*4.5 stars*

This was so delightful and soothing to read. While it's on the slower side and the romance is a very small, slowburn side plot I felt like it had such a sensual, beautiful feel to it. The way it was written you felt like you were right there watching these enchanting dances.

I was so invested in our main character. I loved how real she felt with her own challenges but yet she grew and faced them. I was constantly trying to figure out which guy I was rooting for because the romance takes a while to develop. But I love how it it did have a natural growth. However, I wish we got a *touch* more romantic moments with them.

This had a lot of court politics, espionage, beautiful dancing and intense sensual moments. I will say it did feel a touch long toward the end and I'm still a little confused as to what happened exactly. I need to go back and reread it because I think I started to go too fast cause I was panicking. I was hoping it'd be a standalone but I am definitely wanting more. Overall, I really loved this. The writing felt so soothing to me that even on a busy day, I felt comfort reading this cause it has a slow, enchanting feel to it!! I LOVED the dance scenes so much!

* I went back and forth between the Kindle and audio both of which are fantastic. It made me feel so immersed in the story. I especially liked the audio!*

A truly spectacular high-stakes debut with a fully-developed dynamic of tense kingdom politics and a compelling main character who must outwit the forces conniving against her or lose both her life and her love. The ending twist had me frothing at the mouth for the sequel in this duology.

This book - wow! I loved it, it was so well written, it had a great blend of politics, intrigue, characters and world building.
Vasalie shows us over and over again how much a person can endure if their will is strong enough. She fights to strengthen her body when she returns to dancing after her imprisonment, she resists the orders given by Illian at the Gathering, she advocates for herself when the men in her life try to control her choices, and she is determined not to let those who wronged her get away with it. She's such an incredible character and I loved her strength and resilience.
We had some excellent side characters to fall in love with in Laurent and Gustav and some that I wasn't sure about in Copelan and Anton. There were also some that I hated instantly, like Illian and Estienne and General Stova. And there were so many more characters that I'm watching, thinking they may become a more integral part of the story as it continues.
The plot kept me guessing, with political motivation and character development, as well as the endurance of Vasalie and what else she could shoulder and carry on with. Parts of it had a bit of a trials feel, with Vasalie having to dance at different occasions throughout the Gathering, that she had to prepare for. As the story continued, the twists got twistier and my heart was in my throat on multiple occasions.
I'm so happy I got the chance to read A Dance of Lies early, I had a feeling it was going to be a top read for me and it absolutely was. I loved the uniqueness of the story and the setting, I loved having a FMC who was a bit softer but still tough, who was battling with her health and just trying to get through each day, who wasn't a hyper capable machine.
I can't wait for book 2, I need to know what's going to happen next!

Thank you so much to Del Ray and Netgalley for this ARC

Political Intrigue ~ Fates & Prophecies ~ Slow Burn ~ Chronic Pain representation ~

I really enjoyed this book for me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE a story where the MMC isn’t on page 1. Until about 30% thought his one I didn’t know who the MMC love interest was going to be. I enjoyed the political intrigue and court politics, and Vasalie never quite knowing who to trust. It kept me on my toes.

Then ending caught my off guard.. and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely pick up book 2.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the technicalities of putting on a show/dancing… so I tended to rush through the paragraphs detailing all the intricacies in the shows. I do however know that that is one of the beautiful aspects of this book, that just wasn’t my personal favorite.

Unfortunately I just couldn’t push through this one.
I just didn’t enjoy the worldbuilding and was finding myself skimming the pages so decided to just dnf.

DNF. Unfortunately this didn’t work for me. The premise of this book really interested but I just struggled to enjoy it.

I didn’t really like the world building, so that made me struggle to want to pick it up. I do think plenty of readers will love this book though.

3.5
I went into the book blind, and I was pretty pleasantly surprised. It did have a slow start, but about 30% of the way in, it picked up.
The setting of this book is one of my favorite things about it. I love festivals, so having the book be centered around one upped my enjoyment. The characters were fine, but the romance felt lacking. I hope it's explored more as the series goes on.
I thought Vas was an interesting character, but she got on my nerves sometimes. I also can't stand the nickname Minnow, which kinda made me dislike Anton.
"Your little moans spoke volumes as to your level of enjoyment, Minnow."
I almost want to give this book a lower rating, just from this line alone, but I moved past it.
Thank you, Del Ray and NetGalley, for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena is a fantasy romance following a broken dancer who is forced into becoming a spy by the king that betrayed her. This was a wild ride where there was no predicting where we were going to end up and with a cliffhanger like that ending—I need book two yesterday!

Probably my favorite part of this story was the host of unique characters the author introduced. It created this beautiful element to the story and seeing if each one was friend or foe made the already exciting plot that more tantalizing. The story itself was intense, emotional, and suspenseful. Once I started it, there was no putting it down until I turned the last page.

Overall, I gave this read four stars because I found the story to be a standout in the genre, it kept me on my toes and remained unexpected to the final page, and because I can't wait to find out what happens next! Will definitely be keeping an eye on this author's future projects and absolutely recommend this title.

“A Dance of Lies” is a dream and nightmare that I never wanted to wake up from. I was entranced by this book and never wanted to put it down. Vasalie is bound to the king, who both convicted her and offered her freedom. She must act as his spy and enter as a dancer in the Gathering. She’ll face many moral dilemmas as she’s caught between two kings and her friends’ lives are at stake. I wanted to savor every word of the ornate depictions in the beautiful world-building and writing. This story and romance was totally unpredictable which made it so much fun to get wrapped up in the story. I will never stop thinking of this story and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the sequel!

