For some reason I went into this book thinking it was an epic fantasy - in a way, it still was. Instead this was very delightful romp into a very original science fantasy world crafted by Verma. Finding science fantasy books is rare and finding GOOD ones even more so. Luckily, I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed this novel.

The novel is told from three different POV's - Elena, the heir of Ravance; Leo, her father and current king; and Yassen, an assassin on the run from his sins. Each brings something unique to the story, fleshing out facets of the world in a very natural and organic way. There is very interesting lore and worldbuilding, and the overall aesthetics (futuristic fantasy mingled with South Asian influences) felt fresh and original from anything I've read in a while.

Verma is an expert in description and paints the world vividly through her amazing metaphors. I could never get tired of all the ways she managed to tie fire, deserts and dunes into the character's situations and emotions. The main trio are also great with excellent motivations and storylines (some more heartbreaking than others), and a few side characters were great (Ferma, Samson) while most others were forgettable.

My only issue in this book, the one thing that kept this from being a five star read for me, was the pacing shift around the 70% mark. Up until then the pacing was excellent and I couldn't wait to read on. But after what felt like the climax of the book, there was still 30% left to go and this part unfortunately dragged a bit for me. Nothing really interesting happens and I was just reading to find out the answer to one of the central mysteries of the novel - who is the Prophet?

All in all, excellent book that I would definitely recommend to anyone who is a fan of fantasy, science fantasy, or even just intriguing and original plots.

This book was so good! The plot and character development were amazing and I fell in love with the characters. I love the desi vibes in it. I am a big fan of fantasy and sci fi and this had all of the elements of a great series!

Yassen Knight was the Arohassin’s most notorious assassin until a horrible accident. Now, he’s on the run from the authorities and his former employer. But when Yassen seeks refuge with an old friend, he’s offered an irresistible deal: defend the heir of Ravence from the Arohassin, and earn his freedom.

Elena Ravence prepares to ascend the throne. Trained since birth in statecraft, warfare, and the desert ways, Elena knows she is ready. She only lacks one thing: the ability to hold Fire. With the coronation only weeks away, she must learn quickly or lose her kingdom.

Leo Ravence is not ready to give up the crown. There’s still too much work to be done, too many battles to be won. But when an ancient prophecy threatens to undo his lifetime of work, Leo wages war on the heavens themselves to protect his legacy.

This book reminds me of The Poppy War and The Jasmine Throne, it is an epic Indian-inspired fantasy with questionable characters that you can't help but root for.
The world is dark at the brink of war, the characters are all fighting for something they want and will all do whatever it takes to get there, no matter the cost.
The female characters in this book were a real highlight, they are powerful and caring they can still be beautiful whilst holding immense power and destroying everything in their path.
The 3 points of view work together so well and I was never waiting to get back to another character. Particularly with Leo and Elena's points of view the seeing from both sides that will never understand each other is amazing, both believe they are doing the right thing for the kingdom.
The world and the fire beliefs are beautifully detailed and I loved the melding of sci-fi and fantasy with the holopods and the Jantari metal.
I do feel that some of the other characters lacked characterisation and a romance subplot that came out of no where but overall it was a great read
The writing is amazing, despite it being slow at some points and the book flows so well, I was fascinated by most of the characters, can't wait for the rest of the series!

I liked this book. I saw that it was inspired by The Poppy War and that made me interested immediately. I'm really happy to have read it. The concept was well written, I felt like it was info dumpy in the beginning but it gets better as you move on. It’s a great fantasy novel and I can’t wait to see more from this author.

rating: 3.5/5

I really enjoyed this especially for a debut book it was so intriguing I enjoyed the world building and the characters although some parts were a bit predictable and fell flat and mostly I had issues with pacing but overall I liked it and can't wait to see what's next!

Thank you to NetGalley and New Degree Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is SO GOOD. What an amazing epic fantasy debut! Excellent writing and excellent plotting. The world was really well established, particularly through Elena's deep love for the desert. I was surprised to see that they live in a high-tech society with fantasy elements like the fire and the Phoenix, but I thought that the combination of the two was really well done! They blended together really well and it didn't feel like one negated the other. I loved the intrigue and mysteries that ran through the book. The plot twists were so good and made it really hard to put the book down! What I loved most about this book though was its Indian inspirations. As an Indian myself, it was so exciting to read a book that had so many familiar elements, from the food and the clothing to just the general construction of the world.

