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amberraetoro's review
4.0
A fun, imaginative, Indian inspired fantasy. I enjoyed the dual POV from our FMC and MMC both of whom I loved! I also loved the juxtaposition between the two. Roshan having come from nothing, raised to be strong and hard in a bandit clan fighting for their lands. Navin raised as the half blooded spare prince, the peri prince, the bastard, never believing in himself or having a place or purpose. This is a great coming of age story as they both figure out their own path independent of their history and what they thought was expected from them.
Great magic system, loved the way that song, from his Peri side, enhanced Navins soul magic, from his human side. Loved how the visualization and manipulation of aura's was represented. I also loved the limitations and the use of amplifiers to enhance their magic.
Great enemies to lovers plot. After part one of the book I had no idea how Bhathena was going to convince me that these enemies could become lovers. But she surprised me and nailed it!
Great world building, I loved the use of specific words and language to keep us in an India inspired fantasy world.
Overall a really fun read in a unique world.
Tropes:
⚔️Enemies to Lovers
Great magic system, loved the way that song, from his Peri side, enhanced Navins soul magic, from his human side. Loved how the visualization and manipulation of aura's was represented. I also loved the limitations and the use of amplifiers to enhance their magic.
Great enemies to lovers plot. After part one of the book I had no idea how Bhathena was going to convince me that these enemies could become lovers. But she surprised me and nailed it!
Great world building, I loved the use of specific words and language to keep us in an India inspired fantasy world.
Overall a really fun read in a unique world.
Tropes:
⚔️Enemies to Lovers
tessisreading2's review
5.0
Really strong fantasy romance; the fantasy worldbuilding was lightly done but the characterizations and romance were excellent.
lidiae's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The book wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t great either. Some of my main issues with it were that the magic system was never fully explained and the politics of the kingdom were sort of confusing, leaving the world building feeling unfinished. I also felt like things were often over-explained; sort of a strange combo of showing AND telling? It could have been about 100 pages shorter to. Parts of the book, especially the beginning, really dragged on. The only other thing that bugged me was how much were told Roshan is morally grey, a ruthless bandit… and it’s like, she’s not really shown that way? At all? This is a big pet peeve of mine though
charvi_not_just_fiction's review
5.0
Every book by Tanaz Bhathena just steals my heart <3
Review coming soon!
Merged review:
Every book by Tanaz Bhathena just steals my heart <3
Review coming soon!
Review coming soon!
Merged review:
Every book by Tanaz Bhathena just steals my heart <3
Review coming soon!
caylieratzlaff's review
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.
Okay, so the cover?? BEAUTIFUL. The premise? Intriguing! The plot, pretty good. I really liked how this was a political novel with the romance between Roshan and Navin happening due to forced proximity and out of sheer necessity (even if Navin ROYALLY messed up at one part). I also like how the magic system was in place, but I'm curious about who gets magic and who doesn't. There's also incorporation of Peri and Pashu, and I really loved the Indian Mythology and influence on the novel. The plot kept me hooked, but it felt like the plot twist at the end kind of came out of nowhere, and everything leading up to it was like what??
I also love the Robin Hood, found family vibes of the Shadow Clan. The dynamics are interesting when compared to the other villages and royalty. Although this is a standalone (I believe), I would love to see more stories from this world and truly see more the lore and world itself developed.
Also, this is upper YA!! There are definitely jokes about threesomes and some rather spicy content (nothing explicit, but definitely upper YA)
Okay, so the cover?? BEAUTIFUL. The premise? Intriguing! The plot, pretty good. I really liked how this was a political novel with the romance between Roshan and Navin happening due to forced proximity and out of sheer necessity (even if Navin ROYALLY messed up at one part). I also like how the magic system was in place, but I'm curious about who gets magic and who doesn't. There's also incorporation of Peri and Pashu, and I really loved the Indian Mythology and influence on the novel. The plot kept me hooked, but it felt like the plot twist at the end kind of came out of nowhere, and everything leading up to it was like what??
I also love the Robin Hood, found family vibes of the Shadow Clan. The dynamics are interesting when compared to the other villages and royalty. Although this is a standalone (I believe), I would love to see more stories from this world and truly see more the lore and world itself developed.
Also, this is upper YA!! There are definitely jokes about threesomes and some rather spicy content (nothing explicit, but definitely upper YA)
_christinacreads's review
5.0
Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena is a fantastic standalone YA enemies-to-lovers romantasy inspired by Persian and Zoroastrian Mythology set in the badlands of 17th century India. There’s magic, bandits, royal family drama, discussions on grief, and lots of political intrigue.
If you like Defy the Night, Spice Road, and An Ember in the Ashes, you might like this book too.
I could not put this book down!
We follow two main characters, Roshan a healer who steals from the rich to feed the poor, and Prince Navin, the spoiled half-human bastard spare-to-the-heir. Roshan finds Navin passed out drunk on a raid and takes him hostage, hoping to barter him in exchange for reclaiming their people’s lands.
An interesting and unique magic system paired with such culturally rich prose, well-rounded characters, and a world inspired by real-life bandits, history, and mythology, this book made for such an action-packed immersive experience.
My one advise to readers is – don’t be like me, there’s a glossary at the back that I wish I knew existed before I finished the book. It would definitely add to the reading experience making use of it as there’s a lot of culturally specific jargon.
