Ending up finishing it within 3 days and felt as though this book just wasn't my vibe. I get the plot that the author was trying to execute but it just was unsuccessful. I felt as though the pacing of the book was very slow and the author over explained and gave too much detailed that just ended up confusing me even more

A lyrical, beautiful debut filled with court intrigue, romance, and fantastic chronic illness rep!! Excited to read the sequel!

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. A fantasy romance starring a disabled dancer and political intrigue, with symptoms based on the author’s lived experience with POTS–a condition I, myself have? It sounded like it was written especially for me.
Unfortunately, the execution was shallow and overwritten.

The beginning of the book is strong, we’re introduced to a seemingly complex political scheme, stakes that are only intensified as we are made intimately familiar with Vasalie’s disabled body and her pain and struggle to perform under threat of death. The pacing in this first act is exactly where it needs to be: fast enough to keep the reader engaged and the story progressing, slow enough to allow the reader to sit with Vasalie in both her physical symptoms and also the emotional ramifications of her situation.

Unfortunately, once Vasalie arrives at the Gathering the pacing picks up to an unsustainable speed and all character development and disability representation fall to the wayside in order to support plot progression. We are introduced to a slough of new characters at this point of the book, but none are developed beyond the surface. Vaseline’s relationships with these characters (while she spies on and betrays them) are meant to be major points of tension in the story, but the characters lack nuance beyond their basic archetypes, and Vasalie’s interactions with them lack any meaningful connection, including those with her love interests, leaving her internal conflict tedious and unconvincing.

This is also the point in which the disability representation falls apart. In the beginning of the book, Vaseline’s limitations–and the consequences she faces when she exceeds them–are directly laid out to the reader. However, when push comes to shove, all talk of symptoms and pain becomes meaningless. Several chapters will go by without reference to Vasalie’s chronic pain, fatigue, or dizziness. Occasionally, Vaseline’s internal monologue will make a statement along the lines of “doing this is going to make my pain horrible afterwards, but I have to do it anyway or else I will die”, only for her to wake up the next morning and continue on with her day with no mention of the increased symptoms. Though this representation is based on the authors’ lived experiences, the execution lacked the skill to balance the necessary character arcs and plot, leaving the portrayal of Vasalie’s disability inconsistent at the best of times, and completely overlooked for the majority of the book.

The plot itself interested me, but it was poorly served by shallow characters and overwrought prose, leaving both the story as a whole and Vasalie as a character difficult to connect with. The writing lacked concrete descriptions of character or emotion, instead relying heavily on abstract metaphors that lacked any definitive meaning.

Though the events of the ending have me curios as to how certain elements will play out, I did not find the character, plot, or prose to be compelling enough to warrant continuing this duology.

I always love when book include chronic illness representation. Unfortunately I struggled to connect with this story as it often told the reader information/world building instead of showing it through scenes, descriptions, or dialogue.

A Dance of Lies was a highly anticipated read of mine and I'm happy to say that it completely exceeded my expectations. Brittney Arena's debut novel is a wonderful blend of romance, fantasy, suspense, and intrigue.

The diverse and well-developed cast of characters is a Dance of Lies' biggest strength but none more so than Vasalie, no matter how weak she tells herself she is. She is such an intriguing character with a wealth of strength hidden inside. Her past is full of horrors and she doesn't always realize how they have forced her to grow. She's well-developed and well-rounded but there is certainly room for growth in book two.

A lot of Vasalie's strength comes from her unwillingness to quit, no matter what challenge faces her. The disability representation drew me to A Dance of Lies and it was everything I had hoped it would be. The author's note explains that Brittney Arena has personal experience with chronic pain and it shows in how she writes about Vasalie's experience with it. Her pain is present in everything she does but she perseveres. Not only does she persevere, she excels.

Something else that makes A Dance of Lies stand out is the fact that Vasalie isn't a warrior, setting out to destroy or overthrow a king or empire. She's a dancer who has been forced to use her skill (rusty though it is) to infiltrate a gathering of kingdoms and spy for her king. I won't lie, I was curious how this was going to translate to the written word. I was pleasantly surprised by Brittney Arena's ability to write in a way that Vasalie's dancing seemed to flow off the page, directly into my mind. Without being overly wordy, everything, from the setting to the minutiae of Vasalie's dances, is described so that you can imagine it clearly.

The story itself is as solid as the writing, though the pacing is a little slow. There is a lot of world-building and a lot of espionage. While engaging, it does make for very little movement of the plot. Things moved along consistently but it did seem to be in smaller increments. True action didn't take place until much closer to the end.

As for other slow things about A Dance of Lies, we can certainly include the romance. this is truly a slow burn romance. There is also a bit of a love triangle (square?) though it does seem to resolve itself by the end. I'm not sure if it will stay that way in book two though.

Overall, I clearly have a lot of thoughts and feelings about A Dance of Lies, all of them positive. If you've been questioning whether or not you should read this one, consider this your sign to pick it up.

This was unfortunate disappointing. I wasn’t a fan of how it was written. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and did not like Vasalie at all.

