2.5 (rounded up)

A Dance of Lies is an adult romantasy about a disabled dancer who is turned into a reluctant spy. Set in a world of court intrigue and kingdoms on the cusp of war, Vasalie Moran has to contend with the thin lines that separate her enemies from allies in this game of political espionage if she wants to make it out alive.

I will say that I loved the premise of this book and the author’s inclusion of chronic pain and disability representation were really great to see, especially in a fantasy setting. However, while I really wanted to love this book, unfortunately the character development fell flat and ultimately didn’t help in the set-up for the novel. Vasalie’s inner thoughts and descriptions throughout the story seemed a bit stilted and repetitive in a way that took me out of the actual court politics, and the build-up of the high-stakes situations the characters seemingly find themselves in felt like we were going in circles before anything actually happened. While there were certain parts where I do think this tension between Vasalie's actions and her desires comes through as she navigates these court politics, for the majority, it left me feeling relatively underwhelmed. Further, the almost insta-lusty elements of what I can only say is the main romantic relationship (without getting into spoilers) didn’t work for me, which was so unfortunate as this relationship does seem to play into so much for the rest of the plot.

While I do think there were some really solid elements and the overall story was definitely intriguing (rounded up my rating because the potential was definitely there), I unfortunately don’t think I will be picking up the second book in this duology.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the eArc of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

“𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐒𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫. 𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.”

I’ve been raving about this book to anyone who’ll listen, so when I received the ARC, I was absolutely ecstatic. I was thrilled to see a romantasy novel that felt so close to my own experiences—as someone who’s chronically ill and dances, it meant the world to me. Brittney has written such a powerful debut, and I couldn’t be prouder. I truly believe this book is destined to be the next big romantasy sensation (and it’s so well deserved). Now I’m impatiently—and shamelessly—begging for book two.

the vibes ™:
- dancer turned spy
- chronic illness rep
- trust no one
- found family
- prophecy

⚔️✨🤍🔮

A disabled dancer turned reluctant spy, political betrayal, and a brewing royal war—A Dance of Lies should have soared. What begins as a dazzling promise of defiance, danger, and disability rep ends up dancing in circles—feeling like a copy-paste of stronger stories, only less alive.

I went into A Dance of Lies full of hope. A romantasy with a disabled protagonist navigating court politics and espionage? That premise alone had me ready to fall in love. But despite the setup, what followed was a disappointingly formulaic story that never truly brought its characters—or its world—to life.

The opening echoes familiar territory (Throne of Glass fans will notice the parallels instantly): Vasalie, once a royal dancer, has been wrongfully imprisoned and suddenly summoned back to serve the king who betrayed her. She’s given a mission as a spy during a tense political gathering—but rather than seething with rage, trauma, or even conflicted loyalty, Vasalie greets each moment with a baffling emotional flatness. In first-person narration, this absence of interiority is especially glaring. Her voice lacks the vulnerability, complexity, or edge you’d expect from someone with her history.

What makes this especially frustrating is the missed potential in the book’s most promising feature: its disability representation. Vasalie lives with chronic pain and lasting injuries, but these are inconsistently portrayed. She’s often able to perform physically demanding dances when the plot calls for it, as if determination alone can override her limitations. While it’s laudable to place a disabled heroine at the centre of a romantasy, the representation here feels symbolic rather than authentic—acknowledged, but not meaningfully explored.

The broader worldbuilding feels similarly underdeveloped. A royal summit featuring multiple monarchs should be brimming with tension, yet the atmosphere lacks stakes or urgency. Characters seem to trust Vasalie far too easily, and she’s quickly surrounded by not one, but two potential love interests—neither of whom is developed enough to justify the emotional weight the story tries to give them.

When I read ‘disabled dancer turned spy,’ I expected fire, fury, and grit. Instead, I got a muted heroine, flat emotion, and a plot that tiptoes through tired tropes. In the end, this story of shadows and secrets never quite finds its spark.

