There were so many things I loved about this story. The author did a wonderful job of crafting a sympathetic, resilient main character in Vasalie. She also did a fabulous job of drawing the reader into the stormy court politics of this land. There were lots of rulers/moving parts, and I felt that I understood each all the players and their motivations (with one notable exception) by the very end. A truly impressive feat, considering there were so many. I also felt the world building was rich and intricate. The prose was beautiful and lush, and made the story that much more evocative.

For me, the romance between Vasalie and the MMC was the perfect blend of tension and yearning with just a dash of humor. It served as an excellent foil to Vasalie's relationship with King Illian (who is the absolute worst!!!). I also like how they drove each other to change for the better.

Now for the reasons why I rated A Dance of Lies 4, rather than 5 stars. ***Warning: spoilers ahead***

First, I didn't fully understand who the Fates were, their role in people's lives, or what it was they wanted. Especially Moranya, the main Fate and ultimate antagonist. As a result, she felt rather one-dimensional to me, and I often found myself wondering about her motivations, rather than being fully captivated by the book's (otherwise) compelling end.

The second reason isn't one of execution, but more of personal preference. I'm not a huge fan of love triangles. Or, as in the case of this book love . . . quadrangles? I understand that the author is exploring the themes of women taking back their power from men who want to exploit/control them, and romantic relationships are an excellent vehicle in which to do so. Still, having not one, not two, but THREE men desire her had the unfortunate effect of making Vasalie appear "not like other girls." Which is a shame, because I really enjoyed her, and didn't want to see her through this lens. That being said, I know many readers absolutely adore this particular trope, and like I said, it WAS well executed.

Overall, I truly think this book is a stunning debut from a very promising author. I believe Brittney Arena is one to watch, and I will definitely be following her career.

4.5☆
Just as Vasalie needed time to learn and understand her body again, we need to be patient and give this amazing book time to unfold it's story to us.
Beautiful, entertaining and heartbreaking because ones heart is as fragile as glass.(Iykyk ;])

The start of this novel was strong, we as the reader being thrown directly into the story and the sad reality that our main character is facing. Even though the plotline lost me from time to time (some scenes were slightly overwritten) the story progressed slowly and with purpose.
The politics were easy to understand and the setting was done seamlessly every time. Considering that this is a debut ✨️fantasy✨️ novel, I was surprised at how easily I got accustomed to the pacing, the new world, our main character, and the info-dumping that was always enough to keep me interested but never boring.
The book touches on subjects such as misogyny, disability, trauma, importance of companionship, and one of my favorites: ~dance~. One of the concepts this novel was returning to, especially when it came to this sport was ✨️less is more✨️. Vasalie's mind was a wonderous thing, full of innovative ideas that the author was able to portray vividly. But, beyond being creative, Vasalie was a resilient character, determined to tear the world apart, not only for her but also for the ones she hurt in the past.
The chronic illness/ disability(nerve damage, muscle damage) was painted with tact, artfully, making the reader appreciate the freedom of movement, and showing a new side in the art of dance.
The novel revolves around deception and sacrifice, our main character being in constant turmoil not knowing who to trust, showing how intricate feelings develop once two people become dance partners and taking us through dark passages and even darker secrets.

My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars for this interesting debut novel: A Dance of Lies.

There were a few reasons this did not reach 4 stars for me, but despite this, I did find it an enjoyable read the piqued my interest.

While the author herself has various conditions that are almost mirrored through her protagonist, I felt Vas was stronger than what she was painted. I am under investigation for some of these conditions and her ability to dance and push through the pain felt a little unrealistic which is one of the reasons I struggled to really resonate with the weaknesses the main character claimed she had.

I have read some reviews where the 'love interests' are confused, I disagree and think it is quite obvious when you pay attention to the signs throughout the book. There was a lot of foreshadowing and the writing was quite poetic which I often enjoyed - though sometimes it grew a little repetitive.

From the ending, it is clear there should be another installment in this series and I would pick it up!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this arc ...

This book is very atmospheric. From page one you can almost feel the world around you as Vasalie does, and I am very intrigued by it.

