Aparna Verma

The Boy with Fire

Lieke Nieuwlaat 

The fire surrounded the ravine, but this time, its heat did not suffocate him. It kissed him.

 And in that swath of darkness that came after, Yassen Knight saw a light. 

Finally in his cursed life, he would find untroubled sleep.

She was alive. She was here. The Arohassin still hadn't found them 

"You idiot," he whispered into her ear. "You stupid, beautiful idiot.

"Be quiet, you idiot," she whispered. She cupped his face and kissed him again. Slowly, he rested his hands on her waist and when she drew him to the bed, his touch was soft and gentle, as if nothing in the word mattered, not Ravence or Jantar, but her, but them.

When they parted, Yassen gave her a small smile. 

His lips were warm, sweet. He tasted of spice and honey, of the desert and the mountain. He tasted of home.

Yassen stepped closer and took her hand like he had last night. 

The sheets rustled as Elena slid her hand across the bed, her face Without saying a word, he took her hand and squeezed. Her fingers He would stay here all night. 

If a man was just a tapestry of the characters he donned, his was the most unusual of all. He had been a boy who dreamt of pianos and windsnatch, an assassin who sold his brethren without batting an eye. He was a traitor who turned his country, and a servant who saved his queen. These stories were all part of him. 

Perhaps, then, the boy had been, the man he wanted to be, was still here, within him. 

"The living need to change," Elena said as she sat back down. She poured his cold tea back into the pot. "Only the dead can remain untouched."

Distance makes the heart grow fonder, but what of the eyes? Do they show the sorrow of our parting?

He watched as Elena climbed a boulder. She reached the top and paused, her figure silhouetted in the grey smoke. For the Arohassin she was the vestige of a crumbling kingdom, an old order of fanatices and martyrs, but for him... She looked back, shouted. The distance ate up her words, but he knew what he had to do. 

"What good is the past, Cass, if it's only meant to make us feel like shit?" Samson had once asked him. "It tells us who we are," he had replied. "Or who we shouldn't become," Samson had whispered back.

"Ash begets ash. Heavens burn to reveal the truth. May the sinners be forgiven, and the pretenders see their doom." 

It was a chant recited at the end of the Fire Festival, but there was no big parade, no city bursting with color. Here, there was only the dry, barren land. 

"And thus justice shall bloom, she whispered.

Ash begets ash. Heavens burn to reveal the truth. May the sinners be forgiven, and the pretenders see their doom.

"Ravani or not," he whispered, "the desert does not claim me as its own. I am only what I am.”

At some point, we must all grieve for our old selves.

Peace is cruel. It dances like sand in the wind and blows out of your reach just when you are about to grasp it. 

Sometimes, the moments that define us are the moments in which we spare ourselves. They force us to examine who we truly are and what we stand for.

Guns are for cowards. Swords show the mark of a true fighter

Because belief had power. And like a beacon calling a faraway traveler home, the desert called to her, offering her it’s safety.

It’s better to be hated for what you are, than to be loved for what you’re not," Samson said. 

Belief is stronger than a god, more fragile than a feather.

It was long and kind of slow but the ending made it so worth the read

Hope Aaron 

Emily B

DNF 20%

I don't know if it was my reading slump or what, but I could not get into this book. The world-building was nice, if a little messy, but the characterization was very thin. I couldn't tell you anything about them other than one or two traits. The plot also was very slow, which normally wouldn't be a problem for me if the characters were ones that were complex. I know I didn't get very far in the book, but if after 100 pages you haven't given me someone to root for, then I see no point in continuing. I might come back to this someday because I am coming out of a reading slump so that might be affecting my judgment, but for now, I don't want to make my slump last any longer by continuing.

