*Thank you to NetGalley and New Degree Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

**"If we carry the burdens of our fathers, then we'll never know what it means to be free."**

A mad king clinging to his throne. An assassin ready to turn a new page. An heiress preparing to come to power — if only she can control the Fire. The Kingdom of Ravence is on the precipice of a new age, if only the coming of the next Prophet doesn't make it all crumble down.

*The Boy With Fire* crafted a beautiful world inspired by Indian culture and mythology that Verma brings to life with her descriptions. The book is action packed with politics and violence, and no character is safe from the slash of Aparna Verma's pen.

I really, really wanted to love this book. It contained so many aspects of things I loved — a diverse cast, morally grey protagonists, an interesting magic system, and a messy ending with no clear answers. On top of that, *The Poppy War* is a comp, which is currently my all time favorite series. There are numerous themes that I felt warranted a comparison to TPW: beyond the obvious focus on a Phoenix and fire, the focus on how violence and destruction depends on dehumanizing others, and the necessity of building and creating myth to sustain power, are just a couple.

Despite this, I felt an emotional disconnect from basically all of the characters, and each terrifying action and plot twist didn't pack the punch I wished it did. I think part of this was due to there being three narrators — we somehow gleaned both too much and not enough into each main character's motivations, and it left me wanting.

All in all, a solid SFF debut with a ton of room to explore and expand. I look forward to the next novel in this world and what's to come from this author!

CW: extreme violence, death, murder

3.75/5 ⭐️

This was an amazing high fantasy inspired from South Asian stories. As an Indian myself, I felt immensely connected to Elena as a character, and her strength was admirable. This book is told through 3 different POV's, one being the villain, Leo, another being Yassen, a former assassin, and Elena, the heir to a throne. Although you can definitely see that Leo is wrong in his decisions, we can also understand why he made the decisions he did(the dilf that the author advertised Leo as definitely lived up to expectations).

Oh my gosh.

I had heard this book was all over social media and the art of all the characters really made me pick this up immediately! I love how Aparna Verma wrote an enemies to lovers relationship in a rich and compelling world. There's so much action and adventure, and I really enjoyed the writing. It wasn't too much information and I liked how the plot turned out. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy very soon!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc for review- all opinions are my own!

this was a book i was looking forward to when i first heard about it on twitter via the character art posted by the author. however, i found it difficult to get into and it took me a long time to finish. objectively, it was well written, but i felt in some cases that the writing was overly descriptive where it didn't need to be (especially when describing the setting and scenery) whereas the characters were under built and could use more multi-dimensional writing. as a character-based reader, it was hard for me to connect to our main cast, and truly experience their journeys with them.

elena as a main character was hard to root for as i felt she had too many flaws in her than positive traits. some of her 'positive' traits came off to me as stubborn-ness and recklessness rather than 'determination' and 'fighting spirit'. yassen, on the other hand, was the most well written character. he had enough strengths and flaws to balance each other out and that made him a more nuanced person.

of course, these are only my opinions and others may have had different experiences. it was still a story i enjoyed and i would still read the sequel because im really intrigued by samson's true nature after that epilogue.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

To begin with, I would like to say that I absolutely adored the sound of this book. The description made me desperate to read it as soon as possible. That was really well done.

However, it didn't draw me in immediately once I started reading it. I was a little disappointed by that. I wanted to love it but couldn't find myself appreciating it the way I had hoped. If you find it hard to finish a story because it starts off slowly with, what feels like, excessive world-building, this probably isn't the story for you.

Once I got into the story and fully immersed myself, I found it got better as the story advanced. However, there were a number of moments that just felt like they dragged on for too long and there were a number of unimportant 'filler' scenes that could have been cut down. There is a lot of world-building in the first half but that eventually gives way to more action and adventure (and plot twists too).

Would I recommend this book? If there was someone who I thought could get through the start and enjoyed this genre, yes. Not to the generic, everyday reader though.

I think that I will find myself reaching for the sequel when it comes out.

