Wow that was... AMAZING !!
The plot was soooo unexpected it blow my mind away, it was well thought! The energy put in such little details that made the whole plot/world more real is really spectacular. I loved it, I absolutely loved it. The world was really well developed as for the culture of each country it was so interesting reading so many different ways of living.
The characters were so interesting as well. The way they all evolve differently but strongly, you see the changes at the end of the book, how they matured and how they grew into different person. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is because I was not attached to any character particularly. Otherwise, I definitely recommend this book.

♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎

DAMNNNN MAN THIS WAS AWESOME! Top 10 of 2021 ♥️
CW: this book contains burning people, and talk of past sacrifices

When I was accepted as a member of the street team, trust me I was ecstatic! And then I started reading the eArc (thanks NetGalley), and I literally fell in love with this book! It was written so beautifully and it had an Indian themed. Indian culture is so beautiful, but unfortunately its very neglected in the fantasy genre. So when I heard about this book, I HAD TO READ IT!

The characters personalities were so well thought about and they blended together wonderfully! Ferma and Elena we’re definitely my favourites ♥️ but I loved Yassen and Samson and Leo as well! Most of the characters were literally so dynamic and the characters’ art was just 👌 The characters’ thoughts and emotions were so beautifully presented, i felt everything with them! They had such complex personalities, it was honestly a treat to read about them! The imagery in this book was perfect ✨ I was always (pleasantly) surprised at every twist and turn because literally nothing in this book was even remotely predictable!

This book was written in three POVS, Elena (she makes you want to burn your enemies), Yassen (precious bb) and Leo (scares the sh*t out of you)!

Aparna’s writing style flowed so smoothly, I loved it! Honestly, this doesn’t feel like a debut novel, it feels like its been written by a VERY seasoned author who has been writing for a long time. And the dark feel of it was so awesome! And again, I am highlighting that i LOVED the indian feel of it! And the romance in ittttt mannnnnn was it awesome! Enemies to lovers ♥️

Another thing I loved was that it had morally grey characters and villain protagonists! I’m hooked to these kind of stories now! Villain protagonists are so so so so so good! So overall I REALLY LOVED this book! And I hope that whenever its released, you guys will read it too!

I have an interview with a q/a panel with the author on Instagram on 6th August, I hope you guys can join!

I was really excited for The Boy with Fire, as it has a lot of things I love, but I struggled to get into it, which I believe is more due to the fact that I'm rarely in the mood for high fantasy these days. I'm sure if I read it again when I'm more in the mood for high fantasy, that I'd find it more enjoyable and would rate it more highly!

actual rating: 2.5

dnf @ 65%

i got through so much of this book but i feel like nothing significant happened. i've had people tell me that the last part is interesting. and i know some people reading this want to tell me to just finish this considering how far in i am. but hey - it's a sunk cost. i just can't be compelled to continue reading when i'm simply just not interested anymore.

in the beginning i was super into the mix of Dune and Indian-inspired aesthetics. it was cool as hell. i would say that's where this book really wins: the descriptions and vibes were on point. and i was interested in the characters and relationships and i looked forward to understanding more about the world.

but in the end i felt like neither the characters nor the relationship dynamics were developed enough for me to actually be invested in any of them. we spend a lot of time watching Elena train but she doesn't learn anything meaningful. Leo was interesting, but his POV also felt repetitive. Ferma seems like she should have been an important character but we only know her at a surface level. the same goes for Samson and Yassen.

the lore and the worldbuilding just felt messy to me because there isn't any logic in how the facts of the world were revealed. i couldn't fully appreciate the stakes of a situation becuase i wasn't fully informed. a lot of the time those facts were then revealed at a later, seemingly random point in the plot. maybe i just wasn't paying enough attention.

but for what it's worth, i still had fun reading the book and getting to know the world. i thought the split in power between the throne and the order was interesting. which is why i was interested with the High Priestess as a character. i want to know more about the power factions in the world. maybe i will revisit this one when the second book comes out.