The characters were incredible and so relatable and well-written. We are told the story through three POVs: Elena, Yassen, and Leo. Elena's struggle to control the fire and her anxiety over whether this will impact her ability to rule makes it clear to us how much she cares for her kingdom and her people. Yassen's desire for freedom from his past makes you really root for him to find it. Leo's fear for the future of his kingdom of course doesn't justify his actions but it shows us how good intentions can very quickly lead people down the wrong path.

Overall an absolutely incredible book, I can't wait for the next one!!

This book had great world-building and i enjoyed the slow burn romance. I love the science-fiction elements this story had which added to the detail of the book and more depth. You can clearly see how well the author planned this book.
A few things i didn’t really enjoy was the pacing as sometimes it was fast and then slow again, which made some of it a bit annoying to read as it was inconsistent. Another things i didn’t like was the multiple POVs as i can find it a bit confusing to read but that is just my opinion.
Overall this book was exciting to read and i would recommend to friends and family.

I really enjoyed the strong world-building, morally grey characters, the multiple POVS and slow burn romance. The characters were intriguing for the most part but sometimes fell a little flat for me. I also wish it had started off with a little more action. Overall, though, an enjoyable Indian-inspired fantasy debut.

I received a copy of this book as an e-ARC from NetGalley. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Elena Ravence soon must rise to the throne in this world at war. However, unlike her ancestors before her, she is unable to wield the Eternal Fire without being burned. Insert an ex-assassin that must earn his freedom and the threat of a foretold Prophet threatening the king's rule, and Elena must come to terms with the real world that she will need to rule.

I heard so much about this book while on Booktok and as much as the idea and the advertisements enticed me, I felt like the book lacked in a few departments. But I would like to start with some of the elements that I found enjoyable.

Although the world-building and mythology behind the kingdom is a bit dense, I really enjoyed it. I really liked the Phoenix and the Eternal Fire and the overbearing feeling of fear and destruction that comes from it. Yet it still maintains this sacredness to it, and almost makes you feel like you are intruding on specific scenes that involve this religion. I also really liked that you could tell the culture and traditions from what was told, like the kissing of three fingers and placing it on someone's forehead. Things like that really did immerse me into the story.

I also really liked that this is a fantasy with a lot of science fiction elements to it, like pulse guns, holopods, just everything from my sci-fi dreams. It brought a new depth to the story that I don't think would have been achievable otherwise. In a way, I feel it elevates the story to that of a modern fantasy than anything, while still retaining typical fantasy elements. Even though this story did have a glossary at the end (that I didn't realize until I got through the e-book), I do wish that there had been a map, which would have helped me navigate the different lands discussed in the book. The only one I could really figure out is Jantar being above the main city where the story takes place.

Now let's get into some of the other parts I wasn't a huge fan of. First, the characters. I went into this expecting to love all of them, and left only really liking Yassen. Even then, I wish we saw more of him and Elena, or just more of him in general. To me, it almost was like we didn't see much of him when other characters had POVs. I just wish we saw more of these characters and their interactions with one another. Instead, we got a lot from King Leo and what he was doing. His parts felt kind of boring, and the author advertises him a lot as a DILF villain. He didn't even read off as a DILF to me. He was just a corrupted villain, and most of his stuff I would have loved to see it be discovered by Elena on her own while she's also focusing on wielding fire and discovering more about her mother. Also it bothered me that Elena calls her parents by their first names half the time, not really mother or father. It read off to me as disrespectful, especially since she's royalty, and detached me from the story. Overall, I was detached from all of these characters and didn't find a reason to really root for them.

Going off of my rant on the characters, because I felt like we didn't see much of them, there were some huge plot twists that, as a result, didn't really leave me with much impact. Except for one thing at the end that I was completely shocked by and was also pissed after thinking it over, which I won't get into because of spoilers. Also this whole ploy to find the Prophet? I had my hopes set on one specific individual only TO BE COMPLETELY PROVEN WRONG? AND I'M SO MAD ABOUT IT! It felt like there was so little foreshadowing leading up to it that it hurt to have that ending. And the worst part? I didn't really care about who the Prophet ended up being. It just felt like a giant plot to make you think it's one person only to have you fall over the edge at the last possible second.

The Boy with Fire is a slow-paced fantasy novel with great world-building potential but lacking in the character department.

Thank you to New Degree Press and NetGalley for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

CWs: death, death of a parent, death of a child, execution, torture, electrocution, incineration, body horror, gore

The Boy with Fire by Aparna Verma

3.5/5 stars

A promising debut with bold narrative decisions.