tina

thank you to netgalley and publisher for sending an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like The Boy with Fire had great potential to be a solid debut especially since the writing was really good-- it was simple but also beautifully worded and there were a lot of memorable quotes throughout the book, and the world and the lore were both very interesting. However, this book had too many misses. Firstly, the pacing was... not good at all. Reading through the first half felt like a slog even though it wasn't even that long. There really wasn't anything significant that was happening and there were even times when it felt a little too repetitive. The pacing definitely got better when I reached the 70% mark, which was the reason why I decided not to dnf and just push through til the end of the book. But it took too long and the payoff, unfortunately, wasn't really worth it in my opinion. Now usually I can excuse bad pacing if I find myself engrossed by the characters, but for this book that wasn't the case. I'm a character-driven story kind of reader so this was probably the biggest issue to me. The characters felt flat-- I formed no emotional attachment towards them and I couldn't care less about their motivations or backstories. Furthermore, the characters were just so underdeveloped to the point where their relationships with one another just felt forced and awkward. The author has potential for sure but there's still more room for improvement.

2.5/5 — Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this e-ARC.

This book was not for me. There was so much potential here, I really enjoyed the setting and plot. The characters were incredibly promising. However ultimately this book was disappointing. 

My most pressing issue is with the characters, conceptually each of the characters were interesting; though in the novel itself there was a lack of depth to them, and I found myself unable to connect with them. As an extremely character driven reader, this, in combination with the book’s pacing issues (particularly in the first half), much of my time reading this was spent trying to find the motivation to continue.

In addition to my issues with the characters and pacing, I found much of the plot to be lacking. Largely due to moments where I was left considering if certain plot points were relevant, with multiple major events and reveals through the book having little, to no, actual consequences other than a few lines of reprimand from another character. Considering that so much of the novel implies the importance of politics, almost all of the characters decisions feel as though they have been made without thinking through their actions or considering their implications, despite the novel’s suggestions that these characters are experienced in governance and being able to handle themselves. Leading to a reading experience that was extremely frustrating.

There were so many moments of The Boy With Fire which I did enjoy, and this is by no means a bad book and I am certain that many people will love this book; I was left feeling as if I was forcing myself to finish it. This was so close to being a book I really enjoyed but so much of my time with it felt like I was struggling to find something to keep myself reading.

** spoiler alert **
           this was soo beautifully written woah elena and yassen oh my god screaming shaking crying throwing up the ending yassen stay with me STAY WITH ME

courtofkayla 

Verma combines layers of world-building and mythical overtones with complicated journeys of self-discovery and destruction into a beautiful fantasy novel that captured my attention from page one to the end. The forces of manipulation in blind or chosen belief mix intricate claims for greed and power with sacrifice and tales of those who rise and fall in the tides of events more significant than oneself.

The Boy with Fire is a NA fantasy novel in the kingdom of Ravnece, a kingdom that praises the arcane and mythological forces of fire. The King, Leo, vies to safeguard his legacy as he prepares to hand his throne to his daughter, Elena. Elena struggles with the familial power of harnessing the flame and is forced to face more than what she bargained for when preparing to take over her kingdom, a kingdom on the verge of ruin. Lastly, this novel follows the Assassin turned guard Yassen, who is balancing a fine blade between loyalty and betrayal, and must decide once and for all whose side he really is on. Ravence wages toward war or peace with each passing day, and the ancient forces of fire that have kept the royal family in power wane as lies and deceit are surfaced in the shifting sands and prophecied doom that hangs over the whole kingdom.

Three Things I Loved:
1) THE WORLD. Ravence as a kingdom and setting was such a fascinating kingdom to explore and see through the three perspectives. Each one understood this kingdom differently, and I found myself being drawn into the lore and mythology that built it, as well as yearning to piece together the true story of the founding and how the royal family had the fire abilities that kept them in power.
2) YASSEN. That's it. That's the tweet.
3) THE QUOTES. Not only does this story have a little romance, amazing world-building, and politics, but combines perfectly with tales of warning of blind belief and the greed of power. I have so many highlighted quotes on my Kindle that it's overflowing from my favorite parts.

Overall, if you're looking for a new fantasy novel to pick up this summer I recommend the Boy With Fire! It's a solid read that will keep you hooked from page one until the end.

4/5 Stars

Leah | @LeahsLittlePleasures

3.5 ⭐

“May the sun dawn upon our lands. And the fire burn within our hearts.” // “Fire burns brightest in the darkness.”

