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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this romantasy book, it gave me similar vibes to Trial of the Sun Queen by the same author, but with a more intricate magic system. I found the characters to be well developed and their flaws were clearly impactful on the plot of the book.
I loved the influence from Indian culture, the descriptions of the clothing and the food in particular were beautiful, and I'd love to see art of these characters showing the colours and details of their clothing!
The plot was well paced, and although some aspects were a little predictable I found myself internally screaming "I knew it!" at the characters. The ending was dramatic and I look forward to the next installment to find out what happens next!
I loved the influence from Indian culture, the descriptions of the clothing and the food in particular were beautiful, and I'd love to see art of these characters showing the colours and details of their clothing!
The plot was well paced, and although some aspects were a little predictable I found myself internally screaming "I knew it!" at the characters. The ending was dramatic and I look forward to the next installment to find out what happens next!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Yes, yes, yes! An infinite amount of yeses! I just knew this would be a phenomenal read!
Goodness, this book is incredible. I have no words to express how addictive this story is and the cast of characters are as equally amazing! The world building is fantastic, there's everything you could seemingly want in a fantasy book. I was sucked in right from the start, and I'm now sad I have to wait for book two.
20 year old Zarya is guarded in cottage that is off by the Dakhani Sea. Her guardian, Row, set a border with powerful runes to keep her in. One morning she finds Row missing and the boundaries of her confinement gone. And off she goes...
I found Zarya to be a wonderful main character. She's carring and kind and although she knows nothing about her family or her past, she still lives with a sense of adventure and wonder in her eyes. In a city of magic she finds her magic.
Overall there is some spice but I'd say it ranges between 1-1.5/5
Goodness, this book is incredible. I have no words to express how addictive this story is and the cast of characters are as equally amazing! The world building is fantastic, there's everything you could seemingly want in a fantasy book. I was sucked in right from the start, and I'm now sad I have to wait for book two.
20 year old Zarya is guarded in cottage that is off by the Dakhani Sea. Her guardian, Row, set a border with powerful runes to keep her in. One morning she finds Row missing and the boundaries of her confinement gone. And off she goes...
I found Zarya to be a wonderful main character. She's carring and kind and although she knows nothing about her family or her past, she still lives with a sense of adventure and wonder in her eyes. In a city of magic she finds her magic.
Overall there is some spice but I'd say it ranges between 1-1.5/5
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm not sure what I expected but I found myself confused for much of the story, constantly needing to revisit chapters to make sense of things.
Zarya was a difficult character to connect with, and I struggled to understand her unwavering anger toward Row. It felt underexplored and lacked depth, which made it harder to empathise with her.
The love triangle was a bit sloppy, I wish we saw more of the Rabin and the dreamworld and that there was an actual building of their relationship/friendship arc, this would have made the triangle a bit more scandalous.
Row coming back and being some defeated man was a huge disappointment, we had all this build up of some strict, harden, authoritarian father figure and he showed up and was just like meh!
Also Zarya being a princess to two kingdoms was confusing, is she Amerita's half sister?? his part of the plot felt muddled and left me with more questions than answers. (not enough to continue the series)
I did really love and enjoy the food descriptions, they were vivid and mouthwatering, and they added a wonderful sensory element to the story.
But overall I did not enjoy this book - A solid 2 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence
I couldn’t put it down!
This fantasy romance series has the tropes we love, slow burn, enemies to lovers, found family, ride-or-die friendships, and more. The Indian and other South Asian inspired culture and magic is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy world.
Zarya has lived her whole life secluded and protected for reasons only her capture knows. She has a little bit of magic that she has to keep hidden, even though she doesn’t see why since it doesn’t do much. When Row, her capture and father figure disappears, she takes this chance to escape and find a life for herself.
On the road she meets and saves two rakshasa soldiers, two beautiful, blood-drinking, immortal, rakshasa soldiers! They bring her to the wondrous city of Dharati, where demon creatures attempt to attack the city at night. She helps the soldiers and other magical beings to keep them at bay as she tries to uncover her past and find out who she is and why she was kept hidden her whole life.