I found that the book’s prose was very engaging and easy to read. The author definitely struck the balance between prose that is overly simplistic and prose that is so dense it is a slog to get through. The language was beautiful and evocative, but never at the expense of plot progression or the readers’ comprehension of what was occurring at that point in the book.

However, I did find the pacing was at times inconsistent and frustrating. The book often felt like a set-up book for future installments in the series - which as a principal I don’t have a problem with! - and I think it had various degrees of success with this. For example, the book made it clear the author was willing to take big narrative risks, which makes me excited for what is to come. In contrast, I wish the characters and their relationships to each other had been a bit more fleshed out.

As I mentioned in the last paragraph, the author was definitely willing to take narrative risks in terms of plot points and the book's pacing. I won’t spoil the shocking plot points, but I love it when authors are confident and bold enough to make this sort of decision in their writing. I also thought the structure of the plot was really interesting, in that the bigger climax was about two-thirds of the way through the book, with a smaller climax as well at the end. I have read a few other books with this structure and think it's ingenious and wish more books were written with this structure in mind. I think I would have enjoyed this even more if the pacing had been a bit more consistent throughout the book, as I mentioned before.

The author did a very good job of introducing the main cast of characters, they were all instantly intriguing and likeable. However, I did wish that there had been a bit more of a focus on the journey and growth of the characters’ complexities over the course of the novel. There were a few characters which I think I was supposed to find quite complex, but I unfortunately didn’t really see that based on what was in the book. As well, I wish a bit more page time had been devoted to developing the different relationships between the cast members! The characters were so interesting that I thought there was a lot of opportunity to explore some complex relationships even more deeply. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the romance arc in the book, I think it needed quite a bit more development to be really believable.

I really enjoyed the author’s world-building - although I would encourage people to consult the reviews of Indian readers for better insight and a more nuanced perspective on the Indian influences and inspirations for world-building. I liked that the author combined fantasy and sci-fi elements in the book. I do wish that there had been a bit more detail on the technology which was a part of the world, and how it was developed - I’m hopeful there will be more explorations of this in future installments!

One random thing which I really loved about the book were its epigraphs and intermediary sections, which both set the theme of what was to come and provided history and context on the world of the book. I think these devices are really underrated in fantasy books - and in general - so I love when authors include them! In my opinion, they contribute super well to worldbuilding and allow for a more nuanced perspective of the events occurring in the book.

Overall, I think this was a really solid debut work and I’m interested to see where the story goes from the shocking epilogue. This book is a great pick for a reader interested in getting into adult fantasy!

2,5 stars rounded down, dnf 40%

Ugh, I hate that I did not enjoy this. I was very excited to read this book, it sounded like something that could’ve been a new favorite for me. Sadly, I was not able to focus on it, it didn’t keep my attention at all. I struggled through the first third and decided not to read further.
I don’t have much to say since I didn’t finish the book, but there were a bunch of things that didn’t work for me. The character work was pretty underwhelming. At first, they looked interesting but I quickly found them boring as there was nothing happening or keeping me on edge. I was not invested in their stories at all. The pacing was way too slow to keep me interested. I initially thought this was an issue of me not being in the mood, but after giving this book a few chances, I realized that maybe it just wasn’t a book for me at all. This was pitched as Dune meets The Poppy War. I haven’t read Dune but The Poppy War is one of my favorite series and… no. I wasn’t hooked, wasn’t rooting for the characters despite their flaws, I wasn’t invested in their dynamics. Overall, I was bored. I went in expecting an adult fantasy, this reads more like upper YA.
Quite sad because I was excited about this and even now, rereading the blurb, I feel like I might’ve missed something because the idea of this book really is exciting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

This epic fantasy follows three main characters: Leo, the king, Elena, his daughter, and Yassen, a former assassin trying to clear his ledger. This story is filled with war and politics, something I find quite intriguing.

The writing in this was just so beautiful. The characters were also so interesting to read about, especially since they are morally grey so there wasn’t really a clear line between the “good” and “bad.” My only problem with it was that the pacing was super slow, but other than that it was great!

Many thanks to NetGalley, New Degree Press and the author for an advanced copy of The Boy with Fire in exchange for my honest review.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

How can I resist a book that is pitched as “Dune meets The Poppy War“? Then the author described this book as “a magical conglomeration of Dune, The Poppy War, Game of Thrones, and ATLA“! How do I not pick up this gold mine of a book that just landed in front of me? Of course, I grabbed it! I would have probably pushed someone to grab this off the shelf if I had seen this in a bookstore! I honestly get chills thinking about the slight chance I would have had of not having read this book!