posted on goodreads also; https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4082471479

I received this book from netgelley to review. This book was at first really hard to get through. The first half of this book was a lot of terms and world building I had to look into to understand more. However, I did enjoy that it was a cross between science fiction and fantasy. The gods and prophesies are prominent in this book which was cool and I enjoyed that it was a Desi inspired book. It definitely gave me a cross between Dune and The Poppy War. I enjoyed the beautiful written descriptions that the author used. However, this book would have been a five star if it wasn’t for such a slow first half of the book. It definitely built up and left on a cliff hanger so I’m excited to see if there is going to be a second book and where the author takes it.

OPRAH GIF

The Boy With Fire is, as the description says, an Indian-inspired epic fantasy. I think it goes beyond just fantasy though, since it has elements of sci-fi to it as well. I saw somewhere that someone mentioned Star Wars, the description mentions Dune, but this manages to break into its own category.

Admittedly, the first part of the book is slow-paced. There is immense world-building done here (and, helpfully, there is a glossary in the back...hopefully the final version of the book will include a map!). The book alternates between Yassen Knight, an assassin who is trying to escape from the criminal organization he has been a part of for years, Elena Ravence, the Princess-soon-to-be-Queen of the kingdom of Ravence who knows she cannot withstand the flame that is her birthright, and Leo Ravence, Elena's father and the King of Ravence, who aims to avoid the apocalypse by scouring the kingdom for the "Prophet" who will burn the kingdom to the ground.

As a result of the focus on world-building in the first half of the book (or so), I feel like we really got to know the characters more deeply in the second portion of the book but once that happened I became so attached. Yassen....my Knight, Elena, the light of my life, Leo...DILF. This story is brutal, and the ending was devastating and I can't believe it ended like that and I don't know what to do now.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

the concept was what made me want to read this book. however, i found the pacing a bit all over the place and i couldn't connect with the characters. the writing was very good and it definitely was what kept me reading. i will wait for the following book in this trilogy to see how it will all develop.

Wow, that was quite a ride!

First of all, this novel immediately gets bonus points in my eyes for having characters that have a slightly more grey moral code - it's a personal favourite of mine, and this has not one, but three main characters with dubious morals. It's amazing, I love it. Each characters motives are clear and they act in favour of their goals, whether they be material goals or personal growth, even if the path taken to achieve those goals is not necessarily the most morally good or ethical.

But enough of me rambling about morals, lets talk about the characters. Firstly we meet Yassen, an assassin turned royal bodyguard who wants freedom from his past. Despite all that he has done in the past, he is a very easy character to sympathise with, his decisions fit his charater, and he is just generally a very well written character. The second of the main three characters that we meet is Elena, future queen of Ravence, who is a strong-willed princess with plans to peacefully unite her nation and deal with the war with the neighbouring country Jantar. In my opinion, she changes the most throughout the book, and it was fascinating to watch how her attitudes developed. Third is Leo, king of Ravence, and Elena's father. Leo has such a good arc, and his loyalty to his country and Elena is admirable, even if his actions are questionable.

Plot was also a really strong point for this novel, it had unexpected twists, action-packed sequences, and those slower character moments that give the ups and downs more impact. Some parts were shocking, and some were able to be predicted, but only because they made sense for the characters to behave that way, so for me, the predictability is not a bad quality, but a testament to the level of care and detail that went into creating the characters,

I loved the worldbuiling, from the metal cities of Jantar to the deserts of Ravence, the worship of the Phoenix to the history of the Jantari, all of it was incredible. It's a world I hope to be able to read more because there is definitely so much more to see and learn. As well as this, I loved the way the language changed from one person's perspective to another without hindering the overall flow of the book.

This is defintely up there as one of my favourite reads this year!!

