This book completely blew past my expectations. For a debut novel, A Dance of Lies is impressively written, gripping, emotional, and filled with action and romance.

Our main character, Vasalie, has been wrongfully imprisoned for two years, enduring unimaginable mistreatment that leaves her physically disabled. When she’s summoned before the very king who falsely accused her, she’s offered a deal to act as an entertainer at a royal gathering and spy on powerful monarchs in exchange for her freedom.

Brittney Arena handles Vasalie’s disability with so much care. It’s not just a trait that’s mentioned once and forgotten; it’s part of who she is. I love how it doesn’t hold her back, but it also isn’t erased or glamorized. I do wish it had been explored in more depth at times because some things were left hanging or just not properly developed; maybe in the next book this will be further explored.

What really kept me hooked was the nonstop political tension; each chapter is packed with tension and intrigue without ever feeling repetitive. And the romance? Beautifully done. Slow-burn, with moments that hit hard without being overly dramatic. Watching Vasalie navigate her feelings while surviving in a world that’s constantly testing her was just as interesting as all the royal drama.

If you’re into fantasy with a strong heroine, messy power plays, and a romance that unfolds at just the right pace A Dance of Lies is definitely worth the read.

A dancer is arrested and placed in the dungeon for a murder she didn't commit. she is left there for two years before being brought back out by the same king who sent her there. The two years in the dungeon has resulted in nerve damage and pain that make it difficult to do everyday things. Why is she pulled from the dungeon? To be the king's spy at an upcoming event involving other kings.

I really had such high hopes for this book. There was disability representation, an interesting premise and spying intrigue. Unfortunately, it did not hold up to my expectations. The writing itself was over done. Like the author was trying to write in a lyrical fashion but it turned out to be to much. The premise for the disability aspect, while I respect what the author was trying to do, was for me unrealistic. This whole books takes place in the span of maybe two or three months. Not only do I have chronic pain, I have studied anatomy, illness, disabilities, and a bodies capabilities. As well as helping someone regain their health and physical abilities after injury. Believing that this woman can go from barely standing to dancing in the span of less than a month is not something I can believe truly happened, even in a fantasy novel. The romance aspects and almost instant trust the people she meets have for her confused me the whole book.

I know that this book will have a lot of fans and will work for many people. I can understand what the author was trying to do and respect them for it, However, this book was not for me.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for an eARC of this title for my honest review.

When I finished this book and realized it was a debut novel, my mind was blown. Brittney Arena’s writing is tastefully beautiful — polished, emotional, and immersive. I never would’ve guessed this was her first book!

The dance aspects of the story were absolute perfection. As a former dancer, my heart was so full. The way Vasalie talks about dance — the passion, the freedom, the identity in movement — was spot on and deeply resonated with me.

At the heart of it is a “missed connection” love story that was pure swoon. Anton completely stole my heart — to say I adored him is an understatement. He also brought so much humor to the story, which gave the emotional moments balance and charm.

And that ending?! Mind. Blown. It was the kind of twist you don’t see coming, but once it hits, all the breadcrumbs were clearly there. I love when a story pulls that off — not overly predictable, but masterfully crafted in hindsight.

I’m already counting down the days for Book 2. This is hands down one of my favorite reads of 2025 so far!

We follow Vasalie, a dancer and performer for King Illian, who was wrongfully accused of murder and imprisoned 2 years ago. Tasked with infiltrating and spying on an upcoming meeting of the kingdoms as a performer in order to earn her pardon, Vasalie befriends the leader of the performers as well as King Anton, Illian's mysterious and alluring brother.

Surrounded by intrigue and plotting, Vasalie is unsure who to trust and struggles to balance what she knows to be right with what she is asked to do to earn her freedom.

I really liked this book! The ending was unexpected and the concept focusing on dance was really unique. This book is fantasy forward and political with very little romance and no spice, although we may get more in the next book as it was very slow burn!

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

What a fantastic debut!

I really enjoyed this story. The fmc, a dancer who has spent the last two years imprisoned after being betrayed by her royal protector, showed such strength and resilience. I loved that she’s written as being someone who now suffers from a weakness equivalent to being a chronic illness sufferer. I love that she doesn’t instantly recover from her trauma, but has to deal with it in different ways throughout the story, and that it continues affecting her relationships with others. It was so much more realistic than it would have been to have her instantly trusting and falling in love.

