speechless. utterly speechless.

arc rating & review:

🌟🌟🌟🌟

holy mother of GOD.
this was absolutely mind boggling in the most intricate but amazing way possible. i was absolutely fooled and bamboozled by this book.

first of all, the anxiety i had reading this was genuine. i was so nervous for our fmc the entire time. I was even holding my breath at times because i was so NERVOUS. this was beautiful. it was poetic. it was written in a way that you feel like you know it all until you realize you don’t. it draws you in like Vas draws the audience in, and totally blindsides you in the most beautiful and destructive way possible. I was speechless for the last 20% of this book.

oh and our mmc?! HELLO PLEASE I NEED HIM. the banter was unreal. his nickname for her 😭😭 i was an absolute fool for him. a lot of people say he’s like Dorian from ToG, i can see it but this man was still so hot in his own way. truly i was annoyed by the little love triangle but once we started to lean one way, i was clapping. THE BROTHEL SCENE!!! i need more romantasy books with a brothel scene because that was so nerve wracking and hot at the same time. I am utterly unwell.

the ending totally broke my soul. we have all these little details that finally come together and my soul feels like it’s been punched and stabbed all at once. i need book two now. like NOW PLEASE. you cannot tell me it ends that way 😭 i cannot go on without knowing what’s about to happen.

as always, thank you to netgalley & britney for the arc!!! 🤍

ARC Review
Overall rating: 5⭐️

I’m in pain. The ending left me empty and begging the universe for the second book as quickly as possible. You can really tell that the author cares so much about this story and the characters she’s brought to life. If you want yearning, emotional tension, soul mates, betrayal, found family, you will absolutely devour this.

First the characters. They were all so fleshed out and I really cared about all of them and their motivations. We were slowly given insight to their pastures and why they act the way they do, making you as the reader feel more connected to them overall. The way they were fleshed out was also integrated into their actions which really made you understand why they all did what they did. The FMC Vasalie was so strong in her own right especially with everything that she went through and I absolutely loved her character growth throughout the entirety of the book and am so excited to see how she tackles the diabolical cliffhanger we were left on. The MMC Anton was also so down bad and the yearning was next level. He was spewing poetry and was so ready to lay his life down for her. We love a pathetically obsessed and in love man.

Next the setting. The world was so well fleshed out and there was not one point where I felt like we were getting info dumped. Every part of the world was explained as we were working through the plot and as it became relevant. This made everything really easy to understand and get into and also made it feel so immersive. The politics of the world was really well fleshed out as well and made me nervous for the stakes we had to deal with.

If you want a delicious slow burn this book is also for you. We don’t even get a link of romance until like 70% through. After the 50% mark we start to get the lingering glances which just builds the yearning and anticipation until we get to the actual romance. There aren’t enough good things I can say about this book. No notes, pure perfection.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an early copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much to Brittney Arena, Random House, Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I’ve been well and truly off the fantasy wagon so in all honesty I was putting off reading this one for ages because I just wasn’t in the mood….but I LOVED it!!

It’s always so much more satisfying when it’s a debut novel as well but Brittney smashed it honestly.
Dance of Lies follows Vasalie, a young dancer whose life is in the hands of Illian; one of the 3 brothers/kings of Miridran. After being held prisoner for years for a crime she didn’t commit, she is summoned by Illian and given the task of infiltrating the court of his younger brother Anton as a dancer at upcoming The Gathering. The reward for a job well done? Her freedom…but obviously it’s not that simple for neither Illian, Vasilie, Anton or anyone else in the kingdom for that matter, are what they seem.

This one really surprised me and in the best way, I found myself absolutely hooked from around 20% in. I really liked the disability arc even though it wasn’t what I thought it would be but thought it was done really well. I liked Vasilie and how strong she was when pretty much everyone in her life had caused her pain in some way!

