Bound by Firelight | Blog Tour

Synopsis

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?

Review

I loved this book! It was even better than the first book which is saying something because that one was great.

This book was a non-stop thrill ride from page one until the end. There were so many moments where I gasped out loud or was just so enraged that I had to stop reading for a second. It also helped the book to move at an excellent pace! Pacing is a big deal to me and I’ve been known to stop reading books that are just too slow, but this book was perfect. The action was frequent enough that I was fully entertained, but not so overwhelming that I felt like I never got a break.

As well, there were so many amazing surprises in this book. Seriously, if you thought the twists and turns in book one were nuts, that was all child play compared to this one. Just when I’d think I had a handle on things and would feel like the situation couldn’t get worse, it did. I’m still so stunned by how well it was all plotted out and written.

Also, just like the first book, the world-building is on-point. Everything is described so well that I could create a solid visual in my mind, but not so detailed as to bore me. There are a lot of working elements here so it’s really impressive the way Swift was able to continue building everything in such a natural way. 10/10.

Next, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my favorite lover boy, Jatin. We get so many cute moments with him and some goofy ones too. However, we see some real development in his character in this book. I feel like we were just getting to know him in the first book and now we see him change and grow up. He has responsibilities and people relying on him and he takes it all in stride. I loved seeing this side of him combined with the parts I already love.

The romance was just as sweet in this book as the first. We get lots of lovely Jatin and Adraa moments (as well as a glimpse at another budding couple). I just can’t get over how great they both are. And how great they are for each other. Every scene with them together just made me smile. Well, most scenes, but I’m not thinking about those. They are true couple goals.

Overall, this was an absolute win for Swift! I’m not sure if this series will be a duology or trilogy since the end of this book really felt like it could go both ways. I’m hoping it’s a trilogy because I’m not ready to say goodbye to everyone yet! Pick up this book (or the first one if you haven’t it yet) and fall in love with a whole new world.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating

Top 5 Reasons to Read This Book

In case you didn’t want to read my long-winded review, I’ve broken it down into my five favorite things about this book (and why you should read it).

1. Action: The action was non-stop and kept the story moving at a great pace!
2. Surprises: There were so many twists and turns in this book that it was nuts. Everything added up so nicely at the end though so I couldn’t even be mad about it
3. Jatin: Our main lover boy, Jatin, is simply the best. There were so many swoony moments with him, but also just goofy ones that made me smile and wish (so badly) that he was real!
4. Romance: The romance in general was great. As I mentioned, I love Jatin. But there were also some great moments between other characters and from Adraa.
5. World-building: This kinda goes hand-in-hand with book one, but I’m still so impressed by the world-building. Everything is described so well that I can create a solid visual in my mind, but not so detailed as to bore me.

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