THE STORY:

The Boy with Fire is a political fantasy at heart. The story opens with Yassen Knight, who was an assassin of the terrorist group that is known as the Arohassin. After suffering a disabling blow, Yassen is useless to the Arohassin now and has flown the coop to his old friend, Samson Kyuut, a fellow ex-assassin who is now leading a military force known as the Black Scales. Samson offers Yassen the ultimatum to help him defend the kingdom of Ravence and its royal family from the Arohassin in exchange for Yassen’s freedom.

Elena Ravence is the heir of the desert kingdom known as Ravence, a kingdom torn between religious fanatics who believe in their god Phoenix and her destructive Prophet, and a people who are loyal to the royal family. Elena is fierce, strong and just days away from her coronation, but she is lacking the one thing she needs to become the undisputed ruler of her people: the ability to wield fire.

Meanwhile, Leo, Elena’s father, is on a mission to prepare the kingdom for a peaceful rule under his daughter’s hand. However, in the midst of clashes between loyalists and religious fanatics, Leo begins to suspect that there are traitors in their midst and that these traitors are working to protect the one person who could end Ravence and her people: the Prophet of their god, the Phoenix.

THE CHARACTERS:

There was something almost magical about a whole cast of characters with South Asian influence in an epic fantasy like The Boy with Fire. In a kingdom like Ravence in the middle of an unforgiving desert, characters like Yassen with their pale features stood out while brown skin, kohl-lined eyes and dark hair were the norm.

From among these characters, Elena stood out to me the most because I could not help admiring her tenacity, her willpower and her raw passion for her people and kingdom. Though Elena lacked the ability to wield fire, she was a brilliant display of all the strengths of a queen otherwise. Then you place her with characters like Ferma, a badass warrior/bodyguard with hair that transforms into knife-like points, and Leo, the tormented and ruthless king that the fandom has unanimously agreed is DILF material. What an amazing trio to reign over a kingdom!

Samson and Yassen came into the story as somewhat of mystery men. They both have sketchy pasts together but then they separated, so the two of them are tentative allies at best, basing their relationship on their childhood brotherhood rather than any real trust in each other. They made an interesting duo because literally, everything felt uncertain about them till the very last chapter of this book, and even now I have so many questions about these two!

THE WRITING:

I really liked the author’s writing here because of her skill, which honestly stunned me at this debut novel level. She excelled at wowing me with her colourful descriptions, her stunning action scenes, and her expert weaving from character to character using multiple POVs.

I found the writing a bit slow-paced until the last third portion of the book, but this was such a great technique to build the already palpable tension that was present throughout the storytelling. By the time the pace picked up, I had to keep the book down a few times to catch my breath because the way the author used the pacing with her plot twists was just genius!

Another great thing about the writing was that the author unapologetically used words of South Asian origin, like “chhatri”, “dupatta”, without following them up with long-winding explanations of what they are. Of course, there was a glossary at the end, so no one is going to end up lost. It felt unapologetically authentic, and I loved it even as I shifted to the glossary any time a word was unfamiliar to me!

THE PLOT:

The Boy with Fire had a great deal of political drama in its centre. I loved how the author weaved multiple POVs to explore the various aspects of what was happening in Ravence, because this kingdom was a political mess at the start of the story (sounds familiar, but oh well!).

I thought I might grow bored since I tend to read a majority of romance-themed books and the romance here is a very slow burn, but oh boy was I wrong! From the very beginning of this book, there was a palpable tension and this just grew and grew throughout the story. I was impressed by how the author built the story scene-by-scene with every scene contributing something meaningful to the story.

The majority of the book was conflict-heavy with political parties clashing, leaders clashing, and racial clashes coming into play. Even the characters themselves were distrustful of each other and everyone was suspicious of everyone. I feel like the author took the concept of conflict in the plot to a whole other level with this. In contrast, the climax and the resolution were quick and felt like a slap to the face!

My favourite bits were definitely Elena and Yassen’s scenes, though I really wanted more Samson scenes too!

THE WORLD-BUILDING:

Aparna Verma’s world-building was just stunning! It’s a wholly new fictional world of her construct with multiple kingdoms, religions, and cultures.

I don’t think I have seen anyone say this yet, but her scenes of Ravence marketplaces and landscapes really gave me Star Wars vibes, with the images of colourful, outdoor markets coexisting with holopods and hovercars! It felt like Star Wars but with desi vibes!

