Rating: 3.5⭐ (rounded down)

This was one of those books that left me conflicted. I’m still sorting through my thoughts, but overall… it was okay. I went in with high hopes, especially for the disability rep in a fantasy setting,
The premise is strong: Vasalie, once the king’s prized dancer, is framed for murder and thrown into a dungeon for two years. She’s offered her freedom if she agrees to spy at a royal gathering — only problem is, she’s no longer in shape to dance… or so we’re told. The issue? Her “disability” is inconsistently portrayed. Despite being described as too weak to perform, she somehow manages to do most things just fine, and by the end of the book, her condition is barely mentioned again.
the representation in the story felt underdeveloped, more like a plot device than a meaningful part of her journey.

I enjoyed Vasalie’s character overall. She didn’t have the confident, sassy vibe a lot of romantasy heroines do — instead, she was more vulnerable, a little unsure of herself, and that made her feel more grounded and different.

The writing was hit or miss for me. The beginning leaned heavily into flowery, overwritten prose that didn’t always add much, but things smoothed out as the story went on. The pacing, however, was uneven — after all the buildup, the climax and resolution felt rushed and less detailed compared to the rich, immersive opening chapters.

Then there’s Anton. I was rooting for him from the beginning — he gave off classic misunderstood, morally gray love interest energy .But we had to suffer through the whole Copeland detour first, and I honestly didn’t get the point of that.

And Morta… wow, what a missed opportunity. Her arc felt like it was building toward something huge and divine — but when that moment finally arrived, it fizzled. She was treated like just another supporting character, and all the potential weight and symbolism disappeared.

Still, there were things I genuinely liked: the mystery, the atmosphere, and the slow burn. Even when I wasn’t sure where it was going, I stayed intrigued. And that one twist near the end? Definitely got a gasp out of me.

So yes, the book had a lot of promise — and I respect what it set out to do. But inconsistent representation, uneven pacing, and a few emotional misses made it fall short for me.

Epic debut fantasy romance book!
You will find romance, fantasy, amazing world building; high stakes, enemies to lovers, betrayal, prophecies, dancing, off page, mentions of sexual abuse.
We follow our FMC Vasalie who was a dancer for the king, who is framed and put in Jail.
Our MMC Anton.
I feel the author may have benefited from a little more research on those who suffer from disabilities and it would have raised the rating. The disability seems to get forgotten later in the book.

It might not be the most flawless fantasy or the most accurate representation out there, but there was just something about it that completely pulled me in. I was hooked, heart and soul. I want to give the author thumbs up for writing beautiful flourish words, just the right amount of style without ever losing clarity. Because I had enough with the way authors building the worlds with pretty words and overdone it in a way.

Through out the book, I enjoyed the process of finding out where the plot might go and speculate about who’s the love interest, so much.
I don’t want to give you out who is who, but I’m seriously obsessed with the banter between specific characters. That one person so effortlessly flirtatious and witty, but also throws in just the perfect amount of teasing annoyance that makes every interaction between them feel so electric and cute. And don’t even get me started on him calling her with a nickname. AND I KNOW THIS IS SOME KIND OF CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENT. But, I kinda love the little Minnow 😩 (pls don’t judge me hard)

If you’re expecting this to be very fantasy heavy, you will not find it in this book. There isn’t really much of fantasy until you’re reaching the end. In my opinion, this book kinda leaning towards mystery and romance. But I do hope we will get more fantasy in the next book. WHICH, I don’t know why but I didn’t realize it is part of series 🥲

ALSO THE SLOWBURN 🔥🔥❤️‍🔥

The more you read it, you’ll find out that this isn’t just some kind of romantasy. I feel like there’s so much more to this story. When “weakness” can be so much as a fuel to bring out something beautiful and empowering.


4.25 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey Random House Worlds for the e-ARC, all reviews are mine.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC; while a bit past pub date I still wanted to share my thoughts on this book because I just finished it last night and really enjoyed it!

The first book in a Duology following FMC Vasalie; she was falsely imprisoned for murder and now is being blackmailed into espionage at a royal summit.

Vasalie is a badass FMC who took some time to figure out just how capable she is. Our MMC? Not clear from the beginning but once it hits, IT HITS and he is true BOOK BOYFRIEND material.

The ending broke my heart and I am anxiously and impatiently awaiting book two; I need to know how this story continues and comes to an end!

“I am wildfire, and I intend to burn.” A dance of lies follows Vasialie who was a dancer in King Illian’s court as his “jewel”. After a betrayal and being imprisoned for two years, Vasialie is offered a chance to clear her name. This story is full of plot twists, political intrigue, betrayal, scheming, and an interesting lore. I enjoyed being brought along with the mmc journey through both her physical and emotional trauma. This is a disability rep that highlights strength and healing. The characters were interesting throughout the entire book and the slow burn was burninggggg! I can’t wait to read the next book! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc!

