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Dance of Thieves #1
Dance of Thieves
Win a free kindle copy of this book!
0 days and 08:43:17
20 copies available
U.S. only
When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty's resentment and anger.
At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.
Mary E. Pearson's Dance of Thieves is a new YA novel in the New York Times bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.
At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.
Mary E. Pearson's Dance of Thieves is a new YA novel in the New York Times bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 2018
About the author
Mary E. Pearson
49 books14.5k followersMary E. Pearson is the International and NYT bestselling and award-winning author of multiple novels including her adult debut novel, The Courting of Bristol Keats, about a woman from a small town who is unexpectedly plunged into a world of gods, fae, and monsters.
Her other books include The Remnant Chronicles—The Kiss of Deception, The Heart of Betrayal, and The Beauty of Darkness—and its spin-off duology Dance of Thieves and Vow of Thieves. Mary's awards and honors include the Golden Kite for fiction, ALA Best Books, NYPL Best Books, IRA Choice Books, YALSA Teens Top Ten, Arkansas and South Carolina Young Adult Book Awards, and her science-fiction novel, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, was an Andre Norton Award Finalist. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages world-wide.
As a child she loved reading about and living in fantasy worlds. They were a portal to possibility that provided both escape and power. These days she loves writing about those worlds for the same reasons. She totally believes in magic, because, as one of her characters once whispered to her, “What is magic, but what we don’t yet understand?”
When she is not creating dangerous fantasy worlds, she enjoys the relatively safe pleasures of travel, gardening, friends, and family. Visit Mary on Instagram @maryepearson for book news and updates.
Her other books include The Remnant Chronicles—The Kiss of Deception, The Heart of Betrayal, and The Beauty of Darkness—and its spin-off duology Dance of Thieves and Vow of Thieves. Mary's awards and honors include the Golden Kite for fiction, ALA Best Books, NYPL Best Books, IRA Choice Books, YALSA Teens Top Ten, Arkansas and South Carolina Young Adult Book Awards, and her science-fiction novel, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, was an Andre Norton Award Finalist. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages world-wide.
As a child she loved reading about and living in fantasy worlds. They were a portal to possibility that provided both escape and power. These days she loves writing about those worlds for the same reasons. She totally believes in magic, because, as one of her characters once whispered to her, “What is magic, but what we don’t yet understand?”
When she is not creating dangerous fantasy worlds, she enjoys the relatively safe pleasures of travel, gardening, friends, and family. Visit Mary on Instagram @maryepearson for book news and updates.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 21,299 reviews
June 27, 2024
4.25 stars!! My favorite part about this book is the characters! Kazi was a street thief & now she's a part of the queen's guard. And Jace is the leader in an outlaw family. That's such an interesting story set up & I love their backstorys. I also really loved the romance & the world.
I do have 2 critiques. 1.) This is an enemies to lovers but the enemies portion is so short. I wanted longer of them being enemies and a slow burn!! Considering this is a duology, I think a slow burn would've worked better. 2.) The pacing got a little slow for me in the middle but I flew through the beginning and the end.
Overall really liked it!!
I do have 2 critiques. 1.) This is an enemies to lovers but the enemies portion is so short. I wanted longer of them being enemies and a slow burn!! Considering this is a duology, I think a slow burn would've worked better. 2.) The pacing got a little slow for me in the middle but I flew through the beginning and the end.
Overall really liked it!!
October 9, 2020
three words: i am obsessed.
this is just one of those stories that really gets everything right. the plot is super engaging, i would die for any of the characters, and the writing feels like breathing.
i wasnt the biggest fan of the remnant chronicles, but i will say i am glad i read them because it just added so much more to the background context and history of the story. i love how this series expands and builds upon the original series, but is such a strong standalone story in its own right.
definitely excited to pick up book two!
↠ 5 stars
this is just one of those stories that really gets everything right. the plot is super engaging, i would die for any of the characters, and the writing feels like breathing.
i wasnt the biggest fan of the remnant chronicles, but i will say i am glad i read them because it just added so much more to the background context and history of the story. i love how this series expands and builds upon the original series, but is such a strong standalone story in its own right.
definitely excited to pick up book two!
↠ 5 stars
January 22, 2020
ok, so i’m lowering my rating to two stars bc i’ve been sitting on this book for two days trying to figure out what i want to say about it and there’s just…nothing. it’s not bad per say, but at the same time i’m struggling to find anything to really praise about it.
forgettable. that’s it, that’s the review.
forgettable. that’s it, that’s the review.
December 4, 2022
Kazi, a legendary former street thief.
I think this reminds us all of a certain someone.
Edit: erright people I realize that the majority liked this review because of the reference but pleaseeee give this book a go. It's really really good
I think this reminds us all of a certain someone.
Edit: erright people I realize that the majority liked this review because of the reference but pleaseeee give this book a go. It's really really good
July 1, 2023
➸ 3.5 stars
this book takes forced proximity to a whole new level with both our MCs finding themselves chained together and having to work with each other to get back to civilisation after being taken by labour hunters. this was such a fun fantasy romance - i can’t resist when the main characters are chained together and have to survive a life or death situation.
i don’t know where to begin w this review, i have such mixed feelings currently - but overall i did like this book, but i do have a few problems that i will get into.
➳ this book started off strong, but this story rly suffers in the middle.. the pace gets slow and the story gets pretty repetitive. the author rly needs to work on her pacing!! the flow of this book was nonexistent and there were so many passages that could have been cut out to help move it along. it’s not a slow burn, it just drags outttt.
➳ it was quite difficult to ease into the world, this may be bc i didn’t read the prequel series, reading TRC first may have built a more solid foundation in terms of world building bc the mass amounts of world building, characters and back stories got really overwhelming at times, especially since there was so much detail dumped within the first few chapters. i feel like the author expects you to read TRC first, even tho this is marketed as a stand-alone. but i still found her world building captivating!! i loved learning about the history of these kingdoms, their traditions and the family.
➳ there was also a lot of characters that were randomly thrown into this book who had no importance whatsoever!! my head was literally spinning trying to remember who was who at the start - i found most of the characters useless bc they added nothing to the story.. i wish we got to see more of jase’s family.
characters:
↳ kazi, a street thief turned queen’s soldier, a fierce rahtan sent to investigate transgressions against new settlements in the ballanger’s kingdom which jase is the new leader of. her character is extremely relentless, resilient and very driven. she was a badass and always kept her guard up and you can feel her resilience through the pages of the book. her childhood was traumatising, she had to watch her mother get taken away from her by labour hunters at a young age and she was left out on the streets fending for herself. i loved how she took no shit from anyone and just slayed.
— i loved seeing kazi’s development and how she slowly opens her trust and heart up to jase. her friendship w synovè and wren is *chefs kiss* they are the ultimate girl group and girlbosses, each of them were unique in their own way and together they were unstoppable <33
↳ jase, a member of the ballanger family - he is now the new appointed leader (patrei) of his kingdom after his fathers sudden death. he is a fierce protector and loves his kingdom and his family thoroughly. jase was swoon-worthy and motivated by honor and compassion - the way he cares so deeply towards his family was so precious to me and i love how he isn’t afraid to love. let me just post a cute lil quote from him!!
➳ “love didn’t even seem like the right word to explain how i felt about her. the word seemed too small, too used, too simple, and everything i felt about her seemed complicated and rare and as wide as the world.”
— perfection!! god i love him so fkn much 🥹
jase and kazi, i love my precious lil angels sm!! i loved their first encounter, she fr pinned him to a wall and held a knife to his throat, so hot of her fr. 🤭
— i love how riddles and storytelling are their love language - he will offer wrong answers to kazi’s riddles just to make her laugh, he loves to tell stories and she loves to listen, she calls him pretty boy - top tier nickname!! he remembers that she loves oranges so he surprises her by putting them in her room and he hires a cook bc he remembered kazi’s favourite food is sage cakes and wants them made for her!! i love how they are both so devoted to one another, and they both have such strong family relationships, whether it’s blood family or found family! 🥹❤️🩹
➳ okay i rly want to point this one out - the enemies to lovers aspect was not as good as everyone is making it out to be!! their relationship moved way too quickly for them to even be considered enemies, like they kiss at 22% and the romance is insta-love which annoyed me and is my biggest pet-peeve ever bc i was told this was a slow burn with slight angst, EXCUSE ME, WHERE??? it’s so unrealistic, especially for two characters at odds with one another, which kazi and jase definitely were. why this book is marketed as “enemies to lovers” i will not understand - it is more acquaintances to lovers to enemies back to lovers bc their conflict was resolved way too quickly - but throw forbidden love and fake dating into the mix. i did feel cheated but it did serve one of the best betrayal angst!!
— the romance was definitely a focal point but not in a way that overpowers the plot!!
overall, i did enjoy this book, i just wish the romance and pacing was better. the romance didn’t need to be rushed out, nothing needed to happen within the first 120 pages since it’s a long book. them continuing to hook up early on and then continuously betray each other yet still remain enamoured got confusing. also, since this story was so long the middle part of the book was extremely slow and i didn’t feel compelled to keep reading, but the pace picked up again towards the end. but, i will point out that i think this book is beautifully written and has excellent dual pov’s.
“hold on to me, let me show you the stars.”
this book takes forced proximity to a whole new level with both our MCs finding themselves chained together and having to work with each other to get back to civilisation after being taken by labour hunters. this was such a fun fantasy romance - i can’t resist when the main characters are chained together and have to survive a life or death situation.
i don’t know where to begin w this review, i have such mixed feelings currently - but overall i did like this book, but i do have a few problems that i will get into.
➳ this book started off strong, but this story rly suffers in the middle.. the pace gets slow and the story gets pretty repetitive. the author rly needs to work on her pacing!! the flow of this book was nonexistent and there were so many passages that could have been cut out to help move it along. it’s not a slow burn, it just drags outttt.
➳ it was quite difficult to ease into the world, this may be bc i didn’t read the prequel series, reading TRC first may have built a more solid foundation in terms of world building bc the mass amounts of world building, characters and back stories got really overwhelming at times, especially since there was so much detail dumped within the first few chapters. i feel like the author expects you to read TRC first, even tho this is marketed as a stand-alone. but i still found her world building captivating!! i loved learning about the history of these kingdoms, their traditions and the family.
➳ there was also a lot of characters that were randomly thrown into this book who had no importance whatsoever!! my head was literally spinning trying to remember who was who at the start - i found most of the characters useless bc they added nothing to the story.. i wish we got to see more of jase’s family.
“choose your words carefully, even the words you think, because they become seeds, and seeds become history.”
characters:
↳ kazi, a street thief turned queen’s soldier, a fierce rahtan sent to investigate transgressions against new settlements in the ballanger’s kingdom which jase is the new leader of. her character is extremely relentless, resilient and very driven. she was a badass and always kept her guard up and you can feel her resilience through the pages of the book. her childhood was traumatising, she had to watch her mother get taken away from her by labour hunters at a young age and she was left out on the streets fending for herself. i loved how she took no shit from anyone and just slayed.
— i loved seeing kazi’s development and how she slowly opens her trust and heart up to jase. her friendship w synovè and wren is *chefs kiss* they are the ultimate girl group and girlbosses, each of them were unique in their own way and together they were unstoppable <33
↳ jase, a member of the ballanger family - he is now the new appointed leader (patrei) of his kingdom after his fathers sudden death. he is a fierce protector and loves his kingdom and his family thoroughly. jase was swoon-worthy and motivated by honor and compassion - the way he cares so deeply towards his family was so precious to me and i love how he isn’t afraid to love. let me just post a cute lil quote from him!!
➳ “love didn’t even seem like the right word to explain how i felt about her. the word seemed too small, too used, too simple, and everything i felt about her seemed complicated and rare and as wide as the world.”
— perfection!! god i love him so fkn much 🥹
jase and kazi, i love my precious lil angels sm!! i loved their first encounter, she fr pinned him to a wall and held a knife to his throat, so hot of her fr. 🤭
— i love how riddles and storytelling are their love language - he will offer wrong answers to kazi’s riddles just to make her laugh, he loves to tell stories and she loves to listen, she calls him pretty boy - top tier nickname!! he remembers that she loves oranges so he surprises her by putting them in her room and he hires a cook bc he remembered kazi’s favourite food is sage cakes and wants them made for her!! i love how they are both so devoted to one another, and they both have such strong family relationships, whether it’s blood family or found family! 🥹❤️🩹
➳ okay i rly want to point this one out - the enemies to lovers aspect was not as good as everyone is making it out to be!! their relationship moved way too quickly for them to even be considered enemies, like they kiss at 22% and the romance is insta-love which annoyed me and is my biggest pet-peeve ever bc i was told this was a slow burn with slight angst, EXCUSE ME, WHERE??? it’s so unrealistic, especially for two characters at odds with one another, which kazi and jase definitely were. why this book is marketed as “enemies to lovers” i will not understand - it is more acquaintances to lovers to enemies back to lovers bc their conflict was resolved way too quickly - but throw forbidden love and fake dating into the mix. i did feel cheated but it did serve one of the best betrayal angst!!
