I enjoyed this book so much that I used it for my Mystery Book Boxes with Lavender Books!

This standalone wild ride of a book inspired by 17th century India is one you won't want to miss out on. Roshan, who was abandoned and orphaned, has just become the leader of her clan. A clan of bandits (who used to be farmers) that are fighting back against the poverty that the corruption of the government has left them in. But when they capture the Prince (who happens to hate his grandmother, the Queen) lines and motives get blurry. And when things begin to fall apart, can they trust each other?

I highly recommend this one!

Genuinely have mixed feelings about this book. The second half of the book definitely was more enjoyable than the first. The first half dragged too much for me and made me consider putting the book down way too many times. The world building could’ve been done better in my opinion, as I wasn’t as immersed into the story as I would’ve liked to be.

Great quick read, would definitely recommend! I think the teens at my library would pick this book up after I suggest it to them.

Tanaz Bhathena can do no wrong! I love anything she writes and the world she creates. I hope everyone reads this book if they are or aren’t a fantasy lover! Can’t wait for the next stories!

Of Light and Shadow is a South Asian inspired fantasy and I had a blast reading this. Fans of Aamna Qureshi's The Lady or The Lion will LOVE this!! This book is so good and I can't wait to read whatever this author writes next.

The novel opens with immediate action followed by somewhat comedic appearance of the prince. I knew straight away that this was going to be quite fun to read and possibly in one sitting. This didn't quite happen because... kids! I did finish real quick though because I just needed to.

Told from dual perspectives of Roshan Chaya and Prince Navin, there were sparks though cautiously dampened by their circumstances. I admire Roshan for her strength and courage but I love that Navin learnt and developed so much through the novel and despite the magical assistance, the somewhat realistic ending with legal system and politics.

I love the setting and the magical system and wish there could be more. This is noted as a standalone but maybe we'll meet other characters from the same universe?

I’ve always wanted to read Tanaz Bhathena’s work, but didn’t want to commit to a series. I’m not patient enough to invest time in them, but when I noticed she had a book available, I jumped at the chance to get it. And devour I did. If you’ve been following me on social media, you know I have had a hard time reading fantasy lately, yet I read this cover to cover in two working days.

This is a YA high fantasy book inspired by medieval Indian badlands. It features Roshan Chaya, a leader of farmers-turned-bandits, and Prince Navin, a royal born in scandalous circumstances. When Roshan’s gang captures Navin during a raid, they hope to exchange it to get their ancestral lands back. As they fight for their right against the corrupt government, the growing sense of attraction and affection between the prince and the leader complicates things.

As an own voices reader, it’s always exciting to discover a promising book that draws from my culture. What’s better, is a book that doesn’t function as a tour guide to global audiences, and unapologetically uses honorifics and other phrases that make the experience immersive, and that’s just what this book does. The author uses Indian and Persian influences to give the world a familiar and lived-in feel, but not in a way that would be daunting to new readers of South Asian inspired fiction.

The pacing is quite on point, and the alternating chapters told from both the characters’ perspectives complement each other well as Navin discovers there’s more to the administration of the kingdom than he thought, and his experiences are pitted against the grit and determination of his clan. Roshan’s situation has her grasping for power and feeling certain that her authority would never be accepted, and it’s interesting to see the dynamics between her and different members of the clan.

We all know how the enemies-to-lovers story goes, and I am of the opinion that though it brings nothing revolutionary to the genre, it does what it sets out to, well. Young adult books that have opposites attracting and influencing each other to converge in the middle are ten-a-penny, and this book does stumble and get quite predictable at times, and might not be the most original thing you’ve read if you frequently read the genre. But it is definitely worth a read.

This book had potential, but it wasn’t reached. Something was missing or something was lacking. I don’t know what it was, but you could just know that something was missing. Like I enjoyed the characters in the mission that was going on, but something was missing. i don't know what.

While I enjoyed this story, it could have been so much more having read and enjoyed other books by Tanaz Bhathena. The story was very much the "enemies to lovers" and lacked real character development and world building. The politics and governmental turmoil could have been build up more to elevate the romantic tension between the two protagonists.

I absolutely adored this book!
The plot was intriguing and well-paced, the characters were well-developed and even though it's clear that the mcs were heading for an enemies to lovers romance, it was fun to read. I think the author did a great job with the worldbuilding as well, it was very immersive. A hit for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Roshan is a bandit seeking justice for her people, farmers who are suffering due to the corruption of the current government. Prince Navin is the spare prince she captures in hopes of ransoming him for better treatment and what rightfully belongs to them.

I liked the story and enjoyed it, but it was a slow build. I often wondered where the story was leading and wanted to jump ahead to the exciting bits, which were mostly in the second half.

While Roshan might be featured on the cover, the story is more Navin's. Navin undergoes the most character growth as he lives among the bandits and begins to understand what they are fighting for. Through Roshan, Navin learns he isn't as useless as he thinks he is--he just needed someone to believe in him.

I recommend this for readers who enjoy bandits as protagonists and enemies-to-lovers. Some patience is required at the beginning. (3.5 stars)

This story suffers from being far too much enemies to lovers and not nearly enough politically charged epic fantasy. So much of the first half is just Roshan and Navin either talking to each other or thinking about each other that the meat and bones of the story (ie the socioeconomic divide, corrupt governments, and a rapidly decaying landscape) are completely lost. There's little to no visual descriptions of the people, the villages, the ravines, the clothes - anything at all apart from Roshan's hair (though I did appreciate that she had acne and was still considered beautiful) and Navin's eyes. We don't understand how the magic works, we don't understand the true political landscape because we're told instead of shown (no wonder Navin is so dubious), and it's all so repetitive in this cycle of the two of them talking to each other over and over.

