Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Series: The Nightfire Quartet #1
Published by Second Sky on September 15, 2023
Genres: Fantasy Romance
Pages: 379
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
Amazon





For years, Zarya has been trapped in a gilded prison. Her magic is forbidden, a dangerous secret—though nobody will explain why. Now she is ready to break free and find the truth.
Escaping to the dazzling city of Dharati, Zarya discovers a new world of enchantment and intrigue. With the help of seductive, blood-drinking rakshasa and magic-weaving Aazheri sorcerers, she searches for answers.
But the city is under siege. Every night, dark creatures attack. And since Zarya’s arrival they are growing stronger. To protect her new home, Zarya joins the fight.
As she battles on the walls and hunts through libraries for clues about her gifts, Zarya’s dreams are haunted by a mysterious stranger. Powerful, arrogant and handsome, Rabin sees through her secrets and ignites a desire she cannot resist. But can he be trusted?
Heart of the Night is the first book in the Nightfire Quartet, featuring Indian Mythology as the base with a few tropes like found family, a love triangle and the chosen one. There are a lot of things to enjoy in the story overall and I had a good time. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more if I’d known more South Asian based lore but it isn’t a requirement. I’m also not really a fan of love triangles but that didn’t play a huge role in this book.
Zarya has grown up trapped within a magical boundary with her guardian Row and his apprentice. She is about to turn twenty-one and all her life has been spent secluded with only a father figure and a Aarav who she fights with like a sibling. Row has taught her how to fight and she has a little magic but Zarya has no idea why she has been cut off from the rest of the world. When Row goes on one of his trips and the magical boundary breaks, Zarya is so excited to travel to the city of Dharati, to see what she has been missing her entire life.
In Dharati, Zarya finds the adventure she has been craving her entire life. It is a city full of magical beings that help fight off the demons at night that come to the wall. Every night the city is attacked and only the magical wall and the elite guard trained for just this purpose keep the city safe. But the creatures seem to be growing in strength and Zarya wants to help defend her her new home and her new friends in the city. As she trains and talks to some of the magical members of the community, she learns more of her mother and tries to figure out why Row worked so hard to keep her existence a secret.
There is a small love triangle happening between Vikram, one of the head guards of the elite fighting team and Rabin, a man Zarya only seems to see in her dreams. For me this is a minor thing, since they didn’t get a lot of page time together and Vikram has some other stuff happening in his life that makes him somewhat unavailable so I don’t see this being a hard love triangle, but it could be too soon to tell. Zayra is an interesting character, but at times I found it hard to be in her head. She isn’t socially acclimated being so sheltered and so sometimes she acts much younger than her 21ish years. But it is understandable why
I enjoyed the setting of the book and some of the lore. Parts of the lore were really strange to me, like the Queen being a tree but the general idea of it was cool. I am interested in learning more about Zarya’s magic and seeing her growth over the next books as she figures out how to use it. I’m also very interested in Rabin and his story. He left his family and the city years ago. Why are his and Zayra’s dreams connected and how will that play into the bigger plot of the story?
Nisha J Tuli is a new to me author, but I’m enjoying exploring new lore I’m not as familiar with and the South Asian feel to all the characters.
“Hope was a potent thing. even when forced with innumerable dangers, the city found a way to celebrate, to bring light into the darkness, to smile in the face of adversity and find comfort in the shadows.”
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I like that it features Indian mythology. That’s unusual and fun.
Really outside my normal mythos so it was interesting and strange.
Wow a new to me author too and this sounds really great. I love when an author adds some personal culture especially one I’m not familiar too. I think I may expand my horizons and look into this Thanks Robin
Yes, it is great to find new authors to start and explore their works if you like one.
The cover caught my eye. I have been venturing outside my comfort zone too. I love to stretch my imagination, make my mind work for it….
sherry @ fundinmental
It is great to step out of your normal genres or authors to see if you can find something else interesting and great! Love it when it all works out.
This sounds rather unique. I don’t think that I have read any books featuring South Asian lore before.
Yes…I definitely liked the India culture nuggets we see in the story.
“South Asian based lore”. Interesting! Love it!
Definitely worth exploring.
Beautiful cover! I do enjoy books that have mythology or other cultural stories I’m not familiar with. Thanks for sharing this!
Same, it is nice to test out some new cultures lore as a base sometimes. Branch out from some of the standards.