The Boy with Fire est surtout un excellent premier roman et début de trilogie. Aparna Verma y décrit ce qui semble un thème assez classique en fantasy : une histoire de vengeance, de rédemption et de découverte de ses propres pouvoirs. Mais elle le place dans un univers résolument de science-fiction avec des holopads en guise de smartphones, des robots et armures à retour de force pour l’entraînement des soldats, toute une série de véhicules flottants (avec ou sans utilisation du champ magnétique) et des armes à impulsion laser.
The Boy with Fire est basé sur Sayon, une planète qui à l’image de Madripoor et ou de celles de l’Empire dans Dune, a été colonisée depuis des millénaires par l’espèce humaine (et assez longtemps pour que certains membres changent d’apparence comme les Yumi aux cheveux tranchants ou les Jantari aux yeux décolorés). Nous y suivons en parallèle deux destins : celui d’Elena, héritière du trône de Ravence à quelques semaines de son couronnement, qui se révèle incapable de maitriser la voie du feu (ou Agneepath) comme l’ensemble des monarques avant elle ; et celui de Yassen, orphelin métis de deux nations en guerre et assassin en fuite qui tente de se reconstruire et de trouver sa liberté en acceptant l’offre d’un vieil ami. Et pourtant, rien ne se passera comme prévu. Les deux protagonistes auront leurs lots d’épreuve et devront remettre en cause certaines de leurs certitudes. Mais, The Boy with Fire n’est pas aussi prévisible que prévu et l’ensemble des personnages — et pas uniquement Elena et Yassen — sont attachants, et tout en nuances. Si les parallèles avec Dune (Yassen en Dr Yueh jeune par exemple, Elena en mélange entre Paul et sa fille Ghanima, etc.) et La guerre du Pavot (que je n’ai pas aimé) sont évidents, ils ne gênent pas la lecture et surtout, The Boy with Fire n’est pas une énième resucée de ces histoires. L’utilisation d’éléments de la culture desi (c’est à dire venant du sous-continent Indien – Inde, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh et la diaspora qui en découle) par petites touches dans le mode de vie de Ravence et par l’utilisation de certains concepts et non en calquant des dieux et des avatars connus dans l’histoire, aide également à se plonger dans cette épopée très originale. Pris un peu au hasard, j’ai eu un gros coup de cœur pour ce livre et je guette déjà la sortie du tome 2.

3.8; Thank you to NetGalley and New Degree Press for the e-arc.

Review: This was a solid debut novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the worldbuilding and the interweaving of SEA culture. I'm looking forward to what Verma writes next.

At the same time, I will admit that the book felt a little slow in the beginning, despite having the aforementioned seamless worldbuilding. Leo's POV felt a little stunted compared to Yassen's and Elena's -- the book really started getting interesting right around the 70% mark. I understand that his POV is equally important and not dispensable whatsoever, but I think I would have preferred seeing more of Leo's actions/intentions through Elena's POV instead. This is all to say that the book began to get somewhere only for it to end so soon, which makes me a little disappointed about how it almost seemed that the exposition of book 1 dominated the entire thing.

My main critique is the multi-POV structure affecting pacing, which significantly lessens the potential impact that the final reveals/~betrayals~ have. Multi-POV works can be tricky because it takes a lot to convince a reader that each character POV is significant enough to stand on its own AND further the plot.

Regardless, I think this is a solid book that any lover of SFF-- particularly SFF centered in non-white roots -- should definitely consider reading once it releases on August 31.

This was a good set up to hopefully an exciting fantasy series. i liked the world and the magic system it was interesting and i was drawn to the fantastical elements in it and i thought the writing was pretty straight forward and simple in a good way. what felt a bit lacking to me was the development of the characters and their dynamics and i wish we’ve gotten more of that.

“The Boy with Fire” is a story of sacrifice, betrayal, and hardships. We follow our main character, Elena, who is the next in life to become the heir of her family’s throne. There is a problem with this, when a figure in their world threatens to take back what was once theirs. We experience the point of views of three of our main characters, who take us along their trials of sacrifice and heartbreak.