— the romance was definitely a focal point but not in a way that overpowers the plot!!
”tell me a riddle, kazi.”
overall, i did enjoy this book, i just wish the romance and pacing was better. the romance didn’t need to be rushed out, nothing needed to happen within the first 120 pages since it’s a long book. them continuing to hook up early on and then continuously betray each other yet still remain enamoured got confusing. also, since this story was so long the middle part of the book was extremely slow and i didn’t feel compelled to keep reading, but the pace picked up again towards the end. but, i will point out that i think this book is beautifully written and has excellent dual pov’s.
January 26, 2022
Check out this review (and more) over on my blog!
Quick Stats:
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Plot and Themes: 5/5
Awesomeness Factor: 5/5
Review in a Nutshell: Dance of Thieves surprised me. I knew I would enjoy it, but I never expected to become completely obsessed with it. This book is so fun, and full of so many of the best possible tropes.
“Choose your words carefully, even the words you think, because they become seeds,and seeds become history.”
// Content Warning: Violence, Death, Assault, Torture, Rape Mention, Animal Death, War Themes, Murder, Illness, PTSD, Kidnapping/Abduction //
“The ghosts, they never go away. They call to you in unexpected moments, their hands lacing with yours and pulling you down paths that lead nowhere.”
Release Date: 6/7/2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 491
Premise:
Dance of Thieves is the first in a duology that takes place in the same world as The Remnant Chronicles. But don’t worry, if you haven’t read those books, you will still get full enjoyment out of these. Kazi of Brightmast grew up a thief, alone on the streets after her mother was taken from her. However, her skills as a thief earned her a spot as a member of the Queen’s most elite soldiers, the Rahtan. When she is sent on a mission to another kingdom to find a missing war criminal, under the pretense of investigating treaty violations, she has no doubts that she will get the job done. Until she meets Jase. Jase Ballenger is the new Patrei, head of the Ballenger clan. While his lands may not be “officially” recognized as a kingdom, his family has a tight hold on them. However, he knows that his transition into power will be rocky. When Kazi and her friends come into the picture, Jase knows better than to trust her, but the more he learns about her, the harder it is to stop himself from falling for her.
“You must find the magic that warms your skin in winter, the magic that perceives what cannot be seen, the magic that curls in your gut with fierce power and will not let you give up, no matter how long or cold the days.”
- Writing & Setting-
Mary E. Pearson won my heart with The Kiss of Deception. It was a refreshing, fun read and I truly loved it. The final book in that series, The Beauty of Darkness wasn’t my favorite, but it wasn’t bad and I still had fond memories of the series as a whole. This book reminded me of why I loved The Kiss of Deception so much. Mary E. Pearson’s writing style is elegant yet easy to jump into. It’s fast and fun but still packs a punch. And the worldbuilding… The Remnant Chronicles had fantastic worldbuilding when it came to the physical world, but I always felt kinda murky about the magic system. Dance of Thieves does not have that problem. In fact, it clarified all of the confusion I felt in the first series. The mythology and magic of the world actually made sense to me, and the kingdoms themselves all felt fully realized and fleshed out.
“It began with the stars.”
- Plot -
Listen guys, this book got it all. Fake dating, no strings attached relationships, enemies to lovers, deciding between duty/family and love, spying, found family… honestly what trope doesn’t this book have? If you’re worried it may be too much- don’t. All of these tropes are perfectly woven into a very intricate plot full of scheming, betrayal, and violence. This book is a little long, just over 500 pages, but it never lags. There is so much packed into this one book, I swear. The pace alone is brutal, not to mention all of the violence and murder.
However, I will say, the romance does take center stage in this book. Yes, there’s a lot of action, but the romance plotline is at the heart of most scenes. Some people may think this is a bad thing, but this is exactly what I wanted. Seriously. I want more YA books like this- epic fantasy but with a heavy romance plot. I know, I know, a lot of people are sick of heavy romance plots. But I’m not. I need more. This book was the perfect balance for me and I wish more books were like it.
“Truth that came too late was as useful as a meal to a dead man.”
- Characters -
Kazi and Jase are killer protagonists (literally and figuratively). Both of them have equally compelling character arcs and are very well developed. They both also have their own quirks and personalities that distringuish them from the many YA fantasy protagonists like them. I especially loved Jase’s dedication to family, tradition, and storytelling, and I loved Kazi’s fierceness, love of riddles, and dedication to her duty. Their relationship is absolutely perfect- there is so much angst and so much cuteness I thought I would explode. But contrary to what it may seem like from how I keep going on about those two, there are other amazing characters in this book as well. All of the side characters are extremely well developed, with their own journeys and personalities. I also loved the emphasis on friendships (especially female friendships) and family.
“Every exchange of words between Jase and me seemed like a dance, a step forward, a step back, circling, both of us leading, anticipating, wondering what the next move would be. He didn’t trust me any more than I trusted him.”
- Conclusion -
Pros- Strong characters, great worldbuilding, and omg all the best tropes
Cons- Some people may not like all the romance. They’re wrong, but I thought you should know
Overall- 5/5 stars.
I never expected Dance of Thieves to captivate me the way it did. I constantly have to struggle with my urge to reread it again and again (I’ve already failed this battle once, and I can tell I’ll be failing it again soon).
“Let me show you the stars.”
Follow Me Here: Blog ||Tumblr || Bookstagram || Twitter|| Reviews
Quick Stats:
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Plot and Themes: 5/5
Awesomeness Factor: 5/5
Review in a Nutshell: Dance of Thieves surprised me. I knew I would enjoy it, but I never expected to become completely obsessed with it. This book is so fun, and full of so many of the best possible tropes.
“Choose your words carefully, even the words you think, because they become seeds,and seeds become history.”
// Content Warning: Violence, Death, Assault, Torture, Rape Mention, Animal Death, War Themes, Murder, Illness, PTSD, Kidnapping/Abduction //
“The ghosts, they never go away. They call to you in unexpected moments, their hands lacing with yours and pulling you down paths that lead nowhere.”
Release Date: 6/7/2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 491
Premise:
Dance of Thieves is the first in a duology that takes place in the same world as The Remnant Chronicles. But don’t worry, if you haven’t read those books, you will still get full enjoyment out of these. Kazi of Brightmast grew up a thief, alone on the streets after her mother was taken from her. However, her skills as a thief earned her a spot as a member of the Queen’s most elite soldiers, the Rahtan. When she is sent on a mission to another kingdom to find a missing war criminal, under the pretense of investigating treaty violations, she has no doubts that she will get the job done. Until she meets Jase. Jase Ballenger is the new Patrei, head of the Ballenger clan. While his lands may not be “officially” recognized as a kingdom, his family has a tight hold on them. However, he knows that his transition into power will be rocky. When Kazi and her friends come into the picture, Jase knows better than to trust her, but the more he learns about her, the harder it is to stop himself from falling for her.
“You must find the magic that warms your skin in winter, the magic that perceives what cannot be seen, the magic that curls in your gut with fierce power and will not let you give up, no matter how long or cold the days.”
- Writing & Setting-
Mary E. Pearson won my heart with The Kiss of Deception. It was a refreshing, fun read and I truly loved it. The final book in that series, The Beauty of Darkness wasn’t my favorite, but it wasn’t bad and I still had fond memories of the series as a whole. This book reminded me of why I loved The Kiss of Deception so much. Mary E. Pearson’s writing style is elegant yet easy to jump into. It’s fast and fun but still packs a punch. And the worldbuilding… The Remnant Chronicles had fantastic worldbuilding when it came to the physical world, but I always felt kinda murky about the magic system. Dance of Thieves does not have that problem. In fact, it clarified all of the confusion I felt in the first series. The mythology and magic of the world actually made sense to me, and the kingdoms themselves all felt fully realized and fleshed out.
“It began with the stars.”
- Plot -
Listen guys, this book got it all. Fake dating, no strings attached relationships, enemies to lovers, deciding between duty/family and love, spying, found family… honestly what trope doesn’t this book have? If you’re worried it may be too much- don’t. All of these tropes are perfectly woven into a very intricate plot full of scheming, betrayal, and violence. This book is a little long, just over 500 pages, but it never lags. There is so much packed into this one book, I swear. The pace alone is brutal, not to mention all of the violence and murder.
However, I will say, the romance does take center stage in this book. Yes, there’s a lot of action, but the romance plotline is at the heart of most scenes. Some people may think this is a bad thing, but this is exactly what I wanted. Seriously. I want more YA books like this- epic fantasy but with a heavy romance plot. I know, I know, a lot of people are sick of heavy romance plots. But I’m not. I need more. This book was the perfect balance for me and I wish more books were like it.
“Truth that came too late was as useful as a meal to a dead man.”
- Characters -
Kazi and Jase are killer protagonists (literally and figuratively). Both of them have equally compelling character arcs and are very well developed. They both also have their own quirks and personalities that distringuish them from the many YA fantasy protagonists like them. I especially loved Jase’s dedication to family, tradition, and storytelling, and I loved Kazi’s fierceness, love of riddles, and dedication to her duty. Their relationship is absolutely perfect- there is so much angst and so much cuteness I thought I would explode. But contrary to what it may seem like from how I keep going on about those two, there are other amazing characters in this book as well. All of the side characters are extremely well developed, with their own journeys and personalities. I also loved the emphasis on friendships (especially female friendships) and family.
“Every exchange of words between Jase and me seemed like a dance, a step forward, a step back, circling, both of us leading, anticipating, wondering what the next move would be. He didn’t trust me any more than I trusted him.”
- Conclusion -
Pros- Strong characters, great worldbuilding, and omg all the best tropes
Cons- Some people may not like all the romance. They’re wrong, but I thought you should know
Overall- 5/5 stars.
I never expected Dance of Thieves to captivate me the way it did. I constantly have to struggle with my urge to reread it again and again (I’ve already failed this battle once, and I can tell I’ll be failing it again soon).
“Let me show you the stars.”
Follow Me Here: Blog ||Tumblr || Bookstagram || Twitter|| Reviews
Want to read
October 16, 2018The cover is a work of art.
April 10, 2024
₊˚ʚ 💙 4 stars
⤿ "Love didn't even seem like the word to explain how I felt about her. The word seemed too small, too used, too simple, and everything I felt about her seemed complicated and rare and as wide as the world."
🎧✩°｡ now playing... dancing with our hands tied by taylor swift
changing my rating from 3.5 to 4 stars because i remember how much i loved the first half of this book. like that part was 5 star worthy. anyways i really did enjoy this from the romance to the plot to the side characters, this was everything i needed from a romantasy <3
kazi - OKAYY i love kazi so much. i really needed a strong, amazing, and not afraid to speak the truth fmc!! idc her being a thief is totally justified 🤭 in another world, she and kaz brekker would've made a power duo <3
jase - i feel like this guy is the feeling of indecisiveness personified. one second he's so sweet and loving to kazi, then he realizes he's the leader of his empire and he's all angry and "i'm gonna kill you." like pick a personality please 🙏 ANYWAYS some things he said was SO CUTE so if he goes to anger management classes i think i'll like him!
kazi & jase
THESE TWO OMG 😭😭 they were so cute and it's a whole rollercoaster ride w them (cue the it's never over tiktok audio iykyk). the trope is literally enemies to friends to fake dating to lovers to enemies again to lovers or something like that, so if you love that - this book is for you. they were also both lying to each other the entire book and idek how they were just able to move past every lie so fast, i'd be hurt but i guess love changes u or whatever! in all seriousness they were really cute, my favorite part was when they were enemies and were chained together aaa <3
overall, i really did adore this book!! i'm definitely going to read the second one which i have high hopes for 🤭 kazi and jase are the cutest, i just felt like a lot happened, maybe too much for me, and i don't like men who have anger issues so. jase do better next book and it can be 4 or 5 stars 💗💗
more quotes because this book was so beautifully written:
⤿ "Love didn't even seem like the word to explain how I felt about her. The word seemed too small, too used, too simple, and everything I felt about her seemed complicated and rare and as wide as the world."
🎧✩°｡ now playing... dancing with our hands tied by taylor swift
changing my rating from 3.5 to 4 stars because i remember how much i loved the first half of this book. like that part was 5 star worthy. anyways i really did enjoy this from the romance to the plot to the side characters, this was everything i needed from a romantasy <3
kazi - OKAYY i love kazi so much. i really needed a strong, amazing, and not afraid to speak the truth fmc!! idc her being a thief is totally justified 🤭 in another world, she and kaz brekker would've made a power duo <3
“Hear the language that isn’t spoken, for everyone can hear spoken words, but only a few can hear the heart that beats behind it.”
jase - i feel like this guy is the feeling of indecisiveness personified. one second he's so sweet and loving to kazi, then he realizes he's the leader of his empire and he's all angry and "i'm gonna kill you." like pick a personality please 🙏 ANYWAYS some things he said was SO CUTE so if he goes to anger management classes i think i'll like him!