The characters were written really well, with their motivations and actions very nuanced and realistic encompassing good and bad aspects to both their personalities and behaviours.

The political intrigue and manoeuvrings of the various courts were really interesting to follow, and I loved seeing how things all played out. And I’m really looking forward to continuing this series when the next instalment comes out.

The writing was very smooth and the pacing of the book was excellent, and very impressive for a debut author!

Thank you delreybooks and netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have doubted a long time whether to apply for this arc or not, but in the end I am happy I did and that @delreybooks granted my request, as it was for sure an enjoyable read.

The main power of this book is hidden within the amazing world building with a super intriguing story woven within that was easy to read. However, while it started strong at some point in the middle the pacing start to feel a bit off and slow and I feel certain parts could have been shortened, but towards the end the pace became much better again luckily.

I love the disability representation and how Vasalie (FMC) suffered from being locked away for two years and didn’t just walk away with a few nightmares and that was it.

The romance part in this book was a little confusing, the premisses does hint at it but I believed it was between Vasalie, king Illian and king Anton. But while reading it seemed to be leading towards Copelan (her dance partner) as a romantic interest in the triangle. Meanwhile the MMC (Anton), is the typical MMC in romantasy stories (only without it the shadow powers) with his morally greyness that actually isn’t morally grey but just misunderstood actions. While I like this I didn’t specifically feel blown away by him. And I was a bit sad that Vasalie didn’t really decide to fight against her oppression until she was told by Anton to do that. The relationship between Vasalie and Anton is very slow (and not necessarily in a slowburn kind of way), but when it develops (around 60ish precent in) it develops very nicely in my opinion, so I did enjoy that.

But that ending, Brittney Arena, what the heck is that ending, you gave us everything and then ripped it away. I demand book 2 as a compensation right now! (But will wait of course while you work on it 😂💞).

Add this masterpiece to your TBR but be warned about the ending and how it rips out your heart….

This cover in color is stunning! Beautifully written debut novel by Brittney Arena! Releases June 10th!

In a realm split between three brothers, ….a dancer is forced to spy on a rival brother King at The Gathering to earn her freedom, yet he can’t keep his eyes off her 👀

MY PROTECTOR IS GONE, REVEALED TO BE A MONSTER


🩷 colorful immersive descriptions
❤️ rival kings
🧡 espionage
💛 tension and lust without spice— 1/5 🌶️
💚 dangerous courts
🩵 dancer turned spy
💙 TW: disability and illness rep. The author’s representation of masking pain in those with chronic illness is spot on!
💜 TW: ~semi~ off screen torture
🖤 betrayal

It’s hard to be a debut author in the romantasy world. There’s so many big name authors with huge followings and there’s inherent comparison. I did not go into this book knowing it was a duology and the ending completely surprised me. I would consider this more if a light fantasy, with romance but not spice. This book would be a great entry for a reader who was new to fantasy and world building. I was almost expecting a little love triangle in the beginning. #Team Anton! Although I would not want my endearing nickname to be “little minnow”…it’s memorable though lol!

I loved Vas’ evolving friendship with King Anton, as well as the growth of emotional and psychological strength the she exhibited as the story progressed. Many romantasy books have such a STRONG and fierce FMC but here it’s more subtle. Her ability to overcome her limitations is her strength. Her ability to open her heart again and trust. Her physically dancing despite the pain and weakness. When you live with a chronic condition that humbles you, life continues to goes on, and you learn to cope, you mask how you feel. The author did a good job with showing that. Vas is a dancer and while her passion, she’s forced to do it despite the pain, for her freedom.

Brittney Arena was the moderator for Danielle Jensen’s book release event I attended in Raleigh (A Curse Carved in Bone). I loved the energy by Brittney Arena so much that I immediately wanted to read her new debut book. A big THANK YOU to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review. When does book 2 come out? 👀👀👀I LOVE a duology

