An amazing ending to a beautiful duology. I loved this enemies to lovers tale with an amazing couple that loves to banter. What more could you ask for? The world building and story line were well written and kept me going the entire time. I couldn’t put this story down!

As the title of this review suggests, Bound By Firelight lacked a lot of the character and spark that defined the first book with it’s rich storytelling, exciting character relationships and gorgeous, gorgeous wordbuilding. However, despite all of this, I still rather enjoyed reading it and seeing Adraa and Jatin’s relationship grow.

Bound by Firelight: Lacklustre but Still Charming
Bound by Firelight picks up right in the aftermath of Adraa’s impossible feat with her beloved country turning against her and accusing her of treason. And although she pleads her innocence, her explanations falls on deaf ears. As a punishment for her supposed crimes, Adraa is sent to the Dome, a maximum security facility, to live out the rest of her many, many days in shame. However, at the Dome, Adraa discovers that there is so much more she doesn’t know about the seedy underbelly of the justice system and Belwar. Jatin, on the other hand, rallies together Adraa’s staunchest supporters and begins plotting to break her out of the Dome. All the while, something truly sinister brews in the background and nothing is a coincidence.

While Bound by Firelight was just as enjoyable as it’s predecessor, it read to me more like your typical YA book and didn’t seem to quite know what areas of the genre and the tropes it wanted to demonstrate. Because of this, it reads rather shallowly, flitting lightly from plot to plot (accompanied by the dual perspectives) and had a large disconnect until both plots meet in the climax. Although the plot reveal was fun, it didn’t quite leave the impression I think it was going for.

For example, in Adraa’s plot, she is the tortured heroine trope, thrown into a dungeon and made to experience violence and at the same time, learn more about her powers and gather new allies in the process. While, in Jatin’s plot, it reads very much like a heist, albeit a rather loosely thrown together one that although didn’t feel poorly planned, lacked a lot of detailing that made the heist genre so popular. As both of these storylines are rather disconnected from each other, it didn’t feel quite so satisfying when the two plots finally came together. Furthermore, the characters all felt like puzzle pieces, being moved around on a plot chessboard rather than organically flowing into their actions and thoughts. Of course, this does tie into the big reveal but from a writing standpoint, I don’t believe that is what Swift had intended, knowing that Cast in Firelight was such a strong debut. And while Cast in Firelight felt more whimsical and rich in tone and leaned on humour despite the serious plot to make the characters more lively, it didn’t carry over to Bound in Firelight, lending further to the disjointedness I felt while reading. It didn’t feel like the book belonged in the same universe.

Bound by Firelight also introduces a couple of new characters:

Harimi; a fellow prisoner Adraa meets who teaches her new dimensions of her powers
Fiza; Jatin’s ex-classmate who joins their crew in breaking Adraa out of the Dome
I name these two because they actually contribute to the overall plot despite their individual characters being rather one-dimensional. We learn little to nothing about Harimi despite Adraa spending almost all of her time with her cellmate whilst at the Dome. Fiza, on the other hand, is painted as a jilted lover who carries on a one-sided crush and attraction to Jatin and her character doesn’t develop further than that. There are also a couple of characters introduced or expanded upon but they played little to no role in the overall story and felt more like window dressing for the heist plot because the trope requires a cast of characters.

Even the climax felt half-hearted as a majority of the plot focused on Adraa’s time in the Dome and Jatin’s heist planning and subsequent rescue. We barely learn about the details of how the rest of the story puts the details of the climax together; it felt very much like telling rather than showing albeit entertaining. And because the plot seems to fall into almost like a bottle episode on a television series, there is not much new that we are introduced to the world of Wickery.

And, perhaps the thing that frustrated me the most with Bound in Firelight is just how little of South Asian culture it incorporates, instead focusing on the plot and character development. This was a huge selling point for me with Cast in Firelight especially as Dana Swift mentions she wrote this series for her children to be able to have some representation of themselves (based on photos I’ve seen, Swift is married to a presumably South Asian person) inn books. But, it was completely ignored here except for some throwaway mention here and there of culture and skintone which to be honest, felt a little bit offensive considering this was a series that didn’t play heavily into colourism.