The book does start off a little too slow for my taste and was hard to get into, but once I reached the halfway point, I couldn’t put it down.

Vasalie is a great main character, who both wins the reader’s empathy but also frustrates you tremendously, in the best possible way, and I enjoyed following her a lot. I am not a dancer myself, but I almost felt the dances as well as her.

I enjoyed the love plot a lot as well, with Copelan and Anton being great characters to help Vasalie develop as a person (and seeing them develop themselves), and over all, if you want a (hint of) a love triangle, this is how it should be done.

Oh yeah, and I will defend Anton with my life, just saying.

I also really enjoyed the political intrigue, and how Vasalie was forced to navigate it all, with both King Illian and her father plotting behind her back, and after that ending, I am curious to see what will happen in the next installment.

While I generally enjoyed the book, I do think that a few scenes were left of the pages. Chapters would start with Vasalie telling a few things that had happened, and a few of those scenes included some characters, where showing the thing would probably have made it feel more alive.

Overall, this book is very well written, and once you get into it, also very entertaining.
4/5 stars, and I’m excited to see what will happen next.

Thank you so much to Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC of A Dance of Lies.
The book follows Vasalie, who fled from her abusive father and earned a place at King lian's court as a dancer and quickly becomes his prized Jewel. After Ilian imprisons her for two years for a murder he knows she didn't commit, he releases her on the conditions that she spies for him at the Royal Gathering, posing as a dancer for the entertainment.
Once she's at the gathering, the tasks given to her are brutal. It becomes glaringly obvious just how evil Ilian's intentions are and she soon finds herself at the center of political schemes worse than she ever thought possible.
My Thoughts:
The story was interesting and I hadn't read anything like it. I liked the disability representation throughout the book and thought it was well done. It's very obvious this is the first book within a series so there are many times where you're left questioning everything but I thought the lore, world building, and characters were still fleshed out enough to leave you with enough understanding and the want for more. Lastly, the writing in my opinion was well done and easy to follow along with which was a really nice plus. Overall I'm really excited to see where this series goes!
Dance of Lies is described as a romantasy but I would say there is less romance in this book than most. However, what you do get is SO GOOD. I liked having to guess who the love interest would be (even though I had an inkling). The banter was good and not over the top which I enjoyed and once again I am excited to see where the relationship between the characters goes.
Lastly, Vasalie was such an interesting character to follow along with. Her struggles from the very beginning leaves you aching, but I loved that she overcame them in the end and didn't sit idly by and let things be done to her or let others rule over her despite the circumstances at present. There were times when I wished her fighting spirit came through more, but taking her situation in mind I understood where she was coming from and I'd probably think the same way she did.
I hope whoever picks up this book gives it a chance and enjoys it like I did!!

4.5 🌟
One quote that stuck with me was "I'd sell my soul if only I could be left to sleep for a year straight" because that is how I feel at the thought of waiting for the next book.

This book had me on the edge of my seat throughout, I was stressed in the best way. The pacing of this book kept me on my toes without the plot veering off for the added shock value.
Highly recommend

