Illusions of Fire coming October 7th, 2025 from Union Square & Co; 368 pages
Content Warning: Death, violence, murder, decapitation, dismemberment, death of family members, foul language, minor sexual content (consensual), discussion of sexual assault
About the Author: “Nisha Sharma is the critically acclaimed author of YA and adult contemporary romances including My So-Called Bollywood Life, Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance, The Singh Family Trilogy and the If Shakespeare was an Auntie series. Her books have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly and more. She lives in Pennsylvania with her Alaskan husband, her cat Lizzie Bennett and her dog Nancey Drew” (Bio from author’s Goodreads profile).
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Laila Bansal is not just an 18-year-old girl working at her three aunties’ winery; she’s also a powerful descendant of the mythical daughter of Draupadi, which gives her the power of fire and an important destiny. Because of this, Laila’s aunties, immortal demons sworn to protect their bloodline, have trained her in hand-to-hand combat and archery. When Karan, a new archer at her local archery training facility, tries to kill her, Laila’s sheltered world is upended. Karan is also connected to gods and demons, and he was brought to Laila on a quest to save his missing parents. However, their meeting sets forth a series of events that could destroy the world if they don’t stop the dark magic coming after them.
Illusions of Fire is described as a revival of the era of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but with a South Asian twist, and it delivered. I am a lifelong fan of TV shows and books like Buffy, Supernatural, and Percy Jackson, and this book was the perfect continuation of the supernatural, urban fantasy literary tradition that has been lost in recent times. The South Asian mythology and folklore were so richly woven into the story, and I loved how the events of the book called back to the original stories in the Mahabharata. Sharma took a myth rooted in a lack of female autonomy and created a novel where the descendant gets the chance to change her fate as history begins to repeat itself. Karan and Laila were never supposed to meet, but they did, and that changed everything. I thought their enemies-to-lovers romance was handled very well, and I could feel their chemistry through the page in many scenes. There was so much they didn’t understand about their true destinies, which was fun to slowly uncover throughout the novel. On top of that, there were great moments that felt very Buffy-esque in the best ways, and each one provided a moment that ultimately led to the growth of both characters. Laila had such powerful moments of self-discovery as someone who felt trapped within her destiny. Karan supported her through it all, and it was very clear they were equals in every sense, which I always look for in a good romance. I am already eagerly awaiting the sequel to Illusions of Fire.
Illusions of Fire releases on October 7th, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Union Square & Co for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Lead Writer