To say the least, this book took me a while to complete, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I think the storytelling was very rich, and it has a long way to go which I am excited to see more of in the sequels. Being Indian, I really liked stories incorporated in the book. It reminded me of the stories I’ve been told my whole life at the temple and at prayers. Aside from plot, the thing that really kept me motivated in the book was the characters and seeing what they would end up doing and how it affected them.

A powerful character I liked, despite everything he had done, was Leo, our King. Leo, who has an odd charm to him is a very strong character in a way I didn’t think he’d be. Of course he is a King, but that isn’t what made him strong. We see how Elena thought of him, and how it was really the opposite. I felt like he was a man who did what he needed to do best for his family and his country. That doesn’t mean what he did was remotely correct at all, but I think Verma did a good way at portraying why he made the decisions he did.

“The Boy with Fire” had sudden plot twists that I didn’t expect, even though I felt they should have been obvious to me. I’m glad it did take me by surprise though, as I usually don’t experience that with many books I read nowadays. The elements of this story made it divine to read, and I enjoyed the subtle futuristic elements. I hope we see more of it in its sequel. Definitely pick this up if you like science fiction and a story that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to Aparna Verma, New Degree Press, and NetGalley for an ebook arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Boy with Fire is the first book in a new adult fantasy trilogy. This story is told from three different perspectives: Yassen Knight, an assassin who defected; Elena, heir to the crown; and Leo, the king. The beginning of the story had a lot to take in. There’s a lot of political backstory and an entire magic system to understand. There are a lot of nuances between the people of this world too. Overall, the first few chapters I found myself slowing down and rereading a lot in order to make sure I understood exactly what was going on in the story. The pacing does pick up, and the info dump lessens as the story progresses though.

Thank you to NetGalley and New Degree Press for providing me with a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5
A solid start to a new sci fi/fantasy series, perfect for fans of Brent Weeks.

The real joy of this book is in the worldbuilding. This novel is set in a new universe with advanced technology, but also the presence of ancient magic and monsters. The flora and fauna are a satisfying mix of familiar and alien, real-world flowers and birds sharing the page with fantastical trees and creatures. There’s a real sense of a history to this world, that there are legacies and legends and stories that don’t get covered in the narrative but still inform the culture and history of the societies and characters, which is terribly impressive and satisfying to read.

There are three point of view characters, and I found all of their PoV chapters fairly equally interesting. However, I didn’t grow deeply invested in any of them in a way I would have hoped to with a point of view character. I was more interested in the macro story than their individual growths, though I appreciated the way that their individual stories interwove with everything else going on. I found that the middle 50% of the book was a little slower-paced than I think was necessary.

I think this would be an excellent book for someone transitioning from YA to adult fantasy. The subject matter is certainly adult, and the book leans into some standard YA aspects in order to later question and twist them, which I think will be fun for someone straddling those groups in their reading.

To a certain extent, the flavor of the writing and worldbuilding, the interest in a complicated and morally grey world with fantastical and futuristic elements where everyone has underlying motives, remind me a great deal of Brent Weeks. Fans of Weeks’ works will probably have a great time with Aparna Verma.

Overall, the book was very good, if not my favorite new fantasy debut. The world is exciting and fresh, the socio-political tensions are high, and I think that the following books in the trilogy are likely to excite me more. I certainly plan to read the sequel when it arrives, and look forward to reading more from this author.

2.5★

the boy with fire is a bold, ambitious debut novel pitched as dune meets the poppy war in a world inspired by indian mythology.

i was so ready to love this book—and i did in fact, but only for the first 30% or so.



what i liked:

• world — the indian-inspired setting instantly pulled me in, the vibes served until the other issues kicked in, but it really kept my imagery vivid while reading. i liked the aura and the atmosphere of the world a lot.

• lore — fire magic system! the concept of the prophet and the phoenix was intriguing and really showed a lot of potential of where the story could go. i found there were a few plot holes and confusing limitations and inconsistencies with the magic system.