For readers who love Plated Prisoner series, this one is for you. Originally the cover is what drew me in and the idea of a disability representation for a main character. The main character is charged with a crime that she didn't commit and is locked away in a tiny cell that does permanent damage to her and her ability to dance. Before she was the kings favorite dancer that he treated like royalty for some reason. While I appreciate the disabilty representation it almost felt too medical at first describing what is the story's version of P.O.T.S. While I might be bias because I have a lot of knowledge about the disease, I felt like it was telling more then showing. Which can be a common thing for debut authors. I appreciated that the disability didn't just disappear when the character wanted to do something but that she had to define a new way for her to live. While there was times that I resonated with the character is learning to accept their new limits, I sometimes felt like it became redundant. She kept pushing to be this old version of herself even when everyone around her is saying you physically can't do that.
I also was kind of off put by the romance at first. I didn't know who she was supposed to end up with and it felt like a bit of whiplash with the one character. I am hoping in the second book we get a better character development as a whole for the character Copeland. I felt like I was waiting for him to have a bigger storyline like being the a secret royal or having some bigger plot point. But he just was the Master of Revels that picked who got into doing the performances. Their romance was okay but felt forced, like the author midway through writing decided to change directions for no reason. I am hoping she will do some more work on it and maybe create a love triangle or second romance for Copeland. He would be a missed opportunity and he randomly pops up at the end of the book. Wishful thinking maybe?
I felt like Anton is a good mystery character that you kind of suspect will be more but you can't quite figure out his motive. He has a Rowan Whitethorn vibe but there is definitely a lot more to be developed with him. I almost feel like the author might have wanted to end the book before Anton because the true love interest but didn't have enough plot to finish the book there. While I do appreciate his character as a whole, it felt very insta love with Anton. He suddenly wants to help this poor dancer even though he knows she's probably his enemy. I just felt like for the character who is supposedly guarded he let down his trust with Vasalie very quickly. Which is fine but I felt like it was marketed as a slow burn when it reality it was a second love interest.
The one thing I really liked about the story is that plot holes that at the beginning of the story get explained towards the end. I was suprised that the author had really made sure to keep the plot going when at first as a reader you think she is just skating past important plot points. She really seemed to have thought out the story line and not going off on random subplots that don't help the story along at all.
The one thing that really threw me off and made me take away one star was the use of modern language and technology. They somehow invent film but its not really explain well at first. I also was frustrated at the use of modern language when this seemed to be set in a historical time frame. While the time period was vague, it still felt odd to use certain phrases we use today. The other big thing that really confused me was the reason all the kingdoms were on the brink of war with each other constantly. I felt like there is just everyone fighting for no reason and we really have no backstory except about the three brothers kingdoms. I'm hoping that maybe this is more of needing to read the next book for better explanations. This book does leave in a major cliffhanger with lots of unanswered and unresolved plot points. So if you are wanting a one and done or this one story to tie up all loose ends I would say wait till the second book is out.

a dance of lies: i am sad to report i DNFed at 45%. i was very intrigued by the plot of a fantasy story with a female main character who is disabled. it started off strong with the fmc telling us about her being the king’s jewel, then thrown in prison for a crime she did not commit. this is the reason she becomes disabled, being chained to a wall for years without moving. the king makes her work for him in his plot against the other kingdoms. it was all down hill from there. was she forced to do things for the king? yes. did she seem to learn as she went? no. there was too much character details, without development and not enough plot. i wanted to stop sooner but i wanted to give this book a fair shot. i couldn’t continue because i really didn’t connect with any of the characters.

I found this book predictable and overwritten. The attempt to mix political intrigue with a half explained magic/faith system was confusing. There was a very unnecessary alternate love interest shoehorned in which didn’t work at all. I like the setting and so have given it a star for that but I will not be reading the sequel

When I think about 'A Dance of Lies', what comes to mind is a journey. A journey of lies, betrayal, hardships, but most importantly, survival and empowerment. There are so few books with the central theme being dancing and fewer so that manage to portray the life of a disabled person, who struggles to come back into the dancing world, broken as she thinks herself to be.

Vas was incredible and I'm still wrapping my head around what she accomplished out of sheer will. At the start of the novel, we are faced with a throughly broken girl on the verge of quitting, but as we progress from Illian's schemes to the intricacies of the Gathering, we are met with the other side of this now vulnerable girl. Vas rises from her own ashes and uses her disability to her advantage. Of course, it's nowhere near easy, but she does end up overcoming her fears. I completely loved the way the author built her character, how she made her so real and so human. She showed us that no matter how unrepairable people say you are, if you want it badly enough, you can conquer the world.

The atmosphere was the best thing. I was mesmerised by the dancing moments, where the chemistry was not a tell, but rather a show thing. The concepts behind these performances were just insane. They were so intricate and well thought, not to mention the palace the gathering took place at. All that glass and opulence made my head spin in the best way possible. If you are one to look for a beautiful setting and heartened artistic moments, look no more!!

