I am disappointed with this book. I was expecting one thing and received another. It had potential but it was not well written.

It looks like I might be in the minority for reading this book. I just didn't like it at all. The characters were so full of snark I just hated everyone and it really just got to me after a few chapters. I couldn't get used to it all. The entire prologue was actually really good. The chapter titles were weird though. I felt they would have been better suited for a contemporary not a fantasy. It was like the author was trying to get the snarky funny chapters like from Breaking Dawn when we get to have POVs from Jacob. But unfortunately it just didn't work for me.

The magic system was very interesting and I was kind of intrigued with the entire thing. But again the inner dialogue and all the snark just made it hard to read. And I wont even get into the fact that this was a POC book from an author that I guess she isn't POC? Which just seems super weird.

Overall, if you want to check this one out? I would say try the library.

When I first requested this book, it was due to the cover. Bowater's art is known in the book community and I love her style.

I am not sorry to have grabbed this book!

The magic system is fantastic! Dana's writing style is is so lyrical and I loved it! I can't wait for the rest of the series to come out as well.

This was an okay YA fantasy. I liked the premise and the cover is utterly gorgeous, but the characters werent fleshed out enough and because of that I found that i was as invested in their story.

this book was... something. i guess i overstepped my expectations with it, and let myself down. it was not bad objectively, but i would not say it's a 5 starred one, either.

Cast in Firelight started really positively. The first chapter grabbed my attention and I was really interested in the magic system and the characters. Unfortunately it steadily went downhill the further into the book I got. It felt as though a little more world building was needed, I didn't fully understand the magic and how it worked. The plot started to drag a little, and I just found my attention slowly waining from there. This one was not for me.

Cast in Firelight was impressive debut YA fantasy romance that revolved around two fiercely competitive heirs to be married getting entangled in web of love and dangerous plot. The story was about politics, magic, friendship, betrayal, lies, secrets, preconceptions, finding light among darkness, resilience, courage, and putting safety of country above all.

Writing was gripping, entertaining, adrenalin filled and fast paced. The story was written in first person narrative from Adraa and Jatin’s perspective.

Plot was action packed, adventurous and fun. It started with both Adraa and Jatin meeting when they were nine and their parents verbally finalising their engagement but the first meeting turned into one of them punching the other. Nine years later, Jatin returned from his academic magic studies. They spent these years in fierce competition exchanging letters of their achievements. There was no love as they both didn’t like each other. They formed a preconceived idea about each other. But when Adraa’s inventions, Firelight, was caught in conspiracy and illegal activity they both work together under false identity that brought them closer, learned to trust and know each other’s true self behind the hidden identity.

It was interesting to read how both Adraa and Jatin met as adult, why they didn’t like each other at first and how their preconception changed once they got to know each other, what was the conspiracy, what criminals wanted to do with Adraa’s firelight, who was behind the plan and how that will affect Adraa and Jatin’s countries and their growing relationship.

Both Adraa and Jatin were flawed and realistic. Their jealousy for each other that driven them to be competitive was genuine and perspicuous.

Adraa was fiery, fierce, reckless, brave, smart, courageous, and kind who loved her country, people and family. But she also was vulnerable. Her weakness was her low confidence. She constantly doubted her ability due to her untouched right arm. She saw it as deformity than focusing on her strength. And she was much more powerful than she thought. I loved how her partnership with Jatin made her believe in herself. At first, I didn’t exactly get why she would think she wouldn’t pass her royal ceremony and at the same time I could understand why she would want to keep her secret identity. When time came it all made sense and I loved it how she moved on, kept focus on what was necessary at the time and mended her relationships even when she found most of her idea or perception or thoughts were wrong.

Jatin was amazing. At first, I wasn’t sure I agreed with Adraa but as story progressed, I could see Jatin was a little arrogant and what he said in their first meeting at nine was wrong, but he changed a lot after that. He was exactly opposite of what Adraa thought. He was kind, clever, loyal, friendly and empathetic. He accepted his flaws, admitted his mistakes and tried to cross the bridge of misunderstanding under hidden identity. I also understood his relation with his father, responsibility and loneliness he felt because of his title.

