I would like to thank TBR and Beyond Tours, Netgalley & Dana Swift for providing me with a review copy for the promotional tour!

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book from the beginning and I was constantly wanting to read chapter after chapter! The chapter titles were witty which made diving into each of them much more enjoyable. I felt a bit stupid in the beginning when I was trying to memorize the Gods’ names so that I wouldn’t be confused throughout the story only to realize that it was just their powers written in reverse and I don’t know if it’s for the readers’ benefit so it would be easy to remember or just lazy writing 🙈

The story picked up immediately! Adraa and Jatin’s alternating POVs were easy to follow and I loved reading from both their perspectives! I wasn’t expecting so much tropes to be involved in their relationship alone since we had rivals-to-lovers, mistaken identities and arranged marriage but all of those worked so well together to make the friendship turned romance such a delight to read! I loved Adraa so much and most of the time I was cheering her on to stop selling herself short bc of the insecurities she had but every time she would showcase her skills, I was blown away by how much of a powerful witch she was! Also with Jatin, though he was an established wizard, I liked seeing him working on the parts of himself that still needed improvement and I felt that those scenes showed how human they are despite the positions they were destined to inherit.

I quite enjoyed the colorful magic system they had especially with the 9 types of powers corresponding to a certain color! It was such a smart way to keep readers invested in the magic despite being many.

As for the plot, it was quite fast paced! In the beginning as we see Adraa and Jatin’s first meeting then immediately fast forwarding to the future and seeing the both kingdoms in Adraa’s eyes was so captivating! I liked seeing the progress she had with her magic skills especially when we dove into the cage casting plot and to them getting in the bottom of the issue with the Vencrim and Bloodlurst. I loved that with this, we see more of the world and development between characters! Besides the main characters, I also love their relationships with their individual close friends and families! Though towards the end, it felt a bit lackluster. I was expecting a more explosive scene from when they unraveled the secret regarding their identities but it felt anticlimactic. More so when it was followed by insta-lovey scenes. Then there’s the whole bit with the Gods and the villain which felt rushed and not as intense as I wished so by the end of it, I was just glad it was over 🙈

Overall, this was a nice YA fantasy to get into and I highly recommend it to fans of that genre! I can’t say much about accuracy of the South Asian influence but I liked that there was diversity in the characters! With that said, I’m excited to read the next installment in the Wickery series!

Loved this story quite a bit, it was romantic, with two brashly competitive love interests. I loved the plot and I honestly can't wait to see what is going to happen in the next book. The magic system was fascinating and clever, and added a complex layer to the storyline. It was uncomplicated enough that I feel like readers can catch on well, but not so simple that it's really obvious. Definitely reccommend!

Cast in Firelight took a few chapters to suck me in, but by the time we get Jatin's perspective, I'm sold. It was chapter four when I was calling my mom to gush about my newest book boyfriend. Loyal, sweet, soul that he is.
Based off the description, I was expecting totally different than what I got, which I think made me appreciate the way the story unfolds even more. Not one, not two, but three mistaken identities? A would be love triangle condensed into a straight line? Powerful wholesome lovely characters? It was a great quick read.
I was easily lead by both characters and found myself excited to get both of their perspectives throughout the story, But Jatin with his wholesome heart was definitely my favorite character to live through.
Ultimately, I give this book a 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it. I even cried. I will definitely read the second one when it comes out. But, the story didn't divert me in the same way other books sometimes capture me.

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for the copy of this book!
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A fantastic YA fantasy that I was completely engrossed in. We have Adraa and Jatin, who have been betrothed since they were younger. Their union with combine both their kingdoms, which will make them strong. But they aren’t sure if they really want to marry each other. Adraa things Jatin is arrogant, and Jatin thinks Adraa believes herself to be too good for him. But when they join forces to route out evil in the kingdom, they start to learn a bit more about each other!
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I loved Adraa as the main character! She’s strong and funny and wants to do everything she can to make her kingdom better! She’s also a powerful witch and I really enjoyed reading about how she practices and uses her magic for good! There are lots of things happening in this book that make it interesting, and if you like YA fantasy, then you should definitely check this one out!
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CW: some violence, death of a loved one.

Cast in Firelight by Dana Swift stands out among the various fantasy titles floating around the YA shelves today. Swift's world is unique and imaginative, the relationship between Adraa and Jatin (both as themselves and as the false identities they take on with one another) is entertaining and certain to give readers all of the feels. Fans of enemies to lovers will love the dynamic between the two royals!

