I really, really wish I had enjoyed this book more. I was going into it with pretty high expectations, as it had been pitched as "Dune meets The Poppy War" but I think that may have been too ambitious a pitch because the book fell. flat for me.

First, what I enjoyed was the worldbuilding and the prose. The writing was lovely (I had my issues at times but that's just me nitpicking) and the worldbuilding was gorgeous and it's clear a lot of work went into that. That was the parts of this novel that definitely stood out to me. I love books inspired by prophecies, and so that aspect was definitely one of my favorites. I also adore that we're getting more South Asian-inspired fantasies, and that definitely boosted my enjoyment of the book.

What just felt really, really flat to me was the characters. I couldn't find myself wanting to root for them or connecting with them in any way. They're definitely interesting on-page, and they were set up for some pretty great things but I found myself simply not caring for them at all. Yassen and Elena felt somewhat boring to me as protagonists, and I didn't find myself motivated to read about them even more (I was tempted to DNF many times). Samson and Ferma were the characters I was most excited for but even they did not do it for me. I think Leo was probably the most interesting character out of all of them, but even he wasn't enough to keep me thoroughly engaged.

I also couldn't find myself wanting to root for Yassen and Elena's romance. Their chemistry felt a bit off and forced, and during their scenes, when I was supposed to be squealing and excited, I found that I simply could not care less. Their development was meant to be so deep, but it really only felt surface-level. And this surface-level development also extended to the other relationships in the book, which led me to (I'll put it bluntly) not care at all.

Another thing that just felt so, so off to me was the pacing. The first big chunk of the book was just...boring and repetitive to me, and I usually love books with slow pacing. But since the majority of the book was so underwhelming, when the twists came it did not hit the mark. I felt that the action was just simply too little, too late.

I might still recommend this book, especially since it is a South Asian fantasy, and it is the author's debut novel but it just felt so underwhelming compared to what it was marketed as.

3.5 stars

This is a solid debut novel.

Being South Asian myself, I was extremely excited to read more South Asian representation, ESPECIALLY in fantasy. And on the diversity front, this book definitely delivered.

Understanding references to the culture and clothing definitely made this book enjoyable and I believe that it is likely that I will continue the series as the next books in the series come out.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book’s aura and the world that the author created, I had a little bit harder of a time connecting to the characters. I understand that they were “complex” but I felt as though they all lacked a sense of depth, with the exception of Yassen. Since I couldn’t fully connect with the characters, it was hard for me to love this book.

The time period of this book also confused me a little. The idea of “holopods” and “hovercrafts” existing at the same time as monarchies and rebellions gives this book a sci-fi vibe that I’m not entirely sure I’m on board with. Of course, this is entirely a personal preference and I would not say that this is a dealbreaker for most people.

Most of how I feel about this book is personal preference and I still believe that Aparna Verma has a significant amount of potential as an author. I highly recommend this book as a transition into more adult fantasy and for those who want to be captivated by a very interesting world.

DNF at 20%. I found the book a little slow in the relationships between the characters, but i confess that the world-building made me wish i kept reading

In the beginning of the book, I was a bit thrown off because the synopsis didn't really mention the fact that it ha da sci fi element to it. Once I was able to gather my bearings though, the world building was really interesting and unique! I think the magic and world was done really well.

I really enjoyed Yassen and Elena's POVs. They had really strong characters and I think it was really cool to see their motivations and get a glimpse into their actions, especially as the plot moved forward. However, I do feel like the inclusion of Leo's POV felt sort of random. I didn't really care for his POVs and I felt like there was maybe just one chapter of his that felt important to the plot. I think Samson was an interesting character and I do wish we'd gotten to see more of him (instead of Leo in my opinion).

There were a few chapters that I remember reading and then having to go back and re read because I genuinely didn't understand what happened in them and that's just because I tend to turn my brain off while reading whoops.

I will say that I enjoyed reading the book but I probably couldn't tell you much about what happened and it's partly because of myself but partly because some of the storytelling was a little hard to understand for me. It might have just been the writing style or the way the chapters were laid out. However, I'm still intrigued enough to want to read the rest of the series and I definitely was surprised by the ending, despite making loads of theories while reading the book!

If you enjoy a good political fantasy sci fi blend with morally grey characters and fire bending and prophecies, you'll definitely enjoy this!