The Boy with Fire is an Indian-inspired epic fantasy with magic, royalty, and morally grey characters. Yassen, a boy on the run. Elena, a Princess who can’t wield fire. And Leo, the King struggling to stop things he can’t control.
The characters were my favorite part of the book. Leo, Samson, and Ferma were my favorites. I always love morally grey characters and this book definitely gave me that! I also really liked that, although there were lots of different fantasy terms, I hardly ever got confused by them. And some of the book’s fight scenes were highly entertaining.
However, speaking of the fight scenes, we’ll start getting into the things I didn’t like about the book.
There were too many unnecessary scenes that didn’t move the story along at all. I enjoyed one or two of the fight training scenes, but there shouldn’t have been so many if they weren’t integral to the story. I feel like the author had lots of scenes that didn’t add anything to the plot, but when things were important and needed to be explored, they were only mentioned once and never brought up again.
Leo’s point of view was my favorite. One of the reasons for that is because he’s my absolute favorite character, but mainly because every Leo chapter moved the story further along, Elena and Yassen’s chapters kept the story stagnant. I found myself tuning out a lot during their chapters because there were so many unneeded things discussed. All Elena’s chapters did were show her try to learn to yield fire to no avail. And all Yassen’s chapters did were nothing… I can’t remember a thing I gained from reading one of his chapters till almost 70% into the story. And don’t even get me started on the last eight chapters of the book. Those eight chapters could’ve been reduced to only two. That ending was so drawn out and boring, I had to skim through till I was done just to get it over with.
And my last complaint is that there was no main storyline. Each individual point of view had its own storyline, but they never came together to make one central storyline or one central goal or obstacle between those three characters. Every one just had their own plot that barely coincided with the others.
Overall, even though I had lots of complaints, I enjoyed this. I liked Leo, Samson, and Ferma so much that they made up for all the other things I didn’t like about the book. After reading those last chapters of the book, I just knew I wasn’t going to continue the series. But after reading the epilogue, I just might. The epilogue intrigued me back into the story, so I’ll at least give the second book a chance!

Thank you to Netgalley and New Degree Press for this arc. All opinions are my own.

TW: death/murder, burning, and suicide

This book has lot of potential, great world building and interesting story. The characters are well written.
That said I found it too slow and it didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book definitely lives up to it's hype. It's a new favorite! I loved the SA rep, and I loved the bond between the two female characters!

took me a while to get into it, it was pretty good. i think the only character i liked was leo. the rest of them didn't really peak my interest too much. the world building was great.

What an amazing book, I wanted to read it so fast but also to savour it. But a 4 hour flight had me hooked I love the characters and world so much I really hope we get to see more

4.5 stars - Fantastic debut set in a lush, Indian inspired world

It is really hard to believe that this is an indie debut! This was a truly accomplished first book in a fantasy series with fantastic world building, interesting characters and relevant themes (religion, power, fanaticism) that are well explored.

The story is told from the perspectives of Yassen, a former assasin who has defected and is now working for the enemy, the Ravani. Next we have Elena, the Ravani princess who is about to ascend the throne but is struggling to contol fire, which is a prerequisite to being the ruling monarch. And then we have Leo, the current king and Elena's father, who is ruthless in his desire to protect his kingdom but also really tired from the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders.
The Ravani kingdom is forever being threatened by its neighbour and so he is constantly walking the tightrope of diplomacy, political plotting and demonstrations of military power. This alone would keep any monarch busy, but a prophecy that might mean the end for the whole world is making matters a lot more complicated.

I don't know if it was just me, but the aesthetics of the world of The Boy with Fire felt very distinctly Final Fantasy to me - in the best way possible. This characteristic mix of futuristic and fantastical elements, the intricate and gorgeous location design, the general feeling of ornate lushness.

Some readers were not happy with the pacing and found it to be slow. For me, it was just right, being a reader who is not really into action and who likes a focus on world-building, the characters' inner lives and a slowly unfolding plot. A lot of action happens towards the end of the book as events escalate and some crucial information is revealed, but that was actually my least favourite part.

I thought that the characters were well drawn, but their interaction was maybe a little lacking in depth. But that is actually quite nit-picky as I would recommend this book to just about anyone who enjoys Fantasy. I very much hope that the author is working on the sequel and will get it for sure!

I have received a digital review copy via Netgalley and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you!

I am still making my way through this novel, as life has gotten a bit in the way so I'm reading at a slower pace than normal. But what I've ready so far has been intriguing, dramatic, and the character development has been fantastic. We get a great look inside their minds/thoughts, without being told too much information. There are some portions so far that are reading a bit lengthier than what I'm used to with most books I read, but that is more of a personal preference since I usually read YA Fantasy instead of Adult. I absolutely LOVE the mixture of traditional Indian/South Asian culture/geographical location with a high tech, futuristic setting in terms of technology and mode of transportation. I'm really excited to finish this, and I think Aparna Verma will be an author to look out for in the future!