The Boy With Fire is a South Asian epic fantasy inspired by Indian mythology. It's a cross between Dune and The Poppy War and the characters are fierce and morally gray! This story has fire magic, political/kingdom intrigue, an ancient prophecy, magical runes, war and conflict, a ruthless king, an heir with a burden, secrets and revolution. It's immersive and expansive and grand with great writing. And oooh the plot twists!!

We follow Yassen, Elena, and Leo - an assassin in search of redemption, the heir to the Ravence throne, and the current king of Ravence, respectively - as their stories become intertwined in a plot to overthrow as well as protect the throne and kingdom of Ravence. Yassen, a former assassin, is newly assigned to Elena's guard duty but is harboring a deep, dark secret. Elena, fierce and determined, is coming of age to take the throne from her father but must master the art of wielding fire first, but can she? And then there's Leo. Leo, the current and ruthless king on the Ravence throne, is on a quest to protect the kingdom from endless outside threats as well as internal ones - including the last prophet of the Phoenix, that elusive figure with fire, who he can't seem to find. 

I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and loved getting glimpses into the world's history and past at the beginning of each chapter. I love little snippets from chronicles or other history tomes in these magical worlds! We also get additional glimpses into the past through a few unique chapters throughout the book. 

READ IF YOU ALSO LIKE:
— sci-fi/tech twists
— fierce females + strong friendships
— assassins with secrets
— factions of people with gray lines
— phoenixes + dragons
— multiple POVs
— short/concise chapters
— adult fantasy
— a diverse cast
— slow-burn romance (closed door)
— enemies to lovers

I also feel like if you enjoyed City of Brass, this is a story you should consider picking up! Thank you to the author for my advanced copy.

Rania Singla

4.5 stars

the ending had me reeling in shock-

Thank you to NetGalley and New Degree Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"If we carry the burdens of our fathers, then we'll never know what it means to be free."

A mad king clinging to his throne. An assassin ready to turn a new page. An heiress preparing to come to power — if only she can control Fire. The Kingdom of Ravence is on the precipice of a new age, if only the coming of the next Prophet doesn't make it all crumble down.

The Boy With Fire crafted a beautiful world inspired by Indian culture and mythology that Verma brings to life with her descriptions. The book is action packed with politics and violence, and no character is safe from the slash of Aparna Verma's pen.

I really, really wanted to love this book. It contained so many aspects of things I loved — a diverse cast, morally grey protagonists, an interesting magic system, and a messy ending with no clear answers. On top of that, The Poppy War is a comp, which is currently my all time favorite series. There are numerous themes that I felt warranted a comparison to TPW: beyond the obvious focus on a Phoenix and wielding fire, the focus on how violence and destruction depends on dehumanizing others, and the necessity of building and creating myth to sustain power, are just a couple. 

Despite this, I felt an emotional disconnect from basically all of the characters, and each terrifying action and plot twist didn't pack the punch I wished it did. I think part of this was due to there being three narrators — we somehow gleaned both too much and not enough into each main character's motivations, and it left me wanting.

All in all, a solid SFF debut with a ton of room to explore and expand. I look forward to the next novel in this world and what's to come from this author!

CW: extreme violence, death, murder

3.75/5 ⭐️

Sahi K

More of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up. 

CW: burning of people, reference to past suicide(sacrifice) 

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book since the first time it showed up on my Twitter tl, because I’m always excited for a desi author debut and the cover with my favorite color was very enticing. And it turned out to be quite fun. 

The writing of this book was quite easy to get into, though finding myself grounded in the world took a bit of time. The author is pretty good at descriptions, and I particularly gasped at the feeling of the desert heat and sand dunes, as well as the painful nature of fire. It took me a while to see where the story was going but I never guessed the most important twists and betrayals, so that was quite fun. But the one surprise which took me a while to get over was realizing that this is a technologically advanced fantasy world - with both hoverpods and tanks and pulse guns, as well as staunch belief in gods and prophecies and Fire magic - I don’t always encounter such worlds and I’m still not sure if I’m completely in love with it, but the author made the blend of the two feel seamless which was pretty cool. 