"You don't even know half my tricks yet. I wanted to know them all."
"Look at you! You're drenched. You need a dry shirt and-"
"I only need you, Kazi, that's all I need."
kazi & jase
THESE TWO OMG 😭😭 they were so cute and it's a whole rollercoaster ride w them (cue the it's never over tiktok audio iykyk). the trope is literally enemies to friends to fake dating to lovers to enemies again to lovers or something like that, so if you love that - this book is for you. they were also both lying to each other the entire book and idek how they were just able to move past every lie so fast, i'd be hurt but i guess love changes u or whatever! in all seriousness they were really cute, my favorite part was when they were enemies and were chained together aaa <3
“It's awkward, isn't it?" he said.
"What's that?" I replied, my voice far too breathy.
"These moments when we're not hating each other.”
overall, i really did adore this book!! i'm definitely going to read the second one which i have high hopes for 🤭 kazi and jase are the cutest, i just felt like a lot happened, maybe too much for me, and i don't like men who have anger issues so. jase do better next book and it can be 4 or 5 stars 💗💗
more quotes because this book was so beautifully written:
“She fascinated me, her contradictions, her secrets, and the girl that sometimes surfaced from beneath her tough soldier exterior, like when she spotted the wish stalks on the bank. The girl who forgot who I was and pressed a wish stalk to my ankle. In another world, another circumstance, I think we might have been friends. Or more.”
“Every exchange of words between Jase and me seemed like a dance, a step forward, a step back, circling, both of us leading, anticipating, wondering what the next move would be. He didn’t trust me any more than I trusted him.”
“Truth that came too late was as useful as a meal to a dead man.”
“You are Rahtan, Kazi. You have a promise to keep, and you will betray him eventually.”
“Let me show you the stars.”
July 27, 2019
This book relies more heavily on the romance than the plot, so that left me disappointed for most of the book. But the plot picked up at the end so I think I will be finishing this duology.
May 31, 2021
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Read the Dance of Thieves
Else i'll crucio you!
I'm sorry I couldnt help myslef! Okay now onto the review
“Choose your words carefully, even the words you think, because they become seeds, and seeds become history.”
5⭐
OH MY GOD!!! MY FAV READ AS FAR AS 2021. I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!
Plotline
Ballenger family is feared nad respected for the power they hold. In a family of problemakers and outlaws Jase is no exception. Taking on the role of the Hier and the ruler, he must now guide and make sure his kingdom is safe. But the arrival of a new group of people changes eveything for him
Kazimyrah is the legendary street thief known as 'Ten' . When the queen enlists her help to investigate the problems in Hell's mouth, Kazi knows that it will be anything but simple. Arriving with her group, Kazi meets Jase the Patrei and she learns there's more to Jase than what he appears to be.
One thing leads to another as events spiral out of control and Jase nd Kazi find themselves in a position them never thought they would be in - together. Together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions while trying to stop themselves from falling for each other.
World
Since I've already read the Remnant chronicles, im already familiar the world. I loved the world in the those books and I loved it here as well. The new kingdoms were awesome and I really loved them!
Romance
“I do want tomorrows with you, Jase. I want a lifetime of tomorrows.”
YES YES YESSSS. I love it soo much. I ship them sooooo hard. The romance was well built and I felt it wasnt insta-love. It was super cute and I loved it.
The romance is an equally imporatant plot point in this book! Kazi nd Jase forever y'all.
There are many lovey quotes...but they're long so im not adding it here.
Writing
“The ghosts, they never go away. They call to you in unexpected moments, their hands lacing with yours and pulling you down paths that lead nowhere.”
I adored Pearson's writing in the Remnant chronicles. This book was no exception. I saw soo much development in her writng in this book. It was beautiful<3
Lets talk abt charcters!
Kazi is awesome! I love her charcater. She's a thief and a spy. I loved her charcterization. At first she seems inpenetrable nd hard as a rock. But as she interacts with Jase , I saw her soft side<3
She has such a sad backstory. It broke my heart. But she's super strong.
Jase, I mena who does'nt love the prince. The princes are the most lovable characters. Rafe, Nikolai, Cal, Mavey. Im adding him to my list. He's a morally grey character and I love him. He fiercely loves his family and Kazi.
Jase's family was great. Kazi's friends were great. In most YA books, the girl MC don't have girl friends. But she does. She has a great relationship with them<3
Watching Natiya, Pauline, Kaden, Lia nd Rafe all grown up made me cry
Final thoughts
If u havent guessed so far, I'll tell u. I FREAKING LOVE THIS BOOK! This is not ur typical YA. It was nice to read this book after reading the books I've read (irritating books i mean).
--------------------------------
Re Read #2 with Naomi and Héloïse 💖💖
Tis as good as the first time. However, I'm giving it 4.5 stars this time
--------------------------------
My rating system
5⭐ - I loved it soo much! New favorite
4⭐ - It was really good! But something was missing
3⭐ - It was nice..but had more potential
2⭐ - I did not like it at all!... It could have been soo much better
1⭐ - Nope. Just No. I hate it
June 4, 2018
I can’t even begin to explain how much I’ve missed this world and our old characters. I think it might be time for a reread soon!
Although The Remnant Chronicles has a special place in my heart and will probably never be replaced as my favorite Mary Pearson series, Dance of Thieves did not disappoint. It was great to see more of this world beyond just Morrighan, Dalbreck, and Venda.
Every character in this spin-off has already captured my heart. Kazi, Wren, and Synové? BAD ASS FEMALE CHARACTERS. Period. I want to be them. That is all. Jase and the Ballengers? PRECIOUS. All of them. Protect them at all costs.
And the romance? Mary Pearson knows how to write good romance, no doubt about it, and I ship literally everyone in this book. I really enjoyed the cat-and-mouse game between Kazi and Jase to a certain extent. I did get annoyed at some points where I just wish they’d stop lying to each other. But I’m used to it by now since lack of communication always seems to be an issue with the characters of the Remnant Chronicles universe considering how I’ve had this same problem before with Lia, Rafe, and the rest of the gang. 😅
There were some parts where I did feel the story drag on and I had to put the book aside for a bit but I don’t think I was ever bored. There was always something new to learn about in this world and I was absolutely fascinated by the Ballenger history and how their “kingdom” began.
And of course, it was a pleasure seeing and reading about the familiar faces of The Remnant Chronicles. It was great to see how Lia’s reign as Queen was going and how the rest of our favorites were faring. I desperately wanted to know how my ship was doing after the events of The Beauty of Darkness since we didn’t get too much of an epilogue. But there was definitely some closure after reading this book.
Dance of Thieves really lives up to its name along with the Remnant Chronicles hype. If you loved the Kiss of Deception books, I don’t think you will be disappointed. I was feeling super nostalgic the whole time reading this book and I’m so grateful to Mary Pearson for bringing us back! I already can’t wait for the next book especially with that ENDING. 😰
Although The Remnant Chronicles has a special place in my heart and will probably never be replaced as my favorite Mary Pearson series, Dance of Thieves did not disappoint. It was great to see more of this world beyond just Morrighan, Dalbreck, and Venda.
Every character in this spin-off has already captured my heart. Kazi, Wren, and Synové? BAD ASS FEMALE CHARACTERS. Period. I want to be them. That is all. Jase and the Ballengers? PRECIOUS. All of them. Protect them at all costs.
And the romance? Mary Pearson knows how to write good romance, no doubt about it, and I ship literally everyone in this book. I really enjoyed the cat-and-mouse game between Kazi and Jase to a certain extent. I did get annoyed at some points where I just wish they’d stop lying to each other. But I’m used to it by now since lack of communication always seems to be an issue with the characters of the Remnant Chronicles universe considering how I’ve had this same problem before with Lia, Rafe, and the rest of the gang. 😅
There were some parts where I did feel the story drag on and I had to put the book aside for a bit but I don’t think I was ever bored. There was always something new to learn about in this world and I was absolutely fascinated by the Ballenger history and how their “kingdom” began.
And of course, it was a pleasure seeing and reading about the familiar faces of The Remnant Chronicles. It was great to see how Lia’s reign as Queen was going and how the rest of our favorites were faring. I desperately wanted to know how my ship was doing after the events of The Beauty of Darkness since we didn’t get too much of an epilogue. But there was definitely some closure after reading this book.
Dance of Thieves really lives up to its name along with the Remnant Chronicles hype. If you loved the Kiss of Deception books, I don’t think you will be disappointed. I was feeling super nostalgic the whole time reading this book and I’m so grateful to Mary Pearson for bringing us back! I already can’t wait for the next book especially with that ENDING. 😰
October 30, 2022
“Choose your words carefully, even the words you think, because they become seeds, and seeds become history.”
And 4 stars for the thieves that stole my attention and a plot that had my head spinning as I was immersed in a book of political intrigue, a battle between kingdoms, and with some cunning, unpredictable and devious characters that brought song, music, and rhythm to this dark fairy tale story – the Dance of Thieves.
Wonderfully deceptive, creatively written and perfectly layered that had my head twirling as many of the steps / subplots threw me off balance. Another great shimmy with Fantasy and a story for (mostly) everyone.
The Plot
Kazi, one of the queens trusted soldiers and spies is sent on a mission to locate and bring back Captain Illarion who was responsible for killing hundreds of Vedan citizens including some of the elite in the queen’s guard. However, a chance encounter sees her tied to Jase, the new ruler of the Ballenger empire and kidnapped by labour hunters.
Was this a chance encounter or moves orchestrated by both? Choreography that went wrong? Well now chained together the ‘Dance’ can begin. Kazi is lured to Hell’s mouth by her companion / lover Jase, but instead of having to sneak into the palace, she believes is providing sanctuary to the captain, Kazi has been invited in as a guest allowed to roam the city.
With opposing loyalties and many to mistrust at court, the two dance dangerously close to death as the relationship between them strengthens.
What I loved about this book and the ‘4’ explained
The enemies - lovers - enemies - lovers - enemies - lovers trope should have become tiresome but instead it was so carefully plotted and interwoven with the books political storyline that it felt integral to the book and very well done.
The scheming, deception, duplicity and double crossing in the book was also superb. I found it hard to keep up in a good way. This added so much intrigue, suspense, and drama to a story that started and ended well, and everything in between kept me absorbed.
There was a purity and honesty in the characters that I don’t see or comment on very often, which I felt made this an excellent choice for young adults. Lots of kissing – no sex, some swear words but no offensive language. Tame but still really interesting. So very well written in all.
The clash between kingdoms, and rival rulers was excellent if not a tad predictable which is why I downgraded to a ‘4’. That said it did not affect my enjoyment in reading the story, because whilst the overarching story and outcome was predictable - how it came together with the numerous deviations in the plot and subplots was not.
Another fantasy I would recommend. Immersive, extremely well-choreographed, a sometimes moving story of two people who flip between enemies to lovers, and back again. The world building was excellent, and we danced our way to a compelling ending that sets up the next book in the series quite nicely, without the feeling that this book was unfinished.
The best parts; the deception, trickery and duplicity.
“Laughter reveals in the same way a sigh, or a glance does. It’s an unintentional language. Worry, fear, deceit – they hide in the things unsaid”
And 4 stars for the thieves that stole my attention and a plot that had my head spinning as I was immersed in a book of political intrigue, a battle between kingdoms, and with some cunning, unpredictable and devious characters that brought song, music, and rhythm to this dark fairy tale story – the Dance of Thieves.
Wonderfully deceptive, creatively written and perfectly layered that had my head twirling as many of the steps / subplots threw me off balance. Another great shimmy with Fantasy and a story for (mostly) everyone.
The Plot
Kazi, one of the queens trusted soldiers and spies is sent on a mission to locate and bring back Captain Illarion who was responsible for killing hundreds of Vedan citizens including some of the elite in the queen’s guard. However, a chance encounter sees her tied to Jase, the new ruler of the Ballenger empire and kidnapped by labour hunters.
Was this a chance encounter or moves orchestrated by both? Choreography that went wrong? Well now chained together the ‘Dance’ can begin. Kazi is lured to Hell’s mouth by her companion / lover Jase, but instead of having to sneak into the palace, she believes is providing sanctuary to the captain, Kazi has been invited in as a guest allowed to roam the city.
With opposing loyalties and many to mistrust at court, the two dance dangerously close to death as the relationship between them strengthens.
What I loved about this book and the ‘4’ explained
The enemies - lovers - enemies - lovers - enemies - lovers trope should have become tiresome but instead it was so carefully plotted and interwoven with the books political storyline that it felt integral to the book and very well done.
The scheming, deception, duplicity and double crossing in the book was also superb. I found it hard to keep up in a good way. This added so much intrigue, suspense, and drama to a story that started and ended well, and everything in between kept me absorbed.
There was a purity and honesty in the characters that I don’t see or comment on very often, which I felt made this an excellent choice for young adults. Lots of kissing – no sex, some swear words but no offensive language. Tame but still really interesting. So very well written in all.