Family dynamic and secondary characters were great. I enjoyed reading about both Jatin and Adraa’s family. Their relation with their family was well written. I liked Prisha -Adraa’s sister, Riya – Adraa’s personal guard, Kylan- Jatin’s personal guard, and Jatin’s and Adraa’s fathers. But most interesting and surprising was Adraa’s mother.

World was interesting. It wasn’t highly described as the plot and romance was more on focus than world. We are introduced to world gradually as story progressed with only necessary information. I generally prefer more world building but I think less/only necessary info worked well here. I enjoyed reading about- nine Gods and Goddesses of the world that provided their respective coloured magic to Wizards and Witches by ‘Touch’ that is mark on one or both arms. There were explicit details on what only on one arm mark (like Adraa had, which was rare) indicated, how only those blessed by all nine gods can rule the country, how the magical forte had divided other countries, societal difference and sectioned people into ‘touched’ and ‘untouched’, how Adraa’s country was different by accepting diverse people, technologies worked with magic, Adraa’s invention and how that could help all people specially poor or touched in her country.

Romance was best part. I enjoyed reading this hate-to-lovers and arranged marriage trope along with hidden identity. All amazing trope in one book was sure going to win over me. At first, both Adraa and Jatin felt childish, trying to be better than other, avoiding each other but I loved how fate or rather conspiracy brought them together against their wish, making them friends and partners that looked impossible at the beginning. I enjoyed reading their banters and many lovely moments. It was great to see how they both reacted when they found each other’s real identity.

Mystery was great. The web of conspiracy was complex, big, corrupt, and dangerous. It was not at all hidden after initial 30% who was behind it but I could never guess what was Adraa and Jatin’s next step and what villain ultimately planned with Firelights.

Climax was lovely with revelations of their true identity and also tense with royal ceremony. What happened after it was surprising and shocking. I worried for Adraa and Jatin. It kept me on the edge making me want to shake Adraa and think as I knew how she could stop it all and when she did it, I thought it will end there but then came another surprise. I wasn’t expecting any of that. It was perfect end and I hope author could speed up writing and publisher can release next book sooner.

Overall, Cast in Firelight was impressive, well written, action-packed, and adventurous YA fantasy romance.

I highly recommend this if you enjoy,
Hidden identity trope
Hate-to-lovers trope
arranged marriage trope
political conspiracy
fiery and feisty main character
Interesting magical world with no info dump and only necessary info
Well written romance
Wizards and Witches

I'm giving this a definite 4 stars

I really loved this beginning to end!

the cover is absolutely gorgeous

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! The writing was really well done, the characters were great and dynamic, and the world/magic system was super interesting!

I loved this fantasy so much, this was one of the first fantasy books I read this year and it just made me miss the genre as a whole as I basically neglected it in 2020 so it was so nice to be back in a fantasy world and can’t wait for book 2

This book wasn't what I was told it'd be. Also, having looked into the author's background, I've found out some things that make the story make a bit more sense as to why it was just... bad. 1. The author is white and decided to write a book about Indian characters and culture, but completely forgot about the cultural aspect. 2. It's consistently mentioned how dark the MC is. Like, why are you so obsessed with how dark you made your character? It came across very weird and downright nauseating.

the book wasn't bad by any means, but i felt like some of the things this book as trying to capture about Indian culture was...lost? after finding out about the author, it was all apparent why, and I'm not sure if I'll continue the series.

DNF at 25%
When I requested this book, and I was interested in reading Cast on the Firelight I was under the impression that it was by an author of color. Sadly I was mistaken and I don't think I can finish this book in good conscience. I've read many #ownvoices reviews of this book, and they all agree that the representation is inaccurate and offensive.