A wonderful debut from Brittney Arena, thank you to Del Rey and The author for giving me the E Arc to Review!

A dancer betrayed by her king is forced to become a spy in her kings brothers court.

A disabled dancer who has to learn how to dance again as she was once imprisoned on false charges that led to her downfall as the ‘Jewel’ she must travel to an enemy kingdom to learn of its secrets for King Illian, a despicable character who I’m sure no one has any love for. She gets close to our master of ceremonies and he even becomes her dance partner!

I enjoyed the character development specifically between Anton and Vaseline, Anton is the kings Younger brother. King Anton is charming and completely untrustworthy but he brings banter and smiles so it’s hard to not love him!
Thank you to our author as it was refreshing to experience a character with disabilities/chronic illness as it gives a sense of realness to Vaseline’s character in a genre that is riddled with strong and often invincible female characters. I am eager to explore book 2.

I will admit it took me a moment to get into this book but overall I really enjoyed it! The writing, especially towards the beginning, just didn't grab me the way I wanted it to. However, there are plenty of books where I have to get more into the meat of the story before I'm immersed. The premise was intriguing and the end of the book has me interested in book 2.

This book has a fascinating premise with a strong main character caught in a web of political intrigue and danger. The writing is immersive, and the themes of resilience and trust are compelling.

However, the pacing was uneven - some parts felt slow, and certain relationships didn’t feel fully developed. While the story shows great promise, it didn’t quite grab me all the way through.

If you enjoy fantasy with court politics and slow-burn romance, it might be worth a try!

A Dance of Lies is an enchanting, seductive romantic fantasy book that will keep you on your toes. With a main character you will adore and root for, characters with unknown motivations, and lush writing, you'll fly through the story desperate to know what will happen next.

Once the favored dancer of the king's court, Vaslie's luck changes when she is imprisoned for a crime she did not commit. After being locked away for years, the king offers her the opportunity to win her freedom back. To gain her freedom, she will need to be his eyes and ears at the upcoming royal gathering. Vasalie takes the deal but finds she is tasked with more than she had imagined--tasks that will make her question how far she is willing to go to gain her freedom.

Brittney Arena's debut is not to be missed! This was a story I never wanted to end. Now I'm eagerly awaiting the next book to see what Arena has in store for these characters!

3/5⭐️

Thank you to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book early!

This was by no means a bad book at all! The first 30% took me about a month to read and I considered DNF’ing, but I’m glad I persevered as it definitely got more gripping after that 30% mark. I struggled with the confusing world building at first, and it felt like there were so many characters that I couldn’t keep track of who was who and who lived where and who was good and who was bad. I also wasn’t a fan of the FMC keeping her past a secret from the reader as it felt confusing, and actually I don’t think finding out those events later in the book added to the tension in a good way and would’ve been easier to understand if we found those things out earlier.

However this was still a 3 star read, so I did enjoy it! I felt the FMC’s development throughout the later stage of the book was so enjoyable and I really found myself rooting for her. I loved the little touches of fate and prophecy especially in the latter half of the book. Once I’d pushed through the parts I found confusing I did have a fun time and found myself eager to find out what was going to happen.

⭐️ 4.5
💋 3

Vasalie was a dancer for a king until he framed her for murder. After two years in the dungeons, he offers her a deal: to be his spy at the six-week royal Gathering and he’ll grant her freedom. Vasalie agrees but as the king’s orders grow bloody and dangerous, she enlists the help of his brother and greatest adversary. As the rivalry between brothers escalates, Vasalie must decide who to trust and who to fight for.

A Dance of Lies hooked me from the first few chapters and had me crying by the end. Brittany’s writing really captures the beauty of the settings the characters were in and I loved seeing all the beautiful places come to life in my mind. Overall I liked Vasalie and I loved her arc over the course of the book. There were moments where she felt a little whinny and unsure but the things she struggled with made sense in the story and for her arc. You learn everything as she does which can be frustrating at times but as the story comes to it’s climax all the pieces fit in and make sense. I also loved so many of the characters who were around Vasalie while also feeling such hatred for others. I was not expecting the ending to be so emotionally devastating and I am already dying waiting for the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.

This book has left me devastated! I loved it so much I can't believe this is the authors debut! I need the next book now, A Dance of Lies is definitely one of my favourite reads this year, easily 5 stars.

4 Star review! Recieved this book as a ARC from netgallery, and it was brilliant! beautiful world building, heartache and suspense. absolutely loved it:) Suspense kept me reading it till the last page :)

This was pretty good!! I enjoyed the premise and the idea of chronic disability representation and it delivered!! The plot felt unique and i was pretty invested the whole time, some of the side characters and plots didn't capture me like I wanted them to but that's totally fine! Overall pretty good book!

I loved this book. Firstly the representation of disability with CF (chronic fatigue girlies unite) made me feel seen and how energy levels vary throughout the day. The plot felt really well-written with how controlling relationships and how finding someone for you can feel and how to respond to the situation it just feel very realistic and allowed me to root for Vasalie and how her character evolved through the book. I loved the political aspect of the book with the underlying political tension of royalty.