The clash between kingdoms, and rival rulers was excellent if not a tad predictable which is why I downgraded to a ‘4’. That said it did not affect my enjoyment in reading the story, because whilst the overarching story and outcome was predictable - how it came together with the numerous deviations in the plot and subplots was not.
Another fantasy I would recommend. Immersive, extremely well-choreographed, a sometimes moving story of two people who flip between enemies to lovers, and back again. The world building was excellent, and we danced our way to a compelling ending that sets up the next book in the series quite nicely, without the feeling that this book was unfinished.
The best parts; the deception, trickery and duplicity.
“Laughter reveals in the same way a sigh, or a glance does. It’s an unintentional language. Worry, fear, deceit – they hide in the things unsaid”
May 28, 2021
I present to you - Dance of Thieves Lies
AKA "The Tale of a proud Ballenger Family who gets bullied for being a proud family throughout the Entire History of the World, inc"
WARNING: spoilers ahead
The Ballengers have a small landmass they have been occupying sinceforever Ancients' times. But no kingdom recognizes their right to rule and govern over their land. That's really unfortunate for the Ballengers, cuz they're located right between a few other kingdoms who all think that they have the right over Ballengers' territory
The head of the family is a poor soul Jase. A very proud family man, ready to do everything for his Family and for the people who live on his territory.
He wants for his people to be safe, and for their right as the first country to be recognized.
Doesn't want anything else. Good guy Jase.
Ya know how he became thehead Patrei of the Ballenger clan? His father (ex-Patrei) has acknowledged that Jase was the best at seeing through the lies of other people. And so Jase is.... for the first 50 pages or so
(and this book is atrocious 500 which reads like at the very least twice as much)
When Jase meets Kazi, he spots many of her lies right away.
Then he thinks to himself: "Yes! I'm sooo good at spotting these lies! I've always been good at spotting lies! Wait a second... I wonder why she doesn't want to tell me the truth?"
Aaaaaaand then he falls in love with her and BELIEVES. EVERY. WORD. SHE. SAYS. EVEN. WHEN. SHE. CONTRADICTS. HERSELF. When Kazi never wants to talk about her past, he is like: "Naaah. I'm sure it's fine". He doesn't ask Kazi why she's on Ballengers territory cuz " I'm sure it's fine".. Even though he knows that she is from another Kingdom, serves another Queen (Jase thinks Kazi is enrolled in the military) who doesn't even recognize the Ballengers' right to their Kingdom, it's all I'm sure it's fine, no way you and your military friends are foreign invadors.
Even when he gets evidence after evidence that Kazi or her friends are doing something dodgy, it's all fine with him.
So, there's Kaziof Brightmist. A thief hired by some Queen to find a criminal man and... steal him?
(???)
and bring the man to the Queen for justice. And Kazi believes that Jase is hiding that man somewhere in The Ballenger "kingdom", and that the man was doing crimes on Jase's orders.
Kazi is not just a thief, but a KICKASS SUPER-MEGA thief who is rude, loud and super annoying.
Somewhere in the first 30% of the book she thinks smth like "I'm calm. I am good at keeping myself calm, not showing emotions, nothing can surprise me, I'll keep a calm mask no matter what, like I always do"
And this is Kazi literally a page later:
And every time she doesn't like something, she starts screaming, makes assumptions, and accuses the Ballenger family of all crimes against humanity, never giving anyone a chance to justify themselves because screw these guys.
Kazi is a GIANT LIAR, never mentions anything real about her. She lies to Jase for the entire book (up until the end), never speaks one truth about herself, about what she wants, about what her goal is. Besides that, she goes behind Jase's back to pursue her goals, goes behind Jase's family's backs, although the Ballengers seem to care about her a great deal. YET when she sees something that goes against her personal philosophy, when she thinks she is being lied to she starts screaming at Jase, makes accusations, punches him (like actual fist-to-the-face), makes a scene in public without giving Jase a chance to explain himself - and that has happened a few times throughout the book. Because apparently Jase is supposed to be a mind-reader and know what her problems are with everything...
Women, am I right? Always thinking that men are some mind-readers who know exactly why the woman is upset
I mean... Jase does "hide" some things from Kazi, BUT since she never explains why she is in his Kingdom, never expresses interest in certain topics... can you really blame the guy for not telling Kazi absolutely every single detail of how he governs his Kingdom? So, why does Jase "hide" things from Kazi? MAYBE IT'S CUZ KAZI NEVER ASKS? MAYBE? JUST MAYBE A LITTLE BIT?
Just throwing it out there....
She acts like a spoiled entitled brat - which is surprising, because her upbringing is very humble..
Oh, she also is a HUGE hypocrite. She accuses the Ballengers of many horrible things (most of which turned out to be either not true or simple misunderstandings)... when she herself is guilty of the same crimes.
Besides the most horrible main female character, a few other things that really pissed me off:
- the book is atrociously long. It's only 500 pages, but it feels as thought it's waaaay more than that. Not a lot of things are happening, besides Kazi acting stupid.
- There're about 20-30 characters in the book, most of whom have 2 syllable names, who constantly appear on the pages, and honestly, I couldn't remember who was who and couldn't give a damn about any of them.
- Conversations got sidetracked a lot. I expected the characters to talk about ABC, but they'd end up talking about smth else all together.
- It's also an incredibly slow read. I've been sick for 3 days straight, doing almost nothing but reading the book, and still, it took me so long to finish it. I'd expect to make the same progress on a George Martin's aSoIaF novel, but not on this poor excuse of a "high fantasy"
Oh, and the reason why I even started reading this book, is because I was hinted that there was a good romance line here, and although I didn't have my hopes high, I was still extremely disappointed by the romance. I want to blame it all on Kazi, because with a character like her, you can't really expect a healthy relationship... but I didn't like Jase either, since both of them are POVs in this book. I didn't really see their love, I didn't like the way their relationship were described by the author and it felt a bit insta-lovey(which is an achievement of its own bc the book is atrociously long), and their love was blind, especially from Jase's side.
AKA "The Tale of a proud Ballenger Family who gets bullied for being a proud family throughout the Entire History of the World, inc"
WARNING: spoilers ahead
The Ballengers have a small landmass they have been occupying since
The head of the family is a poor soul Jase. A very proud family man, ready to do everything for his Family and for the people who live on his territory.
He wants for his people to be safe, and for their right as the first country to be recognized.
Doesn't want anything else. Good guy Jase.
Ya know how he became the
When Jase meets Kazi, he spots many of her lies right away.
Then he thinks to himself: "Yes! I'm sooo good at spotting these lies! I've always been good at spotting lies! Wait a second... I wonder why she doesn't want to tell me the truth?"
Aaaaaaand then he falls in love with her and BELIEVES. EVERY. WORD. SHE. SAYS. EVEN. WHEN. SHE. CONTRADICTS. HERSELF. When Kazi never wants to talk about her past, he is like: "Naaah. I'm sure it's fine". He doesn't ask Kazi why she's on Ballengers territory cuz " I'm sure it's fine".. Even though he knows that she is from another Kingdom, serves another Queen (Jase thinks Kazi is enrolled in the military) who doesn't even recognize the Ballengers' right to their Kingdom, it's all I'm sure it's fine, no way you and your military friends are foreign invadors.
Even when he gets evidence after evidence that Kazi or her friends are doing something dodgy, it's all fine with him.
So, there's Kazi
Kazi is not just a thief, but a KICKASS SUPER-MEGA thief who is rude, loud and super annoying.
Somewhere in the first 30% of the book she thinks smth like "I'm calm. I am good at keeping myself calm, not showing emotions, nothing can surprise me, I'll keep a calm mask no matter what, like I always do"
And this is Kazi literally a page later:
And every time she doesn't like something, she starts screaming, makes assumptions, and accuses the Ballenger family of all crimes against humanity, never giving anyone a chance to justify themselves because screw these guys.
Kazi is a GIANT LIAR, never mentions anything real about her. She lies to Jase for the entire book (up until the end), never speaks one truth about herself, about what she wants, about what her goal is. Besides that, she goes behind Jase's back to pursue her goals, goes behind Jase's family's backs, although the Ballengers seem to care about her a great deal. YET when she sees something that goes against her personal philosophy, when she thinks she is being lied to she starts screaming at Jase, makes accusations, punches him (like actual fist-to-the-face), makes a scene in public without giving Jase a chance to explain himself - and that has happened a few times throughout the book. Because apparently Jase is supposed to be a mind-reader and know what her problems are with everything...
Women, am I right? Always thinking that men are some mind-readers who know exactly why the woman is upset
I mean... Jase does "hide" some things from Kazi, BUT since she never explains why she is in his Kingdom, never expresses interest in certain topics... can you really blame the guy for not telling Kazi absolutely every single detail of how he governs his Kingdom? So, why does Jase "hide" things from Kazi? MAYBE IT'S CUZ KAZI NEVER ASKS? MAYBE? JUST MAYBE A LITTLE BIT?
She acts like a spoiled entitled brat - which is surprising, because her upbringing is very humble..
Oh, she also is a HUGE hypocrite. She accuses the Ballengers of many horrible things (most of which turned out to be either not true or simple misunderstandings)... when she herself is guilty of the same crimes.
Besides the most horrible main female character, a few other things that really pissed me off:
- the book is atrociously long. It's only 500 pages, but it feels as thought it's waaaay more than that. Not a lot of things are happening, besides Kazi acting stupid.
- There're about 20-30 characters in the book, most of whom have 2 syllable names, who constantly appear on the pages, and honestly, I couldn't remember who was who and couldn't give a damn about any of them.
- Conversations got sidetracked a lot. I expected the characters to talk about ABC, but they'd end up talking about smth else all together.
- It's also an incredibly slow read. I've been sick for 3 days straight, doing almost nothing but reading the book, and still, it took me so long to finish it. I'd expect to make the same progress on a George Martin's aSoIaF novel, but not on this poor excuse of a "high fantasy"
Oh, and the reason why I even started reading this book, is because I was hinted that there was a good romance line here, and although I didn't have my hopes high, I was still extremely disappointed by the romance. I want to blame it all on Kazi, because with a character like her, you can't really expect a healthy relationship... but I didn't like Jase either, since both of them are POVs in this book. I didn't really see their love, I didn't like the way their relationship were described by the author and it felt a bit insta-lovey
April 18, 2023
this was so good. I'm a sucker for witty & cunning characters. Chef's kiss. (actual rating 4.5)
August 19, 2024
very much for for me sadly🥲 romance was NOT romancing
December 7, 2023
4 ⭐️
Ahhh this was really good!! 🫶🫶 Great characters, a really interesting plot & a stunning romance- it just delivered on everything I look for in a ya fantasy 🤭🤭🤍🤍
“Choose your words carefully, even the words you think, because they become seeds, and seeds become history.”
Dance of Thieves follows Jase and Kazi. Jase is part of a formidable outlaw family and thrust suddenly into power with enemies on all sides. Kazi is a legendary street thief, who has now become part of the Rahtan, the queen's premier guard. When Kazi is sent by the queen on a mission to the land ruled by Jase's family, their fates collide in a game that may cost them their lives- and their hearts.
“It's awkward, isn't it?" he said.
"What's that?" I replied, my voice far too breathy.
"These moments when we're not hating each other.”
I've been wanting to read this for AGES- it's just been super well-loved for a while- but i just never picked it up. I'm so glad i finally did because I thoroughly enjoyed it!! 🫶🫶
There were a lot of things I really enjoyed in this book- starting with the characters!! ✨️ Both of the mcs were so morally grey and i was here 👏 for 👏 it 👏 I actually loved Kazi sm- she was so badass & such a cool fmc. I loved seeing her character development throughout this book and her backstory- i just wanted to give her a big hug 🫂🫂 Plus i adored her friendship with Wren & Synové- it was so wholesome 🥹🥹
I also really liked Jase 💗 learning more about him was so interesting to me and i loved the different sides of his character- he was very morally grey, but he also had such a soft side 🫶🫶 He's also just hot in general and he had me giggling a lot 🤭🤭
The writing and story was also very enjoyable 🥰🥰 This was my fourth Mary E. Pearson book (i've also read the Remnant Chronicles) and i just really like her writing!! It took me a minute to get into this book but once i was hooked, i got really invested in the storyline. There were a lot of surprising twists and turns and it ended on such an interesting note. Plus the world was so well-developed and it was so interesting learning about jase's family history! 🫶🫶
And then there was the romance. Guys you were so right i lovedd the romance in here 🤭🤭😏😏 I specifically picked it up bc i heard it was enemies-to-lovers and while it was at the beginning, they just get friendlier pretty quickly. HOWEVER despite that, i still loved the relationship!! 🫶🫶 Jase and Kazi connected in such a great way and I loved seeing their romance develop throughout the book. The riddles they told to each other?? OMG 🦋🦋 Jase being so sweet and caring towards kazi?? someone sedate me 😩😩 Them at the end?? UGHH. I love them sm 🥹🥹🫂🫂
“I do want tomorrows with you, Jase. I want a lifetime of tomorrows.” ~ 🥹🥹
The only things i didn't love were the politics and the pacing. There was quite a lot of politics in here and as expected, they went right over my head. I was genuinely so confused 🙈🙈 Probably more of a me problem, but i still wish there'd been less of that. And the pacing definitely slowed down in the middle part of the book, which could've been better imo 🫤🫤
“What did they do to you, Kazi?” His voice was low, earnest. Even in the dim light, I was able to see the worry in his eyes.