Wow is this a book where I don’t know what to feel about the characters, but not exactly in a bad way. All three of the main POVs really skirt the line between black and white and it’s upto us as readers to decide what we feel about them. One is a king who probably wants his daughter to have a better kingdom to rule, but he is also consumed by his need for power and control and can’t accept that his actions maybe wrong. The Princess and Queen to be loves her people and wants everlasting peace, but worries more about mastering the fire until she realizes this power is all she has left if she wants to fight for her people’s survival. And finally we have a traitor, an assassin, a broken man torn between two homes both of which never accepted him, who yearns to be free but truly doesn’t know what it means. There were a couple of very memorable side characters whom I really enjoyed getting to know, but don’t want to spoil anything by talking more about them. The romance element is barely there but I was glad for it because the circumstances of the story didn’t make for ideal conditions for love to bloom, but I’m sure we’ll get more of it in the sequel. 

On the whole, this was an entertaining story with compelling characters and an underlying theme of the greedy nature of power and what it can lead to. I will be very honest, I’m not sure this is something I will wanna reread, but I definitely wanna know what happens next and will look forward to the next installment.

vania vela

An heiress who does not know how to wield fire, a skill that defines her family's dominance.

A former assassin who desires freedom.

A king whose reign is coming to an end.

When a prophecy threatens them all, what will they do to save their kingdom?

Let's start with the cover. The color palette is incredible, despite being somewhat dark colors, they blend perfectly and capture the reader's attention. 

The Child of Fire is filled with Indian-inspired mythology, high technology and intricately written characters. In addition, we can find themes of colonialism, genocide and racism in a thoughtful way. If you are not used to reading science fiction, you may find this book difficult to understand (at least that's what happened to me).

This book is told from the perspective of Elena (the heiress), Yassen (the former assassin) and Leo (the king). Having multiple chapters helped develop a more interesting and complete story. I have to admit that my favorites were Leo's, as I was able to read about his motivations, his actions, thoughts and the prophecy. 

On the not-so-pleasant side, I found the romance to be a bit fast paced. It was categorized as an enemies to lovers, but I couldn't notice the signs that would give me hints of a possible future romance. I feel it lacked a bit of development, especially since it felt a bit forced at the end.

 I follow Aparna Verma on TikTok and the idea I had of this book was totally different than the one I had when I finished reading. In many ways, I say this in a positive way, but in others I felt something was missing.

nini!

Thank you to NetGalley and New Degree Press for the eARC!

The Boy With Fire was a great start to the Ravence Trilogy. The worldbuilding was stunning — a blend of the fantastical and the futuristic, set to the backdrop of the desert dunes and winds — and helped immerse the readers within the story easily. The characters were another plus; each of the main POV characters (as well as significant side characters) were developed with their own wants, needs, and moral compasses that, while not always pointing in the best direction, gave their actions depth. 

I wish the pacing of this story had been a little better, as it started and ended strong, but dragged a lot in the middle. The characters helped keep the plot moving, but a bit too slowly for my tastes. Additionally, the romance that we all saw coming felt cliche and crammed in at the wrong time, and it distracted from the fiery stakes that the characters faced.

Finally, the plot twists absolutely ruined my week in the best way. I don't suppose I can ask for a book 2 before the first even releases, can I?

Final Rating: 4/5
 + Pros:
— diverse world and culture
— strong characters
— great worldbuilding
— plot twists !

+ Cons
— slow pace
— iffy main romance

Rina

This book boasts a very interesting world and characters. The pacing in the book threw me off. The first 50% of was quite repetitive for me; nothing big really happened, it was more on the intrigue and build up on the events that would transpire at around 60%. There were some parts I thought were rushed but since this is a series, maybe there would be more exploration in the sequels. As for the characters, this was said to have a corruption arc, but after having finished, I had my doubts. Characters could have used more depth, and more build up on the relationships. I didn't feel attached to any of them, and the romance ruined it for me; it wasn't exactly believable. I guess my main qualms here would be that so much was pitched for it but it did not deliver much of those. Apart from that, the writing was great, straightforward and easy.

The Boy with Fire

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