This is like a 2.5 ⭐️
I did receive an arc of this and I was so excited for it (compared to the poppy wars like yes please)
Unfortunately, it was not the book for me. There is definitely someone out there who would like this book but it just isn’t me.
I was really turned off of the whole book bc some scenes seemed way too violent for no reason? I couldn’t understand some characters motivation for their actions and I felt connected to none of the characters. I do think there’s some potential here and if the story was written a bit differently I think I would’ve liked and connected to it more. But the book is as it is and I did not like how it is.
Rated on Goodreads at, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4019605104?book_show_action=false

This book surprised me, I wasn't expecting the sci fi elements of it but I really loved it and the world was really interesting. It felt like star wars but make it desi!

The characters were all really interesting too I especially loved Yassen and Elena grew on me especially in the second half as she fully embraced her power. Samson was always a mystery though I found his character really intriguing and I wish we had seen his PoV.

I think my main issue was the pacing of the book. I felt it dragged at times and then everything happened at once. I wish we could have gotten a bit more especially in the ending as it felt a bit confusing at times.

I am still really looking forward to the sequel.

DNF.
It just isn't for me. Too slow moving. Didn't capture my interest etc. etc. I wish the characters were more interesting.

“Someone once told me that ghosts are memories that haunt us before we can let them go. I think you have a lot of ghosts to address, but they’ll forgive you.”

The Boy with Fire by Aparna Verma is an Indian-inspired fantasy young adult novel that delves into a dark world of prophecy, war, and deception. the novel unfolds through the perspective of a former assassin, a royal heir, and a tyrant king. There’s mythology and magic, south asian representation, morally grey characters, enemies to lovers with a classic sword to the throat scene, and some friendship.

The novel’s prose was written beautifully and the world-building was really detailed - Verma brought the world to life with color and energy. The pacing of the first half of the book was slow, as it was mostly world-building. It was a little confusing to grasp sometimes and I almost wished there was a map of the world with the cities, such as Ravence and Jantar, to help visualize the movement and proximity of the characters better. I was still left unsure as to what city the arohassin belonged to, or if they belonged to a single place at all. (maybe I just can’t comprehend fantasy like I used to, I don’t know) But, the latter part of the novel, especially around 70%, was so rich with action and imagery. The mystery and plot twists were quite fun, i.e. the identity of the prophet and a secret betrayal scheme.

As for the characters, Yassen was definitely my favorite, especially his pov chapters! I was interested in his story from the start (ex-assassin oh hello!) and I love him, that's it. Also disabled biracial rep !! Elena’s character arc of independence and finding/harnessing her own power was also well-developed too. I wasn’t attached to Leo's character much and I didn’t feel like his chapters were as necessary as a main voice. I was kind of disappointed with Ferma’s appearances - I picked up the book for her and I just felt like she deserved more and it was anti-climatic a bit for her. I was more interested in her and Samson than Leo, to be honest.

The relationship I liked the most throughout the novel was Yassen and Samson actually. No matter who their allegiance lied with, they were always loyal to each other, even though sometimes it wavered, They would defend each other. Yassen and Elena, I had a hunch were going to be endgame but wasn’t sure how slowburn they were going to be. This was a subplot romance and most of their relationship developed in the second half. It may have seemed sudden but due to their circumstances and the understandings they reached, it felt right to me. Did I mention … enemies to unwanted allies to lovers with betrayal + “i’ll find you” trope !?!

Also the ending omg, I will be tuning in for the sequel!

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

i have given this book a low 3.5 stars for several reasons. i found the third quarter of the book to be dry and lacking in anything that moved the plot forward. moreover, the revelation of the identity of the prophet was not at all well built and moreover, considering leo’s actions, it made no sense. furthermore, i found the revelation of yassen’s secret to be poor quality similar in nature. i thought of elena as a wonderful character but i did not quite understand her devotion to the phoenix, her childish natude regarding her father and his duties, nor her immense resentment of her mother.

the prose and writing in this book was wonderfully done but the plot does in fact need some work. i’m genuinely excited to see the sequel of this book come out.

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

So my review should be tempered by the fact that within the first 10 pages, I discovered the book was not for me.