Anticipation. I could feel it immediately in those first few chapters. You can feel the world and story being built around you. The tension, worldbuilding, and characters are nothing short of outstanding.

This Indian-inspired novel checked so many boxes: fantasy with a hint of sci-fi, complex characters, insanely well developed setting, with touches of magic, prophecies, mythology, slow burning, twisting plot. Yeah, this book delivered. Alternating POVs between the notorious assassin Yassen, heir to the throne Elena, and the king of Ravence Leo. Each of the characters I found to be engaging and enjoyed what each of their POVs brought to the book. The setting is rich and so vividly painted you can feel the wind blowing across the sand or the heat from the fire warming your hands. All of this beautiful writing with a hint of mystery looming over the whole story that flows so well.

While the tech, terms, and countries/people were very well described, easy to decipher, and comprehend, there is a handy glossary of terms at the end of the book which I always appreciate.

This was a book I was tremendously excited for! It had everything I could want- high fantasy, enemies-to-lovers, arranged marriage, morally-grey characters, and slow burn romances. Unfortunately, this book didn't do it for me. Let me start by saying what I did enjoy:
-I loved Yassen and Elena. I actually really enjoyed their arcs. While their romance was abrupt, it was hinted at, and I appreciated.
-Samson. I still don't know if I trust him, but he was definitely an interesting and compelling character
-The plot twist ending. The only part I actually loved.
-The magic! While a little confusing, it was definitely intriguing.
-Yassen's backstory! He was easily the most compelling character and I loved how complex he was.
Now for the things that made me dislike the story:
-The pacing of the book really was all over the place. Some parts were incredibly slow and boring, while others picked up. While some of the fast-paced parts of the book were interesting, too many were too confusing to understand. For example, the end was far too fast paced, and left me very confused.
-Leo. Every chapter of his was very boring for me. It drew me out of the story, and it took me a while to get back into it.
-The plot. While parts of the plot were interesting, the pacing often threw the plot off and made it difficult to be engaged with.

Overall, I'll still read the sequel, but this book was not as amazing as I'd hoped.

A king whose reign is coming to an end.
An heir who can’t hold the power of the rulers.
An ex assassin who desires freedom.
A prophecy that threatens them all.

I don’t know how to put into words how much I loved this book. It was amazing. It’s my new favorite book. If I could give it more starts I would. It has everything that I love in it.

It has strong women and morally grey characters. It’s a fantasy world with sci-fi elements. It’s got political plotting and enemies to lovers and slow burn romance. The magic system in this books is also so interesting.

The characters are all amazing. There are so many sides of them that you get to see and it’s done on such an amazing way. They’re all so interesting. They have their own stories and character arcs. None them are simple either they all have different layers and parts of their characters. I love them all so much.

"If there was one thing he could claim, it was this: that even in the darkness of death, he would know her.”

The world building is fantastic. I loved that it’s kind of entwined throughout the entire story. You don’t get an overwhelming amount of information all at once.

The twist and turned and surprises are so good. It keeps you guessing the entire time.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Aparna Verma for this arc in return for an honest review. All of the thoughts in this review are my own!*

A world on the edge of war, a prophecy of old can either tear it all down or bring the peace it needs, depending on who you ask...

The premise of this world and story had great potential (mixing sci-fi and fantasy is something I always want to see more of) but this book was let down by lackluster worldbuilding, an often jarring narrative structure and two dimensional characters.
By the time I was halfway through, I still had very little idea of what it was building towards or what the stakes were, as nothing seemed to be happening. At all.
The prose was overrun with ineffective, and often unecessary, similes and metaphors. The narrative structure had very little sense of unity, often jumping from scene to scene, location to location with no real rhyme or reason, making it difficult to form a clear sense of the story it was trying to build.
The characters largely felt like placeholders in the text, I struggled to get a feel for any of their motivations or desires, and character development was essentially non-existant. It failed to nurture any sort of connection with the majority of the characters and the story failed to keep me invested for any significant period of time.

Overall, it felt like a drawn-out prelude to action that we don't get to see, with an anti-climactic and fairly predictable ending.

Thank you NetGalley and New Degree Press for the e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

I may have been swayed by the Book Twitter hype... That’s the only reason I requested this book. To be honest, the summary did not appeal to me at all — and I still think the book is more interesting than the overly complex description makes it out to be. However, it still isn’t for me.