• prose — the writing was beautiful, which helped for when i was invested at the start. it was direct without being blunt and pretty without veering towards purple prose. but i did feel like there were a few “ya-esque” sentences just thrown in there to make it quotable, which took me out of the story sometimes.




what ruined it for me:

• pacing — i don’t really mind slow-paced beginnings because i know it all serves a purpose and i love getting to know the characters all in favor of rooting for them later (which was ruined by the next point) and also in favor of a grand finale when the pace does pick up, in this case, the last 10% (which i also couldn’t care for).

• underdevelopment — of the characters, therefore their dynamics, their ships, their stories and everything in-between. you can see how this affected my enjoyment of the book seeing as it is mostly character-driven. i needed more depth to them.

• characters — i loved yassen, elena and leo at first. but in the end i only found leo have the most interesting arc out of the three but it still felt like weak characterization. the other two were surface-level characterization, their arcs and the emotional attachment building depended on them having conversations about their past, which was forced and unrealistic.

• romance — so there was supposed to be enemies-to-lovers trope which,, where? i couldn’t tell you because i couldn’t become attached to the characters, let alone the romance. my love for both yassen and elena quickly plummeted when the book’s flaws really shown. both felt underdeveloped, the shift in their dynamic and especially the switch in beliefs was too quick to be realistic. so as a result, it came off forced and i naturally lost interest.



all in all, i think this book could’ve had a better execution of the interesting themes it proposed, reading it i felt like the author had a checklist of great things to include but unfortunately the delivery was just not that great, at least for me. nonetheless, it does have great potential to be an epic fantasy series, maybe my issues will be resolved in the next books but i’m not sure if i’ll carry on.

i feel like this could be an enjoyable book for young adult readers looking to get into adult fantasy! tbwf pretty much reads like YA, very easy and accessible writing and protagonist, but has adult characters in their twenties. it does deal with dark topics but not as dark as the poppy war or the descent of the drowned.

content warnings: war themes, immolation, self-immolation, death of loved ones.

— digital arc provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

the writing is great, the characters are OK, the setting is wonderful, and the lore is detailed. i liked the blend of sci-fi and Indian culture and mythology. i also liked the phoenix lore and the fire magic, but i had some minor issues with it that affected my enjoyment:

1. romance - i was led to believe that the romance is enemies-to-lovers but i feel like i've been lied to. the romance was underdeveloped, so even with the enemies-to-lovers hint, i was shocked to see how attached they were to each other. a few conversations about the past does not make for a good development. there was no chemistry between them, so i was so surprised to read the intimacy on page.

2. pacing - i can forgive nothing happening in the first half of the book, because we need build up and context for the climax after all, but my patience was not rewarded. the "intense climax" did not make me feel a thing. i did not feel the stakes. it all felt shallow to me.

3. characters - i know i said the characters are OK, but that is all they will ever be. unfortunately, i did not feel an emotional attachment to any of the three. Elena's character fell flat for me. she did not differ from the typical protagonists in books. Yassen's character was decent, but i feel like his motivations remained vague to me. Leo's character was maybe the best developed out of the three, and his plot is probably the most interesting out of the three POVs, but it was still kinda weak to me. i feel like the POVs should be reduced to two characters to improve the pacing and characterization.

i feel like i'd enjoy it more had i not been in a slump :( the book has a lot of potential though and i'm interested to see where the author will take the story. so overall, it's a decent adult fantasy debut!

Thank you so much to New Degree Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

2021 really is the year of amazing South Asian fantasies. What first drew me into The Boy with Fire was the fact that Aparna Verma drew inspiration for one of the races of characters in her book, called the Yumi, from the female warriors the Hindu goddess Kali created (called the chandikas) after her epic battle against the demon Mahishasura. I love a good fantasy inspired by Hindu & Indian mythology and The Boy with Fire did not disappoint! I usually also stay away from Adult fantasy novels because the world-building and magic system is described in such a complex and intricate way that usually flies right over my head, but Aparna Verma did an excellent job of building a detailed world and describing it to the reader in such an effortless way that made it so easy to follow along. Overall, I’d give it 4.5 stars!