My only issue is that I vehemently dislike the title. I’m not sure why an author would want to blend in with all the other books that are similarly titled when this book is so interesting, rich, and unique. Additionally it seems for the first half of the book there’s an excessive biting of the lip/cheek/tongue/blister in the mouth that seemed to happen which pulled me out of the experience a few times.
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for gifting me the eARC in exchange for an honest review..
If you like Defy the Night, Spice Road, and An Ember in the Ashes, you might like this book too.
I could not put this book down!
We follow two main characters, Roshan a healer who steals from the rich to feed the poor, and Prince Navin, the spoiled half-human bastard spare-to-the-heir. Roshan finds Navin passed out drunk on a raid and takes him hostage, hoping to barter him in exchange for reclaiming their people’s lands.
An interesting and unique magic system paired with such culturally rich prose, well-rounded characters, and a world inspired by real-life bandits, history, and mythology, this book made for such an action-packed immersive experience.
My one advise to readers is – don’t be like me, there’s a glossary at the back that I wish I knew existed before I finished the book. It would definitely add to the reading experience making use of it as there’s a lot of culturally specific jargon.
My only issue is that I vehemently dislike the title. I’m not sure why an author would want to blend in with all the other books that are similarly titled when this book is so interesting, rich, and unique. Additionally it seems for the first half of the book there’s an excessive biting of the lip/cheek/tongue/blister in the mouth that seemed to happen which pulled me out of the experience a few times.
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for gifting me the eARC in exchange for an honest review..
_thebookishbarista_'s review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was so good. I’m not typically a fantasy reader, but I have read a lot of the popular ones and I feel like this should be hyped to the same level. This book truly was so beautifully written.
“but love is a strange thing. fickle, fussy, older than the gods, more unpredictable than magic itself.”
Summary:
Rishon Chaya is seeking justice both for birth parents and her adoptive father. This adoptive father was once the notorious leader of the Shadow Clan, and after his murder, she takes over as the leader. This gang is made up of impoverished farmers who have experienced government atrocities and corruption.
Prince Navin is the second in line to the throne, and has always felt like he doesn’t belong. When he gets captured by the Shadow Clan, Navin decides to use his magic and schemes to convince Roshan to let him go. But as he learns about the corruption that has led to the destruction of the provinces, and as he grows closer to Roshan, it becomes harder for him to navigate. Soon, Roshan and Navin are locked in conflict after conflict trying to trust each other, and right the wrongs done by the government. It asks the age old question: can love conquer all?
This story is inspired by the badlands of seventeenth century India, with a little magic mixed in of course. As a stand-alone fantasy novel, it truly is special and a book I would recommend to many people. :)
“but love is a strange thing. fickle, fussy, older than the gods, more unpredictable than magic itself.”
Summary:
Rishon Chaya is seeking justice both for birth parents and her adoptive father. This adoptive father was once the notorious leader of the Shadow Clan, and after his murder, she takes over as the leader. This gang is made up of impoverished farmers who have experienced government atrocities and corruption.
Prince Navin is the second in line to the throne, and has always felt like he doesn’t belong. When he gets captured by the Shadow Clan, Navin decides to use his magic and schemes to convince Roshan to let him go. But as he learns about the corruption that has led to the destruction of the provinces, and as he grows closer to Roshan, it becomes harder for him to navigate. Soon, Roshan and Navin are locked in conflict after conflict trying to trust each other, and right the wrongs done by the government. It asks the age old question: can love conquer all?
This story is inspired by the badlands of seventeenth century India, with a little magic mixed in of course. As a stand-alone fantasy novel, it truly is special and a book I would recommend to many people. :)
librerika's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
More romance heavy than I was hoping particularly since it's a romance trope I do not enjoy - enemies to lovers. Lots of people love that trope though and it's a decent ya romatasy for fans of the genre, particularly older fans as the mcs are older teens (18 or 19 I think?)
fionak's review
3.0
Fairly standard YA fantasy romance. The world-building felt laboured, particularly with regard to language and the glossary was inadequate (usually I'm a fan of such things but half the time the word I was searching for wasn't even present). The characters, pacing and plot are quite satisfactory and make for an enjoyable read but none of it is particularly memorable.
Thank you to whatever nice publisher it was who sent me a free copy for review.
Thank you to whatever nice publisher it was who sent me a free copy for review.
sahibooknerd's review against another edition
3.5
I typed up a whole review here and the GR app closed down suddenly without saving any of it. I’m just out of the hospital and in pain with very low energy, so I’m not typing it all out again.
Just wanna say this book was a light and enjoyable company when I was admitted to the hospital and I will always remember it as the first book I read after I had my baby, so it’s always gonna be special. Check it out if you want something lighter and entertaining, with good characters, lovely romance, wonderful relationships, a very well narrated audiobook, or if you just want a break from all the series and would love to read a stand-alone fantasy.
Just wanna say this book was a light and enjoyable company when I was admitted to the hospital and I will always remember it as the first book I read after I had my baby, so it’s always gonna be special. Check it out if you want something lighter and entertaining, with good characters, lovely romance, wonderful relationships, a very well narrated audiobook, or if you just want a break from all the series and would love to read a stand-alone fantasy.