This is 100% Adult Fantasy in its style: epic worldbuilding, languid pace, multi pov with a large cast, a slowburn political plot. But as someone who prefers the YA fantasy style, it quickly bored me. The first chunk of this novel is pure worldbuilding and introduction to the characters.

It didn’t help that the only one I liked was Yassen, so his storyline was the only one I cared for. It reached the point where I was skimming entire chapters just to read more of him.

But the strength, yes, is in its worldbuilding. I actually thought it had a really strong opening, everything from then on just slowed too much for my liking. The Dune vibes are strong in this one, but imagine Dune being written by an actual woman of color and with a more diverse cast of characters. As for its other comp: no, this has NOTHING in common with The Poppy War except for the fact that both authors are Asian WOC. It’s 100% different in terms of writing style, plot, characters, and themes.

I can sense this book will appeal to the traditional adult fantasy crowd. But the more I read, the less interested I became. I think you can also really tell that this is a debut. The author’s writing is awkwardly formal at times, and the plot is familiar. The romance is kinda mehhh... I do forgive it because it’s an indie novel, so let me reiterate that this is personal taste.

So sucks that I did not enjoy this. It’s not bad, but it’s not particularly great. But I hope the author keeps writing.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.</i>

The moment I saw that this was a desi-inspired fantasy novel I had to read it immediately and let me tell you it did not disappoint me. The writing and oh my god the worldbuilding was so, so beautiful, I was hooked in from the start because of it. I actually went in thinking it would a historical fantasy but I was surprised to find that it was futuristic instead. Each and every character here was so intriguing that it made the story even more engrossing than it already was and also because of course I love me some morally grey characters, but I must admit it would've been better if the pacing was not so slow, but nonetheless, I think Aparna Verma did a fantastic job and it was a great start for a trilogy. I am really looking forward to read the other books, especially after that ending jhksgs.

The Boy With Fire is a wonderful south indian-inspired story with unique morally-grey characters that you can't help but love. Worldbuilding? Spectacular. Plot? Thrilling and jaw-dropping. Characters? GAH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. And the slowburn with this is REAL, The moment you're waiting for finally happens and all you can do is squeal and dance around your room. Recommend this book to everyone!

This was a fantastic debut novel! This indian inspired fantasy novel has all then tropes like morally grey characters and enemies to lovers that will have you hooked and waiting for more! The plot was good but I felt as if it was a bit undeveloped and not as direct as it could be. Overall, a great story.

Very fun and very compelling! This book was full of adventures and likeable characters. I enjoyed the writing style and the plot a lot

DNF at 25%

Try as I might, I simply could not get into this one. I was intrigued by the world and the characters, and I wanted to learn more about their motivations, but the writing simply did not grip and me and every time I thought about picking this book up, I felt this severe lack of motivation to do so. I’m sure there’s an audience for this, I just don’t believe I’m the person for it.

I loved this book so much. The characters, the composition, the sentiment and most the amazing indian portrayal. I straightforwardly can't sit tight for the following book.

ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.

This was an incredible debut from who I’m sure will become a well-known and widely read author, Aparna Verma. The Boy with Fire was rich with Indian-inspired mythology, next-generation technology and intricately-written characters, and I loved every moment of the book.

“The past is binding, but I want to break it…if we carry the burdens of our fathers, then we’ll never know what it means to be free.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)

Each character in this story had their own struggles, their own pains, their own regrets. I loved learning about the backstory of Yassen, Elena and Leo, but Yassen was the character who completely stole my heart, as I couldn’t help but fall for that dear little cinnamon bun assassin. Elena and Leo both had beautifully written and solely unique personalities, as one sought to control fire and accept her responsibility as future queen, and the other sought to handle the loss of his throne, and it was fascinating to read about both of their decisions and how the power of fire changed them both individually. Samson and Ferma were two other side characters who stuck out, and I really loved the relationship between Ferma and Elena, because hell yeah, girl power! I’m honestly still not sure what to think of Samson, even after finishing the book… I guess we’ll see what happens in the next book in the series, because he’s a very I-could-either-love-or-hate-you kind of character!

“Perhaps, then, the boy he had been, the man who he wanted to be, was still here, still within him.
Waiting.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)

One aspect in this book that really stood out was the prose, and the world-building. Both aspects were gorgeously done, and the prose was absolutely stunning in sections, emphasised by the life-like characters and brilliant magic system/world. The Indian-inspired world with royalty, magic and advanced technology that supersedes anything from our current world was a really interesting combination, and one that I was surprised to find worked really well. I look forward to seeing what else the author comes up with in the future!

