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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I have a love hate relationship with this book. As we’re all aware, the first part of a fantasy book is always well building which this author did a great job of. However it felt like there was nothing big happening in the beginning although there were simple things happening none of them would be enough to shock me the way that I would hope for a fantasy.
This book is labelled as romantasy and although it eventually became clear who the love interest would be it took a very long time to get there.
I almost DNF’d this book but decided to persevere. I feel like the story really got interesting around 70% of the way through. I’m glad I stuck with it and finished it. The last five chapters were insane with so much happening. I’m slightly annoyed by the ending, but it is a typical ending of a fantasy book that is starting a series.
This book is labelled as romantasy and although it eventually became clear who the love interest would be it took a very long time to get there.
I almost DNF’d this book but decided to persevere. I feel like the story really got interesting around 70% of the way through. I’m glad I stuck with it and finished it. The last five chapters were insane with so much happening. I’m slightly annoyed by the ending, but it is a typical ending of a fantasy book that is starting a series.
"But I remind myself that I am not a damsel. I’m no princess bound within a tower."
Thank you DelRey and PRH audio for my copies!
What a fantastic debut! I have been wanting to read it ever since the book was announced and was lucky enough to read an early copy. A Dance Of Lies was immersive, romantic and thrilling at the same time. Vasalie is a favored dancer in king Illian's court until she is wrongfully framed for a murder and locked up in the prison for two years, she loses her carefully built strength as a dancer along with enduring lot of mental trauma. The only way out of her predicament is to accept a precarious bargain where she'd become a spy in the enemy court for Illiyan and in return she'd be pardoned for her supposed crime.
Vasalie is the most resilient FMC I have read in recent times, she doesn't let neither her disability nor the brutal betrayals define her future. She is strong willed, passionate and navigates tough situation with her quite yer determined strength, I really loved how the author took utmost care in representing disability/ chronic pain. I really enjoyed the prose especially the choreography descriptions were mesmerizing and imaginative along with the seaside castles built of glass and the extravagant court settings.
I can't not speak about the MMC Anton and his chef's kiss of a banter, it is a super slow burn romance and I seriously ate it up. Their word volley had me giggling so many times and the lore is equally fascinating as well, the court intrigue was quite entertaining. I enjoyed the book completely and don't have any major qualms or flaws worth mentioning other than the ending that made me clench my jaw even though I saw it coming haha, but that only makes me even more excited for the second book.
I also tried switching to audio at times and I have to say the production was really good and if you find yourself wanting to try the audio, I definitely recommend it too. Overall a great debut!
Thank you DelRey and PRH audio for my copies!
What a fantastic debut! I have been wanting to read it ever since the book was announced and was lucky enough to read an early copy. A Dance Of Lies was immersive, romantic and thrilling at the same time. Vasalie is a favored dancer in king Illian's court until she is wrongfully framed for a murder and locked up in the prison for two years, she loses her carefully built strength as a dancer along with enduring lot of mental trauma. The only way out of her predicament is to accept a precarious bargain where she'd become a spy in the enemy court for Illiyan and in return she'd be pardoned for her supposed crime.
Vasalie is the most resilient FMC I have read in recent times, she doesn't let neither her disability nor the brutal betrayals define her future. She is strong willed, passionate and navigates tough situation with her quite yer determined strength, I really loved how the author took utmost care in representing disability/ chronic pain. I really enjoyed the prose especially the choreography descriptions were mesmerizing and imaginative along with the seaside castles built of glass and the extravagant court settings.
I can't not speak about the MMC Anton and his chef's kiss of a banter, it is a super slow burn romance and I seriously ate it up. Their word volley had me giggling so many times and the lore is equally fascinating as well, the court intrigue was quite entertaining. I enjoyed the book completely and don't have any major qualms or flaws worth mentioning other than the ending that made me clench my jaw even though I saw it coming haha, but that only makes me even more excited for the second book.
I also tried switching to audio at times and I have to say the production was really good and if you find yourself wanting to try the audio, I definitely recommend it too. Overall a great debut!
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I went into this book not knowing whole lot about it, so I didn't have any expectations. Absolutely love love love the cover design!
Taking 0.25 off the rating because it was SO obvious from the beginning, that Anton is just the biggest golden retriever ever and it took Vas way to long to understand ... it got a little annoying.
Other than that, really liked the story, even though it was a lot darker and brutal than I expected it to be.
Had to switch from the German translation to the English original, because the translation felt ... cringey.
Will be reading part 2 for sure!
Taking 0.25 off the rating because it was SO obvious from the beginning, that Anton is just the biggest golden retriever ever and it took Vas way to long to understand ... it got a little annoying.
Other than that, really liked the story, even though it was a lot darker and brutal than I expected it to be.
Had to switch from the German translation to the English original, because the translation felt ... cringey.
Will be reading part 2 for sure!
medium-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. It’s the first romance that I honestly believed since it didn’t feel rushed or forced. The author did a great job of showing instead of telling in that regard, which I appreciate.
The relationship between the FMC and the MMC had time to develop naturally, both of them fully developed characters that complement each other. Also, it’s TRULY a slow burn, finally!.
The plot was gripping, even if the pacing at times felt too slow. I didn’t predict the ending, which is rare for me especially with a romantasy book, so it’s fair to say I was happily surprised.
It has all the traditional beats of a novel of this genre and yet it’s still new in the way they are presented and executed. I loved that the characters were complex, that they had a backstory that made sense and had ripples in the present, that the world building was well thought out and that the politics had me confused for most of it. And I especially loved that the characters were just human for once.
