Queen of Shadows and Ruin

The Nightfire Quartet, Book 4

De: Nisha J. Tuli

Narrado por: Shiromi Arserio

A spicy and thrilling fantasy romance

Zarya must become the darkness…

Soaring through the sky to the frozen mountains of Andhera, Zarya knows that only she can save her home from annihilation. Ruthless armies hunt her friends and toxic dark magic spreads through the land, consuming all it touches. To fight back, she and Rabin must find dangerous new allies.

In a palace of black marble, Zarya finally meets her father—the mysterious Raja Abishek. She approaches warily. For years she was told to fear this man, that he seeks to steal her power. But Abishek welcomes her with open arms, with gifts and lavish celebrations.

Rabin is sure the king can help them, turning the tide of war and decay. And when the magic binding Zarya’s heart to Rabin begins to fail, only Abishek can offer a cure. Zarya dreads the thought of placing their lives in his hands… But can she hesitate, when Rabin might be torn from her forever?

As Zarya makes her choice, ancient magic breaks loose, and her world shatters. In a ruined and long forgotten city, her love for Rabin will be tested to its limits. An army of shadows marches against her, destroying all in its path, and everything Zarya loves will be lost, unless she can face the darkness inside her—and release its devastating power.

An absolutely gripping fantasy romance that’s perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros, and Carissa Broadbent, Queen of Shadows and Ruin is the epic final volume in the Nightfire Quartet.

©2025 Nisha J. Tuli (P)2025 Second Sky, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

I was hoping for more.

for the narrator I felt like she did a wonderful job. although I enjoy duet narration audiobooks more I felt like she did a great job differentiating the characters

Unfortunately, I found the final book of the series deeply disappointing. The pacing slowed to a crawl, and the narrative felt repetitive, making it seem like it took forever for anything of significance to happen. I've adored this series and Nisha's writing, but this installment fell flat. There was a noticeable shift from the immersive "show, don’t tell" style of the previous books to a more expository approach, which diminished the overall impact.

That said, the intimate moments between Zarya and Rabin were beautifully written, and their love story remained a highlight. However, I was hoping for more development in the growing tensions between Yasen and the Miraan, which felt like a missed opportunity.

One of my biggest frustrations was Rabin ignoring his intuition despite being so sure of himself. It was difficult to believe that anyone would linger in such an ominous situation, especially with the king repeatedly insisting "just two more days" for weeks. Trusting him in that context felt unrealistic. Additionally, Ekaja's betrayal seemed out of character and lacked sufficient justification.

Despite these issues, I was satisfied with the book’s conclusion, though I wish Rani hadn't been bound to the Jai tree and could have returned to her human form. While the execution of this book fell short, I still deeply appreciate the characters, the unique magic system, and the overarching plot of the series.