The world building was colourful and I felt like the pages were coming to life as I was reading. The overall fantasy wasn’t too hard to follow either. The only thing that did confuse me through out and I felt like could have been made clearer and explained better was the whole Fate of Morta thing? I did not really understand what was going on at all with that whole history and it did take away from the story for me slightly, especially at the end when I didn’t have the foggiest what was going on!

That being said though I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens next and I’d definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for their next fantasy read!

I really really wanted to like this one, but alas it was meh. It had an interesting concept, the FMC was imprisoned for two years and left disabled, she then was forced to be like a spy for the king. The author tried to bring about more disability rep I think but it was not done that well. The FMC would do all of these very taxing dances, etc. so it was hard to believe she was disabled. IDK maybe I am just reading too much into it. Then as a character she fell pretty flat for me and I did not really even know where the story was going until later in the book. For people who are not big on this genre this may be a win for them but personally I have become very picky with romantasy.

*Taps mic* Hi yes, I have been emotionally attacked by a debut author and I’d like to file a complaint.

📚 A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena had me spiralling in all the best ways. Picture this: dark court politics, tangled loyalties, betrayal at every turn, and a DANCER who’s literally weaponised her trauma. Yes please. 🙌

✨ Let’s start with Vasalie — strong, sharp, stubborn and full of actuadepth. She’s been through it, babes. Like, framed-for-murder-rotting-in-the-dungeons levels of trauma. And yet she still manages to snark, scheme, and seduce her way through a court full of backstabbing nobles. Legend.
“I am little more than a husk. A corpse. A set of bones, waiting to be buried.”
Girl, same, but also? Rise.

🖤 Now the PLOT?? Was it a bit slow to start? Yeah, a bit. But once it picked up? I was second-guessing everyone and their uncle. Couldn’t figure out who to root for and who to strangle. I love when a book keeps me on my toes.

⚔️ Illian? Grade-A bastard.
“Even now, I see both versions of him: the man who gave me everything and the one who took it all away.”
That line?? Knife to the heart. And don’t get me started on Vasalie’s dad. Absolute villain behaviour. Lock him up.

👑 Anton and his court though?? Obsessed. He’s charming, flirtatious, emotionally damaged in just the right way.
“He kissed me like it was inevitable.”
— STOP I’M NOT OKAY. Their banter is elite:
“My tongue is dedicated solely to you, for as long as you want it.”
Please. Respectfully. No notes.

💃 Copelan? That tortured, broody, dance-master disaster of a man? That tension with Vasalie??
“You, Vasalie, are my shackles. I can't seem to set myself free.”

Why was I blushing? Get a grip.

🌪️ The themes of disability, resilience, and reclaiming your power were woven so naturally. The way dance is tied to magic and expression? Totally unique and so well done.
“But though you've suffered your own fire, child, you won't always smell of smoke... So rise from your ashes, my dear.”
— actually sobbing.

🩸 And the ending?? RUDE. You’re just gonna drop that and then walk away? No resolution, no comfort, just chaos??? The cliffhanger personally attacked me and I will be taking it to therapy.

💫 Overall: If you're into morally grey kings and queens, flirtatious royals, court intrigue, and poetic quotes that will emotionally damage you for days — pick this one up. I’ll be over here spiralling until book two.

🔮 Final thought:
“The monsters of this day and age wear flesh and bone.”
And apparently they also wear crowns. 😮‍💨👑

Thanks so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

First I want to remind everyone that being disabled doesn’t mean you can’t move around or dance.
I think it’s really important the readers realize that your image of what disabled is could possibly be coming from a biased and/or ignorant POV

I personally know people who are in pain daily, and dance.

This book has kept me on edge the entire time screaming at Vas to stop helping Illian, I’m sorry 3 prophets were coming to tell all the kings/queens something big and HE STOPPED THEM then “dealt with them”

Girl… rat on his @$$ and take protection from one of the other royals ffs you are giving ME anxiety and I’m not even there.