I pretended I didn’t know what he was talking about. “Who did what?”
“Who made you afraid of an open world? An open sky? Was it Venda? Your parents?”
“No one did anything,” I answered quietly.
“Then hold on to me,” he said. “Let me show you the stars.”
Overall, this was so good!! 🫶🫶 Definitely pick it up if you're looking for:
✔ Enemies to lovers
✔ Morally grey characters
✔ Well developed world
✔ Betrayals
It's definitely worth the hype imo 🤭🤭🤍🤍
《 2023 Challenge: Book 146 of 110!! 》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was really good!! 🥰🥰 great characters, an interesting story & a stunning romance- I can definitely understand why it's so hyped 🤍🤍🫶🫶
Rtc!
Ahhh this was really good!! 🫶🫶 Great characters, a really interesting plot & a stunning romance- it just delivered on everything I look for in a ya fantasy 🤭🤭🤍🤍
“Choose your words carefully, even the words you think, because they become seeds, and seeds become history.”
Dance of Thieves follows Jase and Kazi. Jase is part of a formidable outlaw family and thrust suddenly into power with enemies on all sides. Kazi is a legendary street thief, who has now become part of the Rahtan, the queen's premier guard. When Kazi is sent by the queen on a mission to the land ruled by Jase's family, their fates collide in a game that may cost them their lives- and their hearts.
“It's awkward, isn't it?" he said.
"What's that?" I replied, my voice far too breathy.
"These moments when we're not hating each other.”
I've been wanting to read this for AGES- it's just been super well-loved for a while- but i just never picked it up. I'm so glad i finally did because I thoroughly enjoyed it!! 🫶🫶
There were a lot of things I really enjoyed in this book- starting with the characters!! ✨️ Both of the mcs were so morally grey and i was here 👏 for 👏 it 👏 I actually loved Kazi sm- she was so badass & such a cool fmc. I loved seeing her character development throughout this book and her backstory- i just wanted to give her a big hug 🫂🫂 Plus i adored her friendship with Wren & Synové- it was so wholesome 🥹🥹
I also really liked Jase 💗 learning more about him was so interesting to me and i loved the different sides of his character- he was very morally grey, but he also had such a soft side 🫶🫶 He's also just hot in general and he had me giggling a lot 🤭🤭
The writing and story was also very enjoyable 🥰🥰 This was my fourth Mary E. Pearson book (i've also read the Remnant Chronicles) and i just really like her writing!! It took me a minute to get into this book but once i was hooked, i got really invested in the storyline. There were a lot of surprising twists and turns and it ended on such an interesting note. Plus the world was so well-developed and it was so interesting learning about jase's family history! 🫶🫶
And then there was the romance. Guys you were so right i lovedd the romance in here 🤭🤭😏😏 I specifically picked it up bc i heard it was enemies-to-lovers and while it was at the beginning, they just get friendlier pretty quickly. HOWEVER despite that, i still loved the relationship!! 🫶🫶 Jase and Kazi connected in such a great way and I loved seeing their romance develop throughout the book. The riddles they told to each other?? OMG 🦋🦋 Jase being so sweet and caring towards kazi?? someone sedate me 😩😩 Them at the end?? UGHH. I love them sm 🥹🥹🫂🫂
“I do want tomorrows with you, Jase. I want a lifetime of tomorrows.” ~ 🥹🥹
The only things i didn't love were the politics and the pacing. There was quite a lot of politics in here and as expected, they went right over my head. I was genuinely so confused 🙈🙈 Probably more of a me problem, but i still wish there'd been less of that. And the pacing definitely slowed down in the middle part of the book, which could've been better imo 🫤🫤
“What did they do to you, Kazi?” His voice was low, earnest. Even in the dim light, I was able to see the worry in his eyes.
I pretended I didn’t know what he was talking about. “Who did what?”
“Who made you afraid of an open world? An open sky? Was it Venda? Your parents?”
“No one did anything,” I answered quietly.
“Then hold on to me,” he said. “Let me show you the stars.”
Overall, this was so good!! 🫶🫶 Definitely pick it up if you're looking for:
✔ Enemies to lovers
✔ Morally grey characters
✔ Well developed world
✔ Betrayals
It's definitely worth the hype imo 🤭🤭🤍🤍
《 2023 Challenge: Book 146 of 110!! 》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was really good!! 🥰🥰 great characters, an interesting story & a stunning romance- I can definitely understand why it's so hyped 🤍🤍🫶🫶
Rtc!
September 10, 2019
"This was more than an unexpected turn. It was an unchecked slide into hell."
4.5 stars!!! As always, I think that it’s important to point out that Mary E. Pearson is the most underrated author in YA fantasy. And for the life of me, I can’t understand why that is! Her world-building, character development, and plot progression abilities are superb! This was supposed to be a buddy read with Diana, but she went POOF, so...¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’d also like to make note that although this is technically a separate series from the Remnant Chronicles, as is the case with the Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology, it would be beneficial to read the Remnant Chronicles first (hence, why I’m glad that I re-read the Kiss of Deception and finally finished the remainder of the trilogy beforehand). Thus, you shan’t be spoiled about the past events that are referenced in this book. Also, you’ll have a connection to the familiar faces (Lia, Rafe, etc.) that pop up all over this book…much to my sheer delight!!! It’s very strange seeing Lia (aka one of the absolute best YA protagonists) referred to as “the Queen” and “Her Majesty”, having watched her grow and mature over the course of the Remnant Chronicles. But I love it!!! <3
This book is over 500 pages, but I flew through it SO QUICKLY. I would’ve finished it in one sitting, rather than two, had I not also been reading other books simultaneously, ugh. Mary E. Pearson’s writing just hooks you in! Once she gets her claws into you, you shan’t want to stop reading!!! Unlike the Remnant Chronicles, Dance of Thieves is told from only two POV’s, not three. I’m, personally, a fan of multiple POV’s in this world because the plot gets SO INTENSE that it really helps you to get more invested in the story as you see every angle of the characters’ decision-making. And it helps that the male characters in this world are SO swoon-worthy!!! ;)
If you’re not a fan of romance-heavy books, it might interest you to know that unlike the Remnant Chronicles, which were very political-heavy books, a great deal of the plot in this novel is dependent upon the romance. This would’ve been a full 5-star read for me, had it not been for the teeny-weeny amount of instalove in the beginning. As the novel progressed, I did come to love the romance between Kazi and Jase, but initially, their feelings for each other were a bit too sudden and not entirely believable. But not to worry! Like me, I think that you’ll be fully shipping them by the book’s conclusion! :D They were so cute and sweet as a couple, disagreed over everything, and held many secrets from one another, but that only made the story infinitely more addicting! And also, you’ll be reeling from the cliffhanger during the last two pages (I seriously thought that for once I’d have a nice and neat ending), so fair warning. Why must you do this to us, Mary E. Pearson???! How am I to wait an ENTIRE YEAR???! Sniffle, sniffle… :(
As for the plot, the gist of it is that Kazi, a former street thief (known by the name of Ten because she still has all of her fingers, having never been caught by the Komizar for her thievery) and a current member of Queen Lia of Venda’s Rahtan is sent to locate General Illarium, who is responsible for the deaths of Lia’s father and brother, and has reportedly sought refuge in Hell’s Mouth. This area, although unrecognised as such, is under the control of the Ballenger family, as the capital of the unofficial “First Kingdom.” Jase, the new Patrei of the Ballenger family, finds himself literally abducted and shackled to Kazi by labour traders, and the plot takes off from there! Jase brings Kazi back to his family as a prisoner, but Kazi isn’t completely opposed to her current situation though, because that’s exactly where she needs to be, in order to conduct her own secret mission for Queen Lia. Betrayals and secrets run amok in this novel and I was riveted from beginning to end!
I’d highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys high fantasy worlds, great romance, addictive plots, secret missions, and thieving characters. Mary E. Pearson’s latest book is not one that you want to miss! :D
May 31, 2020
$2.99 kindle US today 5/31/20
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
May 9, 2024
★★★★☆ - 4 stars
this was good!! i can’t wait to see what happens next.
the setting is very well-imagined. i read the remnant chronicles before this and the worldbuilding is so much easier to understand, making this a quicker read for me. i can definitely see how others get confused with tons of new terms being introduced. the setting is amazing and one of my favorite parts about the book.
the politics were also great. i loved the high stakes. there’s a lot to take in at first, but it slowly gets easier to understand.
i’ve read tons of fantasies, but this one was executed well in terms of worldbuilding. unique and very interesting!
the characters in this were SO much better than those of the remnant chronicles. kazi was sarcastic, clever, and fierce. my favorite qualities in a female main character. i fell in love with her in the first pages! the things she had to go through only make her tougher.
as of now, i’m a bit conflicted with jase. i’m excited to see how this finishes out!
the plot honestly could’ve been better. it was NOT 5 star material. politically intriguing, yes. but quite boring throughout the first half. hoping the next one is better.
the ending was done nicely though!
mary e. pearson’s writing is great. it’s super lyrical and flows very well. it can be a bit easy to get lost, and i am speaking from firsthand experience. there were a few times i had to reread a passage over again. but i really enjoyed her prose!
overall, i wasn’t disappointed by this. love a good romantasy novel!
quotes
I want you, every part of you, even the parts that infuriate me beyond telling, because you’ve infected me with a poison that I don’t want to flush out, because you’re a mad viper twisting around my middle, cutting off my breath, yet I want you more than I want to breathe.
I don’t want to lose you, Kazi I’m not asking for promises. I love you, and I will never stop saying it, not through a thousand tomorrows.
this was good!! i can’t wait to see what happens next.
the setting is very well-imagined. i read the remnant chronicles before this and the worldbuilding is so much easier to understand, making this a quicker read for me. i can definitely see how others get confused with tons of new terms being introduced. the setting is amazing and one of my favorite parts about the book.
the politics were also great. i loved the high stakes. there’s a lot to take in at first, but it slowly gets easier to understand.
i’ve read tons of fantasies, but this one was executed well in terms of worldbuilding. unique and very interesting!
the characters in this were SO much better than those of the remnant chronicles. kazi was sarcastic, clever, and fierce. my favorite qualities in a female main character. i fell in love with her in the first pages! the things she had to go through only make her tougher.
as of now, i’m a bit conflicted with jase. i’m excited to see how this finishes out!
the plot honestly could’ve been better. it was NOT 5 star material. politically intriguing, yes. but quite boring throughout the first half. hoping the next one is better.
the ending was done nicely though!
mary e. pearson’s writing is great. it’s super lyrical and flows very well. it can be a bit easy to get lost, and i am speaking from firsthand experience. there were a few times i had to reread a passage over again. but i really enjoyed her prose!
overall, i wasn’t disappointed by this. love a good romantasy novel!
quotes
I want you, every part of you, even the parts that infuriate me beyond telling, because you’ve infected me with a poison that I don’t want to flush out, because you’re a mad viper twisting around my middle, cutting off my breath, yet I want you more than I want to breathe.
I don’t want to lose you, Kazi I’m not asking for promises. I love you, and I will never stop saying it, not through a thousand tomorrows.
March 27, 2023
RE-READ 3/2023
When, Jase the leader of an outlaw family with a rich history crosses paths with Kazi, a fierce soldier in the Queens legendary Rahtan their opposing allegiances and political views make them immediate adversaries but when they are forced to work together in order to survive they learn they have more in common than they thought leading both of them to question everything and causing them to choose between their duty and their hearts.
This book is ultimately about family, the ones you are born into and the ones you make for yourself. I love the fierce loyalty and honor for tradition of The Ballenger Clan. Their love for each other is absolute and fierce. Their commitment to each other and their histories and the decisions they felt they were forced to make offer such a good moral debate.
Kazi, Synove, and Wren are my heart. I love these fierce Rahtan warriors so much. The horrors that each of them overcomes and the way they love each other and provide each other strength squeezes me heart every time I read. And they are just so badass let's be real.
And of course, Jase and Kazi. I love them so much! They are one of my all-time favorite couples, everything they go through and what they have to overcome is so layered and earned. They feel like true equals which is so rare.
This is a book I will read over and over again forever bc Kazi of Brightmist is imprinted in my heart. Every once and while a character comes along that you know you will carry with you forever and Kazi is one of those characters. Her story particularly is so heartbreaking and triumphant at the same time, and I will always remember her journey. 💙💙💙💙
"Blink last"
"What is this Kazi? What is this between us?"
"There I have said it now, and I won't take it back. I Love you, Kazi of Brightmist, and I will
never stop saying it, not through a thousand tomorrows."
