I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Bound by Firelight Blog Tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours!
Check out my review below!
About the Book
Bound by Firelight by Dana Swift
Release Date: January 18, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy
Synopsis
The heart-pounding sequel to Cast in Firelight, perfect for fans of epic, sweepingly romantic fantasy by Sabaa Tahir, Susan Dennard, and Mary E. Pearson
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?
Find it here:
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Book Depository | Indigo
Interview
I’ve heard it can be more difficult writing subsequent books in a series, was it more difficult or easier for you to write book two?
Writing BOUND BY FIRELIGHT was in some ways easier than CAST IN FIRELIGHT, but in other ways harder. With the sequel I had a support system of my agent, publisher, and readers. I also wrote it knowing it would be published one day, which is a totally new experience and really motivated me. Then the pandemic happened. And the uncertainty of the world hampered a lot of my creativity. About half of this book was actually written in between March 2020 and June 2020 (June being my deadline) right when things were shutting down. Overall, I really enjoyed writing this book, but so far it was the hardest for me to finish.
How much of your fencing experience went into the fight scenes in this duology?
I’d say my fencing experience went into the fight scenes for both books, especially CAST IN FIRELIGHT. When I started writing the first book I was still in college and training and competing. Over time though the fighting styles and action scenes for these books kind of became their own thing with me coming up with interesting ways to use the nine types of colored smoke magic instead of focusing on just my knowledge of swordplay. However, that experience and training will forever seep into how I write my fight scenes emotionally. Thank you so much for asking!
Was this always meant to be a duology or did it start out as just one book and grow to be more?
When an idea is brand new, I don’t immediately know how many books will be needed to tell the story. Since I’m a pantser, only once I’m drafting do I get a better understanding of the character arcs and plot. While it’s all one big story, I also like my books in a series to feel complete, so readers are not left on a huge cliffhanger each time. About halfway through writing CAST IN FIRELIGHT I realized how much more I could and wanted to tell. So, while I didn’t limit myself and try to make it a standalone, I also didn’t initially set out to write a huge long series either.
You’re covers are so beautiful! How many covers did you see before landing on the final
products?
Thank you so much! I adore both my covers! The cover process with my illustrator, Charlie Bowater, has always been quicker than I think other author’s process. Since we know Charlie’s style, we don’t have to think up concepts from scratch in the same way. At the beginning my main contribution is choosing how the character’s will pose from a few sketched options. For Bound by Firelight I got four initial sketches. And once I tell my cover designer and editor that favored pose, it goes off from there and I’m able to comment on color or a certain aspect. Overall, it’s a streamlined process and I don’t see multiple versions. Instead I see a more finished illustration with each update. If you are interested in seeing what I was sent during the process, I actually posted them on my Instagram: @danaswiftbooks.
If you’re able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?
I am currently writing a YA Fantasy standalone actually. Earlier we were talking about series and the entire process made me want to write a standalone to see if I could do it. It’s still in the drafting stage and it hasn’t sold to a publisher yet, but it’s a loose Hades and Persephone retelling written in a comedic, rom-com style with big world-ending stakes. I really hope one day I can share it with readers, but we’ll have to see.
About the Author
Dana Swift started making up fantasy worlds when she was eleven years old and hasn’t stopped since. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned degrees in English and Advertising. While in college, Dana competed as a saber fencer and learned a thing or two about fighting, parrying and how it feels to fall in love with your sparring partner. She currently lives with said husband in Miami, Florida.
Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Instagram |
Blog Tour Schedule
January 17th
Nine Bookish Lives – Interview
Confessions of a YA Reader – Promotional Post
Book Butterfly in Dreamland – Review
January 18th
B for Bookslut – Review
The Book View – Review & Top 5 Reasons to Read Bound by Firelight
A Wanderer In Books – Review
January 19th
dinipandareads – Review & Favorite Quotes
Book Notes by Athina – Promotional Post
Lu is Lost in books – Review & Favorite Quotes
January 20th
The Book Dutchesses – Interview
A Realm of Books – Review
One More Chapter – Review
January 21st
Forthenovellovers – Review
Books Over Everything – Review
January 22nd
Stuck in Fiction – Promotional Post
Lost in Neverland – Review
Bookz Forever – Review
January 23rd
The Clever Reader – Interview
Eye-Rolling Demigod’s Book Blog – Review & Favorite Quotes
PopTheButterfly Reads – Review
Instagram Tour Schedule
January 17th
kathreadsya – Promotional Post
ninebookishlives – Blogger’s Choice
purpleshadowhunter – Blogger’s Choice
January 18th
bamamele.reads – Review
thisreadergirl – Review
thebookviewblog – Blogger’s Choice
zanjabeel_z – Blogger’s Choice
January 19th
littlefootreader – Promotional Post
booknotes_athina – Blogger’s Choice
luislostinbooks – Blogger’s Choice
January 20th
adiscourseofbooks – Promotional Post
thebookedbooks – Review
thebookdutchesses – Blogger’s Choice
jl_books – Blogger’s Choice
_leahreads – Blogger’s Choice
January 21st
findangoh – Book Look & Top 5 Reasons to Read Bound by Firelight
books_over_everything – Blogger’s Choice
lousbookstuff – Blogger’s Choice
January 22nd
simplybeccamee – Review
thebookwebb – Promotional Post
feliciareads11 – Blogger’s Choice
bookz.forever – Blogger’s Choice
January 23rd
tbrandbeyond – Promotional Post
eyerollingdemigod – Blogger’s Choice
popthebutterfly – Blogger’s Choice
The Clever Reader 
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