**4.25 Stars**Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. Arena created tension, pushed her characters through their limits, and left readers with an ending where you’re asking for more! I found myself talking to the characters, who rarely did what I told them to do which is fun for me since many times I can guess their next moves and the book becomes predictable. That was not the case in this debut! Lovely prose and although the world building occasionally felt a lot in some scenes, it felt necessary by the end. Looking forward to more.

I was excited for this one after seeing a lot of buzz on social media about it. I may of gone into this book with too high expectations.

There are alot of great things about this book. I liked the disability rep, scheming, the twist and the turns. The writing style is immersive and descriptive, I found it easy to picture the settings and characters. The pacing is good through out the book and I enjoyed the political intrigue

The plot itself is very character driven, however I just didn’t feel like I connected with our FMC, I’m not sure why. There are a number of love interests and again I didn’t feel like I knew any of them well enough to root for one in particular because our FMC couldn’t make up her mind.

The ending did have me wanting to continue the series though and despite there being aspects of the book I didn’t enjoy I do think overall it was a decent read.

Romance, betrayal, spies and a whole lot more. Brittney Arena did a wonderful job of having you vision this story while reading it..

I can't even put into words what i felt reading about a mc that struggles with chronic illness, i felt like i was finale seen, so thank you from the bottom of my heart Brittney Arena for writing this wonderful book.

#MastCell #SystemicMastocytosis

3.5 Stars rounded down

First, I wanted say I love the the cover of this book, the artwork is beautiful!

The premise of this story was intriguing and promising. I do think the character and story telling fell a bit short. I did not connect with Vasalie or the other characters very well. I found Vasalie's blindness to the king and willingness to do anything for her "freedom", then for Anton, even betrayals of her friends, frustrating. I personally wish Vasalie would have shown growth by the end of the of the story. I also found the storyline confusing at times. However, for a debut novel, I think the writing was promising and the descriptions of the dance beautiful. I will keep a look out for future novels from Brittney Arena.

A Dance of Lies is AMAZING. The imagery, the world building, the tension… Brittney created a story that I can’t wait to dive back in to. This book is in my top 5 favorites of 2025. The main character has so many layers, and the relationships in this book are top notch.

3.5 stars

Halfway through A Dance of Lies I wasn't entirely sold. But by the end I was upset I couldn't immediately start reading the next book in this series. Considering this one hasn't even been published yet, I might have to wait a little bit.

Yeah, the writing is a little stilted and repetitive - seriously, so. repetitive. But as you get into the story, these characters just grab hold and make you care.

I really appreciated the disability representation. Full stop. But, it didn't quite sit right that despite Vasalie's severe injuries, she was still capable of performing every time it was necessary. Yes, she made accommodations as needed, but I'm sorry, the parts of this narrative that relied on her being the very best of the best dancers after so much time in captivity and so little training were just too outrageous to believe at times.

It's always easier to point out the negatives but there was a lot of promise here and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

This was a great debut novel with an amazing world building and writing style. I loved the disability rep and the overall idea of the story, even if the beginning was slow and took a bit to get me interested. Some parts felt a little underdeveloped and I wanted more depth from the characters and the things that were happening, but it kept me wanting to know how it would all wrap up. To me this would’ve made a great standalone but alas, it’s not one. Still this definitely has me curious to see where the story might go next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

What a fabulous debut!

Dance of Lies is a new romantasy debut telling the story of Vasalie who was formerly a treasured dancer in a king's court who starts the story imprisoned after being framed for murder. When she is pulled out of prison she is thrust back into court politics without knowing who to trust and what the endgame is.

This book was so much fun. As a former dancer I enjoyed that aspect of it but most importantly I did not see the twists and turns coming. The stakes were high and I really had no idea who the male protagonist was going to be until more than halfway through the book. The twists were twisty and it was such a good time. The ending had me hooked and eager for the next book, which I will be grabbing as soon as it is available!

Can't wait for more from this author!

