with the backdrop of the story being set in the desert (making it more sci-fantasy than straight up fantasy I would argue) and perhaps needed more exposition into how these things work (idk just to satisfy the curiosity in my brain).

I'm also a fan of 2+ POVs so having three is really a treat! However, I was left a little disappointed that I couldn't wholly connect with the characters through their decision-making and motivations whereas Leo remained the character who truly stood on what he was about (got to respect a character for that, even if they are bad vibes). One thing that knocked off a star was the romantic development. I will admit slow burn is a tricky act to balance, you want it to be nurtured to the point of frustration for there to be payoff, but sometimes it's forgotten that readers need *something* to tide them over. Of course there were some cute moments but they were too far between which ultimately left the romance feeling underdeveloped by the end of the story.

But the pacing of the book is what brought it down to 3 stars for me - I know adult fantasy is often flogged for having slow development of plot but this was reaaaally slow. I often prefer not to DNF books which allowed me to see things pick up in the last third of the book but I imagine other readers may not feel as inclined to do so.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

"A Boy with Fire" by Aparna Verma falls short of its potential due to significant pacing issues and a jumbled plot that detracts from the overall reading experience. The story suffers from a plodding narrative that takes its time, often to the detriment of reader engagement.

One of the primary drawbacks of this book is the pacing, which feels disjointed and irregular. Transitions between scenes and events are often abrupt, making it difficult for readers to fully immerse themselves in the story. This inconsistent pacing disrupts the flow of the narrative and can leave readers feeling disconnected from the characters and their journeys.

The plot itself is complex, with multiple storylines and character perspectives. While this can be a strength in some cases, here it tends to create confusion rather than intrigue. The various threads of the plot don't always come together cohesively, leaving readers to grapple with an overly intricate narrative that sometimes feels convoluted.

Additionally, the story drags in many places, making it a challenge to maintain interest. Lengthy descriptions and slow-moving plot developments can test the patience of readers looking for a more dynamic and engaging story.

In summary, "A Boy with Fire" struggles with its pacing and plot, resulting in a reading experience that can be frustrating and disjointed. The story's tendency to drag its heels further compounds the issue, ultimately making it a challenging read for those seeking a more streamlined and engaging narrative.

A fine book with some unique aspects but ultimately, this falls flat and is forgettable. There is a new version now that is traditionally published, and I'm interested in seeing if this new version makes more of an impact.

Originally self-published as The Boy with Fire, The Phoenix King is an Indian inspired fantasy with sci-fi elements.

I loved Elena, she is a 25 year old princess/soon to be queen who is determined to bring change to her kingdom. To see a brown main character in a fantasy book is everything to me, the familiar words I came across such as chaas, adrak wali chai, and burfi made my South Asian heart so happy. As well as Elena's POV, we also get the POV of Elena's father, Leo, and an assassin called Yassen. I have to admit that I was disappointed with the name choices of Leo and Elena. I wish the author had gone for more authentic Indian names rather than these Western ones. It just didn't make sense to me seeing as other side character had Indian names. That aside, I thought Leo was an interesting and morally grey character. I honestly don't think I've ever been so torn about what to think of a character. Some of the things he did were terrible, but at the same time he truly wanted what was best for his daughter and his kingdom. I mean, it was hard not to feel for him.

Although this is an adult fantasy it reads like YA, and I don't mean that in an offensive way (I love YA fantasy), I just mean in terms of the plot and tropes. I will say that there was a lot of deaths, but what I appreciated was that they weren't just included for the sake of showing how brutal the fantasy world was. The world building in The Phoenix King was richly crafted and it had some sci-fi elements that I wasn't expecting.

I like when books include the POV of the love interest as it helps build the romance, in my opinion. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here. I never got the sense that Yassen had romantic feelings towards the Elena and vise versa So, while I enjoyed some of their scenes together (especially the dance/dupatta scene, very Bollywoodesque) the romance was lacking. I think Verma could have leaned into the forbidden romance trope and included more pining and angst. Such a shame because I was excited about the romance, and I really liked them as individual characters.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Phoenix King and am looking forward to the sequel.

