Cast in Firelight by Dana Smith - Book Review

Hello book friends! Today, I’ll be reviewing Cast in Firelight by Dana Swift. Back in late 2020, I came across this Cast in Firelight on Twitter when someone I follow shared this gorgeous book cover. As soon as I read the description, I immediately had to add it to my TBR and I was able to pick up the hardcover in March 2020 and dove in. Over the last few years, fantasy has become my go-to genre for the last few years and this book definitely fit my exact idea of a fantastic read.

About the Book:
Title: Cast in Firelight
Author: Dana Swift
Release Date: January 19, 2021
Series: Wickery #1
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 448

My Rating: 5/5 ⭐

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.

My Thoughts:

Cast in Firelight is a heartfelt story filled with adventure, magic, hidden identities, a sweet romance, and so much more! I knew from the first page alone that this book was going to be one of my favorite reads of 2021. In this story, you read between two first-person POVs, Adraa and Jatin. In the beginning, we find out that both Adraa and Jatin are betrothed to one another because of their kingdoms. I love how they were introduced to each other and how it grew into this rivalry where they're always try to one-up each other when it comes to their magic. When they first met each other as children, it was definitely unique and such a fun way to start the story. In addition, I loved how they met again later on after they had grown up, but it was in very different circumstances than I had imagined.

Adraa was a strong-willed girl who is willing to fight to protect the people she loves, putting herself in dangerous situation and helping them from corruption that plagues Belwar and Naupure. Similar to her main power, fire, she had a fire in her that once it was lit, there was no stopping her. Jatin was a very strong character who, similar to Adraa, wanted to do everything in his power to protect not the people of Naupure, but the people of Belwar. He was kind and funny. I loved Jatin and Adraa's relationship in the story. Their vigilante duo was so much fun seeing them work together side by side using their magic to help their people and their secret identities without them knowing their true identities. When it came to their romantic relationship, it was super sweet and cute. Their dialogue with one another when it came to their sass with one another and witty banter made my writer heart happy. When it comes to Dana's writing style, it is my personal favorite for so many reasons. Her writing style is unique when it came to the world building, the culture of her story, the different types of characters you'd meet and her character's personalities. It made it easy to be hooked and completely invested into the story. The plot twist, I did not expect at all! I was so surprised that I had to sit in complete silence for a moment trying to wrap my head around it.

I absolutely loved the magic system in this book. It was so different than the general magic system in other books that I was completely invested in learning all about it, when it came to each power, their corresponding color and the deities they aligned with. Also, I have to mention the chapter sub-titles, they were so creative and entertaining. Whenever I finished a chapter, I immediate had to read the sub-title because some of them were funny, while others were a little more serious. They were *chef kiss* perfect. I know for sure that Dana has become one of my new favorite authors and I cannot wait to read Bound by Firelight, which is released on January 18, 2022! So, if you haven't done it already, I highly suggesting you pick up a copy of Cast in Firelight!

If you’re interested in checking out Dana’s pages, the links are below along with places you can get Cast in Firelight.

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

Thank you all so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed my review/suggestion. Until next time!