I wanted so badly to love it but frankly I grew bored very quickly...

“Of Light and Shadow” is a novel by Tanaz Bhathena, the author of “Hunted by the Sky” and “The Beauty of the Moment”. The book is a standalone epic fantasy novel set in a magical world inspired by the badlands of 17th century India. The story follows Roshan Chaya, leader of the Shadow Clan, a gang of farmers-turned-bandits impoverished by the provincial governor’s atrocities and corruption. Roshan’s goal is to avenge her adoptive father and earn back rights and dignity for her people. Prince Navin, second in line for the throne, has always felt like an outcast. When he is captured by the infamous Shadow Clan, Navin schemes to befriend Roshan and use her as a means to escape. His ploy, however, brings Navin closer to the corruption and poverty at the heart of Roshan’s province, raising questions about its governor and Navin’s own family. As Roshan and Navin get closer, it becomes harder to fight their growing attraction. But how can they trust each other when the world as they know it starts to fall apart?

Tanaz Bhathena is one of my automatic read authors. I love everything she writes; she has the power to transport me into any of the books she writes. So when I saw she was writing a book about a teenage bandit queen, I was already into the book. This standalone novel is based off of Persian and Zoroastrian mythology set in the lands of 17th century India. There is an enemies to lovers trope mixed with spice, family drama, betrayal, and magic.

The cover is gorgeous and does a great job of convincing the reader to pick up the book. The story was great and I was not expecting the big plot twist in the climax scene. What a great way to tie in everything together.

A great read for any high fantasy enthusiast!

For me, this book was about how you find yourself, come to terms with your family and figure out your life's trajectory forward... Roshan had lost parents and been adopted only to lose that parent as well. Navrin had lost parents and been raised by his grandmother. Both knew loss and how they felt that they did not live up to other's expectations of them. They were from different walks of life but, when they came together, wonderful things started to happen. Roshan figured out how to be herself, make peace with a psychotic side of her birth family and how to be the best person to lead her chosen family. Navrin figured out that he was not as useless as others thought, connected with his father and younger sibling and helped changed the world as he knew it. The fact that the main characters ended up together was just a bonus. This book was well-written and kept me interested until the very end...now, I just need a sequel.

This one has a lot of elements and tropes of YA fantasy we love. I think the story was predictable for the most part but that is not a bad thing if you enjoy anticipating the events in a book. I know I like it on tv lol. It was a decent book hopefully the next one is better.

Roshan leads a group of bandits fighting for people oppressed by the regional governor. When her group comes upon an inebriated Prince Navin, they choose to kidnap him in the hopes of gaining the queen's attention.

I really enjoyed this. It's great to see a standalone fantasy book. The worldbuilding was interesting. Magic felt integrated into the world. The system of magic was cool, although I do wish it was expanded upon a bit. Different characters have different magical abilities: why? How? Each character felt distinct and had an interesting backstory. The plot was compelling and it was great seeing pieces click together. I did think it was a bit predictable at points and I called a few things ~100 pages early.

This was an interesting and entertaining stand alone fantasy novel. I enjoyed the complex relationship Roshan has with her clan as their leader and her late Baba. I really loved the way the prince explained the aura colors and what emotion they correlate with. I understand its a stand alone novel but I feel lie Roshan fell for prince charming way too fast. Yeah his stories were sad but girl you and yours gotta steal to eat. Its not the same! I can't handle enemies to lovers where the "enemy" is rich. Gross! lol.

Overall this was very straight but it wasn't bad.

Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena is a new story set in the same world as Hunted by the Sky. You can read this book without reading The Wrath of Ambar duology. Admittedly, I have found myself reading less YA fantasy, but I enjoyed TWOA duology for Bhathena’s intricate world building and fast paced plot. The atmosphere of OLAS is different from TWOA.

Roshan and Navin come from two very different worlds. Roshan is a vigilante, while Navin is a prince. Roshan captures Navin, and they are interlocked in a power struggle for the majority of the book. Roshan and her family of vigilantes do not know why the land is facing a blight. I like that OLAS connects Roshan and Navin’s personal struggles with the struggles of the world around them; this book feels much more contained than TWOA duology – again, this is what makes it different.

Unfortunately, I did find myself lost while reading OLAS because I did not really comprehend the number of characters within this world. I also did not really understand the magic system, so I think I need to re-read this. Fortunately, Roshan and Navin are engaging characters who I wanted to learn more about. Roshan originally wanted to be a healer when she was younger, but when her parents were killed, she was adopted by vigilantes. Navin struggles with his relationships with his family. He can manipulate emotions. Both characters end up admiring each other but they do not fully trust each other or themselves.

While I enjoyed TWOA, I think I felt my mind wandering off too much for me to truly enjoy OLAS. I also read it over the course of 5 months, so I found myself picking up OLAS and not remembering what happened in the previous chapters. While Roshan and Navin are both interesting, I did not feel as attached to them as I did to Gul and Cavas in TWOA duology. I also liked the dynamic of Gul and Cavas more because of their relationship as friends first. If you are looking to get into the universe of HBTS, I would recommend reading OLAS as it is a standalone. I think this book can appeal to people who enjoy reading about adventure novels and are looking for a fast paced fantasy about the importance of recognizing that people are more than what society has stereotyped them as.