However, despite the numerous shortcomings of Bound in Firelight compared to its predecessor, it still was a charming and easy read. I loved how simple, warm and loving Adraa and Jatin’s relationship is compared to the angsty kind of relationship so favoured by YA books these days and I loved seeing Adraa learn new ways to use her powers in her determination to clear her name and save her country.

To sum it all up, Bound in Firelight is not a bad book; it’s actually quite nice and enjoyable. But I enjoyed Cast in Firelight so much that I couldn’t stop comparing the two. I truly hoped that the Wickery series would provide some variety in the YA fantasy genre but alas, it fell back into old and tired tropes and rushed storytelling. Everything felt too fast and lacked a lot of the details that makes storytelling rich. And considering that Cast in Firelight was only released about a year ago, it just seems to me that the entire book was rushed in order to make it for a 2022 release and instead became a run of the mill YA book.

Bound by Firelight picks up shortly after the end of Cast in Firelight where we see our main characters fighting not only for justice for themselves but for their respective countries.

I enjoyed the magical system and the focus on detail as the author wove a magical world that immerses readers. I adored the Asian influence and how the cultural practices were incorporated.

The sub-characters added depth to the novel which I enjoyed but I wished the main characters had more scenes within the novel. There was decent character development and a riveting plotline but I felt certain scenes could have been trimmed and less focus should have been given to clearing her name and more on the subplot of the villain's grand plans. Lots of things felt slightly unclear and the ending was definitely rushed.

The winner for me is definitely Jatin and Adraas emotional connection and relationship. Their scenes though few and far really endeared me to them.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Please pardon me while I run around screaming my feelings for a minute.


Okay so I’m not done screaming yet and likely won’t be for awhile yet to come but I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m not going to figure out a professional way to review this in the near future so instead I’m going to settle for passionate and try to avoid spoilers. For those of you just tuning in, I had also been fortunate enough to be approved for an arc of the first book, cast in Firelight and quickly became obsessed. I absolutely loved the first book.Full stop adored. .That being said, anytime I have feelings that strongly, I get nervous about reading sequels because there's the question of expectations and whether the author can deliver upon the promise of the first book or wrap up anything that was introduced in the first installment. Since I have been disappointed so bitterly before, sometimes it means I take my time before reading the next installment. Circumstances conspired to not only get me on a book tour for round by firelight but also to have the opportunity to connect with the author herself at a book event for BBF, both of these or more than incentive enough to find off of my expectation pile and get over my nerves and just read the ding ding thing already. Boy howdy, I'm so glad I finally did. This book y'all, this author! This story! These characters! I have feels and they are a plenty! Basically when I was reading it I read it in nearly one go and sort of in the middle of the night or at least I finished it at 3:00 in the morning and there was lots of yelling and shouting from me as I experienced the joy and drama that is this book. I'm trying extremely hard to not spoil anything but this was one of those cases where based on the synopsis I thought I had an idea of where this book was going, reader, I did not. That is a very good thing. Dana's ideas were much better than mine were. I suppose that's only fitting as she created the whole thing in the first place but I was very pleasantly surprised and just very blown away by the whole new scope she brought to this world with this book. On top of getting to know some of the characters from the first book better, we met new friends and enemies. And even a couple morally ambiguous ladies who basically have my heart. They're extremely morally gray and I love them very much and there's one in particular I'm just going to run away with and nobody can stop me. The struggle I am having to try to really talk about how I felt about this book without giving anything away is real y'all. So I'm just going to conclude with the list of top 5 reasons to read this book that I made for the book tour I was on.