4 stars rounded up! I think this was a compelling and unique story, though I think calling it a romantasy is a bit misleading. There is no fantasy aspect until the end, and the romance is not the biggest part of the story. I was also mildly disappointed about who the love interest ended up being, but I still enjoyed them together. The plot was well executed and as the book proceeds, there are so many twists and turns that kept me on my toes. I had so many emotions reading this! The FMC is disabled, and while I've seen other reviewers criticize the disability rep is in this book, I personally think she did a great job. As someone who lives with chronic pain, I could relate to her character a lot. Not only did the author showcase her strengths despite the weight of everything she's going through; it is also noted, many times, just how hard it is for her to continue dancing. It's clear that she pushes through the pain, that it takes a huge toll on her, and completely exhausts her by the time she's done performing. The ending leaves me to assume that there might be a second book and I would definitely be interested in reading that! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this beginning of a new fantasy series! It is full of intricate world building, political intrigue, interesting characters and romance! The story is a little bit of a slow burn start, which I don't mind at all, but once you get to the halfway point it really picks up! The FMC was well written and had such character growth throughout the book! I can't wait to read the next book!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’m so conflicted with this review, the world building was AMAZING but I had no emotional connection to the characters. I personally felt the love triangle/square didn’t have the tension or observed feelings that I typically see in a love triangle. It just felt so surface level and the motives linked with the plot fell flat in terms of the romance. I do like the idea that she says "Power in commanding the attention of my audience, a power I lack in every other area of my life." I felt this quote and Brittney Arena did do her piece in terms of laying out the foundation for a great novel. I'm leaving the trope up for chronic illness rep, but I would severely argue that she wasn't representing this accurately as she was ill because she was weak after being locked away. All in all still a great read and recommend to others who love the tropes listed!

Tropes:
- Court politics
- Vibrant world building
- Undercover spy
- Blackmail, lies & betrayal
- Love triangle/square with low spice
- Chronic illness representation

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for the ARC of this book!

This book feels like it was made for me. As a former dancer who had to stop because of a hip injury/chronic hip pain, and who now has multiple chronic conditions, this book has been speaking to me since I first hear about it. The disability and chronic pain representation in this book was great for my soul.

Despite a slower start, I really came to love this book. The world building and setting drew me in so well. The Gathering and Crowns Syndicate gave incredibly high stakes for most of the book. I could really feel that if Vasalie made one wrong move, that would be the end for her. Vasalie was dealing, almost exclusively, with the most powerful people in her world, and that was keeping me on the edge of my seat.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the ways in which Vasalie navigated her situation, guilt, and grief. She was continually put into situations not only out of her control, but where failure could result in her death or imprisonment. Yet, she was forced to go against her morals to save herself. The inner turmoil this caused and how she worked through it was truly so captivating for me to read.

The side characters, while there were many of them, really enhanced the story for me. At first it was hard to keep them all straight, but as Vasalie's relationship with them developed, I came to enjoy any scene, especially with Laurent and Gustav. The world crafting also became clear through these side characters.

I'm so excited for the sequel because of the cliff hanger that we left off on. I love duologies, and I love that Brittney set this up as one!

“It’s a whisper, a promise, a solace I’d missed for so long, and I hold on to it with all my strength.“

OMG this book etched itself into my soul, the writing has a poetic prose flow, the imagery is vivid and sweeping, the ode to chronic pain/chronic illness weaved through out is at once validating and heartbreaking.

“a frenzy and passion that zings beneath my skin. In this moment, it’s even more prominent than my pain. I feel wild, and brave, as if I could indeed jump from that cliff and survive.”

Upon finishing this book I did not have words for the feels it gave me , other than telling the author directly that “you did this, and it is truly a work of art 💜

I give Brittney arena my permission to break my heart over and over again, so long as she never stops writing!


—-
Having given myself a few days to mull over the masterpiece that ADOL is, we have secrets, and plot twists, a love letter to inner strength, and revenge. Political intrigue in such a unique setting, and just the smallest traces of magic. Anton reminded me a bit of carden greenbrier, with witty banter and fascinating ideas, meanwhile having a genuine heart. I love the new problem presented at the end of the book that will lead to book 2s journey.

I truly felt like this story was a breath of fresh air, something unique and all at once familiar due to the authors fantastic ability to weave truth into storytelling. The fact that this is a debut is awe inspiring!

Do not miss this one.