I appreciate the fact that this book has a disability representation because we really have too less of it in fiction. However, the story irked me from the very beginning. The writing is not very solid, the sentences read like an essay. Because this is fantasy, I expected much more from writing. I didn't like the way Vasalie could dance despite being imprisoned for so long. As someone who suffers from fibromyalgia, I find it difficult to believe. I wish I could enjoy this more but I've come to realise that romance fantasy isn't my favourite genre yet.

"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."

First off, congratulations to Brittney Arena on her debut novel! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was blown away! The descriptions were beautifully written and helped me imagine this world in even more detail. A specific someone's banter gave me butterflies, and I enjoyed everything about this book!

Vasalie was a dancer before she was framed for murder and wrongfully imprisoned for two years. She is then given the opportunity of freedom in exchange for her spying at the Gathering, an event attended by royals of the kingdom and their royal allies. She agrees, and what follows are twists and turns I was not expecting - I truly didn't anticipate some of plot twists that happened.

This was easily one of my favorite reads this year! It is beautifully written (so many highlights) - there was court intrigue, chronic illness representation, romance, world building and more. I also didn't feel like the romance was the main plot but became a part of Vasalie's story, and it also had me guessing. Vasalie also sort of reminds me of Violet from Fourth Wing in terms of pushing through their chronic illness, the pain, and doing what needs to be done. I cannot wait for my preorder to come in because the cover is absolutely GORGEOUS and will (im) patiently wait for the next book. I need to know what happens next!

Oh my gosh, I loved this book! It immediately sucked me in from the moment I picked it up. The tension, the beautiful imagery, the betrayals! I need the second book in my hands this very second. Everyone, please go read this book, you will not regret it!

--I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.--

The cover of this book is stunning 🤩 and that’s what made me want to read it, but then I read the summary and I was sold!

The world building in this fantasy was so so good! I loved it and it made the read so immersive. Also the relationships made this book so great. There is longing and twists in characters that really built the suspense because as a reader, I didn’t know which characters to trust, and still didn’t until right near the end!

There was so much going on in this that I loved! From love and hate relationships, lies and deceit, and moments of real strength and weakness, this book had it all 🫶🏻

For a debut novel, this was incredible 🤩 I read this as an ARC and this is my honest review. Thank you to the author and publisher

I’ve been on the hunt for my next five-star read — and let’s be honest, after reading over 28 books this year and only finding four that made the cut, I wasn’t holding my breath. But this book absolutely delivered.

From the very first page, the tension was high and it never let up. The characters pulled me in immediately. The world-building was so vivid and layered without feeling overwhelming. The suspense, the found family dynamics, the slow-burn romance, the secrets, the betrayals — it had everything I love in a story, all wrapped up so well that I couldn’t put it down.

This book had me completely hooked, and it’s one that’s going to stick with me for a long time. If you love fantasy with high stakes, deep character development, and a story that keeps you guessing (and a little on edge) right to the last page, this one needs to be on your list.

This was a great read! The cover art for this book is stunning and I think it will capture people’s attention immediately. I think this book will hit a wide range of audiences as it fits nicely within the genres of YA and fantasy adult fiction. It was a nice change of pace with the story centering around art and dancing rather than the typical violence and fighting that is popular within the fantasy genre. I do wish the characters were given more depth especially the side characters such as Copelan as they lacked a proper personality and motivation besides the main protagonist. It is definitely a book I would recommend to others and library customers and I look forward to what else Brittany Arena publishes in the future.

This book omg this was so good the characters were every thing I liked how the author let us majority of the book don’t know who the love interest is going to be. the plot of this book was perfect I liked so much the dancing aspect in this book I felt so connected to our FMC and at first I wasn’t sure about the love interest but I fell in love with him at the end. the beginning of the book was a little slow for me but it was a very good building for the last 30% and the plot twists that happened. after how the book ended I honestly don’t know if we are getting another book or no but I hope we get another book because I need more.
4.75⭐️

Such a brilliant book about love & hate, trust & lies, weakness & strength. Vasalie has a constant inner war with herself. She finds it hard to trust both herself and the people around her, and is in a constant battle to do the right thing for the right people.

There is so much longing, lust and ache between the characters. I went from having my faith in one guy, to a new within very few chapters, always being surprised by a hidden agenda and story.