Despite its rich concept, A Dance of Lies plays it safe, relying on genre clichés and shallow emotional beats. Fans of light romantasy with palace intrigue and morally grey royals may still find something to enjoy here—particularly readers newer to the genre. But for those seeking character depth, authentic representation, or fresh storytelling, this debut doesn’t quite deliver.

This book has a lot of potential but just falls flat.. the characters are not well developed and the story is over written. I really appreciate the efforts of writing a FMC with chronic pain etc, but it just gets lost in the attempted world building. I really wanted to love this book because some of the imagery is so stunning, it just needed some serious restructuring.

Dance of Lies completely swept me away. This debut is everything I could ask for in a fantasy romance. It was fast-paced plot, court intrigue, slow-burn tension, and a main character I adored from page one. Vasalie’s journey is powerful, emotional, and deeply personal. The way the author wrote her experience with chronic illness and trauma felt so real and added such depth. I was in awe of her strength and growth.

The worldbuilding is rich and easy to follow, and I loved how quickly I was immersed. The court politics had me glued to the page, and I was constantly gasping at the twists and turns. Ilian gave me major Midas vibes with his creepy obsession, and watching Vasalie slowly break free from his control was so satisfying.

And let’s talk about Anton. I was not ready to fall that hard for him. He is flirty, clever, and way too charming. The slow burn between him and Vasalie had me smiling, giggling, and kicking my feet. Copelan was another great surprise, and their dynamic kept me guessing in the best way.

This story goes beyond just romance. The emotional growth, powerful themes, and layered characters made it unforgettable. I already pre-ordered the sequel and cannot wait to return to this world. If you love romantic fantasy with high stakes and heart, this is a must-read.

Such a well written novel! Brittney Arena's A Dance of Lies is tightly plotted, with strong characters and deft worldbuilding. What a refreshing take on a fantasy protagonist! Vasalie's disability was so deeply relatable to me and it was beautifully reflected onto the novel. I can't wait for the next installment

“I thought I was special to him, but what is a single jewel to a king who has thousands?”

I read only a handful of fantasy books a year and A Dance of Lies is a new all time favorite. I’m excited to recommend this debut by Brittney Arena to those like myself who want to be a fantasy girlie but may struggle with finding the right book within the genre to capture our attentions….& capture is what Brittney did.

“A story worth telling warrants a little destruction.”

From the beginning of the book to the sombering end. I love in the synopsis it claims “a dancer turned spy” and that is the journey you are led on with the main character Vasalie who has been locked away in a dungeon for two years and then one day expected to return to her role as the Kings Jewel and dance at the six week royal gathering at a seaside palace where she is under the Kings watchful eye and sent on tasks to complete in order to secure her freedom by the end.

“My past is mine.”

I was lost in this world of royalty, dancers and betrayal. The dance scenes read as if I could see each move. The pain Vasalie felt trying to do something that in the long run would save her life felt excruciating. And the chemistry had me smitten… Anton 🫶🏼… I can’t wait to see what’s coming next!

Thank you Del Rey this was an absolute treat!
Releases 6/10

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4.5 stars

I was really enjoying this book, but I must say, at about 80-85%, it suddenly took a turn. I was worried that with so few pages left, it was going to wrap things up too neatly somehow. Instead, it did the opposite, and I need book 2 immediately. (There's going to be a book 2, right? Right?!!!)

Recommended, but oh my heart.

3.75 stars for me ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫- I wish we could do halves and so on in the rating system here, It just didn’t hit 4 stars for me unfortunately.

It was so cool receiving this as an arc, it has been on my radar so it was exciting to get to read it early.

I do have some mixed thoughts about the book, overall it was good but it did keep giving me similar vibes to a lot of fantasy books out there. The start felt too similar to another book so I did think I wasn’t going to enjoy it. However, the further you get in the better the storyline becomes and it starts to become its own story without that constant ‘I’ve deffo read this somewhere else’ feeling!