I was instantly intrigued at the premise of a fantasy novel inspired by Indian mythology, revolving around 3 different points of view (Elena the crown princess, Yassen, an ex-assassin and Leo, Elena's father). However, I found it very difficult to maintain my attention in view of many new terminology and unexplained worldbuilding that left me very confused even when I had reached the half-way mark of the book. I did find a glossary at the end of a book, but it was a little too late at that point.

I mean, I enjoy Sci-fi novels and television and I can live with a little terminology. Some of my favourite authors like George RR Martin, R. Lee Smith use a ton of it. But unfortunately as the book progressed, I ended up getting more and more confused and less interested in the progress of the story.

I also found characters very poorly developed and inconsistent, and I really didn't feel I knew their motivations beyond what was on a very surface level.

I nearly DNFed this multiple times (as the book very successfully lulled me to sleep, in the process leading me to hit myself in the face with my Kobo), but I pushed through as I wanted to see if I would better understand it or like it as it went on.

That being said, the mythology was interesting and I wish I could have loved it more, and I do feel that the author's ability to craft and write a story was well-done.

I would review this at 2.5 stars out of 5, but then your mileage might vary.

4 stars

“Sometimes, the moments that define us are the moments in which we spare ourselves. They force us to examine who we truly are, and what we stand for.”

rep // south asian MC

cw // fire, murder, death, suicide, abuse

the boy with fire is an incredible debut novel by Aparna Verma, and it captured me in a way that refused to let me go. Following the views of Yassan, a disgrace assassin for the Arohassin, on the run & Elena, who is about to ascend the throne from her father for Ravance, a kingdom that worships fire, which she cannot hold. A shame she keeps buried to herself deeply. Lastly, Leo, current king of Ravance, holds many dark secrets to himself, including one of why his daughter cannot hold the fire. However, the longer that one hold the fire, the more they lose of themself, Leo's mind and humanity are long gone, leading him on the path of the next mad king.

Enter, Samson, leader of a rebel army that wishes to provide Ravance the manpower they need against both the Arohassin secret agents and their ongoing war with their neighbors. In return he asks for Elena's hand in marriage, which she accepts. However, a prophecy of the Phoenix, a legend that will burn the world to the ground for their sins is starting to play out. And with his daughter at risk, Leo will do anything to find and kill the prophet before they come to rise. As Elena continues to search for answers, it leads her down a path that might destroy them all, if Yassen doesn't first.

While I loved EVERYTHING about the cast and setting of this story (who doesn't love a mad king and a killer assassin turned good?), I found the pacing to be very lopsided. During the first 70% it was incredibly slow building, leading to a sheer explosion afterwards. I also was not a huge fan of the romance that was on their especially near the ending. I felt that it was rather forced and unrealistics between Yassen and Elena, as I didn't pick up on any tender moments beforehand. However, I'm hoping more of that can happen in book 2, because the ending of this nearly broke me. This book did an entire 180 from the start and left me in a whirlwind state of heartbreak.

The rep in this book was incredible as well, as the Yumi were inspired by the female warriors the Hindu goddess Kali created (called the chandikas) after her epic battle against the demon Mahishasura. While Yassen is biracial, the rest of the cast firmly falls in the South Asian equivalent category and it was so nice to see that representation.

Overall I found this to be an incredibly rich and intense adult fantasy, with morally grey characters I fully fell in love with. Cannot wait for book 2.

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The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“The Prophet raised her eyes to the heavens and said today justice would burn the land and cleanse it of its sins. But she does not know what it means to burn. The pain of it. The sorrow of it."

This book was fire. Taken on a journey through the deserts, through the flames, we meet royalty, mercenaries, and assassins all burning. Told in multi-POVs, this story was told to us through the eyes of three characters who are fighting for their truths, for their purpose, for their cause. Elena, the strong-willed Princess, who is ready to take the crown and bring her people together, to fight for equality and unity. Leo, her father, the King bound by his zealous truth, his righteousness flame, burning through the ones to take what he believes is his people right, his people land. Yassen, an orphan of two countries, grown and shaped into a killer, a warrior whose purpose has shifted, an assassin for one country, now turned mercenary for the other, he must fight to prove himself worthy to the people he has grown to hate and who want to see him burn.

Aparna Verma is a magnificent author, painting a world and a story so fantastical, so beautiful, so fire that you will realize you have reached the end and need more. Bravo for such a stunning piece. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This review was completely mine and written in my words based on my opinion.