Top 5 Reasons to Read Bound By Firelight:
1. A romance that's grounded in trust and mutual admiration and respect and badassery without any contrived breakups for drama's sake.
2. The world of Wickery has such a fun color-based magic system that is complex and even more fleshed out in this sequel and is just a dream.
3. So many dynamic ladies that get to be strong and lovely and feminine in different ways without expecting or looking down on the others for not embracing femininity the way they do. I love all the ladies in this book and there are so many fascinating ones here.
4. One new character here Harini was born without the ability to speak and she is one of the strongest and fiercest characters and in fact, a good deal of the book wouldn't be possible without her and her strength. I loved her so much.
5. Bound by firelight is a satisfying, contained conclusion to a magnificent duology. I would always love more of all of these characters but I was very happy with where we ended and I couldn't believe how she pulled it off given all the complex threads.

Bonus- Your honor, I love it very much.

Okay, I’ll wrap up and also say, read these books y'all! If you haven't read Cast in Firelight, hello, I don't know what you're doing here in particular but you should head back to the first book and give that a good solid read. Really get those words in your eyeballs and your heart and maybe you'll understand why I'm such a spaz trying to write this. And then go ahead, do yourself a very great solid and read Bound by Firelight.
Duologies are extremely difficult to pull off and Dana did such a good job and I'm just going to follow her wherever she takes her pin and whatever stories she wants to craft next. So keep an eye out for Dana in the future and I will be right there with bells on and probably doing some more yelling. Thank you very much for sticking with me while I try to put my feels into words. I just love these books and these characters so dang much and I don't want to spoil the experience for anyone by talking too much but I just want to say the romance y'all, the romance! Okay I'm just going to go yell some more. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk. Tip your waitress. Buy these books!!!!!!!!!

This was a great follow up to Cast in Firelight. It was adventure packed as the first book was and it was so good to see our favorite characters again. I thought the story was well-paced and fun. The only criticism I have about this one is that I wanted more romance. The first book was packed with a nice slow burn romance and I wanted more of that in this one.

After reading Cast in Firelight, I fell in love with the world and characters and could not wait to read more about them. And boy did this book start off with a bang!

I devoured the first 20 chapters or so! We were given twists, turns, and action at almost every corner. However, after that the book started to drag a bit. Thankfully, the drag didn't last till the end and the story finished off strong.

The end brought tears to my eyes! It was a sweet and emotional ending that also left room for more. It wasn't a cliffhanger by any means, but I wouldn't be mad if Dana wrote another book LOL

Overall, this world is colorful and fun. The book is filled with amazing characters that you can't help but fall for. Even the classic good guy Jatin, that typically isn't my type lolol

Thank you so much to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of Bound by Firelight! This is the second book in The Wickery series and I read book one (Cast in Firelight) last year and I loved it, so I was super excited to read this one. Bound in Firelight came out on January 18, so make sure y'all go out and grab it now!
Bound in Firelight 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads:
After a magical eruption devastates the kingdom of Belwar, royal heir Adraa is falsely accused of masterminding the destruction and forced to stand trial in front of her people, who see her as a monster. Adraa's punishment? Imprisonment in the Dome, an impenetrable, magic-infused fortress filled with Belwar’s nastiest criminals—many of whom Adraa put there herself. And they want her to pay.
Jatin, the royal heir to Naupure, has been Adraa’s betrothed, nemesis, and fellow masked vigilante... but now he’s just a boy waiting to ask her the biggest question of their lives. First, though, he’s going to have to do the impossible: break Adraa out of the Dome. And he won’t be able to do it without help from the unlikeliest of sources—a girl from his past with a secret that could put them all at risk.
Time is running out, and the horrors Adraa faces in the Dome are second only to the plot to destabilize and destroy their kingdoms. But Adraa and Jatin have saved the world once already... Now, can they save themselves?
The heart-pounding sequel to Cast in Firelight, perfect for fans of epic, sweepingly romantic fantasy by Sabaa Tahir, Susan Dennard, and Mary E. Pearson.
First off, let's talk about how beautiful this cover is! I love all of the colors and Adraa and Jatin look so good. Speaking of Adraa and Jatin, I was so excited to get back into their world. I really liked them in book one, so seeing them again in book two and getting a nice dual point of view where the two of them were doing very different things was so great. I really, really liked where the story took us and how much got wrapped up while still leaving enough open in case there is a third book (and in terms of a third book, I heard a rumor that if books one and two do well enough, Dana Swift is going to be able to write book three, so let's make sure that books one and two do really well). There was a twist at the end of the book that I definitely didn't see coming and I thought that Dana swift did that so incredibly well! I also really liked that we got to know some of the side characters from book one better and we got to know some new characters and some of the other kingdoms better too. I love getting to know this world. Overall, Bound by Firelight was a fun read with the perfect amount of fantasy and great camaraderie between characters! Definitely go out and grab it today!

