This is something I had the most problem with- it is being heavily marketed as a romance. It is not romance. Romance is a subplot. The slow burn was kinda meh. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed their moments together. But if there was supposed to be pining, I didn't see it from Elena's side. I didn't see any vulnerability from her. Considering Samson's involvement, things could have been interesting but they were not. When Elena and Yassen finally kiss which is right towards the end, it does feel like a good moment but only for Yassen. Elena needs some emotions to her, desperately. But the Phoenix watches over all and the fire has a will of its own. It will come for all three, will come for Sayon itself….and they must either find a way to withstand the blaze or burn to ash.

I have been following Aparna Verma and her book The Phoenix King for a while now, and all the bits about the book were enough for me to be excited about, especially the desi representation😍 As a person of Indian descent, this South Asian-inspired fantasy/sci-fi is something I wish I'd read when I was younger. This is the representation that would have changed my life as an impressionable young reader. If there was one thing Yassen could claim, it was this: that even in the darkness of death, he would know her.” WOW. How could you not fall in love with Aparna’s writing and want more after this? Personally, I would say that the biggest weaknesses of The Boy With Fire came with its characterisation. The characters were distinctly archetypal; other than Samson at the very end, they did not feel as though they evolved past those archetypes. It’s easy to forgive a novel’s flaws if the characters are compelling enough. Unfortunately, since I was not invested in the characters of The Boy With Fire, I found it difficult to enjoy the rest of the story. Vast and fascinating . . . A satisfying slow-burn romance only enhances the political machinations. This exciting fantasy promises good things from the series to come’The book hurt me in so many ways, but it is so worth it in the end. The twist and turned and surprises are so good. It keeps you guessing the entire time. And the ending is just… I can’t even explain. It’s just amazing. I can’t wait for book two! I found myself rooting and simping for her characters, mourning alongside and for them. The character relationships anchored the love I had for this book, making me smile and breaking my heart. Their imperfections made them real and relatable, I wouldn't have it any other way. That quote by the author sums up everything I feel about her characters. They are so dynamically layered, and there’s a moral greyness in each of them. I went from loving some characters to hating them, and felt every feeling in between. The story is told from three different perspectives, and each is unique and compelling.

In a kingdom where flames hold magic and the desert hides secrets, an ancient prophecy comes for an assassin, a princess, and a king. But none are ready to face destiny-and the choices they make could burn the world. Onto my favourite part - the characters. It's exceptionally difficult to write characters who are both imperfect and likeable at the same time, but Verma has done just that. Each of her characters are flawed in their own way, but I didn't find myself angry at them

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The Boy With Fire, an Indian inspired fantasy pitched as Dune meets The Poppy War, without a doubt was an ambitious debut that promised a myriad of tropes many of us in the bookish community crave, as well as an #OwnVoices perspective more of us gravitate towards. I also drew inspiration from my lovely home state of Rajasthan. Rajasthan has a long history as a seat of Indian royalty, including the Rajput kings. Said to be made of earth and fire, the Rajputs were fiercely proud and loyal, a quality that’s shared among the nobility of The Phoenix King—for better and for worse. For Leo Malhari Ravence, fire is control. He is not ready to give up his crown—there’s still too much work to be done to ensure his legacy remains untarnished, his family protected. But power comes with a price, and he’ll wage war with the heavens themselves to keep from paying it. For Elena Aadya Ravence, fire is yearning. She longs to feel worthy of her Phoenix god, of her ancestors who transformed the barren dunes of Sayon into a thriving kingdom. But though she knows the ways and wiles of the desert better than she knows her own skin, the secrets of the Eternal Flame elude her. And without them, she'll never be accepted as queen. But enough of me rambling about morals, lets talk about the characters. Firstly we meet Yassen, an assassin turned royal bodyguard who wants freedom from his past. Despite all that he has done in the past, he is a very easy character to sympathise with, his decisions fit his charater, and he is just generally a very well written character. The second of the main three characters that we meet is Elena, future queen of Ravence, who is a strong-willed princess with plans to peacefully unite her nation and deal with the war with the neighbouring country Jantar. In my opinion, she changes the most throughout the book, and it was fascinating to watch how her attitudes developed. Third is Leo, king of Ravence, and Elena's father. Leo has such a good arc, and his loyalty to his country and Elena is admirable, even if his actions are questionable.

The start was amazing. I loved the introduction into the worldbuilding and I was really interested in where this could go. My only problem was the pacing, it took half of the book for the events leading up to the climax to happen, the action really takes off at 70% of the book and then it fizzles out up until the last 3 chapters and the epilogue.The Indian influence is also wonderful. The clothing, culture, foods and specific terms all feel distinct and make The Phoenix Kingstand out from a lot of other recent fantasy and science fiction releases. I also particularly loved how Verma worked dance into the story.