Blog Tour + #Giveaway: Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena @XpressoTours

Of Light and Shadow
Tanaz Bhathena
Publication date: May 23rd 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

When they don’t give us our birthright, we steal it.

Roshan Chaya is out for justice. Abandoned by her parents at birth and adopted by the kingdom of Jwala’s most notorious bandit before his brutal murder, she is now leader of the Shadow Clan, a gang of farmers-turned-bandits impoverished by the provincial governor’s atrocities and corruption. Roshan’s goal: to avenge her adoptive father and earn back rights and dignity for her people.

Prince Navin has always felt like an outcast. Second in line for the throne, he has never been close to his grandmother, Queen Bhairavi of Jwala. When a night out drinking with friends leads to his capture by the infamous Shadow Clan, Navin schemes to befriend Roshan and use her as a means to escape. His ploy, however, brings Navin closer to the corruption and poverty at the heart of Roshan’s province, raising questions about its governor and Navin’s own family.

To further complicate things, the closer Roshan and Navin get, the harder it becomes to fight their growing attraction. But how can they trust each other when the world as they know it starts to fall apart?

Set in a magical world inspired by the badlands of 17th century India, this standalone epic fantasy novel by Tanaz Bhathena is packed with political tensions, dangerous schemes, and swoon-worthy romance that asks the age old question: can love conquer all?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Interview with Tanaz Bhathena

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

I’ve written five books. My most recent book, OF LIGHT AND SHADOW, is currently my favorite.




If you’re planning a sequel for OF LIGHT AND SHADOW, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?

OF LIGHT AND SHADOW is a standalone, with no sequels planned.




Do you want each of your books to stand on their own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

All of my books, except The Wrath of Ambar duology, are standalones. OF LIGHT AND SHADOW is part of the Ambar universe, but can be read on its own.




How did you come up with the title OF LIGHT AND SHADOW, and what does it mean?

The book is about a bandit named Roshan Chaya who’s fighting for justice against a corrupt governor in her kingdom and a prince named Navin, who knows nothing about the corruption…until Roshan kidnaps him. Both Roshan and Navin are morally gray characters and make a number of choices over the course of the story—some great, some terrible. OF LIGHT AND SHADOW reflects this dichotomy of their characters and the world around them.




How long did it take you to write OF LIGHT AND SHADOW?

Around 4 years.




What did you learn when writing the book?

That it’s okay to rewrite a book from scratch if you don’t like the first draft. (Painful, but okay.)




What surprised you the most?

I wanted a magical bird from Persian mythology in this book—one that represented light. My research brought me to the huma bird, also thought of as the Persian phoenix. In ancient Avestan, the huma is also called the homāi. My grandmother’s name is Homai—but until that day, I had not known what it meant. It was very special and I knew that the homāi had to be in the book. 😊




Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

I killed off the two main characters of my first book, A Girl Like That, on page 1. I loved them and so did many of my readers. (I’m sorry.)




What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?

Every character will have a unique perspective based on their gender, sexual orientation, upbringing, social class, where they live, and the political atmosphere around them. I try to map these elements out first and then think of what I’d do if I was in their specific situation. 

Author Bio:

Tanaz Bhathena is an award-winning Zoroastrian author of contemporary and fantasy fiction. Her books include Of Light and Shadow, Hunted by the Sky which won the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award and the Bapsi Sidhwa Literary Prize, and The Beauty of the Moment which won the Nautilus Award for Young Adult Fiction. Her acclaimed debut, A Girl Like That, was named a Best Book of the Year by numerous outlets including The Globe and Mail, Seventeen, and The Times of India. Born in India and raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada, Tanaz lives in Mississauga, Ontario, with her family.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

—