"Eleven years Jase, I can keep here for eleven years if I have to"
Original Review
This book is perfection. I love so many characters! I could not put this book down and would not change one word. Pacing, action and flow were done so well I was sucked into the story completely!! Can’t wait to read the next one!
When, Jase the leader of an outlaw family with a rich history crosses paths with Kazi, a fierce soldier in the Queens legendary Rahtan their opposing allegiances and political views make them immediate adversaries but when they are forced to work together in order to survive they learn they have more in common than they thought leading both of them to question everything and causing them to choose between their duty and their hearts.
This book is ultimately about family, the ones you are born into and the ones you make for yourself. I love the fierce loyalty and honor for tradition of The Ballenger Clan. Their love for each other is absolute and fierce. Their commitment to each other and their histories and the decisions they felt they were forced to make offer such a good moral debate.
Kazi, Synove, and Wren are my heart. I love these fierce Rahtan warriors so much. The horrors that each of them overcomes and the way they love each other and provide each other strength squeezes me heart every time I read. And they are just so badass let's be real.
And of course, Jase and Kazi. I love them so much! They are one of my all-time favorite couples, everything they go through and what they have to overcome is so layered and earned. They feel like true equals which is so rare.
This is a book I will read over and over again forever bc Kazi of Brightmist is imprinted in my heart. Every once and while a character comes along that you know you will carry with you forever and Kazi is one of those characters. Her story particularly is so heartbreaking and triumphant at the same time, and I will always remember her journey. 💙💙💙💙
"Blink last"
"What is this Kazi? What is this between us?"
"There I have said it now, and I won't take it back. I Love you, Kazi of Brightmist, and I will
never stop saying it, not through a thousand tomorrows."
"Eleven years Jase, I can keep here for eleven years if I have to"
Original Review
This book is perfection. I love so many characters! I could not put this book down and would not change one word. Pacing, action and flow were done so well I was sucked into the story completely!! Can’t wait to read the next one!
July 25, 2022
“What did they do to you, Kazi?” His voice was low, earnest. Even in the dim light, I was able to see the worry in his eyes.
I pretended I didn’t know what he was talking about. “Who did what?”
“Who made you afraid of an open world? An open sky? Was it Venda? Your parents?”
“No one did anything,” I answered quietly.
“Then hold on to me,” he said. “Let me show you the stars.”
Woke up at 6:15 on a random Thursday morning with the insane urge to read this book, and thank goodness I did because I was definitely missing out.
The Remnant Chronicles will always have a special place in my heart for various reasons that are too sentimental and a bit childish to list; all you need to know is that Mary E. Pearson is probably one of my favorite writers and that this book surpassed every expectation I might have had.
Kazi and Jase are wonderfully round and crafted characters, and they're interesting both as a couple (I SHIP THEM SO HARD???) and independently.
Plotwise speaking, I had a bit of trouble getting back into this world, but it took me only 50 pages or so to build up a rhythm and enjoy the world building with all the geography and politic intrigues it came.
I don't know when I'll be able and in the mood to read the sequel, but I'm definitely going to re-read this one before I dive into the second book. That's how much I liked Dance of Thieves.
book #40
◾this hashtag is something I self-indulgently created for fun when I decided to thin out my immense tbr list as a new years resolution starting from books I added on GR back in 2017/2018/2019, and since I can't seem to do anything quietly and I'm well known for being an overachiever, I had to go and turn it into an official thing. Feel free to check out the #PenguinOnATBRMission shelf if you don't mind keeping up with this insanely over-hyped adventure I got myself into. Take it as a chance to rediscover some books from a few years ago that might have accidentally flown under your radar, or to simply share with another fellow reader your very own reading experience. Happy reading and stay penguin-y!◾
To Be Continued...🐧
April 23, 2023
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊
┊ ┊ ✫ ˚♡ ⋆｡ ❀
┊ ☪︎⋆
⊹
𓆩♡𓆪 Everyone can hear spoken words, but only a few can hear the heart that beats behind them.
I'm not quite sure you guys understand how happy this book makes me.
The Remnant Chronicles were an amazing piece of art, yet they are underappreciated and underrated. And to see Mary Pearson's mesmerizing, lyrical writing, beautiful, complex characters, and masterfully executed plot and twists actually be appreciated to the full extent they should be with this book?
Not to mention the little references and characters from The Remnant Chronicles slipped in?
It makes me so completely and wonderfully happy and giddy.
⋆------------⋆
⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊ Kazi ₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆
The thing about a mark is they've created lies in their head, a story they've invented that they desperately want to believe, a fantasy that merely needs to be fed.
When I say I love Kazi, it's a gross understatement. She is real and alive, her heart practically beating in the page under my fingertip. She is a queen, but she also has flaws and doubts and scars underneath her façade. She is not a perfect baddie character, but she is still so strong and brave. Always hiding, always deflecting away questions, always juggling, juggling, juggling. I have a feeling even us readers were only allowed bits and glimpses of her true, earnest self, yet I feel like I know her so well. Kazi, you deserve all the love in the world ♡
⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊ Jase ₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆
"Give up a handful and you will lose it all."
Jase is also an amazing, beautiful, wonderful character. I loved his devotion to his family and to Kazi, his leadership struggle and growth, and his loyalty. The fact that there is only one of him and not a love triangle in sight just makes it so much better <3
He's honestly one of my new book boyfriends. Where can I get a guy as kind, caring, observant, and protective as him? (Please don't remind me that I can't, because they don't exist. I am fully aware of that, and it depresses me.)
⋆------------⋆
The entire cast of characters, from Wren and Synove to Mason to Nash and Lydia, and all the characters in-between, were all beautiful and alive. There were a lot of names that would've been hard to keep track of and remember who is who in a different type of book, but Mary Pearson richly developed each of them and I had no trouble remembering! They are all my new best friends 🤍🤍
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊
┊ ┊ ✫ ˚♡ ⋆｡ ❀
┊ ☪︎⋆
⊹
𓆩♡𓆪 We must not only be ready for the enemy without, but also the enemy within.
The writing is absolutely perfection. It's so vivid, so lovely, so heart-wrenchingly gorgeous and flowing and hypnotizing. I cannot even fathom how good it is.
It's one of my favorite things in the book, honestly. The descriptions, the flashbacks, the internal monologue and outward dialogue; it all has starlight-flushed magic injected straight into the page, and then injects itself straight into my brain, where it turns into pure serotonin in my veins. Can every single YA fantasy be re-written by Mary Pearson, please and thank you.
This may have been infected by the writing, but the world-building and settings and backstories were also gorgeous. I have become so intimately acquainted with this world from The Remnant Chronicles, but Dance of Thieves took it to a whole new level. Tor's Watch and its rich history only added to the fullness of this fantasy world. It's also so cool how Kazi was a street thief from Venda while the Komizar ruled, and was someone directly impacted by Lia's story. It just made this book flow with the original trilogy so well and seamlessly.
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊
┊ ┊ ✫ ˚♡ ⋆｡ ❀
┊ ☪︎⋆
⊹
𓆩♡𓆪The dead demand justice, as do the living.
The plot. Ohohohohoho, the plot.
Every page, every development, every twist and turn were all either so painstakingly written to literal perfection, or Mary Pearson is a writing saint without even trying.
Either way, I'M SO GLAD SHE IS ABLE TO BLESS THE LITERARY WORLD WITH HER AMAZINGNESS.
It was maybe a little slow paced, but still kept me hooked from the first page to the last. The revelations and secrets and twists were all delivered so painfully slowly, sprinkled over every chapter in a way that makes you not even able to put it down.
And then there's that ending, that last chapter. Actually, we're not going to talk about that because it makes my anxiety rochet skyward and I just- I.... um, I cannot talk about it. Nope.
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊
┊ ┊ ✫ ˚♡ ⋆｡ ❀
┊ ☪︎⋆
⊹
𓆩♡𓆪 "Hold on to me," he said. "Let me show you the stars."
Kazi and Jase forever and ever and ever. Yes, maybe the romance could've been a little more slow burn, but you eventually realize that their falling in love in the beginning and struggling to hold on to each other throughout the whole book is one of the most beautiful things in this story. The way they balance each other out and the way they feel so right and safe with each other is freakin adorable! I will die with their names engraved on my tombstone.
(Well, not really, that's an exaggeration, but you get what I'm saying right.)
Bottom line: This book makes me remember why fantasy is my favorite genre and why the feeling of discovering a new favorite book is my favorite feeling in the world.
It makes me remember why I fell in love with reading in the first place.
⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊ happy reading loves! 🤍🤍 ₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆
┊ ┊ ✫ ˚♡ ⋆｡ ❀
┊ ☪︎⋆
⊹
𓆩♡𓆪 Everyone can hear spoken words, but only a few can hear the heart that beats behind them.
I'm not quite sure you guys understand how happy this book makes me.
The Remnant Chronicles were an amazing piece of art, yet they are underappreciated and underrated. And to see Mary Pearson's mesmerizing, lyrical writing, beautiful, complex characters, and masterfully executed plot and twists actually be appreciated to the full extent they should be with this book?
Not to mention the little references and characters from The Remnant Chronicles slipped in?
It makes me so completely and wonderfully happy and giddy.
⋆------------⋆
⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊ Kazi ₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆
The thing about a mark is they've created lies in their head, a story they've invented that they desperately want to believe, a fantasy that merely needs to be fed.
When I say I love Kazi, it's a gross understatement. She is real and alive, her heart practically beating in the page under my fingertip. She is a queen, but she also has flaws and doubts and scars underneath her façade. She is not a perfect baddie character, but she is still so strong and brave. Always hiding, always deflecting away questions, always juggling, juggling, juggling. I have a feeling even us readers were only allowed bits and glimpses of her true, earnest self, yet I feel like I know her so well. Kazi, you deserve all the love in the world ♡
⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊ Jase ₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆
"Give up a handful and you will lose it all."
Jase is also an amazing, beautiful, wonderful character. I loved his devotion to his family and to Kazi, his leadership struggle and growth, and his loyalty. The fact that there is only one of him and not a love triangle in sight just makes it so much better <3
He's honestly one of my new book boyfriends. Where can I get a guy as kind, caring, observant, and protective as him? (Please don't remind me that I can't, because they don't exist. I am fully aware of that, and it depresses me.)
⋆------------⋆
The entire cast of characters, from Wren and Synove to Mason to Nash and Lydia, and all the characters in-between, were all beautiful and alive. There were a lot of names that would've been hard to keep track of and remember who is who in a different type of book, but Mary Pearson richly developed each of them and I had no trouble remembering! They are all my new best friends 🤍🤍
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊
┊ ┊ ✫ ˚♡ ⋆｡ ❀
┊ ☪︎⋆
⊹
𓆩♡𓆪 We must not only be ready for the enemy without, but also the enemy within.
The writing is absolutely perfection. It's so vivid, so lovely, so heart-wrenchingly gorgeous and flowing and hypnotizing. I cannot even fathom how good it is.
It's one of my favorite things in the book, honestly. The descriptions, the flashbacks, the internal monologue and outward dialogue; it all has starlight-flushed magic injected straight into the page, and then injects itself straight into my brain, where it turns into pure serotonin in my veins. Can every single YA fantasy be re-written by Mary Pearson, please and thank you.
This may have been infected by the writing, but the world-building and settings and backstories were also gorgeous. I have become so intimately acquainted with this world from The Remnant Chronicles, but Dance of Thieves took it to a whole new level. Tor's Watch and its rich history only added to the fullness of this fantasy world. It's also so cool how Kazi was a street thief from Venda while the Komizar ruled, and was someone directly impacted by Lia's story. It just made this book flow with the original trilogy so well and seamlessly.
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊
┊ ┊ ✫ ˚♡ ⋆｡ ❀
┊ ☪︎⋆
⊹
𓆩♡𓆪The dead demand justice, as do the living.
The plot. Ohohohohoho, the plot.
Every page, every development, every twist and turn were all either so painstakingly written to literal perfection, or Mary Pearson is a writing saint without even trying.
Either way, I'M SO GLAD SHE IS ABLE TO BLESS THE LITERARY WORLD WITH HER AMAZINGNESS.
It was maybe a little slow paced, but still kept me hooked from the first page to the last. The revelations and secrets and twists were all delivered so painfully slowly, sprinkled over every chapter in a way that makes you not even able to put it down.
And then there's that ending, that last chapter. Actually, we're not going to talk about that because it makes my anxiety rochet skyward and I just- I.... um, I cannot talk about it. Nope.
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊
┊ ┊ ✫ ˚♡ ⋆｡ ❀
┊ ☪︎⋆
⊹
𓆩♡𓆪 "Hold on to me," he said. "Let me show you the stars."
Kazi and Jase forever and ever and ever. Yes, maybe the romance could've been a little more slow burn, but you eventually realize that their falling in love in the beginning and struggling to hold on to each other throughout the whole book is one of the most beautiful things in this story. The way they balance each other out and the way they feel so right and safe with each other is freakin adorable! I will die with their names engraved on my tombstone.
