**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC of the below in exchange for an honest review as part of a tour hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours.**
Giveaway
One person will win a finished copy of Cast in Firelight. The giveaway ends on January 25th.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/fc15a59516/
Title Cast in Firelight
Author Dana Swift
Release Date January 19, 2021
Date Finished July 5, 2020
Description
Adraa is the royal heir of Belwar, a talented witch on the cusp of taking her royal ceremony test, and a girl who just wants to prove her worth to her people.
Jatin is the royal heir to Naupure, a competitive wizard who’s mastered all nine colors of magic, and a boy anxious to return home for the first time since he was a child.
Together, their arranged marriage will unite two of Wickery’s most powerful kingdoms. But after years of rivalry from afar, Adraa and Jatin only agree on one thing: their reunion will be anything but sweet.
Only, destiny has other plans and with the criminal underbelly of Belwar suddenly making a move for control, their paths cross…and neither realizes who the other is, adopting separate secret identities instead.
Between dodging deathly spells and keeping their true selves hidden, the pair must learn to put their trust in the other if either is to uncover the real threat. Now Wickery’s fate is in the hands of rivals..? Fiancées..? Partners..? Whatever they are, it’s complicated and bound for greatness or destruction.
Release Date November 17, 2020
Initial Thoughts
I was super excited to have been approved for this book. Full disclosure, I’m writing this post in July (and it’s a January release). I read it as soon as I was approved – because it sounded that good.
Some Things I Liked
- Indian influences. This is not an #OwnVoices book but I felt like an Own Voices reviewer here. In the acknowledgements, Dana Swift described that this book was inspired by her husband’s culture and the characters were written with her children in mind. That actually made the book even more special to me. I am half Indian and half American on my mother’s side and I loved the idea that the author was able to learn so much about a new culture and describe it in such a magical way.
- Secret vigilantes. Somehow, this book reminded me of Batman, in all the best ways. If you asked me to make a recipe for a perfect book, somehow, I’d try to add Batman vibes to the mix and Dana Swift did that here. I loved the secret crime fighting elements to the story.
- Enemies to lovers. What’s not to love about that classic trope? And, it was so well done here.
- Magic system. I loved that the magic system was described in colors. What a cool concept!
Series Value
I 👏 can’t 👏 wait 👏 for the next book in this series. Dana Swift, if you read this and want to send a copy of book 2 to a good home – hit me up!
I love this world, the magic, and these characters. There’s nothing I want more than more of their adventures.
Final Thoughts
Ok, ok, I’ll stop gushing about this book. But, seriously, it was amazing and it might be one of my favorite books of the year. Bear in mind, I read ACOMAF and HOEAB for the first time this year. This book tops both of those. These characters have unseated my beloved SJM favorites as favorite characters (and that’s insanely high praise from me).
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
- Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena – if you enjoyed the Indian themes, try this June 2020 release.
- Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar – again, if you liked the Indian influences, try this August 2020 release.
Book Links
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52772305-cast-in-firelight
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0852PD53R?tag=randohouseinc44263-20
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cast-in-firelight-dana-swift/1136524901?ean=9780593124215
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Cast-Firelight-Dana-Swift/9780593124215?ref=grid-view&qid=1599253820523&sr=1-1
Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/cast-in-firelight/9780593124215-item.html?ikwid=Cast+in+Firelight&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=db2907dd3093e667582a32c401ad757f
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593124215?aff=penguinrandom
Author Links
Website: https://www.danaswiftbooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/swift_dana
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danaswiftbooks/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19510928.Dana_Swift
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danaswiftbooks
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