The main relationship felt cute and a bit steamy but ultimately I loved it. Would recommend for anyone looking for a descriptive fantasy romance with CF rep and royalty political system.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Can’t wait for the next.

After being wrongfully framed for a noble’s murder, Vasalie has her chance at freedom dangled in front of her when the king she once loved gives her orders to infiltrate the annual gathering of rulers as a dancer so he can enviously spy on his brothers/fellow rulers. When it becomes clear that a dangerous plot to change the political landscape of the known world is underfoot, Vasalie is faced with two paths: choosing love or vengeance.

At some point in the first half of this book, I genuinely liked it— there were cool displays of her creativity and ingenuity to account for Vasalie’s more limited mobility due to a traumatic past, and the romance was swoon-worthy enough to paper over the story’s faults. But then the author decided to throw everything at the page to see what sticks, and I found myself rapidly flipping through the second half.

One of my greatest points of critique is why include the supernatural twist? It’s a solid story about subterfuge and what someone would do to survive that is completely uprooted at the end. The story completely lost me at this point as I barely paid attention or cared about the mythology, and I lost my mind (in the bad way) when I realized where the series was going.

Secondly, there is a compelling story buried underneath all the bad tropes and unnecessary drama about how far someone who supposedly is against causing harm will compromise their morals to survive, yet Vasalie faced zero repercussions? All the characters she hurts quickly forgive her (maybe begrudgingly - but he’s so valid - in one case) and move on. In fact, the only characters who call her out are the assh*le characters, which dilutes the interesting grey area here.

So while I did like the romantic interest a lot (green flags all around), I don’t think I’ll be picking up the second book.

This book caught my eye from the beautiful cover and I had to request an ARC of it. The blurb sounded like it was going to be a book I enjoyed, if a little formulaic - I was half right, I enjoyed this book a lot and there was nothing formulaic about it!

The story follows Vasalie, an imprisoned dancer who used to be the jewel of the King, imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit she is pulled from jail and given the option to spy for the King in during the gathering, where royals of various regions meet, including her King’s brothers. Vasalie has spent the past two years confined to a cell, barely fed and with limited movements, she cannot be the dancer she was and struggles to be fit enough for the gathering. She is a strong, dynamic FMC who I routed for from the start, she has drive and is so tenacious! She is told by her King to become close to his brothers Anton, and must complete various nefarious tasks under the threat of imprisonment again.

The story is hugely political and follows Vasalie as she tries to complete these tasks, but also escape from the control of King Illian. She is an intriguing character and a great narrator of the story and has a dark and traumatic past that continues to haunt her.

I thought this book was excellent and have insisted my friends add it to their TBR, the story felt hugely original and I was gripped from the start. I am both shocked and impressed that this is a debut novel and the sequel will be an immediate buy! I can’t believe I have to wait for it after the cliff hanger.

This is one of my top reads of the year and thanks to Netgalley for providing an e ARC for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Brittney Arena for this Arc for an honest review.

Firstly I really struggled to get into this. By 25% I wasn't enjoying it at all. I found the beginning suffered from "over-flowerification" which in turn made it very slow. I considered DNF'ing several times as I just couldn't get into it at all. I persevered as I try my best not to DNF Arcs.

I didn't particularly enjoy the disability focus as I felt with her character seemed to struggle standing up or doing menial tasks, but could always pull it out the bag for the dances which seems highly unlikely for someone who feels like they're going to pass out when they stand up. I think it probably would have made more sense had the character had these medical conditions instead of merging it with a 2 year prison stay and subsequent muscle atrophy.

The writing did seem to improve throughout the book, perhaps the author became more confident in her story, either way from about 50% onwards I became hooked!

Im so glad I didn't DNF this because there was a pay-off. The second half flew by as I was desperate to see things play out.

I enjoyed the slow burn romance (although they went from a little flirting to willing to sacrifice their lives at record speed).

I enjoyed the main 2 kings characters, basically good and evil - and Vasalie (I couldn't help read her name as Vaseline) who was a fighter, resilient and more importantly didn't always make the right decisions.

I did feel that maybe there were too many characters, and not enough descriptions of the main ones- to the point I had no idea what Anton looked like so kept imagining him as Anton DuBeke :/ The author did a fantastic job of getting us to feel strongly for the main characters - either to love or hate them.

My rating is a combination of absolutely loving half of the book, and finding a lot of it a struggle, I do however feel that book 2 will probably be an easier read and have potential for a higher star rating.

If the writing is more like the end half, and there is some additional spice this could be a FANTASTIC read

3.75⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️

My protector is gone, revealed to be a monster. But I remind myself that I am not a damsel. I’m no princess bound within a tower. I am a shadow.

I was definitely excited for this one. While it didn’t quite measure up to what I imagined the book would be, it was still a fun read. The writing was full of prose and it was very well written, though sometimes a little over the top. This was definitely better than I would have expected for a debut author. Plus I appreciate the chronic illness representation.

For fans of:
✨dancers
✨disability rep
✨banter
✨tension
✨rivalries

A very special thank you to netgalley, random house publishing / del rey for the advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review.