I really wanted to love this book, but I nearly DNFed it half a dozen times. The pacing was off and I still don't really get what everything is building to. Many events seem to happen by coincidence, or with characters suddenly remembering just what they need to know or where they need to go.

I really enjoy E.J. Mellow's worldbuilding in this series, but I can't help feeling that it would be better served in a trilogy with one overarching plot, because the world seems to move in fits and starts. For example, I don't know if the Thief King/Dolion is good or bad (there are hints that he was actually an evil force in the world and I swear, I was on the edge of my seat because that sounded really interesting!) and I can't tell who is ultimately at odds with who. It all ends up feeling aimless, this complicated world ultimately serving as a backdrop to the central couple.

Luckily, the romance between the two central characters saves the book. They have incredible chemistry, especially once the ship gets moving, and I was really rooting for them to figure everything out. I hope that Mellow's next series is a little more stripped down so that this kind of romance can really shine. In the meantime, I'm still holding out hope that all this worldbuilding will lead to something in the final chapter of this trilogy, because in spite of everything, I'm still hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and E.J. Mellow for a free advance copy of Dance of a Burning Sea in exchange for a free review copy.

I really enjoyed reading this continuation of the first book, i mean who would not love a book that has the perfect mix between pirates and magic?! I really want more from the world, more of the Thief Kingdom.

I really do recommend this series to everyone and anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me this E-arc

I’m gonna be laughing at myself for a very long time over this one. I remember the first time I remember reading Song of the Forever Rains and thinking how much I would like to see a book about Lark’s sisters. I'm laughing at myself happened because once I went to Goodreads tomorrow that I was reading this book I saw that the author had already had that idea and was had just dropped the cover and title for this one and had said that there was going to be another book for the third sister. As one of three sisters and as the youngest, I related to Lark story a little bit more though with less magic and thief Kingdom shenanigans if you can match it. Imagine. I'm also laughing at myself because I had walked into the books with that mindset in mind, I found out I'm an outlier. The other people I know who have read Dance of a Burning Sea and Song of the Forever Rains quite liked the sequel better. And I did enjoy it! The romance was a lot of fun for me and I mean anytime pirates are involved, that's a guaranteed fun time but I don't know I think I just resonated more with Larkyra than I did her sister Niya.
I say this a lot in my reviews but that's just a me thing though. I never expect anyone to have the same experience I do and I try to take that into account when I'm writing my reviews to give all sides of the equation. There's so many times where I read reviews and people just act like their word is God and I mean I guess in our reviews we are the authority but I write my reviews from the perspective of other people possibly reading these and looking for hints at what's to come before they read a book or after they've read a book and I just try to give my perspective and couch it as being my perspective. The world that mellow has created is still vast and exciting and wonderful and I'm even more excited that we get a final book in the companion series with Arabessa in Symphony for a Deadly Throne but Lark is just gonna be my favorite.

Fantasy, pirates, magic. What more is needed in a book? Definitely pick this up if you are a fantasy fan.

This story is of Niya, middle child and one of The Mousai, who is fearsome.

”𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨.
𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙚, 𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩.
𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬.
𝙃𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧. 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚? 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙡ō𝙨 𝙀𝙯𝙧𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡.”

Omg I love Alos so much, a handsome prince turn pirate who is trying to be a villain. I loved his ice cold nature because that is what he turned to when left with no option, my heart did hurt for him, that feeling I just can't describe.

“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨. 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.”

Niya, my fire dancer, I loved her inspite of her recklessness and short tempered attitude. She was strong willed, realistic and perfect example of how to learn from mistakes. She will make you embarassed, cry, laugh and so much more with her charm.

”𝙍𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙮 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.”

Their banter, wow! It is absolutely well written and when ice and fire come together we get this beautiful magically filled fantasy journey that I enjoyed every single moment of.

”𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣; 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨.”

The voyage takes us through a thrilling, PERFECT enemies to lovers and opposites attract story. I mean these two with their feelings, desires omg, this slow burn romance is chef's kiss.

“𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙, 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩, 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣, 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚.”

The authors writing is stunning and mesmerizing. This book had strong and yet tender moments, entertaining, glorious, adventurous world building which is richly crafted with a detailing to keep you amazed and a lovely sisters bond.

“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠, 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚, 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩.”

I highly recommend this. Please do read.

I mean come on, there's pirates! And magic! As the second installment in the Mousai series, this book was such a great continuation of world building and character development. I highly suggest that you add this entire series to your TBR.

Somehow this book surpassed the first. I loved loved loved the characters in this one MORE than the first???? HOW. Lol. Anyways I definitely recommend this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this sequel and would recommend this series to everyone.

“She may be as light as the day,
But easy, my dearest, for a sharp tip be
Hiding
In her softly curving sway”

The Thief Kingdom lies hidden away, much like its treasure, in the world of Aadilor. Even its people hide behind masks, concealing their identities. While skilled thieves are welcome, you must never steal from The Thief King. Three sister sorceresses, called The Mousai, protect the treasure and are bound to serve its king.