Bound by Firelight, sequel to Cast in Firelight, by Dana Swift is a swoon-worthy, heart-pounding fantasy romance. The sequel starts right after the end of the first book. Adraa has saved her kingdom from total disaster, but the city is still damaged, people have died, and everyone blames Adraa. Somehow, Mulek has turned the people of Belwar against Adraa, blaming her invention of firelight, and sewing seeds of doubt, all to make the people believe that Adraa intentionally tried to set of the mountain eruption.
When the trial comes, her loved ones believe that truth will prevail, but a strange magic causes everyone to hear a confession straight from Adraa herself. She is sent to the kingdom's notorious prison, where she'll have to face old foes while trying to simply survive.
Jatin doesn't accept Adraa's fate and is determines to set her free, as well as clear her name. While the two fight their own battles from different sides, their love and the kingdoms will be tested as the enemy further enacts his plot. Both Adraa and Jatin will have to turn to help from unexpected places as they seek to be reunited, a task that seems more and more impossible as time goes on.
This story had be inhaling every page. The action, the intrigue, the magic--all of it was amazing. This royal romance adventure is spellbinding, and well worth the read. Read these books as soon as possible!

"I’ve never been powerless. And I certainly have never been voiceless. Until now..."
*
Following on from the events of Cast in Firelight, we see Adraa being wrongly accused and put on trial by her people for an explosion that left Belwar devastated. The verdict leaves Adraa sentenced to life imprisonment in the Dome, an impenetrable magic-infused fortress. Jatin, her betrothed, will stop at nothing to rescue Adraa from her captivity and prove her innocence to the people of Belwar. But not everything is as it seems - dark forces are pulling the strings and there is a bigger threat at play. Will Adraa and Jatin figure it out in time to save their countries and the people they love?
*
"Bad people are always trying to corrupt good things..."
*
I loved this series completely and I'm so sad to be leaving Wickery! I'd jump at the chance to read more about Adraa and Jatin. This duology was perfect - it had action, cute romance and lots of empowering moments, magic and self-esteem wise. We got to see the introduction of some new characters, like Harini and Fiza, two very strong witches in their own right. The plot twists were fantastic and there was one I did not see coming so the shock factor was high! I know the plot needed the main characters to be separated but I felt the dual POV helped see both sides of the story until they found their way back to each other. I loved Adraa and Jatin's reunion! As well as that ending - it tied it all up with little hints about what their futures hold. I for one would love a return to Wickery someday...
I was lucky to win an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, Delacorte Press and NetGalley. I also preordered my own hardcopy because that cover is so gorgeous and it needed to be on my shelf!
*
"Grief never really disappears, just changes, becomes manageable..."

4.5 stars!

I really, really liked this one after being left a little bit wanting after the first book. I feel like the world got a lot less fluffy. It was darker and a lot more action-packed. There were some quite shocking moments and a twist at the end that I didn't see coming! Adraa and Jatin both got so much stronger as characters and I loved them even more than in book 1. The world was so much more established, the magic well explained and the characters really well developed. I can't wait to see what Dana comes up with next!

I AM STILL CRYING OVER THIS BOOK AND I FINISHED IT TEN MINUTES AGO. I am so emotionally invested for these characters. JATIN is so underrated and he is the ultimate simp baby for Adraa. “So you don’t forget I’ll always be your other arm.” 😭💗 I LOVE HIS CHARACTER so much.