Clever work putting that prophecy in the book, I wrote it down then analyzed it every time I thought something relevant happened AND I WAS STILL SURPRISED

I ate this book like cheese at midnight. I did not stop until it was finished, I am rarely this satisfied with fantasy books (that could be because I focus on Romantasy) but this could be TOG good, this is Heir of Storms good.

The ending gutted me!!

I can’t believe I have to wait to read what happens next

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!
I wouldn’t have realized this was a debut author without being told! A really immersive and exciting book, with a plot that kept me coming back for more.

This was such a captivating and intriguing read!

I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but I found myself completely engrossed in the story from start to finish. You won’t know who to ship or who to trust: the twists kept me constantly guessing!

The female main character was incredibly strong, and I especially appreciated the thoughtful representation of chronic illness, which added depth and realism to her journey.

The court politics, the unfolding mysteries, the emotional angst and the web of conspiracies were absolutely addictive!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

“Though you’ve suffered your own fire, child, you won’t always smell of smoke. And yes it may have burned you…But scars are powerful tings, because they show your resilience. So rise from your ashes, my dear. Do not crumble alongside them.”

A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena is a slow burn fantasy full of betrayal, court intrigue, intricate world building, and chronic illness representation.

So let’s start with things I enjoyed. This book did a really good job of balancing romance and plot. I never felt like there was too much of one thing or that the plot fell by the wayside to focus on the romance. The two were very much intertwined in a satisfying way that never left me wishing there was more of either thing. The concept of a dancer turned spy was unique like I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with that concept, so it felt very refreshing in this oversaturated romantasy genre. Speaking of the oversaturated romantasy genre, I also love that Vasalie was not the over confident badass girlboss warrior who curses like a sailor and loves to fuck type that is extremely common in the genre. I enjoyed the way she wasn’t always confident and doubted herself, but that never veered into the equally annoying insecure constantly needs validation girl either — it was a good happy medium between both. The disability rep was also great. I liked that it didn’t just disappear by the end of the story or that she was somehow magically healed. It’s made pretty clear this is a permanent, lifelong issue that she will have to learn to cope with.

However, I do feel like Vasalie’s disability just feels incompatible with her dancing (from what I understand of the author’s disability that served as inspiration), it just kinda feels like some things she shouldn’t be capable of especially not in the accelerated timeframe she’s working with in the beginning of the book.

Another thing with Vasalie, I feel like I was never really connected to her. I think part of this has to do with the fact that the book leans a little into the overwritten realm and so it ended up being very telling focused rather than showing her and her emotions which would have helped me connect with her. She kinda ends up feeling like a blank slate that you can just self insert with rather than her own character with a unique personality. Unfortunately besides the love interest, I think alot of characters suffer this fate where they feel a little one dimensional. The love interest was probably the most fleshed out character I fear, but the ghost of Rhysand from ACOTAR was haunting the narrative. He felt like an alternate universe variant of Rhys to the point I lowkey kept expecting dude to start picking lint off his clothes (lol).

While I enjoyed that I didn’t know who our romantic lead was gonna be until the end, the other romantic subplot felt so forced. There would have been more romantic tension if girlie had just been talking to a wall. Unfortunately, this little subplot felt like nothing but just a way to throw the reader off of “the scent” of the real love interest (I was very concerned for a little bit that Vasalie and this man were endgame which would have probably seen this book have a lower rating lol).

I think this book had a lot of potential and missed the mark, but I do think the book got better as we progressed. Because of that have some hope for the sequel and do plan to read it. There were alot of compelling moments where I felt very drawn in, but the book just struggled to sustain my excitment and attention until probably the last 75%. I think this is definitely a decent debut, and I’m interested to see what Brittney will write in the future because her writing definitely has potential.

I think this book is for the readers who want a mindless read but want something a little different from the common stuff in the romantasy genre. It’s also for the people who are annoyed by the fact that you know how in romantasy the love interest is obvious from the moment you meet them; because this book really did have me confused who I should be rooting for until like 65-70% (which was a blessing and a curse).

