Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Queen of Shadows and Ruin by Nisha J Tuli Series: The Nightfire Quartet #4
Published by Second Sky on March 6, 2025
Genres: Fantasy Romance
Pages: 491
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
Amazon
Soaring through the sky to the frozen mountains of Andhera, Zarya knows that only she can save her home from annihilation. Ruthless armies hunt her friends and toxic dark magic spreads through the land, consuming all it touches. To fight back, she and Rabin must find dangerous new allies.
In a palace of black marble, Zarya finally meets her father—the mysterious Raja Abishek. She approaches warily. For years she was told to fear this man, that he seeks to steal her power. But Abishek welcomes her with open arms, with gifts and lavish celebrations.
Rabin is sure the king can help them, turning the tide of war and decay. And when the magic binding Zarya’s heart to Rabin begins to fail, only Abishek can offer a cure. Zarya dreads the thought of placing their lives in his hands… But can she hesitate, when Rabin might be torn from her forever?
As Zarya makes her choice, ancient magic breaks loose, and her world shatters. In a ruined and long forgotten city, her love for Rabin will be tested to its limits. An army of shadows marches against her, destroying all in its path, and everything Zarya loves will be lost, unless she can face the darkness inside her—and release its devastating power.
Queen of Shadow and Ruin is the conclusion to the Nightfire Quartet focused in Indian/Asian mythology. Zarya is prophesized to be the one to free them all. With her found family, she has defended against the dark and started a revolution. Now it is time to bring the story to a close and figure out what it means really means to free them all.
Zarya is wanted in multiple lands now. In hiding from her murderous sister she has gone to the one place Rowe, the man who raised her, always warned her would mean her death. In this conclusion to the story, she will need to face her father and determine if he really is the bogey man she was raised to believe in or if he is just a father who was denied a relationship with his daughter. Rabin, the love of Zarya’s life and husband, believes in her father and is sure she will be safe; it is only because of his trust that she is willing to travel to meet her father.
Yasen, is a great side character and helps to carry the story when he and Zarya are forced to split. I love the plutonic friendship that has formed between the two and he is always someone who can be depended on. That is probably why his character description describes him as “Emotional support companion and King of our Hearts”, which is so true. He adds some levity and comic relief to the story to lighten some of the more emotional moments.
The reader will also get some tender and steamy moments with Zarya and Rabin. I do like them as a couple and it doesn’t hurt that Rabin can shift into a dragon, which makes him all the sexier. Their relationship remains strong though out the book even when they are put into some dire situations. I love the idea of the bond between them and how it was magically enhanced through tattoos binding them together.
Queen of Shadows and Ruin was a decently strong conclusion to the quartet. I never trusted the king, but being in the palace added some additional tension to the story as I waited to see, with Zarya, if he would help her in her efforts with the revolution or end up being the disappointment and danger she was always led to believe. There were still some surprises to be had there as his motivations were revealed. I didn’t expect how the prophecy would be fulfilled and so that was a great twist to the story.
The ending wrapped up well and tied together most of the loose ends of the series. The epilogue was also a nice touch to let the reader know how all surviving characters were doing ever the events of the book, which I think is a must for a series like this. I also appreciate that Nisha J Tuli gave a character list at the beginning of the book to help the reader remember who all the characters were and some of the important plot points from the other books. I needed some of the reminders as it has been a few months since reading the last books.
Solid overall romantasy series with interesting magic, cool world building and unusual foundational lore.
About Nisha J Tuli
Nisha is a Canadian fantasy romance author, whose books feature kick ass heroines, swoony love interests, and slow burns with plenty of heat. Fans of The Princess Bride and A Court of Thorns and Roses will find themselves at home in her worlds.
She loves to draw upon her Indian heritage to bring her stories to life, weaving together vibrant and compelling characters, settings, and plotlines. Nisha wants to leave her readers breathless and begging for more and enjoys making her characters suffer before giving them a much-deserved happily ever after.
When she’s not writing or exploring, Nisha can be found enjoying travel, food, and camping with her partner, two kids, and their fluffy Samoyed
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Loving that cover!!!
All the covers of the series were so pretty
Beautiful cover! Glad it wrapped the series up for you in a way you were happy with. Great review!