Lea
Yet another fantastic addition to this series! I can't believe I breezed through it so quickly; now the agony of waiting for the next two books begins!
As I mentioned in my review of the first book, Heart of Night and Fire, I'm absolutely enamored with the series' setting and craving more fantasy books in a similar backdrop. If anyone has recommendations, please do share!
Zarya, Yasen, Aarav, and Rabin underwent significant character development in this installment. For me, I think Aarav grew on me the most. With that being said, Aarav's final scene was heart-wrenching, and he truly deserved a hero's send-off.
The anticipation is killing me as I wonder about Zarya's future encounters, the unraveling of her history, and how it will shape her. And that big reveal involving Rabin – seriously, he has some explaining to do!
Nisha has once again worked her magic, and I'm thrilled that I picked up this series. Exploring her other works is definitely on my to-do list!
Heart of Night and Fire was an absolute delight to read! I couldn't put it down! I haven't explored many books with a fantasy theme rooted in an Indian/South East Asian perspective before, but now I'm hooked and eager to delve into more. Nisha did a fantastic job explaining the cultural and mythological aspects woven into the story. Even if there were a few things left unexplained, I found myself drawn to research them, adding an extra layer of enjoyment for me. That's the beauty of fantasy – you want to explore every nook and cranny of the world.
As for the romantic twist, I kind of saw it coming, but then again, I didn't! I had a hunch it would be significant, but boy, I wasn't prepared for THAT revelation!
I'm buzzing with excitement to dive into the next book. This one's definitely going on my recommendation list for friends. The fact that it's a quick read is a big bonus, but even with its brisk pace, it does an excellent job of immersing you in the story and making you care about what happens next!
Honestly, I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't hit the mark for me. A bunch of moments had me cringing, and the main character's obsession with Dirty Dancing added an odd element. As another review mentioned, I just didn't understand why Steph suddenly decided to spy on Hades with binoculars. That part felt so out of left field. Overall, it felt like the story was just going through the motions without a real plot unfolding.
I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, but it just never did. The characters didn't have much depth, and I couldn't really pick a favorite. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series. It's not super long, so I pushed through because I don't really enjoy DNF'ing books. Would I reread it? No. Would I recommend it to friends? Not really, no.