(Well, not really, that's an exaggeration, but you get what I'm saying right.)
Bottom line: This book makes me remember why fantasy is my favorite genre and why the feeling of discovering a new favorite book is my favorite feeling in the world.
It makes me remember why I fell in love with reading in the first place.
⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊ happy reading loves! 🤍🤍 ₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆
August 30, 2023
I think this has been one of my favorite fantasy reads in a long time. Had to start studying the map a bit to get through the world-building in the first 50 pages, but after that, it was like I couldn't get enough. I loved every second of Kazi and Jase's story!! (Almost as much as I loved Damon and Elena from Vampire Diaries and that's A LOT!😭🖤)
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THOUGHTS:
- Because this is a duology/ but still a complex world build - I can see why these books are long. Definitely excited to see where the book goes just based on the first bit!
- I haven't loved a fantasy romance in a while! Dance of Thieves definitely gives me Gondor (LoTR) vibes throughout. There are fierce families and a tight-knit kingdom of people surviving in a world of fantasy creatures - but also somewhat medieval vibes? This whole book was just incredibly well done.
- Another thing I loved beyond the people and the world-building is the way the storyline unfolded. It felt like I could see secrets being discovered around every dark passageway throughout Tor's Watch.
- A perfect cliffhanger. You could almost stop reading after DoT - but you won't want to because you love the characters so much.
THE BIG QUESTION: Will I read the next book? >>>>YES!! I'm also considering reading the prequel series! I think Pearson's writing style is just too good. So much happens, but I love the dark and smokey atmosphere of adventure. I never got bored!!
***Started - 7/19/2023**
Find Me On Instagram 🦋 || More Bookish Thoughts & Reviews Here 🖤
THOUGHTS:
- Because this is a duology/ but still a complex world build - I can see why these books are long. Definitely excited to see where the book goes just based on the first bit!
- I haven't loved a fantasy romance in a while! Dance of Thieves definitely gives me Gondor (LoTR) vibes throughout. There are fierce families and a tight-knit kingdom of people surviving in a world of fantasy creatures - but also somewhat medieval vibes? This whole book was just incredibly well done.
- Another thing I loved beyond the people and the world-building is the way the storyline unfolded. It felt like I could see secrets being discovered around every dark passageway throughout Tor's Watch.
- A perfect cliffhanger. You could almost stop reading after DoT - but you won't want to because you love the characters so much.
THE BIG QUESTION: Will I read the next book? >>>>YES!! I'm also considering reading the prequel series! I think Pearson's writing style is just too good. So much happens, but I love the dark and smokey atmosphere of adventure. I never got bored!!
***Started - 7/19/2023**
February 20, 2022
Sooo I didn't really like The Remnant Chronicles by this same author, but everyone seems to have loved this spin-off series so I decided to give it a try. Thank god I did because this first book was really amazing!
✅ KAZI WAS A GREAT main character. I feel like more often than not in fantasy, the female character is always the "normal person" and then the guy is always the "badass" who gets to be morally grey and have all the cool powers. I loveddd how in this book, Kazi was the one in a secret military organization and Kazi was the one who was a renowned thief and had all the badass skills
✅ NOT ONLY WAS THE PACE very quick - I read this entire book in a day and it is long - but the characterization was really perfect too. Everyone felt like a unique character, with their own dark pasts that helped create who they were in the present
✅ I LOVE A FOUND FAMILY and this definitely had a lot of found family vibes 😊 One Kazi's side, I completely adored her relationship with Synové and Wren - you could tell they were best friends. And Jase's entire family was so amazing too! I loved seeing the groups form relationships and come together
🆗 YOU CAN DEFINITELY read this without first reading The Remnant Chronicles but just know there are a lot of references and definitely spoilers for the original series. I hadn't read that series in a longg time so some of the references were a little hard for me to follow. I think it would be better if you hadn't read the original at all because then you wouldn't be awkwardly trying to connect the dots
✅ THE ROMANCE was soo cute and adorable. Enemies-to-lovers (briefly), forced proximity, fake dating, forbidden love... I mean so many amazing tropes were used here 🥰 Even though it all happened a little fast in terms of page count, I felt like the circumstances that pushed them together still made the romance pacing really believable. I wish it hadn't been a clean romance, but it's YA so to be expected.
❌ THE MAGIC and the history behind how the world started has always been really confusing to me in this world. I'm more of a logical person and need stricter rules laid out and the backstory/magic of this world has always been sooo incredibly vague
Overall, I was really surprised by how much depth these characters all had and how captivating the story was. Mary E. Pearson definitely took the world she started in The Remnant Chronicles and made it so much better, in my opinion. I can't wait to read the next one!
Steam Scale: 🔥/3
Swoon Scale: ❤️❤️❤️/3
✅ KAZI WAS A GREAT main character. I feel like more often than not in fantasy, the female character is always the "normal person" and then the guy is always the "badass" who gets to be morally grey and have all the cool powers. I loveddd how in this book, Kazi was the one in a secret military organization and Kazi was the one who was a renowned thief and had all the badass skills
✅ NOT ONLY WAS THE PACE very quick - I read this entire book in a day and it is long - but the characterization was really perfect too. Everyone felt like a unique character, with their own dark pasts that helped create who they were in the present
✅ I LOVE A FOUND FAMILY and this definitely had a lot of found family vibes 😊 One Kazi's side, I completely adored her relationship with Synové and Wren - you could tell they were best friends. And Jase's entire family was so amazing too! I loved seeing the groups form relationships and come together
🆗 YOU CAN DEFINITELY read this without first reading The Remnant Chronicles but just know there are a lot of references and definitely spoilers for the original series. I hadn't read that series in a longg time so some of the references were a little hard for me to follow. I think it would be better if you hadn't read the original at all because then you wouldn't be awkwardly trying to connect the dots
✅ THE ROMANCE was soo cute and adorable. Enemies-to-lovers (briefly), forced proximity, fake dating, forbidden love... I mean so many amazing tropes were used here 🥰 Even though it all happened a little fast in terms of page count, I felt like the circumstances that pushed them together still made the romance pacing really believable. I wish it hadn't been a clean romance, but it's YA so to be expected.
❌ THE MAGIC and the history behind how the world started has always been really confusing to me in this world. I'm more of a logical person and need stricter rules laid out and the backstory/magic of this world has always been sooo incredibly vague
Overall, I was really surprised by how much depth these characters all had and how captivating the story was. Mary E. Pearson definitely took the world she started in The Remnant Chronicles and made it so much better, in my opinion. I can't wait to read the next one!
Steam Scale: 🔥/3
Swoon Scale: ❤️❤️❤️/3
January 13, 2024
” Hear the language that isn’t spoken, for everyone can hear spoken words, but only a few can hear the hearts that beats behind it”
Absolutely loved it!! It was so good
The writing was incredible! It was so descriptive I literally felt like i was watching a movie through the papers. the world building of the story was so cool and unique. The plot was so good. Everything was just so beautiful <3
the characters were so well written. I loved all of them (not the bad ones).
Jase was such an amazing, beautiful,wonderful, sweet character i love him so much. I loved how fierce his loyalties and protectiveness for his family and the people who lives under his protection were . I can proudly now say that he's one of my favorite book boyfriends <3
Kazi was such a badass character. I literally admired her strength and how she was able to go through all the things she went through while she was only 6 years old. The way she could play everyone around her was so fucking admirable. But that doesn't mean that she didn't made me feel so frustrated at times like when she was mad at Jase for lying about something while all she has done was nothing but lie and lie and lie. she was such hypocrite at times 🙄 also WHAT SHE DID IN THE END!!!! NO IM STILL NOT OVER THAT NO 💔 ugh my heart was literally hurting sm. But u know it's not what she did that made me so heartbroken and mad it's the way she acted like she was the one who's supposed to be hurting!!!! Stfu okay she has no right to be mad 😑
I loved Jase bothers and sisters. I loved How they were " hurt my brother and u r dead" kind of people and how they were so united and together there was no lies, no secrets between them ugh I love them sm ( mason is my favorite❤️) I also love wern and synove. Synova was so me. Her scenes with mason was so funny and I can't wait to read more about them in the next book 💗
The things I didn't like was that hey jumped into romance so fast they were barely enemies and that made me so disappointed because I thought this was enemies to lovers but it wasn't it was more like forbidden romance.
Also it was so unnecessarily long like the author could have skipped some scenes
But other than that I loved everything else 🫶🏻🫶🏻
Quotes<\b>
“What did they do to you, Kazi?” His voice was low, earnest. Even in the dim light, I was able to see the worry in his eyes. I pretended I didn’t know what he was talking about." Who did what?”
“Who made you afraid of an open world?An open sky? Was it Venda? Your parents?”
“No one did anything,” I answered quietly.
“Then hold on to me,”he said. “Let me show you the stars.”
“We can never know the exact moment when someone will leave our lives forever.How many times had I bargained with the gods for one more day, one hour,just one minute. Was that too much to ask?One minute to say the unsaid things that were still trapped inside me. Or maybe I only wanted one more minute to say a real good-bye. ”
“Yes, I want to kiss you,Jase Ballenger. Not for show or to make the best of it. I want to kiss you because I want you,every part of you,even the parts that infuriate me beyond telling,because you’ve infected me with a poison that I don’t want to flush out, because you’re a mad viper twisting around my middle, cutting off my breath,yet I want you more than I want to breathe. Yes, Jase, I want to kiss you,just because I do,”
“Choose your words carefully, even the words you think, because they become seeds,and seeds become history.”
“sometimes you can’t begin to know everything you’ve lost until someone shows you what younmightnhave had.”
“My tomorrows are yours, Jase. I want them all to be with you.”
Absolutely loved it!! It was so good
The writing was incredible! It was so descriptive I literally felt like i was watching a movie through the papers. the world building of the story was so cool and unique. The plot was so good. Everything was just so beautiful <3
the characters were so well written. I loved all of them (not the bad ones).
Jase was such an amazing, beautiful,wonderful, sweet character i love him so much. I loved how fierce his loyalties and protectiveness for his family and the people who lives under his protection were . I can proudly now say that he's one of my favorite book boyfriends <3
Kazi was such a badass character. I literally admired her strength and how she was able to go through all the things she went through while she was only 6 years old. The way she could play everyone around her was so fucking admirable. But that doesn't mean that she didn't made me feel so frustrated at times like when she was mad at Jase for lying about something while all she has done was nothing but lie and lie and lie. she was such hypocrite at times 🙄 also WHAT SHE DID IN THE END!!!! NO IM STILL NOT OVER THAT NO 💔 ugh my heart was literally hurting sm. But u know it's not what she did that made me so heartbroken and mad it's the way she acted like she was the one who's supposed to be hurting!!!! Stfu okay she has no right to be mad 😑
I loved Jase bothers and sisters. I loved How they were " hurt my brother and u r dead" kind of people and how they were so united and together there was no lies, no secrets between them ugh I love them sm ( mason is my favorite❤️) I also love wern and synove. Synova was so me. Her scenes with mason was so funny and I can't wait to read more about them in the next book 💗
The things I didn't like was that hey jumped into romance so fast they were barely enemies and that made me so disappointed because I thought this was enemies to lovers but it wasn't it was more like forbidden romance.
Also it was so unnecessarily long like the author could have skipped some scenes
But other than that I loved everything else 🫶🏻🫶🏻
Quotes<\b>
“What did they do to you, Kazi?” His voice was low, earnest. Even in the dim light, I was able to see the worry in his eyes. I pretended I didn’t know what he was talking about." Who did what?”
“Who made you afraid of an open world?An open sky? Was it Venda? Your parents?”
“No one did anything,” I answered quietly.
“Then hold on to me,”he said. “Let me show you the stars.”
“We can never know the exact moment when someone will leave our lives forever.How many times had I bargained with the gods for one more day, one hour,just one minute. Was that too much to ask?One minute to say the unsaid things that were still trapped inside me. Or maybe I only wanted one more minute to say a real good-bye. ”
“Yes, I want to kiss you,Jase Ballenger. Not for show or to make the best of it. I want to kiss you because I want you,every part of you,even the parts that infuriate me beyond telling,because you’ve infected me with a poison that I don’t want to flush out, because you’re a mad viper twisting around my middle, cutting off my breath,yet I want you more than I want to breathe. Yes, Jase, I want to kiss you,just because I do,”
“Choose your words carefully, even the words you think, because they become seeds,and seeds become history.”
“sometimes you can’t begin to know everything you’ve lost until someone shows you what younmightnhave had.”
“My tomorrows are yours, Jase. I want them all to be with you.”
January 28, 2022
two stars
This book will hunt me ~forever~.
This novel was recommended to me by booktok as an incredible fantasy story, enemies of lovers in which a thief and a kind of heir to the throne (I have yet to understand what it is) meet.
Now, there are many things wrong in the previous sentence, let's go step by step.
Kazi is a thief now serving a young queen as a soldier, sent on a mission to a nearby town (Hell's Mouth). Jase is the heir to the "throne" of Tor's Watch, a country for millennia under the control of Jase's dynasty, the Ballengers.
