Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maybe I made a mistake by reading Dance of Thieves before reading Mary E. Pearson's other related series The Remnant Chronicles, but I had no idea that these were even connected. I had seen Dance of Thieves in the store a lot and had read some positive reviews so I figured I'd give it a try. I am not one to DNF a book so I stuck with this even though I already knew I wasn't really liking it from the get-go. Firstly, I was super confused by the first few chapters (now knowing this is probably because I should have read the other series first). I had no idea who was who and I was having trouble figuring out what exactly our characters wanted. I looked online to see if others had struggled like I was and saw something that said it gets better after chapter five. I continued on and it was true, at chapter five the book did start getting better, but I was still rather confused and honestly a little bored. I was never quite that interested in what the characters were doing and I sometimes just let myself read without truly understanding.
Eventually I got a grasp of who was who and I did for the most part understand kind of what their goals were. I felt that the last hundred pages or so were pretty decent, I wish the rest of the book had been as good. I was actually intrigued by the ending and was almost intrigued enough to read onward, but I think I may regret it. We'll see if I do end up going on or not. I did feel that this was one of those books that I would look at in a few years and not remember anything about it. Again, this was probably partly my fault for not reading other books in the previous series, but I was a upset as well because I honestly wanted to enjoy this book.
Eventually I got a grasp of who was who and I did for the most part understand kind of what their goals were. I felt that the last hundred pages or so were pretty decent, I wish the rest of the book had been as good. I was actually intrigued by the ending and was almost intrigued enough to read onward, but I think I may regret it. We'll see if I do end up going on or not. I did feel that this was one of those books that I would look at in a few years and not remember anything about it. Again, this was probably partly my fault for not reading other books in the previous series, but I was a upset as well because I honestly wanted to enjoy this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Excrement, Pregnancy, Alcohol
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is 500 pages but it doesn't feel like it. I just kept reading and loved it. I may have wanted it to be a little bit more of a slow burn, but it still was and by the end I liked how it was done.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping
Minor: Miscarriage, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Miscarriage
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Trafficking
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War
Minor: Child death, Genocide, Miscarriage, Torture, Blood, Alcohol
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Summary
Kazi, former street rat and thief, is a soldier ... an elite one at that ... and she's on a mission. Jase has recently been thrust into leadership after his father's unexpected death, which makes him part of her mission (unbeknownst to him and a surprise to her). Neither of them planned to be captured by slave traders and end up chained together, even after their escape. A tentative trust, friendship, and attraction grows between them, but it's built on a foundation of lies and deceits. Everything they're building is destined to crumble. But what if that's not the tomorrow they want? Is it too late to fix their broken foundation?
My Thoughts
Hands down, my favorite thing about this book is the way it undermines the typical way misunderstandings and deceptions destroy the characters' relationships. This story, more than most, gives Kazi and Jase reasons to distrust each other, turn on each other, and have dramatic fallings out ... and that certainly impacts the story and their relationship. Kazi pushed Jase away and Jase withholds information, for many reasons of which distrust is one. But I love the way they see the good in each other, even when they're angry, hurt, or have had their trust broken. Love the way Jase's protectiveness persists no matter what Kazi does to alienate him.
The story reads like a fantasy novel, but the world building carries a vaguely post-apocalyptic flavor and there's no real magic, mythical creatures, or other "other worldly" elements. The closest we get are some massive predatory birds, ghosts that flutter on the edges of both awareness and the story, and Death as tangible being.
Some of the writings from the Ballinger family histories carry hints or Biblical phrasing and themes, but it's minor enough that I'm not sure if it's an intentional parallel or happenstance.
Content Disclosure
Minimal swearing (all i can think of is one scene where Jase, without understanding the language, recognizes that he's been called an unpleasant name and voices it).
Violence and injury are present and moderately graphic.
Kissing, physical attraction, and undescribed touching are present. S*x is referenced euphemistically several times and once it's implied that characters desire to go all the way instead of stopping with making out, but lack of protection and imprudence of a potential pregnancy is a sufficiently dissuading factor.
Characters visit a temple, make both monetary and blood sacrifices, and support religious people including priestesses and seers. This is mostly treated as a setting detail, not a key element of plot or character.
Kazi, former street rat and thief, is a soldier ... an elite one at that ... and she's on a mission. Jase has recently been thrust into leadership after his father's unexpected death, which makes him part of her mission (unbeknownst to him and a surprise to her). Neither of them planned to be captured by slave traders and end up chained together, even after their escape. A tentative trust, friendship, and attraction grows between them, but it's built on a foundation of lies and deceits. Everything they're building is destined to crumble. But what if that's not the tomorrow they want? Is it too late to fix their broken foundation?
My Thoughts
Hands down, my favorite thing about this book is the way it undermines the typical way misunderstandings and deceptions destroy the characters' relationships. This story, more than most, gives Kazi and Jase reasons to distrust each other, turn on each other, and have dramatic fallings out ... and that certainly impacts the story and their relationship. Kazi pushed Jase away and Jase withholds information, for many reasons of which distrust is one. But I love the way they see the good in each other, even when they're angry, hurt, or have had their trust broken. Love the way Jase's protectiveness persists no matter what Kazi does to alienate him.
The story reads like a fantasy novel, but the world building carries a vaguely post-apocalyptic flavor and there's no real magic, mythical creatures, or other "other worldly" elements. The closest we get are some massive predatory birds, ghosts that flutter on the edges of both awareness and the story, and Death as tangible being.
Some of the writings from the Ballinger family histories carry hints or Biblical phrasing and themes, but it's minor enough that I'm not sure if it's an intentional parallel or happenstance.
Content Disclosure
Minimal swearing (all i can think of is one scene where Jase, without understanding the language, recognizes that he's been called an unpleasant name and voices it).
Violence and injury are present and moderately graphic.
Kissing, physical attraction, and undescribed touching are present. S*x is referenced euphemistically several times and once it's implied that characters desire to go all the way instead of stopping with making out, but lack of protection and imprudence of a potential pregnancy is a sufficiently dissuading factor.
Characters visit a temple, make both monetary and blood sacrifices, and support religious people including priestesses and seers. This is mostly treated as a setting detail, not a key element of plot or character.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Gore, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Excrement, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At first I thought this book was a little slow, I struggled a bit to get into it, but then all of a sudden we were in the thick of what was happening and the way the story progressed made it almost feel like two stories in one book! I didn't find the plot super predictable, but the characters were a little bit predictable. I liked that the two main characters weren't super trustworthy to each other or even necessarily to the reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Kidnapping
Moderate: Blood, Trafficking, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This story jumps right in and keeps you hooked. The world was interesting and the whispered of magic made me keep turning pages. I loved the setting, the mood, and the cast of characters. No one was perfect and no one was one thing. It's a great YA story with romance, action, trickery and laughs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Torture, War, Classism
Minor: Miscarriage, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My first ever 5 star read. It was perfection to me. It was deep, had politics, and a beautiful romance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, War
Minor: Cursing, Miscarriage, Pregnancy