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this eARC.
I'm not sure what to say about this book. I had high expectations, but they kept going down as I read. The premise and world-building were interesting, but the execution fell short. The FMC annoyed the hell out of me. In the first half of the book, she mentioned her stepmother in almost every chapter; I'd rather have heard about how she grew so close to her dance partner. Her relationships with other characters didn't make sense - they trusted her without question and easily forgave her after she betrayed them. Two potential MMCs developed feelings for her out of nowhere. She had inconsistent feelings towards the man who broke her; she often seemed puzzled about why he touched other women but not her. She despised people one moment and begged for their help the next. When she finally decided to stand up for what was right, she immediately did the opposite. Her decisions and regrets made me want to throw my Kindle more than once. The biggest issue was her complete lack of character development throughout the book, and I never understood why she was so important to everyone.
The pacing was uneven, with a slow start and a rushed ending. Sometimes it felt like chunks of the plot were missing; other times, it felt like random events were thrown in. The timeline was implausible, with a king being dethroned, celebrated the next day, dying, and then having a wedding, followed by a king getting framed and a new one being chosen on the spot without any questions asked - all within five weeks. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and wouldn't recommend it.

This book had me hooked from the first page. Vasalie Moran's journey—from a betrayed court dancer to a resilient spy navigating deadly political games—is both heart-wrenching and empowering. The world-building is lush, the court intrigue is deliciously tense, and the slow-burn romance adds just the right amount of tension. I appreciated how the story handled trauma and resilience, especially with Vasalie's physical and emotional scars. While the pacing dipped slightly in the middle, the explosive ending more than made up for it. If you're into morally gray heroines, intricate plots, and a touch of rebellion, this one's for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars!

A Dance of Lies is an intense, emotionally layered debut that swept me into a world of deception and power!
At the heart of the story is Vasalie, a court dancer with a dark past and a complicated relationship with her captor turned king, Ilian.

What I loved most was the way the story shifted once she entered the Royal Gathering. The lush setting, laced with tension and politics, felt alive with secrets!. Anton’s charm, warmth, and steady unraveling as a character made him one of my favorites. Their chemistry? Sooo good!

Arena did a fantastic job balancing the elegance of dance with the grit of survival. The performances weren’t just beautifully written, they felt symbolic of Vasalie’s inner fight for freedom and identity..
While I did feel like the pacing dipped slightly in the middle, the final chapters more than made up for it with twists I didn’t see coming!!

A strong, emotionally rich start to what promises to be a stunning series. I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel.

Dance of Lies revolves around Vasalie, who escaped her abusive father and secured a position at King Ilian's court as a dancer, rapidly becoming his prized Jewel. Ilian is obsessively protective of her, viewing her as a prized possession, and loves her in a distorted manner while treating her with cruelty. Despite this, Vasalie has always harbored feelings for him and desired nothing more than to be with him.

Following her two-year imprisonment for a murder Ilian knows she did not commit, he releases her under the condition that she spies for him at the Royal Gathering, posing as a dancer for entertainment. Once again seeking his approval, she doesn’t question the mission. His cruelty becomes apparent as soon as they arrive. She starts to understand his true nature!

Vasalie quickly forms a close connection with the Master of Ceremonies, Copelan, who also becomes her dance partner. The complexity of their relationship is noteworthy, and I must admit that its development caught me off guard. She starts to establish an alliance with Anton, the king of the East and Ilian's younger brother. Anton is an endearing character, showcasing a charming, flirtatious personality, although Vasalie's initial impression of him is one of distrust. His growth throughout the story is remarkable.

The chemistry between them is outstanding.

2.5 Stars I am confusion and I feel icky. This book is well loved so if you want to read a happy review, please go check those out!

As someone with chronic pain, I was so excited for that theme in this book! Especially in a fantasy, I love seeing a different kind of heroine with strengths that don’t rely just on her physicality.

However, I came away more discouraged than anything. Hoping people don’t see me act like she does, capable of nothing but complaining about my pain and reliving the events that I can’t change. My hope was to see her growth as she learned to live despite her pain, but that never happened.

The romance had me scratching my head. Who was I supposed to root for? Because by the end it was no one. It felt underdeveloped and went from 0 to 100.

The dance aspect and setting were unique and fresh, but the book left me feeling physically ill and sad with no desire to pick up book two.

Vasalie, once the favorite dancer of King Illian, has been imprisoned for a murder she didn’t commit. Unexpectedly, Illian presents her with an offer: become a performer at the King of the East’s Gathering to spy for Illian, and she can have whatever she wants. She accepts, but as Illian’s orders become more dangerous and a figure from her past unexpectedly appears, Vaselie realizes she’s caught in an even more dangerous dance than she realized.