The book is so beautifully written, and it had my heart absolutely aching. I can’t even fathom that this is Brittney Arena’s debut novel, I struggled to put it down!

Thank you so much both Brittney Arena & NetGalley, for the early arc!

Favourite quotes / scenes:

🪶 “He is etched into the fabric of my being. Both his kindness and his cruelty are braided into a tangle of memories I can’t escape.”

🪶 “She was the sunlight in my dreary world, and he is the terror who seizes the night.”

🪶 “Oh, how I had taken my abled body for granted. I hadn’t realized what a privilege it was, how thankful I should have been.” … something I often try to appreciate!!

🪶 “Hearts are fragile things, like glass. They break far too easily in the wrong hands. Offer them only to someone who can care for them, who might polish them until they glow.”

🪶 “That’s the problem with so many of us who hold privilege and power. We talk too much. We talk above others.”

🪶 “I am broken,” I say. An admission, or explanation. The only words I can string together. “You are art,” he says in response.

🪶 “We all have our comforts, Minnow. I wonder if you might be mine.”

🪶 “Your laugh,” he breathes. “I could drink an ocean’s worth.”

🪶 “He watches me through the fringe of his lashes, his thumb tracing my bottom lip—softly, like he wants to capture my smile. Pocket it. Like it’s fragile and rare, and he can’t believe it belongs to him.”

🪶 “Guilt eats up entirely too much energy. I’d rather you spend it on justice,”

🪶 “The company one keeps is an indication of character.”

4.25 stars

Okay, I can definitely see this becoming a romantasy book people will be obsessed with. The beginning was a bit slow and did not stand out to me as a romantasy book, but once the story got going, I binged around 30% to the end in one sitting.
I’ve seen some criticism regarding the disability rep, since the FMC is able to dance quite well despite her disability. However, knowing that the author based the FMC’s disability on her own experience, I think she represented it in a way that felt authentic to her. I really enjoyed the espionage aspect and felt like it was done so well. A lot of court-spying books don’t fully lean into that trope, but in this book, I truly felt the high stakes. It was nerve-racking in the best way and super addicting to read. I enjoyed the love interest but wanted to know more about him and get more from their romance, but maybe that is coming in book 2?

The ending was very chaotic and did upset me, but only because I know I’ll be waiting far too long for book 2!!

Oh. My. Gosh.

All the freaking stars.

This book was a RIDE y’all!

So good!

This book had me question which characters were good, which were bad, which we could trust and which we couldn’t, AND WHO were we going to ship?! Mercy. This is a fabulous debut story. Can’t wait to see what this author cooks up next!

The first part of this book was pretty slow, I found myself losing interests. The characters motivations for their actions (especially the FMC) were not clear to me. It was not developed enough for me to totally stand beside the cause and effects. I found the FMC whiny and she has been the first one to ever annoy fully me. She would go through the same debate in her head just to do something stupid. So many things could have been avoided and maybe it was the lack of connection to the FMC motivation that had me confused, and angry during the book. Dare I say there was a love triangle? I’m not sure, for me there wasn’t. It was clear as day in my eyes. The ending fell flat because despite all the characters and plot being confusing at first I did manage to guess the ending. I will say I think this would have been more successful if there wasn’t so many royal characters to keep straight. I was going to give this a 2 but the little bit of romance we got towards the end and the beautiful descriptions of the dancing scenes bumped it up to a 3.

3.5/5

i enjoyed this one! but i will say that it’s something you’ve likely read before.

it kept my attention and i was interested to see how everything would play out. the ending felt a bit weak and there were plenty of details that seemed all too convenient.

i liked the desire to include disability representation but it was more subtle than it should’ve been. if you skip a few sentences here and there, you wouldn’t see it.

the biggest surprise to me was that this is the first book in a series when i was reading it as a standalone. not the way i like to read books if you’ve talked to me about my reading philosophy, but a big THANK YOU to Del Rey and Netgalley for the eARC !!

overall, this story will feel familiar as you could guess where it’s going. but it was still a well-written entertaining read for me.

sooooo when’s book two coming out again?