Publication Date: May 29, 2026
A fantasy romance rooted in the founding legend of Funan — one of the earliest kingdoms of Southeast Asia, preserved in 3rd-century Chinese chronicles and Cambodian oral tradition. Soma is a Naga princess: a shapeshifter of the deep waters, ancient and not entirely human. Kaundinya is a Himalayan yogi who spent years mastering the art of wanting nothing — and then meets her. Slow burn. Enemies-to-lovers. Dual POV. Full HEA. Clean romance — no explicit content. Indian and Southeast Asian mythology most Western readers are encountering for the first time.
Born out of one of the oldest love stories in Southeast Asia comes a retelling of the founding legend of Funan, which is today southern Cambodia and Vietnam.
Author Namita Kumari delivers a tale of fantasy and love in The Serpent’s Longing. This version focuses on a Naga princess (a shapeshifter) and a wanderer from across the sea who manage to spend 11 days together.
In doing so, they each must give up something priceless for a fleeting moment in time. The author’s writing style brings the emotions to life, both the joy and utter despair of loss.
The fantasy angle serves as a key foundation for the story to unfold, especially as it relates to Soma, the shapeshifter.
The Serpent’s Longing delivers a love story pulled from the past.
 
Namita Kumari is a professor at Delhi University with a PhD from the University of Trento, Italy. Her research on ancient India-Cambodia cultural links was supported by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Government of India. The Serpent’s Longing is her debut novel. It reached #1 in Mythology & Folk Tales on Amazon India, briefly above The Palace of Illusions and The Alchemist.