The day Jase's father dies and he inherits this burden, he decides to go and get drunk (like the best future rulers) in Hell's Mouth, exactly the city where Kazi, and two other soldiers, were investigating on behalf of the queen. Our two protagonists collide and between a knife aimed at Jase's throat and a desire for revenge for having been humiliated in front of everyone, the two characters retreat on a wagon, kidnapped by not very friendly people, and tied to each other.
You know how it will end.
I don't even know how to properly review this book. The problem is not the romance, the characters or the plot itself. For the first 100 pages it was a beautiful, entertaining and really cool book. But then, it collapsed...
I don't even know guys.
I'm confused. 500 pages for what? Why make it so long?
The beginning is really great. We have Jase and Kazi chained to each other, they flee from their captors and find themselves in the middle of nowhere where they have nothing and can only rely on each other to survive, and THEY HATE EACH OTHER. It was really nice to see how their relationship slowly transformed as they tried to survive. But all of this happened in the first 100 pages.
I love slowburn books madly and if I have to be honest I was disappointed that it took so little to make these two fall in love, but they were still cute and not all books can be slow burn so okay, but then what? 400 pages of nothing, absolutely nothing.
After these two are saved and arrive at Jase’s city nothing happens.
Just 400 pages of our two characters finding out little things like "omg he knows" or "omg she was a thief" and then everything goes back to normal and quiet. WHY?! Give me some emotions please.
I was missing 100 pages to finish it and the characters were still making thoughts as if we were at the beginning DO SOMETHING DAMN.
YOU CAN'T DISCOVER THINGS AND THEN GO QUIETLY TO DINNER
SOMEONE HAS A PLAN? OR JUST WAIT FOR A BOMB TO FALL ON YOUR HEAD
Plans? Suspense? Plot twist?
It nearly put me in a reading slump. Ugh
Let me do a little recap, because this review is a disasteras this book.
The plot:
I'm giving this book two stars, one for the first 100 pages and one for the last 50.
As I said at the beginning we have this interesting (or so I thought) characters literally chained to each other that, after escaping from their captors they must find a way to get to the first nearby town. It was really interesting, seeing how they go from enemies to friends to finally lovers.
Then they arrive at Tor's Watch (Jase's town) and everything goes down down down.🎵
I didn't even understand why at first Kazi was worried about finding them there, Jase's family gave her a house, clothes and food and they treated her very well. I do not mention the fact that after all this I still had no idea what Kazi had to do on behalf of the queen, only later they reveal that she had to look for a person, but we will not know anything about him until the last 20 pages or so ...
After the family reunion there are about 300 pages of Kazi and Jase going for walks and Jase wanting to fu** ...
In the last 50 pages something happens fortunately, but always with extreme calm and peace, so much so that I no longer cared about anyone or anything. I had no drive to finish the book.
The world building:
What world building? I did not even understand that Tor's Watch was a place until the two protagonists got there.
I know this duology is set in the world of The Remnant Chronicles, but it is sold as a separate saga, I should understand the world without having to read other books first.
The romance:
To be precise this is a *inhales* Enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to fake dating to real lovers to enemies to lovers. The angst is real.
It was not slow burn and I was sad, but it was neither insta-love so okay. The problem remains the central part of the book, boring even for the relation between Jase and Kazi.
The characters:
I guess the side characters were okay. The protagonist seemed cool, for the first 100 and last 50 pages, as everything else. I was expecting a skilled street-born thief, courageous and fearless and a noble, intelligent and strong heir. And I have had them, but for too little.
Also, JASE Ballenger, blond tall with hazel eyes remembered me of someone and gave me war flashbacks.
In conclusion the writing saved this bookbut not so much. And I don't know why I did this to myself not dnfing it when it started getting boring.
And again, I don't know why I will read (someday) Vow of Thieves.
I still can't believe that this author managed to write 61 chapters of ~nothing~ and then put a giant cliffhanger in the last three lines ...
---------------------------
What
did
I
just
read
?
A bunch of nothing I think.
This book will hunt me ~forever~.
This novel was recommended to me by booktok as an incredible fantasy story, enemies of lovers in which a thief and a kind of heir to the throne (I have yet to understand what it is) meet.
Now, there are many things wrong in the previous sentence, let's go step by step.
Kazi is a thief now serving a young queen as a soldier, sent on a mission to a nearby town (Hell's Mouth). Jase is the heir to the "throne" of Tor's Watch, a country for millennia under the control of Jase's dynasty, the Ballengers.
The day Jase's father dies and he inherits this burden, he decides to go and get drunk (like the best future rulers) in Hell's Mouth, exactly the city where Kazi, and two other soldiers, were investigating on behalf of the queen. Our two protagonists collide and between a knife aimed at Jase's throat and a desire for revenge for having been humiliated in front of everyone, the two characters retreat on a wagon, kidnapped by not very friendly people, and tied to each other.
You know how it will end.
I don't even know how to properly review this book. The problem is not the romance, the characters or the plot itself. For the first 100 pages it was a beautiful, entertaining and really cool book. But then, it collapsed...
I don't even know guys.
I'm confused. 500 pages for what? Why make it so long?
The beginning is really great. We have Jase and Kazi chained to each other, they flee from their captors and find themselves in the middle of nowhere where they have nothing and can only rely on each other to survive, and THEY HATE EACH OTHER. It was really nice to see how their relationship slowly transformed as they tried to survive. But all of this happened in the first 100 pages.
I love slowburn books madly and if I have to be honest I was disappointed that it took so little to make these two fall in love, but they were still cute and not all books can be slow burn so okay, but then what? 400 pages of nothing, absolutely nothing.
After these two are saved and arrive at Jase’s city nothing happens.
Just 400 pages of our two characters finding out little things like "omg he knows" or "omg she was a thief" and then everything goes back to normal and quiet. WHY?! Give me some emotions please.
I was missing 100 pages to finish it and the characters were still making thoughts as if we were at the beginning DO SOMETHING DAMN.
YOU CAN'T DISCOVER THINGS AND THEN GO QUIETLY TO DINNER
SOMEONE HAS A PLAN? OR JUST WAIT FOR A BOMB TO FALL ON YOUR HEAD
Plans? Suspense? Plot twist?
It nearly put me in a reading slump. Ugh
Let me do a little recap, because this review is a disaster
The plot:
I'm giving this book two stars, one for the first 100 pages and one for the last 50.
As I said at the beginning we have this interesting (or so I thought) characters literally chained to each other that, after escaping from their captors they must find a way to get to the first nearby town. It was really interesting, seeing how they go from enemies to friends to finally lovers.
Then they arrive at Tor's Watch (Jase's town) and everything goes down down down.🎵
I didn't even understand why at first Kazi was worried about finding them there, Jase's family gave her a house, clothes and food and they treated her very well. I do not mention the fact that after all this I still had no idea what Kazi had to do on behalf of the queen, only later they reveal that she had to look for a person, but we will not know anything about him until the last 20 pages or so ...
After the family reunion there are about 300 pages of Kazi and Jase going for walks and Jase wanting to fu** ...
In the last 50 pages something happens fortunately, but always with extreme calm and peace, so much so that I no longer cared about anyone or anything. I had no drive to finish the book.
The world building:
What world building? I did not even understand that Tor's Watch was a place until the two protagonists got there.
I know this duology is set in the world of The Remnant Chronicles, but it is sold as a separate saga, I should understand the world without having to read other books first.
The romance:
To be precise this is a *inhales* Enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to fake dating to real lovers to enemies to lovers. The angst is real.
It was not slow burn and I was sad, but it was neither insta-love so okay. The problem remains the central part of the book, boring even for the relation between Jase and Kazi.
The characters:
I guess the side characters were okay. The protagonist seemed cool, for the first 100 and last 50 pages, as everything else. I was expecting a skilled street-born thief, courageous and fearless and a noble, intelligent and strong heir. And I have had them, but for too little.
Also, JASE Ballenger, blond tall with hazel eyes remembered me of someone and gave me war flashbacks.
In conclusion the writing saved this book
And again, I don't know why I will read (someday) Vow of Thieves.
I still can't believe that this author managed to write 61 chapters of ~nothing~ and then put a giant cliffhanger in the last three lines ...
---------------------------
What
did
I
just
read
?
A bunch of nothing I think.
August 2, 2024
Star Rating: —> 5 Stars
An immediate 5 star, by far, total comfort read! Re-reading already after 11 days bc why not?!? SO GOOD. 🤍🤍🤍
An immediate 5 star, by far, total comfort read! Re-reading already after 11 days bc why not?!? SO GOOD. 🤍🤍🤍
April 19, 2023
4.5/5⭐️
I loved everything about this book. And I mean EVERYTHING. From the romance between Jase and Kazi, to the relationship between the queen ( Lia ) and Kazi. I loved to be back in this world. Oh and not to mention Lia and Rafe are married finally and have a daughter. The only thing keeping this from being a 5 star is that I just wanted to know what was wrong with Lia the whole time because Kazi kept mentioning she was bed ridden and unable to ride so I hated the fact that we basically had to wait until the last 75-50 pages to even know what was wrong with her.
Now let’s get into Jase and Kazi. I never knew when the next betrayal was going to happen because there were so many twists and turns throughout this book. Everything is all twisted up in their relationship, they’re worlds are completely different especially their upbringings. Kazi was the daughter of a single mother that had little to nothing, and then she was left to fend for herself on the streets of Venda from the time she was 6 because her mother was taken from her. While Jase the privileged son of the Ballenger family, is the next leader of the family and after his father unexpectedly dies he inherits his familys’ power. Jase knew from those couple days in the wilderness that he felt something for Kazi while Kazi tried not to feel anything for Jase. Well that ultimately failed and she ended up falling for Jase.
This was the perfect blend of romance and fantasy. I’ve heard a lot of people say this wasn’t real enemies to lovers but honestly I don’t know any book that has done it better than this.
I loved everything about this book. And I mean EVERYTHING. From the romance between Jase and Kazi, to the relationship between the queen ( Lia ) and Kazi. I loved to be back in this world. Oh and not to mention Lia and Rafe are married finally and have a daughter. The only thing keeping this from being a 5 star is that I just wanted to know what was wrong with Lia the whole time because Kazi kept mentioning she was bed ridden and unable to ride so I hated the fact that we basically had to wait until the last 75-50 pages to even know what was wrong with her.
Now let’s get into Jase and Kazi. I never knew when the next betrayal was going to happen because there were so many twists and turns throughout this book. Everything is all twisted up in their relationship, they’re worlds are completely different especially their upbringings. Kazi was the daughter of a single mother that had little to nothing, and then she was left to fend for herself on the streets of Venda from the time she was 6 because her mother was taken from her. While Jase the privileged son of the Ballenger family, is the next leader of the family and after his father unexpectedly dies he inherits his familys’ power. Jase knew from those couple days in the wilderness that he felt something for Kazi while Kazi tried not to feel anything for Jase. Well that ultimately failed and she ended up falling for Jase.
This was the perfect blend of romance and fantasy. I’ve heard a lot of people say this wasn’t real enemies to lovers but honestly I don’t know any book that has done it better than this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2025
Idk why it took me so long to read Dance of Thieves, but ♥Carly ♥*＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ and I buddy-read it, and let me tell you, we were feral. This book devoured me. Mary E. Pearson could hit me with a fucking bus, and I’d thank her for it.
JASE AND KAZI?? Their whole dynamic had me kicking my feet. Scheming, bickering, forced proximity I was fed. And don’t even get me started on the slow burn. I felt like a Victorian child on the brink of death. Book two, I AM COMING FOR YOU!
JASE AND KAZI?? Their whole dynamic had me kicking my feet. Scheming, bickering, forced proximity I was fed. And don’t even get me started on the slow burn. I felt like a Victorian child on the brink of death. Book two, I AM COMING FOR YOU!
April 17, 2019
Don’t judge a book by its covers, guys. This one was a clickbait.
I didn’t particularly enjoy the plot. In fact, I didn’t see the point. Was there even a storyline? I’m not even going to talk about the plot twist because it was ridiculous and badly executed.
There wasn’t much world building, which is disappointing because I was so ready to jump on the hype train.
Hate-to-love relationship was terrible! It literally jumped from hate to love in a second. They are so not for each other. I could even say this was an insta love thing because they met and two days after, the girl was already falling for the guy. Yikes. “Our tongues expoded. Soft. Warm.” Y. I. K. E. S.
I didn’t particularly enjoy the plot. In fact, I didn’t see the point. Was there even a storyline? I’m not even going to talk about the plot twist because it was ridiculous and badly executed.
There wasn’t much world building, which is disappointing because I was so ready to jump on the hype train.
Hate-to-love relationship was terrible! It literally jumped from hate to love in a second. They are so not for each other. I could even say this was an insta love thing because they met and two days after, the girl was already falling for the guy. Yikes. “Our tongues expoded. Soft. Warm.” Y. I. K. E. S.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 21,299 reviews