My Star Wars rant aside, I am obsessed with the South Asian elements in the world-building here. This high fantasy felt so much more beautiful to me with the beautiful array of South Asian food, culture, and architecture that the author weaved into the story. Is it because I relate to it more? Probably. Maybe the festive vibes of the impending coronation and such were just much more visually pleasing to me since I have experienced something similar since childhood. And come on! Indian festivals? Who can stop visualising all the colours and food and people?

Also, I am so happy to see kingdoms that are doing their own thing! There was Ravence with its desert and its Prophet. Then Jantar with its metal and brass cities. And there are so many more kingdoms that the story hasn’t explored yet, like Mandur with its navy, Pagua with its stealthy air force, and so on. It gets me so excited about the rest of this trilogy and all the directions this story can go in!

Then the enemies to lovers romance – a trope that drew me to this book. I will admit that it was a very slow burn but I preferred that because the romance did not feel forced when it actually blossomed. And to be honest, all the chaos happening left and right really made me forget about the romance halfway through because I was so intrigued by the mystery of it all!

THE THEMES:

There was strong South Asian representation in this story. Like I have raved about throughout this review, this is a high fantasy that is unapologetically South Asian and diverse. There is even disability representation since Yassen suffers from terrible burns to his arm that debilitates him significantly in the story.

I also liked how the author explored themes like racism and religious fanaticism through the people that she created. It is an interesting parallel to our own real-life situations that are painfully relatable at times. With the crown of Ravennce passing from one ruler to the next, there is an interesting matter of what leadership entails as well since Leo and Elena share greatly differing views on how to rule a kingdom.

FINAL VERDICT:

I am still reeling from reading this epic fantasy that is Aparna Verma’s The Boy with Fire. It delivered so much more than I expected on all things from its representation to the world-building and characters. This series is already firmly on the favourites shelf and I am bound to keep shoving this down everyone’s throats till its sequel goes live. Read this for the twisty plot, for the amazing South Asian representation, for the powerful world-building, and the badass cast of characters!

I saw The Boy With Fire being talked about by two mutuals on twitter, and once I saw that it was being pitched as Dune meets The Poppy War, I knew I had to jump on it. I made the right choice, because after reading it, this book has stood out as one of the best adult fantasy books I’ve read in a while.

While there are multiple things I loved about the book, I want to start off by applauding the writing and the world building in particular, because they were so good. The world building was such a unique blend of fantasy and sci-fi that made the book fun and truly engaging to read, and I think that pulling from Indian/SA lore was a big breath of fresh air, one that this genre needs. The writing style contributed to that in the best way possible, and while I didn’t know where Verma was going with the sci-fi aspects at first, by the end of it, that was one of my favorite parts of the world she had built (the game arena & game suits were so cool to picture). I’ve seen some criticisms about the pacing, but I personally tend to believe adult high fantasy books benefit from some time to set up the world, and Verma did such a masterful job that not only was the pacing pretty perfect for me, I can hardly believe that The Boy With Fire is her debut novel.

I’m a character driven reader who finds great difficulty in connecting with characters, which yes, makes me a clown, but I actually didn’t have much of a problem in this book. Ferma became a favorite pretty immediately despite being a side character and she and her flowing, murderous locks have retained their place among the badass warrior women I would propose to if they were real, age difference be damned. Samson, Elena, Leo and Yassen were all great characters too, and as much as I wish we had gotten to see more of Samson in this book, I really enjoyed getting to explore Verma’s world through their eyes. Leo’s chapters were especially interesting, as I feel like you rarely get to experience the POV of this kind of character, and I just had a lot of fun (and yes, moments of horror) while doing so. The book and the characters got dark, but that added some spice and just made it even better to read. The romance in this was very subtle and super slow burn, so much so that I actually kind of ended up focusing on the wrong pairing (but I actually don’t think it might be completely incorrect now, but we’ll see), but I found myself really rooting for it at the end.

Speaking of the end, I won’t spoil anything but just know that it had me in a lot of pain. I’m lowkey struggling knowing that this book hasn’t even come out yet, because I need the next one NOW. I’m really looking forward to the sequel, and frankly any content that Aparna Verma throws at us, because she’s made me a huge fan.

Aparna Verma’s The Boy with Fire is an Indian-inspired epic fantasy debut, with science fiction elements and superb worldbuilding. It is the first book in The Ravence Trilogy and told from multiple points of view.