All in all, I really enjoyed this start to a fascinating new series, and that ending was mind-blowing and completely captivating! Thank you to the dear Discord Book Club Server for buddy reading this with me, and thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC copy provided by NetGalley!

Pitched as Dune meets The Poppy War, The Boy with Fire certainly held a lot of promise and potential to be one of the greats, and it was. However, my overall stance on this book is very conflicting.

This novel was definitely ambitious - it has elements inspired by two very reputed novels, but puts an Indian twist to deliver a very unique story. The writing was everything I wanted and hoped it would be with intricate world building and a great plot overall.

Unfortunately, for me the issue was with mostly with the pacing. typically in a fantasy novel, I prefer a regular paced novel that’s a little toward the slower side, so that I can connect with the overall plot and characters better. This felt very dragged out. The characters also did not live up to their potential. I was unable to connect with them and because of that, it got to the point where I really just couldn’t care less if anyone of them died. They didn’t develop much throughout the book and they lacked depth (Leo is the exception, of course).

Personally, I also felt that this book failed to deliver a romance that I could be invested in/obsess over and I was very disappointed by that. I think what did save this book from being a total disappointment was the writing, which was absolutely stunning, and the plot related elements in this book.

So, even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book, I will still recommend reading it for those redeeming qualities.

DNF 50%

Yep, I can't do it!

I tried, I really did. I had requested this book on a whim because 1. oh my God revenge plot? 2. supposedly morally grey characters and 3. dilf in the official art. What else was I supposed to do?

Not request it, apparently.

I want to be as nice as possible, I really do, but it's not like I have much to insult this book for anyway. Its problem isn't that it's egregiously bad or offensive, it's just boring. Every time I took a break in between reading (because I've got school and an actual life) I would come back and have no idea what was happening. I mean, my memory isn't this bad. It's just that nothing happened. I even tried giving it a fair shot by waiting until the halfway mark, because I understand it takes a while to pick up sometimes, but /seriously/ nothing happened.

Maybe it miraculously speeds up afterward and has some glorious ending I'll be sad to miss because of my impatience, but this book is too slow-paced and I'm too busy with work to be able to continue. I really do hope other people are able to enjoy it more than I have.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy.

The Boy with Fire is a desi-inspired high fantasy with morally grey main characters. Ravence is about to have a new queen, Elena, but between threats of the Arohassin and the fact that she cannot withhold fire, her father fears she’s not ready. Samson, the Landless King, is promised to marry Elena if he swears to protect Ravence during these trying times with his growing army. He comes with Yassen, an ex-murderer for the Arohassin. Nobody trust him, especially not Elena. Will they realize they may have more in common than they’d like to admit? And will Leo, king of Ravence be able to find the Phoenix, who’s threatening to destroy his entire kindgom? If that didn’t already convinced you, it’s beautifully written and the characters have depth. Strong healthy relationships between women and between a father and his daughter, indian folklore and a cliffhanger that will make you want to have the sequel in your hands right away.

The Boy with Fire (The Ravence Trilogy: Book One) by Aparna Verma

📓Genre: Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Fiction
Star: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (3.5 rounded to 4 stars)

🔖 Like the title suggests, this is the first book of the Ravence Trilogy.
Told through multiple POVs (in third person narrative though), the story slowly unravels a fantasy world that's full of both beauty & horror.
🔖With this being the first in the series, there were several characters and new elements which needed to be introduced and at times explained. It did slow down the pace at places, but I liked the world-building. Also, the clever mix of mythology has added more depth to the story.
🔖I liked Elena Ravence and Yassen, and felt they both demonstrated strong and determined personalities. But that is how they both start off at the very beginning of the story, leaving little scope of much growth as the story progresses. Anyway, I guess the future installments will possibly reveal more about these two characters.
🔖Overall, it was a good book and a fantasy lover should definitely give it read!

🔸Final Verdict: Good
🔸Book Cover: Eye-catching
🔸Writing Style: Engaging
🔸Character Development: Not much, with this being the series starter.

✨Many thanks to New Degree Press (Publisher) and Netgalley for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

#TheBoywithFire #NetGalley #arc #bookreview