I enjoyed the FMC and her role within the story, she definitely developed as the book went on and you were able to feel for her and the scenarios she was put in. I ADORE Anton. He did give me similar vibes to Rhys from ACOTAR though, as in is he the big baddie or is it all fake to protect his court…but, I ate it all because it’s a great trope. Not a fan of Copelan tbh, he just bugged me, can’t really pin point exactly what, but I never vibed with him and his relationship to the FMC.

There was a good amount of suspense, different plot points, and the story was a decent pace. The prophecy was a good addition, though I did feel like it was brought in a little late to the story. The ending was not entirely a shocker in the general terms of what happened, but the specifics (trying real hard not to spoil things lol) was…as in what some certain person lost to be able to save the other!

I am looking forward to the next book, though I’m probably going to be waiting a while though!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc!

I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would! When I first applied for it, my thoughts were “that’s a nice cover” but I’m so glad that I read it through.

This book ticked so many boxes for me, royal courts, fantasy politics, a strong female character that goes through amazing characters development (although sometimes I wanted to shake her!), and I LOVED that this was fantasy with a romance sub plot and that wasn’t the whole reason for the book.

The characters were really easy to love and you felt connected with even just the small side characters you only see for 2 chapters. The writing was really good and wanted to go read more by Brittney to find out this is her first release! I’ll definitely be picking up more of her books in the future.

This was such a high 4 stars and I’m so excited to see what happens in the next book!

I really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

What I liked:
The originality of the story, the disability representation, and the way the dances were written—those scenes painted such a vivid picture. I kept thinking that if this were ever adapted into a movie, it would be visually stunning. I also enjoyed the last 10% of the book.

What didn’t work for me:
The story just didn’t grip me. It felt very slow, repetitive, and overwhelmingly overwritten. The characters felt flat and often annoying, and there was no real chemistry between the love interests. For a romantasy, it surprisingly lacked romance. While the plot wasn’t entirely predictable, it was still easy to guess what would happen next. There was no real intrigue or twist to keep me excited or wanting more.

I thought about DNF-ing it but kept pushing through, hoping it would pick up. Sadly, it never really did.

This is very beautifully written and a great start for a debut novel! I think I picked this up at the wrong time, and could not get into it. I definitely will try to pick it up again later. Thank you for sending me an arc copy!

I have very mixed feelings on this book. I was intrigued at one moment then underwhelmed the next. I loved the idea of this book and thought it could have been great, but in the end this lacked something for me. Vasalie is undoubtably traumatized though she perseveres repeatedly, I felt little connection to her and felt like she lacked personality while grabbing the attention of every male in the area. I had trouble visualizing her performances and overall this felt a bit rushed and chaotic but and the same time, I still enjoyed the overall story. Hard to say if I will pick up book two when it comes out but I had a semi-enjoyable time with this. I think I just prefer a different type of fantasy.
All that to say, this will definitely have fans when it is released!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of A Dance of Lies!

Unfortunately, I'm bailing on this one. I felt like it had so much promise, but if you're chained in place for 2 years, unable to get up and move around, and with an atrocious diet, you're not getting up to dance in 2 months. It's not happening, no matter what. It's just silly. Add in how repetitive and overwritten this is, it just isn't it's the book for me.

What a great debut novel!

Vasalie a Dancer in King Illians court is wrongly/set-up for murder. She spends two years in a dark cell until she is offered her freedom as long as she does some spying at the Gathering.

I loved the angle of her being a disabled dancer. It was done well and you were shown she tries to dance her way through the pain. It was a journey for her to accept her body and its limitations.

During the gathering she really mentally struggles with the tasks she is given. She has internal conflicts of not wanting to harm her new friends and wanting freedom.

While it took me a minute to get into the book at about the 25% mark I couldn’t put it down constantly wanting to see what was going to happen. It was interesting to try and figure out why she needed to do certain things and then see Vasalies actions turn into consequences. There was lots of little twists and political intrigue throughout.

The reader has to wait a hot minute for the MMC to emerge but it’s worth it.

I am really looking forward to the next book as that cliffhanger I wasn’t fully expecting.