However, despite all the good things I've encountered, such as the main character, the raw descriptions of everything our main character went through, I found the plot a bit lacking. Don't get me wrong, it was so complex and well thoughts and yet it felt as though the author tried to do way too many things at once. In just 400 pages, we went from having two love interests, an espionage mission, to I don’t know how many plottwists that were really convenient and somehow getting involved some Fate who's been thought to be a legend the whole time? It was a really good read, even though I felt overwhelmed at times and as if some aspects were kind if predictable or improbable.

Don't get me started on the romance. The love story brought together by these performances was so beautifully and special only to be ended by the need to have the second love interest step in. Copelan was really sweet until he wasn't and it was just weird how he changed so abruptly. Whatever chemistry Anton had with Vas was shadowed by the lack of occasions for more intimate discussions. HOW COULD THE START OF SOMETHING SO FRAGILE LEAD TO A SACRIFICE LIKE THAT? I want to die every time I think about it.

Overall, this book was amazing. The banter was cheff's kiss, I would read this book all over again just for that alone. For any person passionate for political intrigue, this is definitely for you. But most of all, i think this book is worth reading because it shows how far a disabled person can go, even though few thought her capable of succeeding. It is a testament of power and determination that will leave you wanting to change something in your life, to have at least a fragment of Vas' ambition.

Edit:
What just happened? Despite the love I have for this book, I honestly don't like the way the end prepared the sequel. You solved all the issues and had the one person prepared to handle everything just turned into a fucking puppet, all for someone with whom the chemistry was just that–chemistry. You had to elevate this romance. What the fuck. I have such mixed feelings.

I can usually tell pretty quickly if I’m going to enjoy a fantasy book, and A Dance of Lies had everything I could possibly want. The world-building was stunning, rich, and immersive without being too hard to follow or heavy. The writing was exactly what I crave in a book. One minute, I’m giggling at the banter between the FMC and MMC, and the next, my heart is in my throat and I’m reading as fast as my little eyeballs can go.

For me, though, everything comes down to two things: plot and characters. At first, I absolutely loved Vasalie. I felt for her so much, but some of her choices had me internally screaming (and maybe throwing my Kindle just a little). Thankfully, there’s some solid character development, and I can’t wait to watch her grow even more in book two. And the plot? Hooked from the very first page. She’s framed by THE KING and thrown in the dungeons for two years?? I needed answers immediately. The twists and turns had me absolutely shook, and I loved every second of it.

I devoured this book and have already bullied all my friends into reading it the moment it releases. If you love fantasy, court intrigue, and a story that will keep you obsessed, this duology needs to be on your TBR.

(Review post to come)

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. That sounds horrible, but it's truth. This gave me so many different vibes, mainly Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, but still felt entirely it's own. This is not an originally idea and you have a general sense of where we are going, but I was very invested and definitely had a "gasp, oh SHIT" moment that demanded I finish the book when I really should have went to bed. I went back and forth between 3.5-4 stars, and had to push it up to a solid 4 due to my frustration on the ending. (view spoiler)

I would HIGHLY advise reading the Author's note to really prepare yourself for Vasalie's character. If not, you will think of her as a poor man's version of Violet from Fourth Wing. I guarantee you she is not. This is a woman who was savagely betrayed, tricked, destroyed both mentally and physically, and has to claw her way back to life. The novel starts after she has been locked up in prison for two years, TWO YEARS in pretty much solitary confinement, and is being forced to go back to dancing. Vasalie was the Jewel, the most prized dancer, but after her time in prison, her body is ruined. Watching her struggle to mentally deal with what was done to her and try to physically come back is so beautifully done by Arena, because this is not something that is a quick fix. Vasalie with suffer with this pain and new limitations for the rest of her life. Reading how she is fighting to overcome and LIVE with her new condition and eventually loving herself again is just so beautiful.