Tropes:

- court politics/intrigue
- rival kings
- slow burn
- enemies to lovers (vaguely it’s more just dislike to love lol)
- love triangle (it’s more like a square tho)

Last thought, but this is a minor spoiler who the romantic lead is, so if you want to go in blind ignore this…WHY TF WAS THAT MAN CALLING HER LITTLE MINNOW…straight to jail, sir.

A Dance of Lies surprised me in the best way.
The romance element was subtle but well-done. It didn’t distract from the plot, and it felt earned. The dynamic between Vasalie and the king’s brother added tension, but it was the kind that builds gradually instead of relying on cliché tropes.
The writing is clean and atmospheric, and the twists were handled well. There were moments I didn’t know who to trust, and that made the stakes feel so real. Overall, it’s a compelling fantasy that delivers on tension, mystery, and character development.
Now I can't wait to get my Faityloot edition of this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me an ARC in exchange for a free review.

My, this turned out better than I thought! The first few chapters had me nervous, I thought this was just going to be another typical fantasy story with the typical characters. Alas, this surprised me. I really felt myself loving Vas as a character, she was compelling, I hoped for her and her story. Illian was a great villain, he was compelling and interesting and I couldn’t help but love to despise him.

But my favourites were Anton and his court. Gustav, Laurent and Basile, they were the little glimmers of hope in this story. Anton was charming and intriguing, he made me want to be on his team, his band of friends that all loved each other dearly.

The world was very well thought out. I liked the prophecy that ran through it and the inclusion of some more mystical things such as the Fate of Morta, it made the world seem real and compelling. The politics were well thought out and intriguing and I honestly look forward to the next book because goddamn I need Anton back!

4/5 ⭐️

ARC REVIEW ✨

Political intrigue, secret arranged marriage, kingdoms divided. Secrets and prophecies. Slow burn and found family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - it was a strong 4.5 stars for me. I had the most amazing May reading month and I was nervous as to how June was going to measure up, but A Dance of Lies did not disappoint.

Vasalie is a strong, determined FMC who has to try and navigate politics and deadly secrets while dealing with physical disability and chronic pain. I love a book with chronic illness/pain representation when it is done well, and as someone who lives with the same disabilities that the author has woven into the FMC’s life this is one of those books that hit the nail on the head.

The world building, character development and development of love interests was done brilliantly, with the sort of emotion that keeps you invested very step of the way. I love the fact that throughout the book you continue to learn more and more about Vasalie, which sheds new light onto why she makes the choices she makes.

And it wasn’t until the very end that I had any idea of the twists that were coming. Let’s just say I can’t wait to read the next book in the series to see what Vasalie is going to do.

A Dance of Lies released in Australia at the start of this month and is a book I would highly recommend you go and read immediately! I am super excited about the fact it is strongly rumoured to be the Fairyloot July Adult book, so if that is the case I cannot wait to receive my copy 🤞

A huge thank you to the amazing author Brittney Arena, Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of A Dance of Lies in exchange for my honest review.

The writing is so beautiful and descriptive.

“I am little more than a husk. A corpse. A set of bones, waiting to be buried. I’m not sure my heart beats anymore. I’m not sure I want it to.”

My mind was racing the whole time, so many mysteries and such high stakes & I did not guess the plot twists… the ending is such a good cliffhanger.

I felt connected immediately to the FMC and caring about her & the side characters.


The constant betrayal in this had me on the edge of my seat biting my nails!

I devoured this and could not put it down.

3.5⭐️

Really intriguing for a debut novel and the title was perfect for the plot as it is a story filled with lies after lies, betrayals and schemings. I'm always smitten with the 2nd leads and this one delivered. Plot moved in a slow-paced but the foundation of the story got me hooked with our FMC chronic disability representation and wanting to know more about the histories, myths, mysteries, and courts' drama of it all. There is sensual tension and obsession. I'll be anticipating the 2nd book coz that ending y'all shooketh me!

