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ameserole's review
5.0
Slightly obsessed and not even sad about it.
Cast in Firelight was so damn easy to devour. I'm so glad that I own it and found time to just sit and focus on this beautiful thing. The characters were so easy to fall in love with and ugh, I just need more. I seriously can't wait for the next book and I'm hoping that I can get my hands on the next one soon.
In it, you will meet Adraa and Jatin. I'm not going to lie, they made think of the movie The Swan Princess for some reason. It's like when they were kids, they were like ew to one another. Then the whole competition on who was better at anything and every thing just made me think back to that movie even more. Once they were adults, yeah, still had that vibe. These two were most definitely Odette and Derek. Not going to lie - fight me.
Besides that trip down memory lane, this entire book was just magical and completely sucked me in. I loved each and every twist and slight betrayal that came my way. I also really enjoyed seeing Adraa and Jatin get closer to one another and develop some great chemistry and love as well. I'm not going to lie, these two have a lot to face in the next book and I'm here for it all.
In the end, I seriously need the next book STAT.
Cast in Firelight was so damn easy to devour. I'm so glad that I own it and found time to just sit and focus on this beautiful thing. The characters were so easy to fall in love with and ugh, I just need more. I seriously can't wait for the next book and I'm hoping that I can get my hands on the next one soon.
In it, you will meet Adraa and Jatin. I'm not going to lie, they made think of the movie The Swan Princess for some reason. It's like when they were kids, they were like ew to one another. Then the whole competition on who was better at anything and every thing just made me think back to that movie even more. Once they were adults, yeah, still had that vibe. These two were most definitely Odette and Derek. Not going to lie - fight me.
Besides that trip down memory lane, this entire book was just magical and completely sucked me in. I loved each and every twist and slight betrayal that came my way. I also really enjoyed seeing Adraa and Jatin get closer to one another and develop some great chemistry and love as well. I'm not going to lie, these two have a lot to face in the next book and I'm here for it all.
In the end, I seriously need the next book STAT.
booklover160's review against another edition
2.0
Oh man, I was so excited for this one too.
'Cast in Firelight' is an Indian myth-inspired 'rivals to lovers' with an arranged marriage with magic. Sounds awesome, right? It really fell short for me.
As a note; this is not an #OwnVoices and as someone who is not South Asian or a person of color, I cannot comment on if it was done properly or not. I recommend bookwormbullet's review found here.
So getting started, I didn't much care for any of the characters. Adraa and Jatin were bland and everyone else is woefully underdeveloped. Adraa and Jatin are portrayed at 'top of their class' smart yet can't put 2 and 2 together to figure out their real identities.
I have a huge issue with the fact that those two idiots didn't know who the other really was until 50% through for one and 80% through the WHOLE BOOK for the other. It started kinda cute but just kept going... How are they supposed to trust one another??? Oh, because they're just sooooo in love? For what was supposed to be a slow burn, it felt like an insta-love.
The plot is also frustratingly slow. And kinda confusing. There's a lot going on and a fair amount of what felt like misdirection. There was a whole plot point introduced then abandoned. It dragged a lot and the whole magic system... while interesting, I didn't care for it. It was complicated and the spells were... weird. Like the Gods' names are their powers backward... not exactly the most original idea. I think it could have been simplified, but it wasn't bad.
Anyway, I am intrigued by the slight cliffhangers this book ends off on. It's a nice ending that will lead nicely to a book two. But I'm not going to have super high hopes for it.
PS- It's petty I know, but the map design was so frustrating. Azure Palace is in Naupure... but Belwar is written on the map DIRECTLY BELOW IT. If it isn't in Belwar (it isn't), then add like lines that show the countries boundaries!!! I was so confused where we were!!!! AND Belwar's MAIN CITY DOESN'T HAVE A CITY ICON ON IT! I was like 'okay so this isn't a city anymore?' but no, it's the MAIN LOCATION OF THE NOVEL.
'Cast in Firelight' is an Indian myth-inspired 'rivals to lovers' with an arranged marriage with magic. Sounds awesome, right? It really fell short for me.
As a note; this is not an #OwnVoices and as someone who is not South Asian or a person of color, I cannot comment on if it was done properly or not. I recommend bookwormbullet's review found here.
So getting started, I didn't much care for any of the characters. Adraa and Jatin were bland and everyone else is woefully underdeveloped. Adraa and Jatin are portrayed at 'top of their class' smart yet can't put 2 and 2 together to figure out their real identities.
I have a huge issue with the fact that those two idiots didn't know who the other really was until 50% through for one and 80% through the WHOLE BOOK for the other. It started kinda cute but just kept going... How are they supposed to trust one another??? Oh, because they're just sooooo in love? For what was supposed to be a slow burn, it felt like an insta-love.
