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?
Release Date: January 18, 2022
Format: eARC
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Bound by Firelight by Dana Swift is one of my favorite sequels that I’ve read this year. I can’t wait for more people to read the book so I can talk about all the twists and turns of the story - the months of waiting until it is officially out in the world at the beginning of 2022 are going to be agonizing.
The story picks up where the last book left off, with Adraa and Jatin still fighting for their kingdoms and dealing with the aftermath of the volcano explosion. Adraa is being falsely accused of causing the destruction and ends up being sent to prison. Jatin must mount a rescue and they have to race to catch the actual perpetrator before it’s too late.
I loved the magic system in the first book and I love it even more in this book. The color basis is awesome, and I just envision beautiful streaks of color racing through the air when there are magic fights. I was also really amused at all the chapter titles in the book (i.e., “I Meet Up with the Love of My Life and Almost Throw Him Off a Roof”) because it got me excited about what the chapter would cover without giving anything away (Rick Riordan is another favorite author of mine who usually has amusing chapter titles in his books).
I am such a sucker for a headstrong, powerful female lead character and Ms. Swift delivers all that and more in Adraa. Despite dealing with the fallout of the volcano eruption and her people thinking she’s a villain, she’s still doing everything in her power to help them. On the other side of the story, I feel really sorry for Jatin and all of his failed proposal attempts (though I was kind of laughing at him at times as his best friend/bodyguard did). I commend him for wanting to make things “official” and give Adraa some semblance of a choice in their relationship (even though they’ve been dating for a bit and betrothed for most of their life). Overall, I completely loved the cast of the book. The loyalty, the love, the fierce determination to protect the people they care about - you can’t help but cheer for everything to work out in the end.
I would happily recommend this book to fans of young adult romance and fantasy. It is a bit darker than the first book and does feature more violence, but there’s nothing that would make me reluctant to give it to younger readers (sexual content and cursing is on a similar level to the first book). If a reader loved the first book, then this one should knock their socks off.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read an early copy of this book. I also want to thank TBR and Beyond Tours for allowing me to be one of their tour hosts. I appreciate the opportunity immensely.
- “You know, I’ve figured out that you kiss me to stop my teasing. It’s not a good way to train me.” “Are you admitting that you are trainable?” I tease, kissing him again.
- “I think their choice is clear,” I say in response. Then I bow to my people, two fingers to my throat. “And that is all that matters.”
- “I know you strive to be like Adraa. This daunting, confidant force of a wizard who can stand up to any problem and solve any conflict. But underneath all that power, you are kind. You treat people like you see them. And I liked being seen by you.”
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