I really enjoyed reading this book! It was a fun, quick fantasy romance with great characters, a super interesting magic system, and so many great bits of Indian culture, from the food to the clothing. Anytime Adraa was talking about wearing a sari or a lengha, I was like ahhh! I have those (it makes me ridiculously happy every time I see anything Indian in a book because there were like no books with anything Indian in them when I was a teenager). The plot was interesting- I liked that Adraa had created the firelight and that she was selling it for pennies so that everyone had access to it. I love that she was a spy. It was a little weird to me that she was closer to her intended fiance's dad than she was to her own family and she would go to him for advice, but to each their own. I love that both her and Jatin were pretending to be someone else when they met each other and just kept going along with that. The pacing was great- I never felt bored or that things were moving too fast or slow. Overall, I was a big fan of everything about Cast in Firelight and I can't wait to read book two when it comes out!

Link to review to come on 1/18

I thought perhaps it would have a slow start like Shielded which shared the same sort of Fiancé element which I ended up really enjoying. But I think I wasn’t really okay with the lies between this set of ‘set-up’ lovers, I think perhaps because it felt like their reasonings were weak for how long the charade may have continued in the ‘I’m not so and so, I’m so and so, and you’re so-and-so.’ After a while it felt more like page filler than an actual plot point.

It was a decent read, I was disappointed because I thought it would be a bit more than that for me, but it wasn’t horrible, I wouldn’t say no to it, and I think it’ll really appeal to a lot of people.

If you like Shielded or The City of Veils, I think this would be worth adding to your TBR. Thanks so much to PRH International and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a truly delightful tale. More of a dislike to like than enemies to lovers, but still one of my favorite tropes.
The characters are relatable and likable. Their adventures together are action filled and exciting. This whole book had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
I found this to be a very easy read and a good “get out of a reading slump” book.

Looking forward to more from this world!

I received an advanced copy of Cast in Firelight as a host for TBR and Beyond Tours so that I could share my review with you!

Magic comes in nine forms, each represented by a different color and claimed by a different God or Goddess. Few people can control more than a few of the colors, but Adraa and Jatin can control eight and nine respectively. Adraa and Jatin are engaged to be married, but they haven’t seen each other in person since they were children. In those years apart, they developed a steady rivalry by constantly competing with each other’s achievements. Magic comes in nine forms, each represented by a different color and claimed by a different God or Goddess. Few people can control more than a few of the colors, but Adraa and Jatin can control eight and nine respectively. Adraa, the royal heir to Belwar, has created a revolutionary new use for red magic, her forte, but she feels as though even that is not enough to outmatch Jatin, who has skill in all nine types of magic. Jatin, for his part, isn’t sure what his homecoming will hold. After spending so many years away learning to master his magical crafts, does he really have any business becoming a ruler? Their first time meeting as adults approaches, along with countless challenges in their kingdoms. Without a doubt, this meeting of heirs will shake their kingdoms to their cores, but who will be left standing at the end of the day?

You can get your copy of Cast in Firelight on January 19th from Delacorte Press!

My favorite part of Cast in Firelight was the system of magic Dana Swift developed! The way that each of the colors of magic had a different capacity was extremely interesting to read about. I’m so excited for more information on the conclusion of this duology, because I can’t wait for the next book!

My Recommendation-
If you love the use of mistaken identities in stories, you should definitely check out Cast in Firelight! This book would be a good pick for those who enjoy well-developed systems of magic with fierce characters!

“Society tells us that as women we need a man to be something. We don’t.”

That quote alone should make you want to read this NOW, and I mean NOW.

I picked up Cast in Firelight mainly because of two things: I saw arranged marriage somewhere in the summary; and the cover is stunning.

Arranged marriage is one of my favorite literary tropes and of course I expected banter and snarky attitude but other than that I didn’t know what else to expect which made it more intriguing.

The magic system in Cast in Firelight is by far the most colorful I have ever encountered and I loved it! Every magic spell is equivalent to a color that made my mind whirl in the most vivid way. The story touched a lot of topics about stigma, stereotypes, culture, politics, unfair treatment towards women and other modern day issues - the story was so relatable it provided me a glimpse of what the author wanted her book to promote which was equality and fairness. And the tropes! Oh the tropes, I thought it stops at arranged marriage but no! Secret and mistaken identities, rivals to lovers, vigilantes, badass heroine - it’s a lovely collection of tropes with Asian-Indian cultural references.