Yes, there are still things I did not care for in this book. It always come back to basics: description and development. The character of Copelan and his connection to Vasalie was not developed, actually completely skipped over, so it's hard to really see how he is any type of impact. I would have liked more scenes with her rehearsing with him and really add that tension before shifting focus. Actually, overall, descriptions of her dancing and working with her new body would have really sold this for me to a possible higher rating. I understand there were other scenes Arena wanted to focus on, but the basics should still be granted more attention. This could definitely be said of Laurent as well. Give me scenes so I understand how their relationship began/grew. It was just sort of thrown out there, probably just a sentence or two, that did not really jive later in the novel for important events.

I'm going to say it: I liked the Crowns. All of them. The characters are fully realized, even the absolute worst of them, that I can understand all the motives. Arena did this without the need of over-embellishment (contradicts my previous paragraph, I know) in a way that just works. I know who Anton is right away and love watching as Vasalie figures it out as we go. Illian is such a *bleeping* clever, sadistic villain that is so satisfying. And older brother? I can't even.

Yeah, the hardcover edition will be added to my collection once it's published.

I loved this book so much! In A Dance of Lies, Vasalie Moran’s life changes completely after she’s wrongly imprisoned and becomes a spy. The story is full of secrets, betrayal, and a slow-building romance that kept me hooked right from the beginning.

FMC's journey in the book was intense and emotional. The supporting characters were just as well-crafted—each brought something meaningful to the story.

It was a well-written debut novel from Brittney Arena, and I really hope there will be a book two because there is still so much left to be told.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Brittney Arena, and Del Rey for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well it was amzing. The plot was original. Vasalie, is a dancer, who was accused of murder. After being locked for 2 years in prison, King Illian asked her being to his in exchange of her freedom. Once upon a Illian was her everything, unfortunately he framed her for a murder. Now Vasalie will do anything for her freedom.But the way to freedom doesn't seem easy, its full of deception, lies, betrayal.

My goodness, this book has me on edge, all the time I was wandering what will happen next, how she will complete her task. Vasalie is a challenging character , some may like her some not . I myself sometimes feels bad for , sometimes I get frustrated . Her character demand a patience. I really like how author give some new fresh characters, who are not a soliers but a dancer. She is not your some intelligent or witty herione , but a flaw human , who has a proper character growth. But sometimes feels her out of character.
Anton , the mysterious man, I really love to like know about him(can't mor otherwise it will be a major spoiler).
Illian , oh my good , as a villian he was hot. I really enjoyed this character, and how does justice to this character was fabulous.
All the side characters were likable. I really liked them.
Now story,the plotline was original but simple . I really enjoyed the court drama. I live for the drama so of course, I have fun reading this.
In starting you may feels boring , cause author tried to make a world building or preapring us for characterS. But after 35% book starts picking pace, and you will be unable to put it down. With all deception, scheming, betrayel plot become more intriguing.

As debut work , it was amazing. if you love court drama, lies, betrayal, deception, then go for it.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group! <3

If you know me, you know I can’t resist a romantasy with castles, secrets, schemes and political intrigues.
For the first 50 pages or so, I was fascinated with the main character: she once had it all, and the next moment she finds herself treated like a murderer, until, one day, she gets it all back. I was intrigued, I wanted to know what happened, who was she, was she really innocent? I couldn’t put the book down.

But as I said…that lasted for the first 50 pages or so. After that, I found myself getting more and more bored with each page, and if it wasn’t an ARC, I probably would have DNFd it. It had a strong start, but a slow finish.

The writing style was repetitive and made it so hard to actually want to get to the next page: I feel like the book could’ve been half as long without all the in depth description of superfluous things. The dialogues only start appearing more than halfway through the book, but they felt clunky and unrealistic.
I love a slow paced, descriptive book, but this one wasn’t it: it’s a series of short, clipped sentences that create a mechanical and repetitive cadence. And as a result, it was lifeless and unrealistic.