Of course she finds love and passion along the way. But I won’t give any of that away…
When darkness threatens Dharati, will she be able to find the magic within herself to help save the city or will she lose everything she loves?
Thank you Nisha J Tuli and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC
This fantasy romance series has the tropes we love, slow burn, enemies to lovers, found family, ride-or-die friendships, and more. The Indian and other South Asian inspired culture and magic is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy world.
Zarya has lived her whole life secluded and protected for reasons only her capture knows. She has a little bit of magic that she has to keep hidden, even though she doesn’t see why since it doesn’t do much. When Row, her capture and father figure disappears, she takes this chance to escape and find a life for herself.
On the road she meets and saves two rakshasa soldiers, two beautiful, blood-drinking, immortal, rakshasa soldiers! They bring her to the wondrous city of Dharati, where demon creatures attempt to attack the city at night. She helps the soldiers and other magical beings to keep them at bay as she tries to uncover her past and find out who she is and why she was kept hidden her whole life.
Of course she finds love and passion along the way. But I won’t give any of that away…
When darkness threatens Dharati, will she be able to find the magic within herself to help save the city or will she lose everything she loves?
Thank you Nisha J Tuli and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC
It just didn't keep me interested. I found that nothing really happened that interested me
started out w such high hopes and by the end it really felt dragged sadly sm interesting plot point and character but alas…
I loved this book from the moment I picked it up, and to be honest my only complaint is that I need to know what's going to happen in the next book IMMEDIATELY!
Zarya has spent her life trapped by the man who raised her. He is not unkind to her, but she knows nothing about who she is. After she escapes one day she goes on an amazing journey where she learns more about herself and the world she lives in and finds some great people along the way.
The world building and magic system are great and the Indian folklore is wonderful and something that is new to me.
Some of the reviews that I've read mentioned struggling to connect with the characters but I didn't find that at all. I thought the characters had great depth and personality.
It's got found family, slow burn, enemies to lovers(ish) and I would definitely recommend it fans of romantic fantasy books.
Can't wait to see where the rest of the series goes.
I was provided with an eARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Zarya has spent her life trapped by the man who raised her. He is not unkind to her, but she knows nothing about who she is. After she escapes one day she goes on an amazing journey where she learns more about herself and the world she lives in and finds some great people along the way.
The world building and magic system are great and the Indian folklore is wonderful and something that is new to me.
Some of the reviews that I've read mentioned struggling to connect with the characters but I didn't find that at all. I thought the characters had great depth and personality.
It's got found family, slow burn, enemies to lovers(ish) and I would definitely recommend it fans of romantic fantasy books.
Can't wait to see where the rest of the series goes.
I was provided with an eARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Story really takes off in the second half. Tuli builds a beautiful world on South Asian mythology with beautiful characters. I’m really interested to see those characters grow over time and learn more about the plot and story that she’s building. I truly liked the infusion of Indian culture in the book and the representation throughout. Looking forward to seeing what comes next.
I am not one to share my opinion about what I read because I firmly believe each reader should determine whether they like the book or not.
But that being said, this book is for people who are bored of the Eurocentric fantasy that has held a tight grip on most readers (at least the books I've ever been around).
I enjoyed the story and how easily I got caught up in it...and perhaps it was the newness of reading about a world I have never imagined.
I enjoyed reading (and the personal challenge having to look up words) a story full of Desi culture -food, clothing, and mythology.
But that being said, this book is for people who are bored of the Eurocentric fantasy that has held a tight grip on most readers (at least the books I've ever been around).
I enjoyed the story and how easily I got caught up in it...and perhaps it was the newness of reading about a world I have never imagined.
I enjoyed reading (and the personal challenge having to look up words) a story full of Desi culture -food, clothing, and mythology.