Written in the POVs of Jatin and Adraa, where would I start? Just thinking of these two makes me giggle like an idiot. Jatin, the heir of Naupure, a wizard who mastered all nine colors of magic was competitive and arrogant in Adraa’s eyes. Adraa, the heir of Belwar, who was in constant judgement because she’s different from being a “normal” witch. These two are so adorable! Their little competition, the love letters, their lines were endearingly cheesy. The character development was spot on considering this is just the first book, they started as corny teenagers to characters making hard decisions and making sacrifices for the good of all.

The only thing that stopped me from giving this a solid five star rating was because one of the minor conflicts/the big secret (which was a constant topic for more than twenty chapters) was revealed and was resolved too quickly for my liking. I expected a bit more drama but that does not mean I did not like it because I did, I just wished it was longer. I also wished that the names of the Deities were a bit more creative and not just the elements spelled backwards.

I enjoyed reading cast in Firelight and would recommend this to anyone who loves a fun and colorful magic system, royalties, badass heroines and elemental magic. A solid debut hands down, Congratulations Dana Swift!

This was such a great read to start off the year! The characters, the romance, the tropes, the twists and turns, the magic system… all of it was just so much fun!

Cast in Firelight is told in dual 1st-person POV between Adraa and Jatin, two royal heirs who have been engaged since their youth. However, they haven’t seen one another since they were children, so their impressions of one another haven’t changed since one unfortunate incident. They’ve developed a long-distance rivalry over the years, and therefore neither of them is looking forward to marrying. Unbeknownst to them, they’re brought together in a case of mistaken identities to investigate the criminal underbelly of the city. As they find themselves falling deeper in love, they become caught up in a dark plot that’s more complicated than they could have ever imagined. The external conflict meshes perfectly with the internal conflicts surrounding Adraa’s and Jatin’s powers and duties, creating a compelling and high-stakes story. Their witty banter is endearing and funny without coming off as stilted, and the development of their romance is believable and so tension-filled that I couldn’t wait for them to finally be together!

While I can’t speak to the Indian/ South Asian inspiration fused into this book, I absolutely loved the complex, color-based magic system. It made the visuals for the world and even the battles extremely vivid and unique, while also adding an extra layer of awe to this already fantastical world. In addition, the usage of bright colors throughout the story made it feel more light-hearted than many YA fantasies of late. While the plot definitely had its dark moments, the romance combined with the rainbows of color throughout provided a much needed mood-boosting read during the difficult months of late.

Dana Swift packs a healthy number of plot elements into this book, and they are woven together so well that it was easy to keep them all in order. I found myself constantly wondering what would happen next! Not only did the rivals-to-lovers plus the arranged marriage plus the mistaken identities tropes make for a refreshing take, but this book also contained elements of vigilante/superhero justice, a complex system of gods and goddesses, family drama, underground cage fighting, a criminal drug ring, and a mystery factor surrounding the true villain. Lastly, this novel offers poignant commentary on equality and social justice, and it handles each of these aspects incredibly well.

With that said, I’m so excited for the second book! I hope it continues to play on the dynamic elements of book #1 while building on the well-established characters and world. Goodreads says this series will be a duology, but based on some of the comments it sounds like it might be a trilogy? Either way, I absolutely cannot wait!

Thank you to Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press and Dana Swift via Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

https://shelovestoreaad.wordpress.com/2021/01/08/cast-in-firelight-wickery-1-by-dana-swift/

https://shelovestoreaad.wordpress.com/2021/01/08/cast-in-firelight-wickery-1-by-dana-swift/
https://shelovestoreaad.wordpress.com/2021/01/08/cast-in-firelight-wickery-1-by-dana-swift/

Cast in Firelight takes us to the fantasy world of Wickery. In it, there's a fun and easy-to-understand magic system based on nine colors. Each is blessed by a particular god/dess in the pantheon. Witches and wizards have a forte in a particular type but can have abilities for any number of them, with the most powerful rulers accessing all nine.

Rani Adraa has been betrothed to Raja Jatin since childhood. Academic rivals, they write fake love letters to one another that appease their families but hide a secret tally as they try to one up each other with magic. Except for one brief (and disastrous) introduction as children, they haven't been around one another in person. So when they meet wearing false identities, it's the perfect opportunity for them to bond without their arranged marriage and battle for magical supremacy coming between them. The two team up to investigate a gang threatening Adraa's country, fighting undercover in magical underground cage fights (think LOK pro-bending but fewer rules) and running around as masked vigilantes.