5 stars and a standing ovation from me. A Dance of Lies was everything that I want in a romantasy and more. I'll admit that for the first part of the book, I was convinced that it was going to be a 4-star read, but when all the pieces of the plot started to come together, I almost lost my mind with the amount of sheer perfection that was the ending. I can hardly believe that Brittney Arena is a debut author. The way that she masterfully laid an inauspicious breadcrumb trail I didn't think twice about, before snapping me up with some of the most satisfying revelations I've ever read was nothing short of brilliant. Vasalies character enchanted me from the beginning with her relatability and vulnerability as she attempted to navigate the intricacies of court life while remaining alive and free. The political aspects at once captivated me and had me second guessing every interaction. The twists and turns of the plot kept me on my toes and the more intwined her character became, the more impossible it was to get her out of my mind. This is one of those books that will sneak up and grab you, but once you're in its clutches, you won't even want to escape.

This was an extremely anticipated read for me, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this was a Fairyloot pick as well, which speaks to the quality and editing of the writing. The plot is gripping, and it’s no secret why it has received early success. This book is right in line with most of the fantasy fiction that I actively pursue. Thank you for granting an early readers copy of this book, it was very much appreciated.

I had a lot of trouble finding the personality of the main character, Vasalie, in this book. Despite the disability rep and interesting hook, it fell a little flat for me. The same goes for the world building and relationships. But I think that this book was a few rounds of edits away from being a 5 star read. It had all the makings of a great romantasy, it just didn't live up to its description. I am a big emotional reading and this just didn't make me feel anything. It wasn't a bad read, but there just wasn't anything spectacular about it.

This is not a genre I would typically read, but I wanted to give it a shot. I didn't love it, but I did find it entertaining. I appreciated the author's attempts at disability representation through the main character, Vasalie Moran. Vasalie is a dancer, the Jewel of King Illian's court, until she is wrongly accused of murder and thrown into prison by King Illian himself. She becomes broken and disabled during her two-year imprisonment, and believes she will die there, until she is called in front of King Illian and is ordered to serve as a dancer/spy for the annual Gathering. He promises her freedom if she agrees to work for him, spying and fulfilling dangerous tasks. She soon realizes that King Illian is actually much more dangerous than she originally thought. She enlists the help of his brother, King of the East, Anton, to try to work against him. There were parts of this book I had a really hard time following, and I also had a hard time keeping everyone straight (there are a lot of characters!) I also couldn't understand the appeal of Vasalie - everyone that came in contact with her ended up enamored with her, but it was never really explained why. She was always described as broken and waif-like, so it was hard to see the appeal. This book also took me a long time to read - by the time I was done it was already past it's publish date! I will read the second book, since this ended on a cliffhanger, but I'm not sure if this genre is for me.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

either i’m reading the wrong romantasies or i’m just not a romantasy girl

two years after the king framed her for murder, former court dancer vasalie is called before him again to hear a new offer: freedom in exchange for six weeks as his spy at the upcoming royal gathering. desperate to avoid a return to her cell, she agrees—but his orders quickly force her to question what she is truly willing to do for her freedom as she finds herself caught up in court politics and plots and allies herself with the king’s notorious brother.

a dance of lies claims to be a romantic fantasy about a chronically ill dancer-turned-spy, but it suffers from a common issue in romantasy: an apparent lack of interest in fantasy. with minimal changes, this could have been a generic historical romance until the last 10% or so. the storyline itself is… fine. predictable, but fine. the romance, also fine. i actually liked parts of the romance, although i can’t tell you what everyone saw in the FMC—she felt more like a blank canvas than a character. it’s just another paint-by-numbers romantasy (particularly light on the fantasy) that i won’t remember in a couple of months, which is disappointing, because how do you fumble such a great concept? this could have been AMAZING.

that leads me to my last complaint:

i appreciated the chronic illness/disability rep in a genre that seems lacking in diversity of all kinds, but as someone with a chronic illness myself, i can’t say i found vasalie particularly relatable or realistic. her chronic pain seemed to come and go when convenient for the plot, and she’s apparently able complete endless rehearsals, performances, and spy errands on pure willpower. i don’t want to criticize this aspect too much when this is the only romantasy i’ve come across with a chronically ill protagonist, but it would have been nice to see a more accurate depiction.

i will not be picking up book 2, but this book definitely has an audience and i’m sure a lot of people will love it. readers who prefer romantasy and romance to fantasy will probably appreciate some of the exact things that annoyed me, and i can see the MMC being absolutely beloved.