Elena Ravence is the heir to the throne, weeks away from her coronation. Her father has trained her well, but she lacks the ability to hold Fire, which is critical for the support of the religious zealots who support the throne. Yassen is a notorious assassin on the run from both the authorities and his former employer. He’s offered a deal to defend the heir in return for a pardon. Last, we have Leo Ravence, Elena’s father. He is fighting an ancient prophecy about the return of “The Prophet” that threatens all that his family has built.

Similar to the Dune trilogy, we have a desert setting with religion, powerful foes, and lots of political intrigue. I struggled a bit in places with some uneven pacing and characters that I didn’t empathize with. But pushing through those weaker parts is well worth the investment to read this unique, diverse book. The descriptions of the settings are beautiful, the best I’ve read in any novel this year. We also get many details seamlessly woven in that make it easy to immerse ourselves in this imaginative world.

Wow!

This has been the year for amazing fantasy books. This book completely blew me away. The characters, the plot, and the romance!!! Just fantastic. I really just loved the sense of adventure this book gave me, I loved every second of it and I cannot wait until the next one.

This book is quite solid for a debut, considering it is high fantasy and the author managed to build such an interesting world with a great setting that keeps your imagination active while reading. Another thing that kept my interest up was the concept of religion and the Prophet: Who are they? What will they do? And the cliffhanger that we get? I was not ready for it.
However, despite the things I liked about this book, I still found it hard to completely fall for it. I was promised an enemies-to-lovers trope, but it did not happen (at least I do not think so). The shift from enemies to lovers was too fast and not backed up by any change of belief in either party and the moment where they become lovers felt anti-climactic. The pacing of the book was also a smaller issue for me since the story drags on and really picks up in the last 15-20% of the book. The themes and storylines had so much potential to grow and expand, however, they did not, which I believe is the cause of me taking so long to read it.
All in all, I see this book as kind of a set-up book or an introductory book to the series (since it will be a trilogy) and I do believe that future parts will improve with the pacing and story-wise. I will be reading the series once it continues and I hope this review does not discourage anyone from reading it since it is a good story.

ARC received from Netgalley and author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

The Boy with Fire is Aparna Verma's debut novel. This is a high fantasy book with badass, morally grey characters and is inspired by Indian mythology!
I really liked the book. The world building was amazing, i could clearly picture what was going on and i didn't feel like there was much overload of information.
Now, i had a little trouble getting into the book at first ( i mean hello! World- building!) and we were still getting introduced to all the characters, their dynamics etc. So the book didn't pick up until the 50% mark but after that, the excitement and plot twists really consumed me.
Now coming to the characters, i loved LOVED Leo and he's such a complex character; like i know his actions were so wrong but I could understand where he came from. His povs where my favorite!
Elena was great but i think i really loved her character in the end of the book, her toughness and powers shined in the last 40%. Yassen's character was rather bland. I wasn't able to connect with him, but i liked his backstory! Elena and Yassen's chemistry was okayish but that's fine because this was not a book where romance took the front seat! My favorite character was Samson and i really really wished we got to see him in more scenes. And see his relationship with Elena and Yassen individually. I hope we can explore more of the characters complexity and inner workings in the next book.
Even though the first half of the book was slow the plot twists, drama and angsts more than made up for it in the second half. I genuinely did not expect that ending and last chapter truly shocked me. I LOVED it!!! Also, this book has some banger quotes. These words are so concrete, so truthful, one wonders if it could make someone bleed.

"The past is binding, but i want to break it," he said. "If we carry the burdens of our fathers, then we'll never know what it means to be free."

" But you must be ruthless, Elena. If you must become a villain, become one. Become whatever Ravence demands, because without you, it will die."

"Belief is stronger than a god, more fragile than a feather."

Aparna's writing is so so pretty and out of this world that i could feel i was with the characters themselves. She  has a way of describing things that makes you undoubtedly captivated in the book.
Overall this was a fantastic debut and i simply cannot wait to see what happens in the next book<3

This book was such a refreshing read, especially with the mix of ancient Indian elements and mythologies and unique futuristic technology. I enjoyed reading the South Asian characters and their and their complex personalities. I also very much enjoyed how romance was a subplot in this book. and the main focus were the political intricacies of royal life and gaining power. The main characters all had a sense of intense ambition.
A lovely debut!

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing a copy of The Boy With Fire. I have reviewed honestly.

Firstly, the world building was incredibly vivid and intriguing. I loved the intricate combination of high fantasy and sci-fi, it really drew me in to the tale.

The characters were likeable, I love morally grey characters and our mains were no exception, although I did struggle to connect with them at times.

The writing style was enticing and enraptured me from the get go.

Overall, a well written adult fantasy book.