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jane_underground's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Violence, Ableism, Xenophobia, War, and Grief
alexisreads1's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A king whose reign is coming to an end.
An heir who can’t hold the power of the rulers.
An ex assassin who desires freedom.
A prophecy that threatens them all.
I don’t know how to put into words how much I loved this book. It was amazing. It’s my new favorite book. If I could give it more starts I would. It has everything that I love in it.
It has badass women. Morally grey characters. It’s a fantasy world with sci-fi elements. It’s got political plotting and enemies to lovers and slow burn romance. The magic system in this books is also so interesting. It’s also inspired by Indian Mythology with so cool, and this world is so interesting.
The characters are all amazing. There are so many sides of them that you get to see and it’s done on such an amazing way. They’re all so interesting. They have their own stories and character arcs. None them are simple either they all have different layers and parts of their characters. I love them all so much.
“If there was one thing he could claim, it was this: that even in the darkness of death, he would know her.”
The world building is fantastic. I loved that it’s kind of entwined throughout the entire story. You don’t get an overwhelming amount of information all at once.
The twist and turned and surprises are so good. It keeps you guessing the entire time.
TW’s: Violence, torture, grief, death, fire/fire injury
*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Aparna Verma for this arc in return for an honest review. All of the thoughts in this review are my own!*
An heir who can’t hold the power of the rulers.
An ex assassin who desires freedom.
A prophecy that threatens them all.
I don’t know how to put into words how much I loved this book. It was amazing. It’s my new favorite book. If I could give it more starts I would. It has everything that I love in it.
It has badass women. Morally grey characters. It’s a fantasy world with sci-fi elements. It’s got political plotting and enemies to lovers and slow burn romance. The magic system in this books is also so interesting. It’s also inspired by Indian Mythology with so cool, and this world is so interesting.
The characters are all amazing. There are so many sides of them that you get to see and it’s done on such an amazing way. They’re all so interesting. They have their own stories and character arcs. None them are simple either they all have different layers and parts of their characters. I love them all so much.
“If there was one thing he could claim, it was this: that even in the darkness of death, he would know her.”
The world building is fantastic. I loved that it’s kind of entwined throughout the entire story. You don’t get an overwhelming amount of information all at once.
The twist and turned and surprises are so good. It keeps you guessing the entire time.
TW’s: Violence, torture, grief, death, fire/fire injury
*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Aparna Verma for this arc in return for an honest review. All of the thoughts in this review are my own!*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Moderate: War
lainiereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
THIS BOOK!! THIS BOOK! I am in so much pain.
The worldbuilding? The politics? The characters? The quotes? SO GOOD!
This book has a slower start, there's a lot of worldbuilding and character introductions that take up a bit of time in the beginning, but it was written so well that it was still interesting the whole time. Even while the story was being set up, I was intrigued and constantly trying to guess where the plot was going (surprise surprise, I guessed everything wrong every time!).
Speaking of the plot, THE TWISTS! THE TURNS! THE DRAMA! I went into this expecting lots of plot twists, which meant I was actively paying attention to details to try and figure out where it was going, but man I still got everything wrong! I also have no idea how the next book is going to go (mainly because I've learned I can't predict anything), and I think that's part of what made this book so intriguing. You just had to keep reading to see what was going to happen next!
Another major positive is the characters. There is so much depth to every character, so even when they do the wrong thing, they're still lovable. Which, yeah a lot of wrong things are done! If you are a fan of morally gray characters, or you like characters who want to do the right thing but life just doesn't let them, then these characters are for you! Every character is so great (especially Yassen, he has my heart) and Verma does a great job of showing the struggle that each person goes through internally and how they justify their decisions/actions. I really connected with the characters (even though they had me yelling at the book to "stop!" or "please don't do that!" at times). Each character also spends a lot of time reflecting on themself and what they've done, which creates powerful quotes that I will definitely be reflecting on the next time I have a mental crisis. I mean the first line alone is great: "To be forgiven, one must be burned".
If you like reading about characters with a lot of depth, the political conflicts that come with leading a kingdom, and being kept on your toes the WHOLE time, then you will love this book. Plus some things that I didn't cover in-depth, like a wonderful slowburn romance, a strong female lead, conversations about religion and the dangers of fanaticism, and beautiful worldbuilding.
Okay, I am going back to reflect some more on that ending.
<3 Aparna Verma, u are a queen.
The worldbuilding? The politics? The characters? The quotes? SO GOOD!
This book has a slower start, there's a lot of worldbuilding and character introductions that take up a bit of time in the beginning, but it was written so well that it was still interesting the whole time. Even while the story was being set up, I was intrigued and constantly trying to guess where the plot was going (surprise surprise, I guessed everything wrong every time!).
Speaking of the plot, THE TWISTS! THE TURNS! THE DRAMA! I went into this expecting lots of plot twists, which meant I was actively paying attention to details to try and figure out where it was going, but man I still got everything wrong! I also have no idea how the next book is going to go (mainly because I've learned I can't predict anything), and I think that's part of what made this book so intriguing. You just had to keep reading to see what was going to happen next!
Another major positive is the characters. There is so much depth to every character, so even when they do the wrong thing, they're still lovable. Which, yeah a lot of wrong things are done! If you are a fan of morally gray characters, or you like characters who want to do the right thing but life just doesn't let them, then these characters are for you! Every character is so great (especially Yassen, he has my heart) and Verma does a great job of showing the struggle that each person goes through internally and how they justify their decisions/actions. I really connected with the characters (even though they had me yelling at the book to "stop!" or "please don't do that!" at times). Each character also spends a lot of time reflecting on themself and what they've done, which creates powerful quotes that I will definitely be reflecting on the next time I have a mental crisis. I mean the first line alone is great: "To be forgiven, one must be burned".
If you like reading about characters with a lot of depth, the political conflicts that come with leading a kingdom, and being kept on your toes the WHOLE time, then you will love this book. Plus some things that I didn't cover in-depth, like a wonderful slowburn romance, a strong female lead, conversations about religion and the dangers of fanaticism, and beautiful worldbuilding.
Okay, I am going back to reflect some more on that ending.
<3 Aparna Verma, u are a queen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Ableism, Blood, Racism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Moderate: Xenophobia, War, and Suicide
Minor: Cursing
sarahmreads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, War, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: Medical content
bookwormbullet's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
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 takes place in being both a sci-fi and fantasy novel.
I think my only minor 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 actually I didn’t pick up on any romance between the two during the book (I was getting major romance vibes from Elena and another character instead), nor did I believe that Yassen and Elena genuinely 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 :)
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 takes place in being both a sci-fi and fantasy novel.
I think my only minor 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 actually I didn’t pick up on any romance between the two during the book (I was getting major romance vibes from Elena and another character instead), nor did I believe that Yassen and Elena genuinely 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 :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
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