Thank you to netgalley, Brittney Arena, and DelRey for the ARC.

This might just be my personal experience with Manga and manhwa but this story felt so similar to plots I've read before, and always enjoy. The disability representing was so refreshing in romantacy. Reading about a character with the level of strength and determination of Vasalie makes me feel motivated to challenge myself to rise to be my best. I really enjoyed this book ans cannot wait for the next one

4.5 stars rounded up

The first book of a purported duology.

Full of political power struggles and scheming, A Dance of Lies mostly takes place during the Gathering, an event where all the kings and leaders are collected. In an attempt to gain her freedom, Vasalie must spy while in attendance. She makes friends and enemies during the festivities and has to work through her chronic pain while performing her dances and spying for her king.

I found the description of Vasalie’s disability to be realistic and appreciated her ways of dealing with the pain. The way she kept working towards her freedom and her guilt over her actions made her a likeable character. There were plenty of twists that kept me interested along the way and I am looking forward to book 2 after that cliffhanger.

Thank you Del Ray for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley and DelRey for sharing this ARC with me, it truly was a pleasure!

This story drew me into it like few have done recently. I was driving home from work and caught myself just longing to curl up in my couch to read. I snuck every moment I could find to read a little, every break or slow moment. I think the worldbuilding is very cool, and introduced in a well-paced and easy to understand way. It’s not very heavy, and neither is the “magic”-system, so I’d say this is a pretty easy fantasy if you’re not used to the genre. It’s got loads of political intrigue which is my favorite type of fantasy, and it’s not very heavy romance wise, but there definetly is some! I found the characters to be quite compelling, and I really want to know what happens in the next book (buuuut this one isn't even out yet so I’m guessing I’m gonna have to wait a while for the next one…)

I really liked the story too. Some plot twists I saw coming, but others shocked me thorougly. The pacing was really well done for most of the book, and I also loved the style of writing. It was very descriptive and floated away a bit at times, but in like a good, artistic kind of way. Speaking of artistic, the way the author talks about the dances in this book is magical, it’s so filled with love and passion that I feel almost certain it’s not only because our character loves dancing but because the author does too.

!! these next points could be considered light spoilers !!

My issues are:

I want more Emilia time. I would’ve wanted a prolouge or something about Vasalie growing up and getting to know her, so that when her motiviation is doing something because Emilia would’ve wanted it, we would’ve been able to relate more to it.

I felt the ending was quite rushed, and it became a lot more romance and less plot in the last 10 or so percent, which isn’t how I wished it had ended.

Vasalie is supposed to be dissabled due to imprisonment, and I feel like that disability only ever came forward when it was convenient, and wouldn’t affect her too much. In every critical moment she managed to push through and perform, but once she was safe and alone she’d collapse. Not once did it actually affect her much, it felt more like a second thought, which a disability usually definetly isn’t.

ALSO I would’ve wanted even more yearning. I yearn for good yearning. Please give me more yearning.

Still a solid, good, entertaining book. Had it not been a debut I’d probably been a bit harshed with the rating, but for a first book? This feels super promising and I can not wait to see what the author comes up with next.

I loved that book so much, it was an addictive first book and I can't wait for the rest to come.

Vas is such a strong women despite her struggles, she lived nightmares and find a way to still stand despite pain, fatigue and everything her disability shot at her. The place given to the dance is amazing, dancing is not just about movements, it's about the art of telling a story and I am so glad to have read a story telling, showing us that.

The plot is well written, I loved Anton our main characters as well as the secondary characters (which are so important). I also loved discovering the past of each character with Vas going through the book.
Really, I am dying for the sequel!

Thank you Netgalley and DelRey for the opportunity to read it!
Note: 4,5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion!

Disability rep in a romantasy novel?! Yes please! That being said, I do feel like the plot drug in some spots and the FMC wasn't always the most interesting. Still, it was a super interesting plot all around and I think a lot of people are really going to enjoy this novel when it releases.