Instead of focusing on that, I would have appreciated getting to know the characters and feeling closer to them; instead, they were all lacking depth and were flat, boring and definitely not memorable. Personally, the characters are one of the things I find are most important in a book: if the plot is dull or lacking action, but the characters are interesting and feel real, I could end up loving the book.
Unfortunately, that was not the case: I didn’t care about Vasalie or any of the other characters, I couldn’t care if they lived or died.
Despite the prose being so descriptive, I can’t say it was vivid or magical, in fact it was missing the magic element until the last 50 pages or so.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Vaselie Moran is an amalgamation of “used to be”s. She used to be the King’s Jewel. She used to be a dancer. Then she used to be imprisoned. I found these points intriguing when starting this book because it felt different than other Romantasy books out there. As I continued reading, I was disappointed that “used to be” is pretty much the beginning and end of Vasalie’s characterization.

(Once I realized how close her name is to Vaseline I can’t unsee it and neither can my autocorrect)

I wouldn’t say I dislike this book. I didn’t hate it in any way similar to the way I hate the poor writing in other popular fantasy books. It just felt like it was going through the motions, despite the flowery language that got us there.

Speaking of the language, I found it dragged the story at every turn. This book could’ve used some cleaning up. During nearly every conversation, someone would say something that would send Vaselie down a pages-long spiral of backstory and info dumping. After a while, I didn’t care anymore and wanted to get the story moving again.

I found it odd that every. single. male character was introduced the way you’d introduce a love interest. The cutting jaw line, the lingering gaze of piercing eyes, the flirty banter WITH ALL OF THEM. It’s tiring constantly reading about everyone being interested in the protagonist.

In short, this book was incredibly repetitive (King’s Jewel, King’s Jewel, King’s Jewel) with characters that lacked depth set in a beautifully crafted world that matches the gorgeous cover.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for the eARC.
While this was one of my most anticipated reads due to the premise, (I mean, a dancer forced to become a Spy, Sign me up). I had to DNF at 30%.
The author has a strong writing style that lets you imagine everything easily and immerses you in the world (This is what I liked the most). It makes it a strong debut in my opinion. The pacing of the book wasn't slow except in the beginning, The unjust torture that Vasalie suffered throughout her life and the resulting damage (mental and physical) were explained thoroughly in the beginning. This damage naturally accompanies her throughout the book, so if you are a bit soft-hearted, you might not make it. (There are several trigger warnings mentioned in the beginning, so make sure to check them before reading the book, your mental health matters)
While the disability rep was illustrated thoroughly, Vasalie was suddenly able to dance and do complex movements that she wasn't able to do before and shouldn't be able to for the sake of the plot. Yes, she was in pain, but with the level of disability that was described, it just isn't possible.
This book has more romance in it than fantasy in my opinion. It has several potential love interests, so if you are fan of that, you will like it. Her attitude after her release towards illian, her tormentor, was especially frustrating in my opinion. I do believe that she chooses one of them at the end as the book wasn't described as a why choose romance and the author is very transparent about what is inside (a bonus point in my opinion). The book is full of political intrigue.
While Vasalie is definitely smart to a degree that will surprise you, she doesn't always use that to her advantage and I felt like character development in general as well as the plot could use a bit of work.
While this book didn't work out for me,I believe it definitely will for other readers.

A Dance of Lies is an impressive debut fantasy novel and a great start to a new series that’s about to become my new obsession.

We follow Vasalie – a dancer in King Illian’s court, who spent the last 2 years imprisoned for the murder she didn’t commit. Now the King offers her a deal - he’ll clear her name and grant her freedom - all she has to do is spy for him in a six-week long gathering of courts.

The story starts slow as Vasalie realizes the extant of her physical trauma and the impossibility of the task that lays ahead. After years in complete isolation while being restraint and unable to move, she can barely stand, let alone dance. After 20% mark the plot picks up and it’s impossible to stop reading hence why I finished the rest of the book in one sitting. The short chapters and fast paced plot kept me turning the pages. Even though a lot was happening throughout the story I felt like the plot was still well balanced. The challenging tasks go hand in hand with slowly blossoming romance while occasional plot twist keeps you on your toes. I was also pleasantly surprised how well written the dancing scenes were – so vivid that I could easily picture them in my head.