Thanks to @netgalley and @delreybooks for the #gifted e-ARC in exchange of my honest review.
Pub date 10/June/2025

Ok this is an incredible read. We have a story within a story. We have a romance of all ages. Seriously. We have banter and incredible description. Vasalie is one of the best written female characters out there. Anton- well he is something else. I loved every minute of it. You have to read every word of this book right to the very end. Beautiful debut!! Thanks netgalley for this arc!

Brittney Arena provides excellent disability representation in a high fantasy adventure. Vasalie demonstrates great agency throughout the novel while at the same time experiencing the genuine challenges of chronic illness, pain, and physical disability. With a realistic perspective on the limits of treatment, Arena gives Vasalie work-arounds as she finds her own path to strength and success working with her disability. A great addition to fantasy collections!

My Quick Takes:
- 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Language 🤐 mild
- Spice ❤️‍🔥 none, kisses only
- Content 🤔 imprisonment, death, murder, misogyny, light themes of same sex attraction, chronic illness rep

A lyrically woven debut with ethereal world building, A Dance of Lies quickly captured my attention and left me wanting more.

If you’re looking for a romantasy with political intrigue, beautifully rendered lore, and a tangled web of lies, A Dance of Lies is for you. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and the vivid world she built alongside a realistic female main character.

The female heroines in the fantasy novels I’ve read are resilient in the way that they continue to physical fight and conquer. Vasalie, the female protagonist in A Dance of Lies is resilient because she continues to show up and push through pain and befriend others and outmaneuver her opponents. It felt so much realistic to me compared to the fantastical warrior women in other fantasy novels.

Already looking forward to book 2 and all that is to come.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

OH MY GOSH! Brittney Arena, you have created an absolute masterpiece. A Dance of Lies has everything that you could need in a book.
Absolutely stunning. Full review to come very soon!

Dance of Lies is a book with a lot of interesting plot lines, characters, and particularly vivid description of the world and landscapes. The book is really ambitious - and makes me very excited to see how Brittney Arena continues to write and especially, to bring her personal experience of disability into her writing.

Vasalie was imprisoned for several years for a crime she didn't commit and has been retrieved from prison on a mission - to spy on King Anton of the East for his brother, King Illian. Life at the palace brings her into incredible intrigue and entanglements.

This book creates incredibly vivid pictures and Arena does a great job in painting the setting. The book also is deeply interested in ideas as to what makes a good and just ruler, and I enjoyed the court intrigue very much. One particular character, the queen of Razam, has some interesting ideas about governing her country, and I loved getting to spend time with her.

Vasalie is a really honest portrayal of someone who has experienced abuse and torture, and I admit, sometimes I struggled with how disengaged her trauma made her seem to other people. As part of her debt to King Illian, she does some incredibly hurtful and damaging things. I think the book lets her off the hook a little too much, and though it is incredibly realistic for someone in a traumatic situation to be so singularly focused, I wish she had been pushed on that a bit more. I also found the romantic interests to be a bit of less developed plot line - one particular interest seems to exist as a red herring, rather than to illuminate the characters.

Authors with disabilities tend to be under-published, so I was so excited to read Arena's work and see the perspective she brings to a main character who is struggling with her body. A plotline where Vasalie is working to come to terms with her body felt very deftly handled, and I'll look forward to seeing what she writes next. This is a book for fans of Kate Golden and K.A. Linde.

Thank you Del Rey for the ARC!

I am not sure if this book or series was for me! The premise of the book was really interesting but unfortunately I had to dnf @ 60%. Every time I picked it up to read, nothing was going on and I ended up either falling asleep or wanting to pick up another book. It was slow in plot and the world-building was not very engaging either. I did enjoy the revelation of the FMC's father but even then, it did not keep me engaged long enough. The politics could do some more explaining as well since I usually love political intrigue but nothing really made sense there either. I think maybe I will pick this up another time and give it another chance when the next book is available.