This stands out from a lot of romantasies for a few reasons that will resonate with some readers. This isn’t an insta-love situation. In fact, as some other reviewers mention, it’s kind of unclear who the MMC is for a long time. The book is also far less explicit than many romantasies, which may disappoint or please readers depending on their preferences. There’s some welcome disability rep as Vasalie navigates her body’s restrictions caused by long imprisonment. The author was inspired by her own experiences with PTOS, MCAS, EDS, dysautonomia, ME/CFS, Lyme disease, and more. Some of the dancing scenes are quite striking.

But I found the book a bit of a slog because the world didn’t feel real and the characters felt like tools or hurdles for Vasalie rather than complex people in their own right. Secondary characters are immediately fascinated with Vaselie and want to help her. Every man of a certain age is romantically inclined toward her. The romance is less dominant than an average romantasy book, but the politics and spying that take up the book feel pretty thin and predictable. The prophecies and legends felt underdeveloped despite their importance to the plot. I would have preferred more dancing scenes, to be honest.

Note: this looks like a standalone at first glance, but it is not.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc!

Unfortunately, I had such a difficult time with this book. Firstly, I will say I enjoyed the writing but when it came to the actual execution of the story, I was left feeling very confused.

The whole spy aspect fell flat for me. Vasalie is imprisoned for two years after being accused of murder and the same king that accused her, now wants her to be his spy. You would think after being locked up for two years, that this would be such a difficult task and understandably her socialization skills would be lacking. But by some miracle, Vasalie is able to befriend everyone, is welcomed an every social circle, and somehow everything worked out conveniently for her. It doesn't make sense! It's not realistic! Like not a single character is suspicious? No one is hesitant to offer her information? I guess I just thought the lack of socialization and being sheltered for most of her life would have made being a spy hard.

On the rare occasion that someone eventually grows suspicious of her, for example with King Anton, she's just forgiven. Then her lies cause others to be locked up and accused but again, they just forgive her so easily.

Not only does everyone want to be friends with her but every man is obsessed and attracted to her!! It made me realize that there are so many more male side characters than women. Any women that do pop up through out the story, their existence is so brief that you're still stuck reading about men. When it comes to the three love interests and her friendships, I felt that all of them lack depth so none of it seemed believable to me.

The one thing that I thought would be redeeming is the politics but unfortunately none of that held my interest. Sadly, I found myself skimming the last 20% and I have no interest in reading a sequel.

Wowowowowow. From our very own @reverieandink comes a powerful story about an inspiring FMC plagued by chronic pain but who must push through to save herself and the people she comes to love. I devoured this book!!! 👑🗡️🩰💫🏰

Britt has poured her soul into this story, which I think shows in every sentence. After being imprisoned for two years by the man and king she trusted, our main character Vasalie must make a deal with him - keep dancing and act as a spy, or face imprisonment again. The pain she endures in every muscle, joint, and tendon in her body must not stop her from getting into the Crown’s annual gathering of dancers. Britt based Vasalie’s experiences of pain around her own, making this story a testament of the strength of those with chronic illness and pain.

This plot and these characters felt unique and fresh to me, which is SO exciting in a world saturated with recycled story material (I’m sorry, it’s just the truth!!). At every turn, I wasn’t sure who to trust, who to ship her with (though I was delighted when that became clear!!!!), and what would happen next. I admire Vasalie’s story arc and found the choices she had to make between morality, sacrificing for the future, and saving herself very compelling.

Overall, this is an INCREDIBLE and unique fantasy debut you all should make sure is on your radar. The book releases June 5 (in just a couple of days!!) and is worth a spot in your calendar. I enjoyed it so much!! And that ENDING?!?!?!?! I honestly have never felt so much like my emotions had been shoved into a washing machine and then tumble dried - absolutely unHINGED.

*I do want to note that the book kind of had some strong implications of potential sexual assault situations, especially towards the end. Vasalie ends up in a precarious situation with an abusive man that was kind of triggering to read, so be prepared for that when reading.*

Swipe to see more about the book! Happy reading!

💫 I received an e-ARC of this book on Netgalley. All opinions in this review are my own! 💫

(Thanks again to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review).

I was really looking forward to this book as the concept sounds amazing, but it was an incredible let down.

I'm sorry to say, but this was a very boring book. Romantasy books are a dime a dozen these days, and this one does not stand out. It has many, many popular tropes, but I cannot think of anything truly unique about this. I cannot think of a single scene that stands out.