I loved Vasalie as the main character. She wasn’t delt the best hand in the beginning but still stayed true to herself and made choices you wanted her to make in the circumstances she found herself in. Illian, Anton and Copelan were an integral part of her journey. Even though it was fairly obvious who is the main love interest, each played an important role in her character growth. Overall, all of the characters were well flashed out and were easy to connect to: you fell in love with some of them while grew to hate the others.

Romance in hands down my favourite part. It’s a slow burn filled with tension and banter. It’s sultry and sexy even though there is no spice (I, personally, found that refreshing). It favours emotional connection over immediate lust. The main male love interest made me swoon and smile like a maniac. I loved them so much and as soon as I finished the book I just wanted to start it all over again. Getting to read this early was a blessing and a curse because I can’t wait for everyone else to read it and love it as much as I do, but also after that ending I need the next book like yesterday.

The last thing have to mention is that I struggled a bit with the writing at the very beginning. Some sentences were too overwritten and weirdly constructed, I couldn’t help but stumble through words. I found myself rewriting them in my head and trying to change the placement of words to see if it would make it more accessible and it did. I don’t know if it was a deliberate choice, considering Vasalie’s circumstances, or the author was experimenting with the writing style because after about 20% into the story I no longer had any issues with the writing whatsoever.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher - Del Rey - for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars! I think "Dance of Lies" is perfect for readers who enjoy morally gray characters, witty banter, and plot twists. Overall, I definitely recommend it!

I have to start by talking about the cover. This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever seen! I like how the stained glass window, the woman dancing, and the golden crowns connect to the plot. This cover isn't just beautiful—it actually means something to the story.

This book is beautiful on the inside, too. I love how it uses figurative language to paint a picture in the reader's mind. I felt like I was walking through the palace gardens and sneaking through its secret tunnels alongside the characters. If you're someone who likes visual writing, you're going to love the descriptions in this book!

Unfortunately, the characters and the pacing brought my rating down. I struggled to connect with the main character, Vasalie, and I didn't agree with several of her decisions. There's one scene in particular, around the 78% mark, where one of Vasalie's mistakes unravels important plans and endangers people's lives. I found that scene (and the ones that follow) frustrating, but I understand it was necessary to advance the plot.

I also feel conflicted about this book's romance. There are multiple love interests, which can make for a fun read! However, I don't feel that it is well-executed in this book. The love interests fade in and out of the plot, making it hard to get to know them beyond a surface level. It's also unclear which love interest we're supposed to root for until 2/3 of the way through the story. By then, I no longer felt invested in the romance. That said, I LOVED the witty banter between Vasalie and one of her suitors. Their interactions were among my favorite scenes!

This book's pacing is another area I feel conflicted about. The first half of this book is a bit slow, in my opinion. However, I like how this book picks up near the end. The plot twists and betrayals kept me guessing! I can't wait to see how the story continues in book two.

Overall, "Dance of Lies" is a solid 3.5-star read for me. I love that it has morally gray characters, descriptive writing, and an ending I didn't see coming. I'd recommend this book to new-adult fantasy readers. Make sure to preorder your copy—this book comes out on 6/10/25!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

Let us talk about "A Dance of Lies" by Brittney Arena.

Set in a world, ruled by many kings and queens, we are pulled into a Gathering that is to be held with all the realms, setting our stage for political corruption, deadly trysts, and exhilarating spectacles of dance. Family rivalries are a foot in this debut novel from Brittany Arena, who showcases her love of dance through the eyes of our tragically, but resilient, female lead Vasalie.

Vasalie has spent the past two years imprisoned for a crime she did not commit by the one who was supposed to protect her. Her captor, King Illian, makes a deal with her. Gather information (and commit some devious deeds) while entertaining the dignitaries at the Gathering, and she will regain her freedom. Vasalie agrees only to be whirled into a world of secrets and deceit, lies and heartbreak, and deception to keep her on her toes!

For those that like:

✨ Love triangles
✨ Disability representation
✨ Slow burn / Tension
✨ Found family
✨ Political intrigue

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🔥
Series: Book 1 of ?

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.