Title: Cast in Firelight
Series: WICKERY, #1
Author:  Dana Swift
Published Date: January 2021

GOODREADS SUMMARY

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.

The first book in an epic, heart-pounding fantasy duology about two royal heirs betrothed to be married, but whose loyalties are torn, and a ruthless enemy who threatens their world, perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Susan Dennard, and Mary E. Pearson. 

MY THOUGHTS

I cannot explain how much I enjoyed this book. I read so many negative things and issues about POC and insensitive marketing, but I am so glad I never paid attention to the issues about this book, because it was really good in my opinion. DAMN GOOD I can't hardly put it down. The world-building was incredible. The flow of the story was very fast paced, no info-dumps and no dull moment. Every chapter made me twist in anticipation of what will happen next. 

The ending too was really good. Not a Cliff-hanger but an open ended one that offers a lot more adventure for readers to watch out for. The banter between the main leads are also funny, enjoyable and sweet. I did root for them from the very beginning. The love and hate between main leads can sometimes gives as the cliché feeling but I bet some agree with me that we quite enjoy it at some point. In these book, I enjoyed it. And it really tells a lot.

Overall, Its a great read! I am already waiting for the second book and cannot wait to know what will happen next and what crazy adventure this duo will face. Fantastic Debut for the author!

P.S. Some readers could really be toxic sometimes. When something doesn't align with what they believe in, or what they thought was right, they tend to backlash to the Author. And it is so, so wrong in so many levels. Why can't we just set aside all our prejudice and just enjoy reading the way it was before when all this social media platform was still not available. Picking a book and not knowing what to expect is the best feeling. Not letting other people's judgement cloud your opinion regarding the book sometimes will amaze you.

Please. NO KEYBOARD WARRIORS. Vent your sentiments elsewhere.