Let me start a new line for Adraa, because she deserves it. Adraa needs to be compared to Aelin from TOG, I would love for them to meet and discover each other. “You did not make me stronger . This trauma did not make me stronger. I was already strong.” THE WAY THAT I SCREAMED AT MY BOOK AND RE READ THIS SENTENCE AND APPLIED IT TO MY OWN LIFE. Adraa is PHENOMENAL. Her diligence, loyalty, and grace that she has consistently throughout the book overwhelms me.

Dana Swift has also incorporated SIGN LANGUAGE. WHO DOES THAT!? IN A BOOK!? I CRIED. Thank you for encouraging that aspect into a book. Thank you for this amazing journey,

This book is an incredible 5 STAR reads for me. I am in love with the characters, grateful for my chuckles while reading, and embarrassed about me shouting at my book at 5 am because of this story.

Keep in mind this is a sequel and needs to be read in order for anything to make sense (there is really no rehashing the story, we just jump right in). Bound by Firelight picks up a few months after the events from the previous book, with Adraa being hated for her actions that led to the death of many of her people, even though the actions are not her fault. This was a very busy complicated plot, with both the main characters involved in their own issues and battles, it was interesting to see how everything would come together.

I liked the story overall for the most part, but I will admit that I missed the banter and flirting between the two main characters (which was my favorite part of the first book) since they spent 75% of the book apart. Also, while this was action packed, it was a different kind of action then the first book and I missed the cool over the top fighting/ cage battles that dominated the pages in the first book.

This was a very solid sequel and wrapped the world and issue up pretty nicely (the romance has more hiccups thrown in the way but the overall world has a solid ending). I think that this is a duology only and the main issues were resolved but there is enough hinted at that there could be another book or even a spin off with a certain misunderstood girl. Either way this was a really enjoyable series that I highly recommend to anyone who likes books with romance, magic, big reveals, angst and heartbreak and where the girl saves herself.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Dana Swift for the opportunity to read Bound by Firelight in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second novel in the Wickery duology, preceded by Cast in Firelight, and picks up nearly right where the first novel left off.

After saving Belwar from a rigged volcanic eruption, Adraa is accused of being the cause of the eruption, as well as the deaths of 129 people. During her trial, a truth spell is cast, but it seems her trial is manipulated, as she says the very untruth that everyone else percieves as the truth. Instead of the Belwarian death sentence for such a crime, she is sent to an isolated prison where a spell is used to silence prisoners so they cannot cast magic. But Adraa soon learns from her cellmate that one does not need a voice to use their forte.

Meanwhile, Jatin knows he must help Adraa escape the prison, despite her telling him not to. He's not the only one eager to get Adraa out and clear her name. Her sister and her guard, as well as her best friend and Jatin's guard all team up to help in Adraa's escape plan. What Jatin doesn't expect is the involvement of a girl from school, the Lady of Agsa, who also happens to seek Jatin's hand in marriage. But Jatin only has eyes for one, and he is set on saving her.

In the prison, the girls are set up as brawlers, similar to the underground forte fighting, though without their fortes to help them. Through these fights, Adraa learns something more sinister must be at work in the prison. Why else would she be set up to go there instead of the death sentence? Hopefully she can make her way out or have Jatin save her before everything goes up in flames!

When I first started this novel, it didn't quite have the same feel as the first one. I liked the aspect of the first book in which Jatin and Adraa were getting to know each other, but their identities were also hidden. There was an aspect of old rivalry and friendship regarding their frist meeting and continual letters. This book takes their relationship further and develops the idea of how far they would go for each other. I like the new relationship feel more, but once I got into this novel, I found there was really a lot to the plot and its progression. Certain aspects did seem to take a while, but one of my favorite elements was the characters learning to tap into their forte without the use of voice. I also liked some of the new characters that were added in; not too many, just right, and they were developed well. I also like that the supporting characetrs from the first novel get their chance to be a part of the action and are likewise developed further in a great way that doesn't have the need to dig too deep.

I find that duologies are becoming more and more common, and I likewise find I enjoy reading duologies more than trilogies or series with even more books. I think a two-book series might just be the new magic number! The two in this series felt like each book had its own main agenda, but also had a conclusive wrap-up that felt wholesome  and well-attained. A well-worthwhile series for any young adult fantasy romance fan.