The plot is also frustratingly slow. And kinda confusing. There's a lot going on and a fair amount of what felt like misdirection. There was a whole plot point introduced then abandoned
Spoiler
the idea that it was actually Jatin's father rather than Moolek. It supported the idea also; he first thought it was Moolek, he sent Jatin after Adraa, and there's no evidence for ANYONE being behind the plot. I thought that would have made a waaaay better plot twist.Anyway, I am intrigued by the slight cliffhangers this book ends off on. It's a nice ending that will lead nicely to a book two. But I'm not going to have super high hopes for it.
PS- It's petty I know, but the map design was so frustrating. Azure Palace is in Naupure... but Belwar is written on the map DIRECTLY BELOW IT. If it isn't in Belwar (it isn't), then add like lines that show the countries boundaries!!! I was so confused where we were!!!! AND Belwar's MAIN CITY DOESN'T HAVE A CITY ICON ON IT! I was like 'okay so this isn't a city anymore?' but no, it's the MAIN LOCATION OF THE NOVEL.
hardtofthelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
dandelia's review against another edition
4.0
TW: Mentions of drugs and their abuse
This was so much fun!
- I didn't really have high expectations for this book so I was positively surprised at how much I enjoyed reading it. The writing style is very comfortable, the witty banter was executed almost perfectly and the action scenes were pretty good
- Adraa is our main girl and so, so cool! She is very loyal to her people as a princess but also anxious about her upcoming ceremony in which she has to perform all nine kinds of magic in the world of Wickery. Furthermore, she interrogates a crime ring in her home country and is very focused on finding out how to help her city and admirable in that way. It's very easy to like and root for her as well as Jatin, our sweet ice-boy☺️
Jatin is such a sweetheart. He spent 10 years of his life in an academy to train his abilities and the minute he meets his fiancée Adraa (although he thinks she is someone else for some time) he falls for her and its so cute. While Adraa is very pragmatic and not that romantic, Jatins thoughts are full with her and its beautiful. I do think the balance was off some times and Jatin as a character couldn't really develop but it was still nice to see how different Jatin and Adraa were
- The plot itself was okay, it wasn't very original I have to say and the magic system was interesting but not impressive in my opinion
*I can't say anything about the cultural aspects in this book since they are heavily inspired and based on Indian and South-Asian culture I don't belong to but I am glad the author did try to explain why she wrote the book this way in her author's note
This was so much fun!
- I didn't really have high expectations for this book so I was positively surprised at how much I enjoyed reading it. The writing style is very comfortable, the witty banter was executed almost perfectly and the action scenes were pretty good
- Adraa is our main girl and so, so cool! She is very loyal to her people as a princess but also anxious about her upcoming ceremony in which she has to perform all nine kinds of magic in the world of Wickery. Furthermore, she interrogates a crime ring in her home country and is very focused on finding out how to help her city and admirable in that way. It's very easy to like and root for her as well as Jatin, our sweet ice-boy☺️
Jatin is such a sweetheart. He spent 10 years of his life in an academy to train his abilities and the minute he meets his fiancée Adraa (although he thinks she is someone else for some time) he falls for her and its so cute. While Adraa is very pragmatic and not that romantic, Jatins thoughts are full with her and its beautiful. I do think the balance was off some times and Jatin as a character couldn't really develop but it was still nice to see how different Jatin and Adraa were
- The plot itself was okay, it wasn't very original I have to say and the magic system was interesting but not impressive in my opinion
*I can't say anything about the cultural aspects in this book since they are heavily inspired and based on Indian and South-Asian culture I don't belong to but I am glad the author did try to explain why she wrote the book this way in her author's note
sharknato's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookedoc's review against another edition
3.0
This was a decent read! I know the hidden identity plot point was a main theme of the book but I did get a little impatient about how much of the book it took up. I think that caused the ending to feel a little hurried and not as satisfying as I wanted for the progression of the relationship between the two MC’s. I would consider the book firmly in the younger end of the “young adult” genre as the romantic content/substitute profanity is very juvenile.
That being said: the magic elements of the book are unique (although a little convoluted at times) and it had enough action to be entertaining. We know this book has a romantic element from the synopsis on the cover, but it was nice that there was more substance to other elements of the book as well, such as the political intrigue and the role of Aadra as a spy. Overall, it was worth the read and I am looking forward to the conclusion in the second book!
That being said: the magic elements of the book are unique (although a little convoluted at times) and it had enough action to be entertaining. We know this book has a romantic element from the synopsis on the cover, but it was nice that there was more substance to other elements of the book as well, such as the political intrigue and the role of Aadra as a spy. Overall, it was worth the read and I am looking forward to the conclusion in the second book!
deazi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Ein toller Auftakt.
Spannende Geschichte, flüssig zu lesen und tolle Charaktere :)
Ich war super schnell Fan von Adraa und Jatin und habe sie gerne auf ihr Abenteuer begleitet.
Ich hatte mich auf Humor gefreut und die Liebesgeschichte, aber mit dieser spannenden und interessanten Handlung hatte ich nicht gerechnet.
Adraas Ermittlungen und wie sie und Jatin sich so kennen lernen (wenn sie auch nicht wissen, wer sie sind....) war richtig gut gemacht.