I enjoyed the story's magic system and the growing affection between our two leads that doesn't rely on typical angsty ya tropes. When Jatin makes Adraa a potion for her period cramps, it is truly the epitome of romance and open communication (it's a low bar until you consider how rare this is in books). It's almost like this is a normal, non-embarrassing biological process *side-eyes society.* The plot is a bit predictable and I would've liked to know the characters in greater depth, but it is an enjoyable story and a credit to the genre.

***eArc provided by Delacorte Press & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

I'm a little biased. I met Dana Swift at a NaNoWriMo event in Los Angeles in 2019, by chance. The only seat open was next to her and we chatted a little bit between the rounds of sprinting. She was editing the second book in the series and was talking through a bit of this one, in terms of pitching it to our table. It sounded great and she was so incredibly nice and lovely, that I knew I needed to pick this book up as soon as I possibly could.

And here we are, over a year later, and this book was just as lovely and wonderful as Dana. I think she does an excellent job building the characters, their motivations, and their relationships with each other. The switching chapters POVs really works because, while it's something I deeply associate with the Romance genre, this book IS romance. There's intense, and super interesting, political stuff going on, sure. But at its core, it's a really well built romance with strong tropes of the genre. Not to mention that the magic system is BEYOND cool.

Obviously, the world building and magic takes a lot from South Asian and, specifically, Indian culture. I'd be remiss to not mention that this series is not #OwnVoices, but I think Dana's reason for why she wanted to write this story as she did (as stated in her Author's Note) makes sense. However, I'm of no authority to tell you to NOT take issue with it, if you do.

All that being said, I'm excited to read the sequel and learn what's next for Adraa and Jatin!

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Heirs to their respective kingdoms, Adraa Belwar and Jatin Naupure meet as children, and their parents plan for them to be married when they are older. Needless to say, that first meeting does not go well, and after years of intense rivalry from afar, it is time for them to come face-to-face once more, something neither of them are looking forward to. Adraa is now a powerful witch, weeks away from going through the royal ceremony test to prove her mastery over the nine colours of magic and officially being declared the heir. Jatin, no less competitive, has already been through his ceremony and is returning home after years of studying abroad. Through an interesting sequence of events, neither recognizes the other when their paths cross, and when criminal activity surfaces in Belwar, the two agree to team up, both going by secret identities in order to reveal the source of the corruption and the real threats to their homes.

To start with, the cover of this book is gorgeous and what drew me to it in the first place. The author has created an intricate and unique magic system that was so fascinating. Though a large part of the story involves magic in some form, I feel like this first book has only scratched the surface of possibilities and I’m looking forward to seeing how this is expanded upon going forward. The writing style was pretty good and flowed well, which made this a rather fast read.

Adraa and Jatin were great characters and their meeting as kids was hilarious. The secret identities trope never gets old and it’s so much fun, especially when you see both characters’ perspectives as in this book, and it allowed them to get to know each other outside of royal titles and duties. Their banter was quite amusing, and while there was perhaps a touch of insta-love perhaps, it wasn’t too bad. The storyline about the stolen firelight and drug running in Belwar was all right, but a side plot at best.

However, what didn’t work in this book in my opinion, was the world-building. The characters are quite diverse and I could identify the cultural influences, but they issue is that it wasn’t uniform across all characters we meet and not as well blended as it could have been. It’s a jarring effect similar to what modern vernacular in a historical novel would sound like. It’s important to note though, that this is not a #OwnVoices book, and I found this representation to be pretty good from that aspect. The plot of this book might have taken place anywhere as I never got a specific feel of any of the places mentioned. There was little to no detail given about the surroundings, landscape, or even any idea of how far apart these places are, since apparently you can fly from one kingdom to another in little over an hour? Basically, the world-building, apart from the magical aspects fell flat for me, which is a big disappointment in any fantasy novel.

That ending, although not exactly a cliffhanger, did leave me really curious to know what happens next and I can’t wait to read the next book! Overall, this was a solid read and an intriguing start to a new fantasy series. I would definitely recommend this book for fantasy fans.

I enjoyed this book so much! I loved the magic system, the two main characters were great as well. The plot wasn't wholly my thing, hence 4 stars.

I was so excited for this book, and so frustrated to see my hopes dashed.

Cast In Firelight's simplistic writing style borders on juvenile with zero nuance whatsoever; everything is spelled out so obviously to the point that it is frustrating to the reader. It very much reads like a debut novel, but geared towards a much younger audience than the young adult themes would suggest, which is disappointing. We aren’t allowed to discover anything on our own or draw our own conclusions. The book is one note. One of my favorite pieces of romance writing criticism that I’ve ever heard is that characters shouldn’t have to kiss or outright say that they are in love for the audience to know they are. This book doesn’t follow that advice at all.