The Boy with Fire follows three separate characters: Yassen Knight, the Arohassin’s most notorious assassin now on the run from the authorities and his former employer after suffering a horrible accident; Elena Ravence, heir to the Ravence throne; and Leo Ravence; the current king and Elena’s father. Their stories intertwine and connect as Elena and Leo’s kingdom teeters on the edge of war and prophecy.

As mentioned, this story follows three characters: Yassen, Elena, and Leo. I love multi-POV books, but I was a little hesitant about how much I would enjoy reading chapters from Leo’s POV considering he’s a 60 year old man obsessed with keeping his crown. However, Leo’s chapters were still so engaging and interesting to follow. The political intrigue in this novel in general was actually really captivating--something that doesn’t normally draw me into fantasy novels. The Boy with Fire is also described as Dune meets The Poppy War, which is honestly so accurate. I love how this novel combines both sci-fi and fantasy elements, again, in an effortless manner. There are also small modern aspects (in the dialogue, articles of clothing, accessories, etc.) that added to the ambiguity of what kind of era the novel being both a sci-fi and fantasy novel.

I think my only issue with this book is that the relationship between Yassen and Elena felt a little unconvincing. This does feature a slowburn enemies-to-lovers relationship but the slowburn was a little too slow to the point that I didn’t really pick up on any romance between the two during the book, nor did I believe that Yassen and Elena actually cared for one another at the end of the book. The last third of the book, though, was a complete rollercoaster. Everything just started going south even after everything was going so well for our characters. I was also completely shocked by the plot twist/reveal in the epilogue. I thought I had guessed the twist while reading, but turns out I was dead wrong.

Definitely consider picking this book up if you are looking for another Adult fantasy, especially one that is South Asian inspired! I can’t wait for everyone to read this book in August :)

rating: 3.5
Thank you netgalley for providing me with the ARC of this book. I heard about tbwf from twitter and i have to say it did not disappoint. It’s beautifully written with complex characters and betrayal and a crazy twist at the end (so excited for book 2!!!) Elena is a baddie, the world building was super fun. this book definitely had a slow start, which made the first few chapters hard to get through but it really picks up half way through and you can’t help loving and getting attached to the characters.

i rounded up for mad king leo’s fine self, talkin’ ‘bout some “He was the sun that beat down from the heavens; he was the twin moons that helped Alabore build his kingdom. He was leo, the king of Ravence...” IKTR!!! neva eva wrong!

First things first, I'm in love with Samson Kytuu.

Now that we've established that, let me mention some of the other things I loved about this novel: the intricate world the author spun, the prose, the twists (I very dramatically slapped my mouth at least a couple of times), and the rest of the cast. From fierce and loyal Ferma, to conflicted Yassen, stubborn and disciplined Elena, and, the driving force of the book, completely unhinged king Leo; I cared about all of the characters and, moreover, understood their motivations. One of my "things" with multiple POV books is that there's always I character whose POV I don't care much for, but in the case of this book it didn't really happen. The world of Sayon is a beautiful mix between Hindu mythology and science fiction, and I really liked it. From it's cities full of technology, to the power of fire.

I do think the pacing could be improved. Sometimes it got a bit slow, mainly focusing on world and character building, but then it would speed up and brush over plot points and points in the characters' development that could've been more poignant had we spent a bit more time in them. This is true also for the relationships, especially the romance.

All in all, though, I think this is a solid debut and I'm super excited to get to see more of this world, the cast and their shenanigans in the sequel!

"To be forgiven, one must be burned"

I really liked this book, it has similar vibe as The Poppy War, but it is really slow at first, so I kinda struggle to get through this, but it was worth it, the world building is amazing and the morally grey characters are ✨chef's kiss ✨
4/5⭐

Thank you NetGalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.