Scan barcode
A review by _christinacreads
Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena
5.0
Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena is a fantastic standalone YA enemies-to-lovers romantasy inspired by Persian and Zoroastrian Mythology set in the badlands of 17th century India. There’s magic, bandits, royal family drama, discussions on grief, and lots of political intrigue.
If you like Defy the Night, Spice Road, and An Ember in the Ashes, you might like this book too.
I could not put this book down!
We follow two main characters, Roshan a healer who steals from the rich to feed the poor, and Prince Navin, the spoiled half-human bastard spare-to-the-heir. Roshan finds Navin passed out drunk on a raid and takes him hostage, hoping to barter him in exchange for reclaiming their people’s lands.
An interesting and unique magic system paired with such culturally rich prose, well-rounded characters, and a world inspired by real-life bandits, history, and mythology, this book made for such an action-packed immersive experience.
My one advise to readers is – don’t be like me, there’s a glossary at the back that I wish I knew existed before I finished the book. It would definitely add to the reading experience making use of it as there’s a lot of culturally specific jargon.
My only issue is that I vehemently dislike the title. I’m not sure why an author would want to blend in with all the other books that are similarly titled when this book is so interesting, rich, and unique. Additionally it seems for the first half of the book there’s an excessive biting of the lip/cheek/tongue/blister in the mouth that seemed to happen which pulled me out of the experience a few times.
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for gifting me the eARC in exchange for an honest review..
If you like Defy the Night, Spice Road, and An Ember in the Ashes, you might like this book too.
I could not put this book down!
We follow two main characters, Roshan a healer who steals from the rich to feed the poor, and Prince Navin, the spoiled half-human bastard spare-to-the-heir. Roshan finds Navin passed out drunk on a raid and takes him hostage, hoping to barter him in exchange for reclaiming their people’s lands.
An interesting and unique magic system paired with such culturally rich prose, well-rounded characters, and a world inspired by real-life bandits, history, and mythology, this book made for such an action-packed immersive experience.
My one advise to readers is – don’t be like me, there’s a glossary at the back that I wish I knew existed before I finished the book. It would definitely add to the reading experience making use of it as there’s a lot of culturally specific jargon.
My only issue is that I vehemently dislike the title. I’m not sure why an author would want to blend in with all the other books that are similarly titled when this book is so interesting, rich, and unique. Additionally it seems for the first half of the book there’s an excessive biting of the lip/cheek/tongue/blister in the mouth that seemed to happen which pulled me out of the experience a few times.
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for gifting me the eARC in exchange for an honest review..