Sehr gut haben mir natürlich die wechselnden Sichten gefallen, denn so hatte ich das Gefühl, beide gut verstehen zu können.
Fazit: Ich werde es weiter empfehlen. Eine tolle Mischung und sowohl spannend, als auch gut zum weglesen :)
Spannende Geschichte, flüssig zu lesen und tolle Charaktere :)
Ich war super schnell Fan von Adraa und Jatin und habe sie gerne auf ihr Abenteuer begleitet.
Ich hatte mich auf Humor gefreut und die Liebesgeschichte, aber mit dieser spannenden und interessanten Handlung hatte ich nicht gerechnet.
Adraas Ermittlungen und wie sie und Jatin sich so kennen lernen (wenn sie auch nicht wissen, wer sie sind....) war richtig gut gemacht.
Sehr gut haben mir natürlich die wechselnden Sichten gefallen, denn so hatte ich das Gefühl, beide gut verstehen zu können.
Fazit: Ich werde es weiter empfehlen. Eine tolle Mischung und sowohl spannend, als auch gut zum weglesen :)
rachelbookdragon's review
5.0
Holy moly, it’s been a long time since I’ve stayed up long past my bedtime to finish a book, squealed at the romance finally playing out, and tore through an ebook at this rate. This book has great humor, witty banter, and a romantic duo to fall in love with, plus a fun mistaken identity concept I haven’t encountered as a reader yet.
I cannot tell you how many moments I highlighted, cute romantic moments, humor that made me laugh out loud, and just great lines that get you thinking. As a reader, this book was just such fun and I’m so glad I finally picked it up, and have the privilege to gush about it to the author.
The hero of the story are the duel leads and the characters overall. Seeing their world through their eyes, getting drawn into the underbelly of Belwar society, and the mystery therein, it isn’t a fantasy world that doesn’t have all to familiar flaws, magnified from our world. But each character stands out, and is memorable, especially Adraa and Jatin. I just love them together and I love how they got to know each other as adults, and the reveals were so fun. I cannot wait to launch into book 2, and see where this plot is going. I cannot recommend this book enough. Not only is the author an absolutely wonderful person and so deserving of a devoted readership, but I fell in love with this story. This shot onto my favorite books of the year shortlist.
I cannot tell you how many moments I highlighted, cute romantic moments, humor that made me laugh out loud, and just great lines that get you thinking. As a reader, this book was just such fun and I’m so glad I finally picked it up, and have the privilege to gush about it to the author.
The hero of the story are the duel leads and the characters overall. Seeing their world through their eyes, getting drawn into the underbelly of Belwar society, and the mystery therein, it isn’t a fantasy world that doesn’t have all to familiar flaws, magnified from our world. But each character stands out, and is memorable, especially Adraa and Jatin. I just love them together and I love how they got to know each other as adults, and the reveals were so fun. I cannot wait to launch into book 2, and see where this plot is going. I cannot recommend this book enough. Not only is the author an absolutely wonderful person and so deserving of a devoted readership, but I fell in love with this story. This shot onto my favorite books of the year shortlist.
meetmeatnight's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
So spannend, dass ich es nicht aus der Hand legen konnte!
artisanreader's review
5.0
Cast in Firelight was one of the most beautifully written novels I've read! Sentences were strewn together as a poem creating a world of imagery for the reader, "Fear clouds. Anxiety swirls. Anger bites." Like, how freaking beautiful is that collection of words?!
Not only does the writing keep you engaged, but this novel looks at women, equality, and society with a breath of fresh air.
I mean how many books have you read that outwardly talks about female menstruation as something not to fear or be grossed out at? "They mostly scream permutations of bloody, red, and bitch, switching up the words based on variation and good old-fashioned passion. Overall, it seems that I can be described as a menstrual cycle."
Or a book that actually shows intense emotion from a guy and outwardly expresses their feelings? "I almost comment on how bossy she is, but stop when I realize it's leadership, natural bloody leadership."
I just can't believe how wonderful this book made me feel, and it deserves all the credit!
5/5 stars because I felt so giddy the entire book and loved everything about this world. I can't wait until book 2 comes out!! Also, I love Adraa and I need a Jatin in my life hella bad!
Not only does the writing keep you engaged, but this novel looks at women, equality, and society with a breath of fresh air.
I mean how many books have you read that outwardly talks about female menstruation as something not to fear or be grossed out at? "They mostly scream permutations of bloody, red, and bitch, switching up the words based on variation and good old-fashioned passion. Overall, it seems that I can be described as a menstrual cycle."
Or a book that actually shows intense emotion from a guy and outwardly expresses their feelings? "I almost comment on how bossy she is, but stop when I realize it's leadership, natural bloody leadership."
I just can't believe how wonderful this book made me feel, and it deserves all the credit!
5/5 stars because I felt so giddy the entire book and loved everything about this world. I can't wait until book 2 comes out!! Also, I love Adraa and I need a Jatin in my life hella bad!