The number one thing that makes this book boring, is the writing. I'm of the opinion that any story can be made interesting if it was written well; unfortunately, the execution for this story was severely lacking. The author seems to be trying really hard to write lyrically, but the end result was prose that was a bit too purple, too flowery and metaphors didn't make much sense. I highlighted several instances where the main character is nervous or scared, and describes her stomach 'turning to stone' or 'something slimy hooks around my ribs' or 'my stomach climbs into my ribs' and honestly -- what does that even mean? I know what she's trying to invoke, but I'm sitting here trying to imagine these sensations and ... I don't understand. The MC also seems to be constantly on the verge of throwing up or having bile roiling around in her stomach/throat when she is nervous or scared as well. I mean, she's constantly nauseated over every event, every new shocking discovery. It actually makes for a comedic picture, with her trying not to throw up in every scene. Anyway, these are just examples, but the writing leaves something to be desired (don't even get me started on all the villains smirking all the damn time).

The story is also primarily exposition. Of course, exposition has its literary merits, but when the entire book feels like its just characters explaining things to each other, it's incredibly boring to read. And of course, in several scenes, it was the classic villain-revealing-their-master-plan exposition.

The plot was very basic and uninteresting. I didn't understand the point of the FMC's so-called disability. It had no meaningful impact on the plot. I didn't understand why Illian needed her, and ONLY her, to be his 'spy' (and it turns out she wasn't really spying anyway, because she had no idea what she was supposed to be doing, she was just following his little paper instructions to flirt with so-and-so or poison-so-and-so). They tried to reveal later why it HAD to be her, but it didn't make any sense still. Look, the whole book seemed to be the main character, Vasalie performing her dances at a gathering of kings and queens while more sinister stuff happened in the background, which for some reason, she always gets wind of the latest news. Meanwhile, every guy is so in love with her and she's so tortured by all the choices.

I really wanted to like this, so I persisted and read it to the very end, but I don't think this was very good.

“Voices speak to me in the endless dark”

“I am sorry for what I accused you of … and for what you have gone through, when souls know I am not nearly as strong as you”

Wow. Absolutely wow. This book was cruel. It was engaging. It was inspiring. It was romantic. And it was fantastic. It was hope and hopelessness. It was loss and rebirth. It was power and powerlessness. It was all. In the hand of a dancer who simply wanted freedom and had to bargain everything she was to get it. Only to find herself entangled in a web of lies even bigger than what she thoughts and one that is extremely difficult to get out of. Crowns, brothers and rivalry will put Vas in the middle of a war she cannot face alone. And the MMC she will fall for … forgive me not because I fell for him too!!! In an undeniable pull that he used over me. Is he morally grey? Yes. Is he also a hero? Absolutely. Was I expecting what happened in the end of the book? Absolutely not. And I can’t wait for the sequel to find out more about it!!!

“I cannot protect you … But I can arm you”

“I am broken”
“You are art”

“For my immortal king, I will find a way”

What a FANTASTIC debut! I loved the vividly immersive court setting, and the political intrigue kept me captivated from beginning to end.

Vasalie, a dancer turned spy, was a refreshing FMC. We see her not only struggle with chronic pain and illness, but also with the conflict between doing what she knows is right and her own self-preservation. I adored her character development and how different she is from most Fantasy heroines we have seen lately.

Anton was another pleasant surprise…from the moment he walked on page, I was enamored with him and his flirty banter. He has many layers and I enjoyed seeing them unraveled.

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about having such detailed dance scenes play out on page, but they were so gripping that I sometimes felt like I was watching one of my favorite dance shows.

I can’t not mention the last 20% of this book. The twists and turns here actually blew my mind! The way I didn’t see any of it coming, I mean come on! Well done! I’m gonna need the next book stat, thanks.

Arena’s writing is nothing short of stunning and if A Dance of Lies isn’t already on your TBR, it absolutely should be!

This book was so amazing! It was one of my anticipated releases for the year because it sounded so good and I love fantasy romance! It lived up to all the hype because it was so fun!

Absolutely stunning, Brilliant debut. Romance, political tension and the world building was top notch
I enjoyed the writing style, I found it really grabbed me in and felt very whimsical indeed!
While I did see the plot twist coming, it was enjoyable.and the ending left be really excited for what is next to