Assassins, a princess, kings-- none of them wanting to face destiny. Sign me up. This was just the kind of book I wanted to read. I'm excited the book has gotten picked up by Orbit and is being published under The Phoenix King. I'm not sure if this version is still available but I highly recommend pre-ordering the new version.

There is political drama, morally grey characters, a badass women character. The romance was done well, with enemies-to-lovers. And the magic systems was also wonderful. I love that it was inspired by Indian Mythology.

"The Boy with Fire is an enthralling adventure that captivates from start to finish. With a perfect blend of fantasy and heartwarming moments, it takes readers on a journey of self-discovery and courage. The vivid world-building and relatable characters make this book a must-read for all ages. A true gem!"

The pacing was a little too inconsistent for me to consider The Boy with Fire as "good" and there was a general lack of character development.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. I was very excited to try out this debut fantasy book. It was described as Dune meets Poppy War and it sounded awesome. I had an ok time with it. Nothing that hugely impressed me, but I highly recommend it.

This book was removed before the original archive date, so I was unable to download it in time. I see it is now being republished under a different name and plan to read that one in the future!

I'm super excited to read the republished version of this book - The Phoenix King. I enjoyed the storytelling and the writing of The Boy with Fire, and I'm excited to see what changed (if anything) and how the two versions compare. I will absolutely commit war crimes for all the characters in this book. So happy that Aparna Verma got a trad pub deal! It's well deserved.

Star Rating: —> 4 Stars

This was an incredibe debut from an author who I’m positive is going to blow up in the bookish community & become an insanely popular author!! This Indian-inspired mythology (and we all know mythologies are my kryponite!) with next-generation technology, was so captivating and fascinating to read, and the worldbuilding with it's old vibes combined with new-age technology was incredibly unique and interesting, all throughout the book. Each of the characters had their own distinct personality, weaknesses, and strength; as well as an intricately-crafted backstory for each of them! and though the characters may not have all been incredibly likeable, they all definitely conjured up *some* emotion - there was no apathy to be found within this book, which shows the talent of this new author!! I'm excited to see what else Aparna Verma comes up with! I was impressed with the vivid storytelling, amazing world building (though it was a liiiiittle info dump-y at times), and everything about it, really! There are some instances the author could’ve showed rather than told, but over a solid read!

I def recommend giving it a try!

Thank you to netgalley, the author. & publisher for this e-arc! All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for having me reading this book.

The Boy With Fire had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it disappointed me. It took me weeks to get through the first few chapters of this book and I couldn’t finish it. It was slow and flat. l

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book.

For many reasons, the synopsis of this story led me to believe that I was going to LOVE this... I did not. Not at all. For starters, it compares itself to The Poppy War, and perhaps because of how much I love The Poppy War (so maybe I am a bit biased), but no. The writing was okay, but the pacing was extremely off. For the first three quarters of this book, I was so BORED. I think around the fifty percent mark I was doing more skimming than actual reading at that point because I just wanted to be done with this story. I feel like this could have easily been three hundred pages shorter than it actually is.

The characters are all extremely flat and boring. I can ALMOST handle a more character driven fantasy novel when compared to plot as long as I am invested in the characters, but that did not happen here. Their conversations and interactions are almost awkward and almost seem like they have dialogue just to fill space, but it doesn't make sense for their characters. I am probably explaining that poorly, but I'm trying not to let my negativity spoil anything in this story that I think maybe I just wasn't the right reader for.

This was one of those books that I should have just DNF'ed because I don't even have the right words to give a detailed review because it was so boring and I wasn't giving it my full attention.

Interesting book with a detailed world-building and compelling plot. The characters could have been more developed but were intriguing

The Boy With Fire had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. It took me weeks to get through the first few chapters of this book. It was so slow and I simply did not care about anything happening.

I believe I missed the timing to read and enjoy this book, and also the world building was kinda underwhelming, so yeah,but it was interesting

This book was a little steeper than my usual fare, so it took me a good bit to get into but I just heard it was picked up by Orbit and remembered I already had it on hand! Beautifully written characters and a solid fantasy entry--glad I remembered the request!

What I can say about this book is that it is an ambitious debut in adult sci-fi. Unfortunately, the world-building was muddy, and the characters were not as fleshed out as I would have liked. The ending was intriguing enough for me to continue for the next book.