Hello Bookish lovelies! Happy Tuesday! Welcome to my stop on the Cast in Firelight by Dana Swift book tour! And a happy release day to Dana Swift! It’s a lovely snowy day here for me so perfect weather for me to read and get my blog on. 😊 You can check out the tour schedule here and check out everyones else awesome blog posts! There are some great creative ones on the tour!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Cast in Firelight
Author: Dana Swift
Release Date: January 19th, 2021
Published By: Delacorte Press
Pages: 448 pages
Get a copy at: Amazon, B&N, Book Depository, Chapters/Indigo, IndieBound
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SYNOPSIS:
The first book in an epic, heart-pounding fantasy duology about two royal heirs betrothed to be married, but whose loyalties are torn, and a ruthless enemy who threatens their world, perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal, and Renée Ahdieh.
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.
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
*Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this tour, and a big thank you to Delacorte Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review*
This book was fun. There’s so much to love about it. One of my favorite parts of the book was the magic system. I loved the fact that the different types of magic, nine, bestowed by the gods all had a different color. If you were “claimed” by a god a tattoo would show up on your arms showing that you had that kind of magic, whether it be Erif (Fire) or Retaw (Water) or Wodahs (Shadow), some can even practice all nine forms of magic. Another thing I loved was the characters. The main characters, Adraa and Jatin, are fantastic. Even the side characters and villains were great. I was laughing a lot through this book. Now if you know me you know romance is not my favorite, but this book handled it well. Adraa and Jatin are set up into an arranged marriage and they remain separated as they grow as Jatin is sent to Academy and Adraa is not. They do end up being rivals to lovers. Who doesn’t love an arranged marriage and secret identities story? The book does start off slow and takes some time to get in to but man…. that cliffhanger!
This is not an #ownvoices book, and I personally cannot speak to the diversity or themes in this book as I am a white American gal and it is not my place to speak on it, but if you think this may be a problem for you, I would do some research into the book first before reading.
“Why would anyone buy an itchy tablecloth? The Naupures were monsters.”
Truthfully, I don’t know her that well. There are only a few variables I can nail down. One she’s competitive, almost to the point of vicious. Two: She’s easily annoyed with a temper I have experienced firsthand. Everything else dwells in the land of supposedly. Like supposedly she’s beautiful, supposedly she’s brilliant, supposedly she’s kind.”
“I protect your life, but the job description doesn’t say anything about being nice to you.” Her hand rests on her knife in implication, but she also smiles.”
They mostly scream permutations of bloody, red, and bitch, switching up the words based on variations and good old-fashioned passion. Overall, it seems that I can be described as a menstrual cycle.”
“What?” I finally ask. “Has anyone told you that you snore?” My mouth drops open and my face heats. “Do I?” His eyes crinkle as he laughs. “Just a little.”
Dana Swift started making up fantasy worlds when she was eleven years old and hasn’t stopped since. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned degrees in English and Advertising. While in college, Dana competed as a saber fencer and learned a thing or two about fighting, parrying and how it feels to fall in love with your sparring partner. She currently lives with said husband in Miami, Florida.
You can find her on: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Facebook
Click here to win a finished copy of Cast in Firelight! There will be one winner for this giveaway. The giveaway ends on January 25th.