Alos Ezra, a famous pirate lord, walks boldly unmasked through the kingdom and while tempted by nothing because encaptured by one of The Mousai –Niya and her gift of dance. Alos may be swayed but only for a detour before going back to his original mission; one that Niya is a pawn in.

Niya is swift with her feet but even more swift with her temper. After being tricked and heartbroken by Alos, she makes a fool’s bargain with him to serve a year on his ship in exchange for his secrecy and her freedom. Both Niya and Alos have a lot to learn about themselves and each other; can a means to an end become endgame?

First, I have to say that I didn’t read the first book “Song of the Forever Rains,” but it didn’t feel as though I was missing anything and you could definitely start with this one if you wanted to. It’s a series but each book is about a different sister; the first one is about Larkya and this one about Niya.

I really loved Niya’s character, she is badass, cunning, intelligent but also immature and naive at times. She isn’t this mythical character with unrelatable problems; her temper is literally what gets her in trouble again and again. She also isn’t infallible, she is humbled by the consequences and grows by them.

The sister dynamic in the book was also so well woven in and you could feel how close these sisters are and their loyalty to each other. I liked how this book shed light on the fine line between loyalty and enabling. Their relationship really boosted the story and Niya’s journey.

Alos and Niya both grow so exponentially throughout the book and that was so refreshing and enlightening to be able to experience that with them. They also have insane amounts of chemistry and give lovers to enemies to lovers a good name. 🙂

A Dance of a Burning Sea has an attractive magic system, rich characters, and hard lessons. Highly recommend!

This story is more adventurous than the first. And there are pirates and an underwater city and giants on a beautiful volcanic island!

However, the writing style is not my thing. I hate the incessant use of incomplete sentences when the use of a comma instead of a period would eliminate all these phrases written as if they were sentences. For example:

"The port was dark but not quiet. As were most sections of the city within the Thief Kingdom."

It reads like Young Adult but then there's that really smutty part, so it's definitely not YA.

While I liked this story more than the first, it's still had some problematic moral ambiguity (like it's okay if the "good" people do bad things.) But it is an entertaining story. Can we get a spinoff for the giants, please?

This was amazing! I really really enjoyed the first in the series but this one so exceeded my expectations. It had everything I wanted from the first and more! More of the world, more of the Thief Kingdom, and more action! While the first hero was sweet and endearing, Alos is next level. I can't wait for the next in the series, especially if it's half as exciting as this book is!

Pirates!! One of the most romanticised swashbuckling hero characterisation and yet, I also can't help myself but swoon over a broody handsome pirate. I love a good piratical romance especially one imbued with a good dose of magic just like this novel is. Dance of a Burning Sea is a novel of secrets, betrayals, love, and forgiveness.

I enjoyed the first book of this trilogy, Song of the Forever Rains, which was Larkyra's (youngest of the sisters) story and am curious about the rest of sisters. I am more curious about Arabessa but that'll be the third & last book. While I am intrigued by Alōs Ezra, the pirate lord, I wasn't particularly keen on Niya. Perhaps it's because she will be one of those people I try to avoid IRL. She says it as she sees it plus she's also a very angry character. I struggle quite a bit with angry protagonists so the first 30% of the book was a drag to me; a lot happen in this first third of the story so at least, Niya started to develop as a character and I started to really enjoy the story. At the end of the book, she has matured so much to be unrecognisable... almost.

Dance of a Burning Sea is a hefty sequel (511 pages!!) and while I enjoyed this fantastical world, I found the romance to drag a bit (or maybe I'm just impatient) and I rather expect a big twist in the end which didn't happen (like whatever twists throughout the book weren't enough! lol) so I was a little disappointed. The romance ended up quite sweetly, however, so I am happy. Now, I absolutely cannot wait to get to Arabessa's story!

My thanks to Montlake for ecopy of book via NetGalley in exchange of my honest thoughts

I knew it was iffy to pick this one up since the first in the series so vexed me. However, my issues might have been limited to that specific plot, so I gave the sequel a shot.

Unfortunately, issues from the previous book did carry over for me-- namely, the focus on morality and torture, which both came up within the first couple chapters as non-mutually exclusive arenas. Dark fantasy/romance perplexes me sometimes when there doesn't seem to be any concern for real-world analogs. Suggesting that ruling with violence is justified on behalf of law and order and respecting authority have appalling consequences when acted on in real life. There is some light questioning of the tyrannical monarchy in the book, but the use of violence to impose control continues even on the supposedly democratic, familial pirate ship where much of the story takes place.

