A review by nanixon89
A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena

dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

A bit sad to say I’m giving this a reluctant 3 stars, but I also want to say that this one of those “It’s not you, it’s me” situations.

There are so many good things about this book: lush and intricate world-building and a physically and emotionally fragile yet mentally strong main character. She’s been through hell but she’s also fighting like hell to survive. I can see why people would love this book! The writing here is strong as well, with lots of political intrigue. You can really feel the passion the author has for dancing and how easily she paints a picture to make you feel something. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to Emilia and I actually just wanted a lot more of that. 

But despite this I almost wanted to DNF. I simply didn’t really care about much of anything. Vasalie is both an equally strong and equally frustrating character. I also just have a hard time believing that a dancer could turn into a spy/assassin with no training whatsoever. But damn, you also just hate almost everyone else in this book except maybe…5 people, lol. I kept waiting and waiting for the betrayal to come and god, did it come in full force.

I also refuse to believe that ending. Despite it all, I do want Vasalie to be happy but I’m just not sure I care enough to read through it all to find out.
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