For those who love:
🪩 Slow Burn Romance
🪩 Political Intrigue
🪩 Spy
🪩 Bargains & Betrayal
🪩 Chronic Pain Rep
🪩 Dancers & Kings
🪩 Fates & Prophecies

TS: Domestic Abuse

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this amazing ARC.

4.5 stars - I need the next book IMMEDIATELY

A Dance of Lies follows Vasalie, a dancer who is being released from 2 years in prison after being falsely accused of murder. She is forced to earn her freedom by working as the King's spy & assassin.

This book was a little difficult for me to get into, but once I got past the 25% mark I was hooked! I really enjoyed the direction the story went in, and I can't wait to see how everything is expanded upon in the second book! I especially loved the writing style & I ended up highlighting so many quotes.

The characters in this story are what really stood out to me. Vasalie's journey working through guilt & grief while managing chronic pain made her feel like such a real character. Her actions, while not always "correct", always felt justified.

Thank you SO much to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC! This was right up my alley!!

4.5⭐

Wow this was such a strong debut and a breath of fresh air in the romantasy genre.

I loved the descriptive imagery in this. The settings were so beautifully described and I felt I was right there with Vas.

The court politics and intrigue. Trying to figure out who to trust, and piece the puzzle pieces together along with Vasalie was a lot of fun. The spying and espionage had me on the edge of my seat!!

This gave me major Bridge Kingdom & Plated Prisoner vibes in the best way. Iykyk.

I thought the representation of trauma and chronic illness was done really well. It felt so real and authentic. And it stayed throughout the story. Her healing wasn't linear, and I loved that.

And the romance!!! It was SO refreshing that I wasn't sure who the MMC/love interest was going to be. This was imo a slow burn! And a very good one at that. It had emotional depth over lust which is my preference.

The ending had me gobsmacked. A few twists/reveals that I didn't see coming. And the ending has me UNWELL for the next book.

I feel like for me this book was good, but missing something. I think it felt a little rushed in some places but dragged in others, and the ending was pretty predictable. I don't buy the main character and her main love interest's relationship, and also just wasn't super invested in the characters in the story.

DNF @ 25%

The premises of this book were interesting, especially with disability rep, but after few chapters I struggled with the story. The worldbuilding was surface-level, the characters flat and the writing style didn't convey any emotion, only apathy. After what she went through, I expected Vasalie to be more fierce, strong, rebellious. Alas, we get none of this. It's a pity because I was looking forward to read this book.
I hope other readers will enjoy it more than me.

2.5 stars! i liked it but maybe it’s high time i accept that i’m just not a pure romantasy reader.

my main issue i think was that i’m all for an enemies to lovers arc and it’s my favorite trope in the world for romance subplots but mc gave me the ick with how much she was pining over someone who didn’t even want her??

i appreciate what the author was trying to do with the representation though!

More romance than fantasy, but still enjoyed it! I wish the mc had a little more depth to her but I can't wait for book 2!

Interesting premise but it wrapped up quite quickly and a lot of new information at once. Wish the prophecy stuff was through the book a bit more to sort of forewarn it.

I love the premise of A DANCE OF LIES and adore the inclusion of a disabled FMC in romantasy, a genre I usually find lack in representation generally. The prose itself was lovely and the book well written as a rule, but I found that character work lacked enough depth to really draw me in.

dnf at 21%

1⭐

Guys, I tried. I really did.
I tried to give it my usual 25% before dnfing, but this was like reading a textbook. I wanted to repeatedly bash my head against the wall.
I could not finish this book to save my life.

I may just be the minority on this, but nothing about it stood out to me.
The plot was boring and slowwwwwwww
Every character just annoyed me, nothing seemed realistically written.
It PAINS me to dnf so many books this year, but I made a resolution to myself that if I wasn’t vibing with the book (with the exception of hate reads) that I would dnf that thing to next thursday.
I only want to read books I’ll actually find WORTH the time and effort I’m putting into it. And as a slow reader that is a LOT of time.
Safe to say this book didn’t make the worth my time cut, so now I say bye bye and promptly forget everything abt it 👋😊

If you enjoyed books like The Ever King and The Bridge Kingdom – I think you will like A Dance of Lies.

The story follows Vasalie, a dancer with a secret who has been in a dark dungeon cell for the last two years. The king framed her for a murder she did not commit, and she is offered a deal to spy for him in exchange for her freedom. What brought this down from a 4 to 3 star read for me was one of the first decisions Vasalie makes as a spy. It might be petty, but I couldn’t bring myself to like her as a character after that. I see the appeal in this type of Romantasy, and I keep trying it, but the genre is not for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey, for an early copy in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Inklore, Del Rey, Random House Worlds, and Random House Publishing Group for this advanced copy. You can pick up A Dance of Lies on June 10, 2025.

Brittney Arena crafted a fantastic premise for this book with a dancer turned spy who's also battling a chronic illness/disability. I love the inclusion of a disabled protagonist, and I do think this book can find the right audience upon release. Unfortunately, this book wasn't quite for me. I got about 14% in and wasn't compelled to pick it up and keep reading. I think the main character has the potential to grow, but we're also starting with a poor foundation. I feel like she's telling us about the things that happened to her instead of showing us who she is and how she came to be here. Not to mention what her motivations are for the future.

Perhaps I'll pick this up again in the future, but for now, it's a soft DNF.