I would have loved to spend more time with the FMC at the beginning while she came to terms with her new reality and the implications it would have for her, because that part felt a bit rushed.
The disability representation was there though it could have been executed better: aside from constant pain and exhaustion, it doesn’t seem to affect the FMC’s ability to perform much, which didn’t feel realistic in a book where magic is barely present, if at all. I don’t mind a romantasy with little to no magic, but then the realism should be extended to all aspects of the story, which in this case, it wasn’t.
Is it the best book I’ve ever read? No. Do I have criticism about some elements of it? Sure, but it is one of the best I’ve read this year, and I do 100% recommend it.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes: “I would never deign to wrap myself in their garments and attempt to tell a tale only they should give voice to”. The RESPECT! Loved it.
The relationship between the FMC and the MMC had time to develop naturally, both of them fully developed characters that complement each other. Also, it’s TRULY a slow burn, finally!.
The plot was gripping, even if the pacing at times felt too slow. I didn’t predict the ending, which is rare for me especially with a romantasy book, so it’s fair to say I was happily surprised.
It has all the traditional beats of a novel of this genre and yet it’s still new in the way they are presented and executed. I loved that the characters were complex, that they had a backstory that made sense and had ripples in the present, that the world building was well thought out and that the politics had me confused for most of it. And I especially loved that the characters were just human for once.
I would have loved to spend more time with the FMC at the beginning while she came to terms with her new reality and the implications it would have for her, because that part felt a bit rushed.
The disability representation was there though it could have been executed better: aside from constant pain and exhaustion, it doesn’t seem to affect the FMC’s ability to perform much, which didn’t feel realistic in a book where magic is barely present, if at all. I don’t mind a romantasy with little to no magic, but then the realism should be extended to all aspects of the story, which in this case, it wasn’t.
Is it the best book I’ve ever read? No. Do I have criticism about some elements of it? Sure, but it is one of the best I’ve read this year, and I do 100% recommend it.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes: “I would never deign to wrap myself in their garments and attempt to tell a tale only they should give voice to”. The RESPECT! Loved it.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶️
This was a book that I expected to blow me away but kinda just didn’t deliver unfortunately. I still enjoyed myself but there were some things that I didn’t love that keep me from rating it higher.
For the positives of this book, the story itself if amazing, I was hooked right away and the FMC was someone I found myself admiring a lot. I really enjoyed the way that this book approached disability/injury not as something to be “fixed” but instead something to adapt to and thrive with. Her attitude throughout the book had many ups and downs, moments of hopelessness followed by moments of determination and I think that was just really spot on.
I also really loved the descriptions of her dances, how the excitement built and intensified to the point it was almost disorienting, showing how she lost herself in her art. It really drove home for me not just her skill but her passion, it went much further than the author just saying “she was a good dancer” and the reader just needing to trust in that.
Now for the couple not so positives. These things weren’t deal breakers for me but they were definitely things that slowed down my reading and reduced my enjoyment a bit.
Firstly, this is a BIT of a love triangle, which I generally hate, and when I realized that I almost stopped reading completely. I will say it was handled relatively well and I’m glad I pushed through, but if you’re like me and your automatic reaction to love triangles is to run in the opposite direction… you might struggle.
The second thing that bothered me throughout was the politics. I still could not tell you the political structure of this world, and that may be entirely my fault for missing some things, but it felt really confusing and all over the place to me. There were many interesting aspects and conflicts within the political sphere but I fear many of them went over my head or lacked impact because I was trying to figure out how it was all interconnected in the grand scope. I think there’s a lot of potential in the world though so I have hopes that book two will clear some things up for me.
Overall it was a good read, I would likely still recommend it to those who love a fantasy with political intrigue and some solid romance, but there is definitely some room for improvement. I look forward to seeing how the world builds in the next installment!
Spice: 🌶️
This was a book that I expected to blow me away but kinda just didn’t deliver unfortunately. I still enjoyed myself but there were some things that I didn’t love that keep me from rating it higher.
For the positives of this book, the story itself if amazing, I was hooked right away and the FMC was someone I found myself admiring a lot. I really enjoyed the way that this book approached disability/injury not as something to be “fixed” but instead something to adapt to and thrive with. Her attitude throughout the book had many ups and downs, moments of hopelessness followed by moments of determination and I think that was just really spot on.
I also really loved the descriptions of her dances, how the excitement built and intensified to the point it was almost disorienting, showing how she lost herself in her art. It really drove home for me not just her skill but her passion, it went much further than the author just saying “she was a good dancer” and the reader just needing to trust in that.
Now for the couple not so positives. These things weren’t deal breakers for me but they were definitely things that slowed down my reading and reduced my enjoyment a bit.
Firstly, this is a BIT of a love triangle, which I generally hate, and when I realized that I almost stopped reading completely. I will say it was handled relatively well and I’m glad I pushed through, but if you’re like me and your automatic reaction to love triangles is to run in the opposite direction… you might struggle.
The second thing that bothered me throughout was the politics. I still could not tell you the political structure of this world, and that may be entirely my fault for missing some things, but it felt really confusing and all over the place to me. There were many interesting aspects and conflicts within the political sphere but I fear many of them went over my head or lacked impact because I was trying to figure out how it was all interconnected in the grand scope. I think there’s a lot of potential in the world though so I have hopes that book two will clear some things up for me.
Overall it was a good read, I would likely still recommend it to those who love a fantasy with political intrigue and some solid romance, but there is definitely some room for improvement. I look forward to seeing how the world builds in the next installment!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated