A review by ashton_reads_
Cast in Firelight by Dana Swift

5.0

4.25/5 stars

AAHHH my first two reads of 2021 are new favorites?! I’m off to a great start!!

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Goodreads summary:
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.

*Usually I like to write my own summaries because they aren’t always reflective of the book, but I thought this one was perfect!*

This book truly has it all: an interesting magic system, a unique mix of cultures, the coolest heroine, a sweet other main character and love interest, a stunning cover, a lil forbidden romance, vigilantes & royalty, mysteries, and secret identities upon secret identities!

For real, Cast in Firelight is a RIDE. An action-packed, tension-filled, romantic and magical adventure full of near-death experiences and all the feels! I highly recommend this book to lovers of action-packed fantasy romances looking for the next unique story to escape into! And I’m not kidding about Adraa being the coolest heroine - she is literally the coolest and I want to be her.

Because it’s important for me to critique as well as praise, the beginning of the book is rather confusing, as the world-building and the development of the magic system is skipped over more than it should be. It took me a long time to figure this out, so PSA: the color of their magic is based on the type they’re best at, not the type of magic they’re doing at the moment. And there is so much build-up to the climax of the two characters’ romantic arc that when it happens, it feels the *tiniest* bit anticlimactic. But in all seriousness, these things are pretty minor, especially the romance one. I really truly recommend this read, especially if you need an escape from reality - it’s one of those that just takes you away and puts you right into a world of action and magic!

**I won an-earc of Cast in Firelight from an author giveaway; all opinions are my own! This book releases January 19th.**





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