Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jbrooxd 's review for:
Bound by Firelight
by Dana Swift
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
4.5 stars - I loved it! Would re-read.
While this has the same characters as CAST IN FIRELIGHT, 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.
4.5 stars - I loved it! Would re-read.
While this has the same characters as CAST IN FIRELIGHT, 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.