The specifics of this romance also perturbed me. We have the impulsive, gambling Niya on one hand-- traits I admit to finding personally stressful. Then there's the manipulative, controlling, ambitious at all costs Alōs on the other. His personality moves beyond the personally concerning to the generally problematic. In their shared past you can find humiliation, stealing of secrets, and blackmail that could ruin Niya's family. I think consent is iffy at best here because while Niya agreed to have sex with him, she didn't know his ulterior motives to gain leverage over her. In the present, Alōs uses this leverage to force a bargain whereby he has authority over her as a captain for a year. During that time, he has her whipped for disobeying orders because he needs to set an example for the crew... but it's ok because he feels bad? The whole thing was extremely toxic, and a tragic backstory here, an honorable intention there are meant to smooth away the violent, jagged edges of both characters, especially Alōs. And I just wasn't buying it. A fantasy world shouldn't erase a need for respectful, consenting relationships with fair power dynamics and a romance free of glaring red flags.

I received this free eARC novel from the author and NetGalley. This is my honest review.

So, I couldn't get into this story. I don't know if it's because I didn't read this first book? Or if it was something else? I couldn't connect with the characters very well and found myself skimming paragraphs without meaning to. I'm sure, after seeing other reviewers living out on goodreads, that this is a me problem because I'm sure other readers will love this book. It just wasn't for me, I guess. I'm glad I got the chance to try and read it though!

This unique world caught my attention in the "Song of the Forever Rains". A world that thrives on duality, on darkness and secrets. A tantalizing world where magic and mystery swirl together in an intriguing dance that takes the reader from the court of thieves to the high seas in a quest that brings the salty Prince of the High Seas face-to-face with the Flaming Dancer.

Niya is a feisty headstrong-type of character that can grate on your nerves with her fiery temper and contrary nature. She does take some getting use to. She is a character that grows through the story from a selfish girl to a more thoughtful, even-tempered woman. The author does a good good of conveying her .

It's a nice addition to the series

** Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to leave an honest review in exchange of a copy of this book **

It took me sooooo long to try to finish this book....I enjoy the first book more because at least I like the characters. This book's characters just don't work for me. I don't like the female and male MCs. I'm so so disappointed. Anyway, thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC

e-ARC received by Netgalley and physical ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars for Dance of a Burning Sea by EJ Mellow. The second book in the Mousai series tells the story of fire dancer Niya and brooding pirate Alos. When Niya is kidnapped, a thrilling heist odyssey unfolds as she is forced to help him recover an ancient artifact.

I loved both Niya and Alos and enjoyed the Dual-POV. Niya has such fire in her heart. She goes through a lot of growth in this book and slowly learns how to burn just bright enough. Because sometimes you can get more with sugar than spice. I went through a similar experience at work recently and so I identified so much with her. I feel like she cares so much about the people she loves and is often misunderstood! I also enjoyed reading Alos chapters, it's fun to see what the love interest is thinking! We learn about him and his motivations which adds a fun layer of dimension to the story. You also understand that he is trying to protect himself from getting hurt, something many of us can emphasize with.

There were also some fun side characters as part of the crew on The Crying Queen. I thought it was hilarious there was a character named Prik. Let's just say his name was perfect and he deserved his ending. The world of Aedilor is expanded in this book as they travel to many new places during their adventure. I loved referencing the map as well to get an idea of where they were.

Overall, I would really recommend this book to fans of slow-burn, enemies to lovers fantasy. Characters are slightly more adult than the typical YA story. It also does not end on a cliffhanger which makes my heart happy. Throughout this book, Mellow tells a story of family, self-purpose, and self-growth that really hit me in the right places. Book one did this to me too! Niya and Alos are two lethal hearts that find themselves in each other. Maybe you too will find a little bit of yourself from this story, I sure know I did.

“All these pieces he had seen as weaknesses, but for the first time he now understood how they were strengths. They were reasons to burn bright, mighty…They were people to fight for. Purposes to live for.”

I loved this second installment of the series after already loving the first. It was so fun. Full of magic, romantic tension, intrigue, and adventure! This is an adult, enemies to lovers, fantasy romance book with just enough smut to give it a good kick. This book focuses on the second of the sisters, Niya, and a ruthless pirate, Alós Ezra. Two people with dark pasts who have to work together even though they hate each other.

I also adored these characters. Niya is a strong lead with a lot of snarky banter to give away. She's sweet and loving with her family but struggles to open herself to new people in her life so working with a yummy but anger-inducing pirate may get the best of her. Our ruthless love interest also ends up being just as sweet and I loved watching his thaw his heart for Niya.
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After loving this book and the previous, I can't wait for the last one in the series! I would recommend this to readers who enjoy enemies-to-lovers romance, fantasy books, or something similar to From Blood and Ash.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

I will share my full review at a later time. So far, I am enjoying this new series. I usually don't read Fantasy, however, these books are changing that.

This was a well written slow paced fantasy compared to the first novel. This stepped up a level with a daring adventure on rough seas. This was a long journey but a great one about pirates and magical kindgoms and would recommend to all.