I'm so annoyed with myself for waiting so long to read this ARC, but I kept pushing it to the bottom of my list. Bound by Firelight is such a good sequel. It had been so long since I read the first one I definitely needed to go back for a refresher, but overall this book filled in a lot of the gaps for me. I loved the way this books moves the overarching plot forward and the world building here is just so beautiful and expansive.

If you haven't checked out book one you need to get on that asap.

Initial Thoughts
Cast in Firelight was one of my favorite reads of 2020 and I'm so glad I got to read the sequel in NetGalley early.

Some Things I Liked
Multiple POVs. I pretty much always like multiple POVs but I especially like it when the main characters are not together for scenes. The way this book is narrated, I feel like the different POVs made the story so much larger because we got to see more going on at the same time. Also, Jatin and Adraa are so different from each other that their thoughts made the narration that much more fun.
Less romance, more action. I loved the romance in the first book but I liked that this part of the story focused more on rebuilding trust with their people and establishing themselves as the leaders their countries needed. I also liked that Jatin and Adraa were separated for a good chunk of the story and we got to see them make new friends and we got to dive deeper into the world of The Wickery.

Series Value
I'd love to see more books set in this world. The found family vibes are strong in this series and there are plenty of characters that I'd love to read more about. Furthermore, there's still tons to do in this world. I'd love to revisit it.

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. It didn't top the first book but it was just as fun and interesting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bound by Firelight is the last book in the duology. I will be honest and say that I was not a big of the first book and was hoping that this one would redeem what was lacking in the first but alas it was not to be. I still found Adraa to not be the heroine that liked and when most of the book had the two MC's not together it left me frustrated.

Bound by Firelight captivates you from the beginning with it's detailed world building, likable and witty characters, intrigue and romance. Filled with action,magic and budding romance wrapped in political strife that sends our MC to a daunting place and leaves her love interest with the task of rescuing her before the place brings about her destruction and that of their kingdoms. I was entranced to the very end of the story! A great continuation from Cast in Firelight and an excellent fatantasy adventure from the author!

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I read a finished copy of this book which I purchased myself.*

I truly loved Cast in Firelight. It was such an unexpected and brilliant book. The sequel didn't live up to its predecessor. It was still good, just not great.

Most dual POV books have one POV that you love and one that you suffer through. WIth Adraa and Jatin, I equally adored both narrations. They are both wonderful protagonists.

My main criticism is that 75% of the book is Jatin & co trying to break Adraa out of jail. After the way the first book ended, it seemed odd that no one was focusing on their enemy and that they were letting everything else slide. After finishing the book, I understand better why the author made that choice, but still don't love it.

This is a duology, but with the way the book ends (spoiler) preparing for war and a postponed wedding (end spoiler) I wish it had been a trilogy.

4.5 stars - I loved it! Would re-read.

While this has the same characters as the first book, the stories are very different. The first book is all about secrets and hidden identities and the changing feelings between Adraa and Jatin. This is about survival and love and family. And with one exception, I loved this even more than I did book one. In fact, having recently read both, I would more likely re-read this one than the first one.

Except... Jatin's story was pretty disappointing here. Every Adraa chapter was engaging and exciting, and they had me frantically turning pages. She has this great identity storyline along with real risk and danger. Jatin's chapters didn't have any of that spark. The addition of Fiza worked in only the smallest ways for me; mostly she was an annoyance. I wish Jatin had been given something equally meaty to do while Adraa goes through her trials.

If this hadn't been written in dual perspectives, I would have been okay with the focus mostly being on Adraa's story - it's spectacular! And I would have understood the Jatin-focused chapters to be a means to draw out the tension. But when the chapters are told from his perspective, I found myself wanting more for him and for his story.

Overall, this duology is brilliant. I loved the characters and the world building and this twisty story was even better than book one. There are a few pieces left unresolved, so maybe there are plans to draw this out into a trilogy? If so, I will definitely show up for another story because I really enjoyed this. But I hope Jatin gets an equally strong story next time around.