I was rooting for this book! It had everything I could want- magic, an Indian-inspired backdrop, and a potential love story that plays on my favorite tropes. But it still fell short on its delivery. It felt a little like nothing interesting was happening and the magic system wasn't explored, it just existed without adding much depth to the story or the characters. The writing feels forced, and at times, I couldn't find myself interested in the story at all. But I did like the fact that the world felt very authentic and that the names were delightfully desi, and the representation shined. I could see this book being loved by a middle school audience because this is the kind of story I loved then, but the lack of depth made it slightly harder for me to get into.

This book was on my TBR for some time and I was thrilled to receive an ARC for it! This book was so great! I really loved it and the story as well as all the characters. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who love YA!

I had seen this book around a few times and when I had the chance, I requested it right away. And I’m very glad I did!

Cast in Firelight is an Indian/South Asian inspired fantasy with lots of cultural references and beautiful imagery. Although not a #ownvoices story, I think it was beautifully and respectfully written. If you read the author’s note, you’ll that she made sure to explain why she made the decision of writing Adraa and Jatin’s story.

Adraa and Jatin’s dynamic was super fun and endearing. I loved how well they complemented each other when it came to their strengths and weaknesses. And their love letters with hidden messages were super funny and cute!

I love the magical world the author created. It is solid and has lots of potential to expand in the next book. The plot was also engaging and refreshing.

I can’t wait to read the sequel to this and continue to follow Adraa and Jatin’s story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this! Sorry it took so long to get to, but life got in the way.. that being said this was fantastic! First, any cover by Charlie Bowater is an instant click for me. She always seems to do the art for the best books, and this was no different! The magic system in this was so creative and brilliant. I'm really looking forward to the next one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

Cast in Firelight drew me in with its gorgeous cover, and it turned out to be a pretty fun read! The worldbuilding was very easy to follow along and the premise had some of my favorite tropes. The voice did feel a bit juvenile at times, but that's my only complaint.

I can't even begin to understand just how much I enjoyed this book, and how much agony I will be in waiting for the next one.

'Cast in Firelight' tells the story of Adraa Belwar and Jatin Naupure, heirs to their thrones in the magical land of Wickery, where half the population is 'Touched' - gifted by the gods with elemental magic. Adraa and Jatin have been engaged for a long time, but haven't met face-to-face in years. However, when they do meet, a mix-up results in friendship, mistaken identities, and something more.

So. much. happens. in this book. Underneath the royal drama, there's the matter of a magic black market, which Adraa and Jatin work together to resolve. As the story progresses, however, things begin to unfurl, and it's revealed that things are far more complicated than initially anticipated.

The romance was cute but there was soooo much simping. Jatin spends the better part of the first half of the book simping over Adraa in a way that strongly reminded me of a lovesick puppy. The romance is also borderline insta-love, except not really, and I definitely wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did.

The characters were interesting, but honestly not that well developed. I did appreciate, however, the strong protagonist that Adraa is, and how the secondary characters aren't just pushed to the side, but rather an integral part of the story and overall plot.

The magic system was most developed in an info-dump at the very beginning of the book, but I found myself actually interesting in the way that the characters' powers manifested and how they worked in the story. While it did take some time for me to properly process the magic system amid everything going on in the book, it was ultimately very intriguing.

There's also the matter of the aspects of South Asian culture that were included in this book. While there are other reviews speaking to how specifically this was handled in the book, I do feel that it could have been much better. While certain aspects were indeed taken from South Asian culture, they were altered and added to, which resulted in a culture that wasn't quite unique, nor based on this culture. I think that it could have been better if it had been more elaborated on, or perhaps if a totally new culture had been formed instead.

Overall, while I did have my problems with it, this book was actually really enjoyable, especially for a debut, and I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel. I would recommend this to others who would like a relatively fast-paced fantasy story with strong main characters, or something with some extra royal drama.

I received an early copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Title: Cast in Firelight
Author: Dana Swift
Release Date: 1.19.2021
Review Date: 3.10.2021

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.

OH MY GOSH! Where do I start with this book? I loved it from page one. The magic system, Great. The world-building, Amazing. The characters, Love them! This was just the perfect amount of angst and sass. There were so many lines and scenes in this that I adored. I will most definitely by obtaining a finished copy of this book for my shelf. Must have the sequel!