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A review by dragoninwinterfell
Heart of Night and Fire by Nisha J. Tuli
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the Nisha J. Tuli for providing me with this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Heart of the Night is an Indian mythology-inspired adult fantasy novel that centers on a young woman named Zarya and the mystery of why she has been held prisoner in a secluded area for her entire life. She spends her days reading romance novels, arguing with and being trained by her captors, and slaying demons. When one of her captors disappears without a trace, the magical barrier keeping her in disappears as well allowing Zarya to escape.
Straight out the gate, this premise and Zarya as a fully fleshed out, multidimensional character drew me in. Right away, we're shown that she is skilled and well-trained in combat, but far from invincible. She has virtues and shortcomings in equal measure, making her incredibly engaging to follow through this story as she explores the world outside her prison.
I love how she doesn't fit into any of the stock character cliches, which makes her very realistic. Zarya can physically fight and works hard to improve her skills, making her seem like an action girl. At the same time, she's romantic and naive, eager to live out the love stories she's read about, making her a romantic heroine. She also gives off chosen one vibes as its heavily hinted at that she's been kept hidden and trained in secret for ... something. It's impossible to fit her neatly into any category, making her very realistic.
That said, while I enjoy Zarya as a character overall, I do wish that we got more of her life during her imprisonment than we did. As it stands, she's mysteriously freed from this imprisonment almost immediately and spends the rest of the novel complaining about that imprisonment. While her complaints are valid, since the reader is introduced to her just as she's being freed, it's hard to care about this as much as she does.
In addition to the excellent character work, the world building was deeply compelling. Nisha J. Tuli's descriptions of the world she created and the different forms of magic within it were vivid and beautiful. Listening to the audiobook, I could practically see what she was describing.
I gave this one four stars and I look forward to the rest of the series.
Heart of the Night is an Indian mythology-inspired adult fantasy novel that centers on a young woman named Zarya and the mystery of why she has been held prisoner in a secluded area for her entire life. She spends her days reading romance novels, arguing with and being trained by her captors, and slaying demons. When one of her captors disappears without a trace, the magical barrier keeping her in disappears as well allowing Zarya to escape.
Straight out the gate, this premise and Zarya as a fully fleshed out, multidimensional character drew me in. Right away, we're shown that she is skilled and well-trained in combat, but far from invincible. She has virtues and shortcomings in equal measure, making her incredibly engaging to follow through this story as she explores the world outside her prison.
I love how she doesn't fit into any of the stock character cliches, which makes her very realistic. Zarya can physically fight and works hard to improve her skills, making her seem like an action girl. At the same time, she's romantic and naive, eager to live out the love stories she's read about, making her a romantic heroine. She also gives off chosen one vibes as its heavily hinted at that she's been kept hidden and trained in secret for ... something. It's impossible to fit her neatly into any category, making her very realistic.
That said, while I enjoy Zarya as a character overall, I do wish that we got more of her life during her imprisonment than we did. As it stands, she's mysteriously freed from this imprisonment almost immediately and spends the rest of the novel complaining about that imprisonment. While her complaints are valid, since the reader is introduced to her just as she's being freed, it's hard to care about this as much as she does.
In addition to the excellent character work, the world building was deeply compelling. Nisha J. Tuli's descriptions of the world she created and the different forms of magic within it were vivid and beautiful. Listening to the audiobook, I could practically see what she was describing.
I gave this one four stars and I look forward to the rest of the series.