3 STARS

Stopping a volcanic eruption was hard enough. Putting the country back together might be even harder.

After everything Adraa and Jatin have done to protect the nation of Belwar, distrust still runs rampant. Adraa is accused of causing the eruption, rather than mitigating its worst effects, and despite her best efforts, she is sentenced to imprisonment in the Dome. Some of Belwar's worst criminals await her, criminals she put there, and still, there are greater things to fear inside the infamous prison.

Meanwhile, Jatin grapples with the sudden weight of responsibility, not only in Adraa's absence, but during his father's sudden decline in health. Desperate to free Adraa from the Dome, but stumbling through protecting his people, he doesn't know how long he has until instability rips through all of Wickery, tearing everything apart.

Time is running out, powerful players have at last entered the field, and it will take everything Adraa and Jatin have to survive the dangers to come.


Jatin is a boy in love, and I have a soft spot for him.

Maybe it's because I prefer a soft but capable love interest. Or, maybe it's because his best friend lovingly ribs him about his romantic goofs, and Adraa loves him back all the same. Mix in his deep-rooted loyalty and just enough caution to keep him from plunging head-first into everything, and you have a character I really like!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Adraa too. Her stubborn determination and her dedication to making Belwar a better place for the people who live there is excellent. But at the end of the day, Jatin is just a little less put together, with his heart stumbling around on his sleeve, and it delights me endlessly.

It also makes the relationships between characters, romantic or not, more interesting! They get to tease one another about their flaws, but Jatin's openness also means that he and the supporting cast dodge a lot of the common miscommunication tropes, and they make a stronger team for it.

I do love a team built on trust, folks. I'm predictable like that.


Bound by Firelight, though, lacks some of the punch and power that Cast in Firelight first offered.

Sequels are hard. Second books are also hard. Unfortunately, I think both things affected Bound by Firelight for the worse.

Normally, breaking into a secure prison and righting past wrongs would be fascinating to me. Those are plot elements I'm extremely fond of in many forms! But they come at the cost of a lack of the vigilante action that made Cast in Firelight so tense and interesting, and they also introduce so many new players that don't quite get time enough to shine.

Harini, for instance, becomes one of Adraa's only allies in the Dome, but ultimately, I feel that she was gently sidelined so that Adraa could be the unequivocal star. Their tenuous but powerful partnership took second place as the story came to a close, and it felt like a bit of a letdown, considering how important that partnership was shaping up to me.

One of Jatin's new allies suffers a similar fate, and while the character in question gets a moment of heroism that proves where certain loyalties lie, they're ultimately inserted into the story quite suddenly, and placed back on the sidelines with equal speed.

And all that is to say nothing of the reveals along the way. For a story that confronts a major plot to destabilize nations, that promises to at least deal with the man orchestrating so many problems from the shadows, it falls somewhat flat in the final deliveries. I found myself frustrated by one reveal, which felt weak in that there hadn't been much evidence to support it along the way (and I mean this even in terms of veiled evidence; I love mysteries and all their little clues, so I genuinely felt like this subplot mystery was lacking in structural support).

And the final showdown? Dramatic, certainly, but also a whirlwind that didn't land with the impact I would have hoped for. It's the conclusion to a duology that grapples with power and leadership and whatnot, and it ended in a way that felt given rather than earned.


Overall, I think I preferred the first book to the second.

It's a shame to say, especially when the second book is also the last. But for all its exciting elements and outstanding use of character voice, Bound by Firelight didn't stand nearly as strong in the plot department for me. I feel as though things should have escalated a little more firmly, as though too much time was spent wandering around the heart of it all.

That said, I would be interested to see what Dana Swift writes next. She has a clear voice for each character and a knack for characterization, especially in those vital interpersonal moments. Those are the real stars of her work. Hopefully, her future work will become stronger in regards to plot and delivery.


CW: violence, loss of a loved one, drug use, addiction, torture

[This review will go live on Hail & Well Read at 3:30pm EST on 1/28/22.]