Lowkey my favourite part of this book was the cover. However, that doesn't mean I disliked the book. I mean, it wasn't my fave, but it wasn't completely atrocious!
I did really like Vasalie as a character, and the plot was reasonable and I was definitely into the book. I also really enjoyed the worldbuilding and writing, though it was a bit simplistic at times, there were descriptions that I enjoyed.
As I said, I liked Vasalie as a character, but the other characters felt a little one-dimensional. I think we could have spent more of the book developing relationships and establishing character traits.
To be honest, I'm getting a little tired of the same formula (especially on the romantic side). Everything is acotar. It feels like I'm reliving the same book over and over and over. Save me from this loop!!
In the second half, I was a little bored/tired until the ending, which did intrigue me. However, I lowkey guessed the plot twist. Cause tropes are reused and reused, as I read more books it becomes easier and easier to tell what is going to happen. Which isn't a problem when I'm engrossed and enjoying myself completely, but if I'm sort-of getting 3-star vibes, it takes away from the book.
Also a very nitpicky thing, but the names were kind of weird. I kept calling her Vaseline 😭 oops
(2.5 stars)

This was actually my third attempt at reading this book… and I think it’s officially time to call it. 🥺

The story just didn’t pull me in. I got about halfway through, but the pacing was so slow and lacked the kind of tension or stakes that make me want to keep turning the page. I kept waiting for something—anything—to hook me, but it never really came.

The writing wanted to be lyrical and beautiful, but for me, it didn’t quite land. Instead, it felt like it was trying too hard without actually drawing me into the story.

Also… why did I read so much about flour in just half a book? 😳 Like, genuinely. So much flour.

I don’t usually rate books I DNF, but if I had finished, this probably wouldn’t have been more than a two-star read for me. Just not for me, and that’s okay!

4.5⭐️!

I loved this so much!! I found it a bit slow to get into but once I was at about 50% I was HOOKED and I did not want to put this book down! The ending had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I cannot wait for the next book 😍.

This is a more slow paced, political fantasy rather than a fast paced action packed one. You follow our main character infiltrating a court as a spy (against her will) and slowly uncovering secrets and who she can and can’t trust. There’s so much court politics and lying and manipulation which I forgot how much I loved in a book! It reminded me of the cruel prince in that way (like the plot wasn’t at all similar to be clear but just the vibes of being very political within the courts in this world).

There was also a slow burn romance that I really really loved 🥹 it was definitely more of a sub plot, but I think that made it even better 😌.

I also just loved our main character and how she grew throughout this book, she was so strong and slowly learned how to stand up for herself which I loved!

I would definitely recommend this, just go in understanding the kind of fantasy it is! 🩷

5 stars! What an amazing read. I was completely surprised by it, and I am now frothing at the mouth to get the second settlement of this duology.
This story follows Vasalie, a dancer for the Crown of Western Meridian. The story starts by her being released from prison, with the condition to work for the King on some shady business. Vasalie's imprisonment harms her mind and body so badly that she will forever have chronic fatigue, pain and muscle limitations. The fmc's chronic illness representation was beyond refreshing to read about, giving the ability for me to be able to understand and fully put myself in the main character's skin. I've been able to relate to her as no other fantasy book has ever allowed me to.
In terms of the plot, I was hooked from the beginning and thrown straight into the action. Political intrigue, secrets, lies and dark obsession are big themes in the book. I could not put this down! The romance, found family and heartbreak just had this book going straight to one of the best books of the year.
Brittney did such a wonderful job with this novel: beautiful writing, work building and stunning ambience. I will for sure be reading anything else this writer decides to publish.
Please pick up this book!

So, I almost did not continue with this book when I first started, struggling with the writing which I found to be distracting.. a lot of choppy, short, repetitive sentences, which I realised the author used for emphasis on emotions/thoughts but was used too much in such a short space that ended up annoying.

I am very happy I have the fault of being unable to DNF especially ARCs.. as this ended up one of the most original and meaningful reads for the year.

The plot and world building were unique, believable and there is room for more detail to come without being too much or too little for a first book.

But the most important aspect was the heroine and the very realistic depiction of both psychological and physical trauma, and how someone fights to get over both or live meaningfully and achieving their goals when they have been hurt, especially from people they trusted and loved.

Having being in certain situations I can attest that the author has written a sensitive, accurate and no doubt self-inspired account of what goes on, in a way that only a survivor can.

I have read some other reviews criticising this and that in terms of the heroine's choices or chronic illness, but I can tell you now that if you have even vaguely been through certain things, this will be looking into a mirror one way or another.

Could some things be better?

Yes.. the writing in the beginning as mentioned, and also the very detailed depictions of art and architecture.. they are very evocative but three paragraphs on each chapter for the rooms visited is a tad too much.

Also it never made much sense why, after some time, once trust was established, she did not disclose certain things that could have prevented events? I understand plot and such but seemed unecessarily out of character for her as she is generally very reasonable and mature all things considered.

4.5 stars for this, rounded up to 5 for GR.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an eARC.