The book also has a difficult time finding a proper balance between fantasy and romance. We are meant to care about the magical warfare and fantastical plot, but our protagonists spend so much time dwelling on the fact that their fingertips touched for a fraction of a second that they distract from the real reason why they’re working together. Like two young lovebirds so entranced with each other that they’re disregarding the world around them, only what’s going on around them is much more interesting and you just wish they would focus on anything but each other for a little while.

The slang terms invented for this universe seem especially juvenile and every instance of them took me out of the reading experience entirely. “Blood” is now a swear word in a world where the actual body substance is often present which is confusing (a section of the book where Adraa mentions details about being on her period to Jatin made me question this choice even more). And “rainbows” are a type of training/battle technique using the color-coded magical powers of this universe, but it sounds more like a children’s game or a codeword for something, which wouldn’t be far fetched in a fantasy universe that has fantastical magic-enhancing drugs.

It feels more like the romance is a game of: “How many cliches can we throw into one pairing? Anti-meet-cute? Check. Arranged marriage? Check. Mistaken identity? Check? Patching each other up after a fight? Check.” That last one particularly bothers me considering the protagonists have nearly equal strength magical healing powers, rendering this trope absolutely useless narratively and only serves to be a shipping moment that is unrewarding, but I digress. The mistaken identity shenanigans remind me of a certain beloved cartoon, only this book’s use of the trope is even more frustrating because there’s no real reason for them to be hiding information from each other other than the stubbornness of the protagonists to grow up and move on from an event that happened when they were children. We are supposed to believe these two are emotionally mature enough to become rulers of their lands and take down corrupt seedy underground criminals, but not get over an awkward situation from when they were nine years old?

I’ll be honest, I skimmed most of the action and fight scenes. I missed out on exactly zero plot by doing so, since the aftermath of each fight is so blatantly spelled out for the reader. The spoiler-filled chapter titles and final chapter, which reads like a plot synopsis you'd see on SparkNotes, tells you all you need to know anyway.

The thing that bothers me the most: There is a huge emphasis on the South Asian inspired culture, but the book is written by a white author, and this is clear in the clunky misguided inclusion of issues like colorism. Particularly, Adraa’s insistence that she is darker than every other woman she knows aside from her mother, yet is constantly seen as the most desirable and attractive person to every male character in the book comes off as a forced “Look, dark skinned girls can be pretty too!” narrative. As a dark-skinned girl, this message coming from a white author is preachy and performative at best, and downright harmful at worst (having the dark-skinned girl be sexually harassed, constantly ogled and objectified, and pursued by men old enough to be her father could come off as downright fetishization of dark skin tones. Not cool). The marketing of this book is also trying to draw in POC readers like myself, and I feel lied to. We aren’t a trend to slap on your book covers to get us to read. Diversify your books, yes, but do not use our skin tone as your only selling point.

This was such a surprise! I enjoyed this so much more than I was expecting to! I loved our main characters and I thought the pacing was on par! Everything just came together so nicely and I found myself unable to put this book down! Amazing read!

If you'd like to see my coverage for Frolic, you can check the link here: https://frolic.media/perfect-pairings-books-and-sam-smith-songs/

Thank you!

This is the kind of YA fantasy story I can get behind.

Cast in Firelight is a fun fantasy novel. The magic system is epic and the underground "casting" fight is awesome . I love how much depth there is to the characters and the world and how everything ties back to the magic system. There are layers that also give it a serious edge that makes the whole story that much more impactful.

In addition, the romance, while a little insta-y, is well balanced. There is good reason why Adraa and Jatin hide their identities and keep the truth hidden for so long. Not many books can pull that off, and Dana Swift does this in a fresh way. I'm definitely a sucker for a good rivals to lovers story, and this nails it.

Overall, I highly recommend this for fans of YA fantasy, especially those looking for a romance side plot.

I loved this book! It was such a colorful, sassy fantasy with an awesome magic system and two main characters each pretending to be someone they're not - which is always bound to blow up! I loved the South Asian influences, and the magic system was rainbow-themed and extremely well thought out. I especially liked the female main character, Aadra - she's plucky and smart and her adventures are just as epic as the cover suggests!! Highly recommend to all readers of fantasy. (Sidenote for librarians: for anyone who's keeping Sarah Maas books for older teens, this one is definitely safe for those just moving up from MG to YA!)