Hi, hello lovely readers! I’m so incredibly excited today to spotlight a very exciting Adult Fantasy debut, releasing the 31st August! The Boy With Fire is an exciting debut by Aparna Verma, filled with lush imagery and interesting magic. If those two things sound like something you’d enjoy, here’s the full synopsis:
Dune meets The Poppy War in Aparna Verma’s The Boy with Fire, a glorious yet brutal tour-de-force debut that grapples with the power and manipulation of myth in an Indian-inspired epic fantasy.
Yassen Knight was the Arohassin’s most notorious assassin until a horrible accident. Now, he’s on the run from the authorities and his former employer. But when Yassen seeks refuge with an old friend, he’s offered an irresistible deal: defend the heir of Ravence from the Arohassin, and earn his freedom.
Elena Ravence prepares to ascend the throne. Trained since birth in statecraft, warfare, and the desert ways, Elena knows she is ready. She only lacks one thing: the ability to hold Fire. With the coronation only weeks away, she must learn quickly or lose her kingdom.
Leo Ravence is not ready to give up the crown. There’s still too much work to be done, too many battles to be won. But when an ancient prophecy threatens to undo his lifetime of work, Leo wages war on the heavens themselves to protect his legacy.
The first of The Ravence Trilogy, The Boy with Fire is the tale of a world teetering on the edge of war and prophecy, of fate and betrayal, of man’s irrevocable greed for power — and the sacrifices that must come with it.
To celebrate the release of The Boy With Fire, I got the exciting opportunity to interview Aparna! Here’s what we chatted about:
- First of all, tell us a bit about yourself and The Boy with Fire!
I’m a proud Indian-American immigrant who loves to write stories about the desert and the people who live within the hyphens of identity. Growing up in America, I did not feel like I belonged. In America, I was too Indian. In India, I was too American. I occupied a grey space, a space within the edges of society. And so I started writing about characters who live in grey spaces. Characters who may struggle with their identities. Characters who are not purely good or evil, but a bit of both. They make mistakes. They’re humans.
I was raised on myths. Growing up, my mom would tell me about the majestic stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. I dreamt of epic battles between the gods. It’s what started my fascination with myths, and probably why I like to write stories about vengeful gods and the characters who go up against these gods.
- Are there any content warnings we need to know about in The Boy with Fire?
Yes! The Boy with Fire is about a world teetering on the edge of war and the people who push it over. It gets dark. There’s war, genocide, burning of people, the death of a child, terrorism, and some mild gore. However, there are lighter moments, like a tumultuous, but ultimately loving, father and daughter relationship. There’s also a subtle slow-burn romance, but it definitely takes a backseat in comparison to the other themes of the book. So please read mindfully!
- Tell us a bit about the writing process for your book, did you have any parts you liked writing the most? Any POVs you liked writing the most?
I wrote The Boy with Fire during the pandemic when I had lots of time, for better or for worse. I began to write every day. Sometimes it was a sentence; other times, it was 6,000 words. I was obsessed with the characters then, and I still am now. Surprisingly, miraculously, I never had a writer’s block when creating The Boy with Fire. I loved the characters: their personalities, their inner struggles, their tumultuous relationships with each other. When I went to my desk, it wasn’t, Oh god, I have to write this book, it was, Ooh, I wonder what the characters will tell me today. The words came to me, as surely as a river flows to the sea. And it was delicious.
Leo’s POVs were fun to write, despite them being some of the darkest chapters. I think with him being the king, Leo had the liberty to say and do things that other characters could not. And as a writer, that was very freeing.
- Did you have a specific soundtrack when writing your book? What albums and artists were on it?
I have a very messy Spotify playlist called THE BOY WITH FIRE that’s a mix of movie soundtracks, Bollywood songs, and rap (for those badass fight scenes). Some of my favorites are:
Jaage Haine by A.R. Rahman
Teri Mitti by Arko
Tears in the Rain by Hans Zimmer
Godspeed by James Blake
Jeet finds Alia by A.R. Rahman
Romeo + Juliet by Craig Armstrong
COLUMBIA by AG Club
Raani Sa theme by Sanjay L. Bhansali
- And finally, if The Boy with Fire was a tea party, what would be the theme of the tea party? What things would be served? Would there be any specific flavours of tea to represent your characters?
Oh, this is such a good question! The tea party would definitely be Indian royalty core. Everyone would dress up in their finest lehengas and sherwanis with their glittering jewels and scarves. We’d eat cloud cookies as well as Indian sweets like burfi. We’d also have delicious Darjeeling tea or soothsayer tea from the Kingdom of Ravence. There would be earthy tones with a hint of heat. The desert and the fire 😉
Links for The Boy With Fire: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Paperback Edition | Kindle Edition
Aparna Verma was born in India and immigrated to the United States when she was two-years-old. She graduated from Stanford University with Honors in the Arts and a B.A. in English. The Boy with Fire is her first novel.
When she is not writing, Aparna likes to ride horses, dance to Bollywood music, and find old cafes to read myths about forgotten worlds. You can connect with Aparna on Twitter and Instagram at @spirited_gal.
