Such a good bookworm a unique writing and characters.
The plot was gripping and I am excited for moew.

I loved loved loved this book. I could not stop reading it. In fact, I chose to finish this first over a very popular book that came out this month The plot was unique and the ending really brought everything together. However, sometimes I did wonder why everyone was drawn towards the protagonist, Vasalie, as it wasn’t always obvious. A Dance of Lies deserves all the hype. I need it to be released so I can have people to talk to about it. Also, I think it would be great in audiobook format.

Wow, this book was beautiful, the writing was so poetic and twisted so many turns. I am so excited for the next one!

This is a great fantasy read for the little ballerinas who grew up! I loved how the story centered on a dancer and explored the power and meaning of dance within a world of political maneuvering. The author also used her experience with chronic illness to inform how the FMC has to face a life of chronic pain after being wrongfully imprisoned for 2 years, so the strength and tenacity of the FMC was really inspiring.

This was a book where I did not know where it was headed for most of the time, so I kept turning the pages, wanting to find out. Also, while there's romance, there's not a clear "ship" until late in the book, which added additional tension through some romantic mystery.

If I had any quibbles, I do think some of the pacing was off towards the end, and I felt like a couple of plot elements could've been better. Overall though, this was a really enjoyable read, and something the girlies with a background in dance should have on their TBRs!

This book was fantastic!

I am at a loss for words on how to describe my feelings while reading this story. I cried, I laughed, I was angry at the FMC and for the FMC. I just really liked this book!

The twists the turns were done so well and I really fell into this new fantasy world and enjoyed every page! I loved the array of different characters and found myself rooting for so many of them along side of Vasalie. And ooh the Villains, I always appreciate a story with a true villain and in my opinion the author captured true evil with her storytelling.

I also loved that I could envision every dance and performance in my head as it was described on page. As one who sometimes struggles to picture things in my head, this story really flooded into me and it was absolutely stunning! I am so grateful to have received an ARC copy of A Dance of Lies and look forward to what’s next for Vasalie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I really enjoyed this book, though it felt very YA. It was pretty slowly paced up until about 60% through, and everyone was entirely too trusting of the FMC. But it was refreshing, enjoyable to read, so 3.5 stars rounded up

DNF at 30%

Vasalie Moran, once a dancer in King Illians court, gets thrown into prison for a murder she didn't commit. After almost 2 years she makes a deal with the king: spy at the royal gathering at the gatherings of other kings and people in power.

This book sounded absolutely perfect to me!
A main character with health issues✅️
Royals who fight eachother✅️
A badass main character✅️

Sadly, this wasn't for me. I'm not sure where it went wrong for me, but I just couldn't get through it. I had some issues with the writing style, the worldbuilding was so extravagant that I just got confused.
English is not my first language, but I'm pretty good at it and I only read English books, but there where so many words I didn't know.
It may have been right book wrong time, because it sounds like something I'd love.
I might give it another chance once upon a time, but for now this wasn't for me.

Okay…. Okay okay okay…Let me just start by saying…
I AM OBSESSED!!!!! What have you done to me?!?
This book took me by complete surprise....The twists, the little bits of information we were gathering up, the humour, the angst, the hatred I had for certain characters... the love I had for others….Holy moly!!! I have a new favourite author!
And now I NEED a physical copy for my shelves 😍

I really wanted to like this more than I did, but I think it was a little bit too long, and the writing style did not work for my personal tastes. I really liked the way the author described the dancing and how creative the artistic aspects of the story were. I also really liked the main character, and I don’t usually like the main character in romantasy books. And I really enjoyed the love interest. However, the villain was a bit too villainous. The friends were way too forgiving, and the plot needed to be reigned in slightly..

This was a HIGHLY anticipated read, and I was not disappointed!

Vasalie, the main character, has been wrongfully framed and imprisoned, and now must deal with the consequences it has had on her body. Her king uses her to his own advantage as a tool to do his bidding at a royal gathering. She must navigate through secrets, betrayal, and romance as she’s caught between fighting for her freedom and doing what is right. I felt a sense of camaraderie with Vasalie- her struggle with chronic health issues and pain is something many others, including myself, can identify with.

Brittney Arena paints a beautiful picture with her stunning prose and attention to detail. The world building, detailed descriptions, the romance interwoven in between, all made for a fantastic story.

A fresh twist on classic romantic fantasy, this novel offers all the expected tropes—ornate gowns, feuding brothers, and kings, vying for Vasalie's favor, political intrigue, and a mysterious prophecy. Yet it goes beyond the familiar with compelling lore, a queen-turned-Grim Reaper, and a surprising integration of modern elements.
We follow Vasalie, a betrayed star dancer thrown into prison by her king, only to be then tasked with entertaining and spying during a high-security gathering of regents on a remote island. Here, she forms unexpected alliances, finds a new approach to her art, and navigates the tangled schemes of the rival brothers.
The pacing, particularly toward the end, felt somewhat slow to me, however, I found Emilia's character, how she is a throughline, and Vasalie’s intricate choreographies captivating. Vasalie is forced into the role of a spy, but too often she comes across as passively swept up by events. It's the moments where she asserts herself, even if thwarted, that stand out as highlights and offer glimpses of the stronger, more determined character we know she can be. Since we spend significant time in Vasalie’s mind some secondary characters feel underdeveloped, especially Anton's entourage.
The heart of this story lies instead in its main characters. You root for the cruel kings and generals to face justice, for the charming and clever king to reveal his depths and draw Vasalie into his court, and for Vasalie to finally seize control of her own destiny.
Overall, this is a promising start to a fantasy series. We've seen the vast world only through the narrow lens of the island and Vasalie's fragmented memories, but there’s much more to explore, and the ending leaves you eager to uncover the larger mysteries at play.
If you enjoy political intrigue wrapped in gowns, witty banter, and power struggles — and have always wished Alina had chosen Nikolai — then this book is for you!

Nothing made me feel quite like I did after finishing A Dance of Lies. The story is one of power, vulnerability, and resilience, and I feel like it forces you to confront not only your own strengths and limitations but also how you perceive them in others.

I loved the powerful message that flowed through the entire story. Our FMC, Vasalie, is a character born of pain, sacrifice, and loss. Once a graceful dancer, then a prisoner and now an unwilling spy, she embodies strength in the face of overwhelming odds. Her survival hinges on forsaking herself and potentially her safety to stay alive. Vasalie endures constant physical and emotional pain, all for a taste of freedom, which is always just out of reach. Seeing her reclaim her confidence, move beyond her pain and embrace who she is, was a message that stayed with me. It was a poignant reminder that pain is often hidden, a silent battle that others may never see. For me, watching her push through these struggles was both heartbreaking and inspiring and I may have shed tears on more than one occasion💕.

The characters of Copelan, Laurent, and Ilian were so unique from one another, and I loved how their secrets were woven into the narrative, slowly unraveling through Vasalie’s actions. I found myself constantly questioning who to trust and what each character’s true motivations were. The court politics Vasalie becomes involved in because of these three… oh dang! I love the drama of court politics and this was so, SO good.

The relationship between Vasalie and Ilian was my favourite! The way he notices her pain and genuinely cares—that CONNECTION was beautiful. Their bond grows from a place of understanding and shared pain, and I was all smiles as they came together.

I also loooooved the world building. It was… scrumptious, to be honest! I ate it up, all the elaborate costumes, from the dances to the glass constructs and stunning gardens, the setting felt so vivid and alive. It was absolute perfection.

Lastly, the cliffhanger had me fired up! Vasalie is in full control, she knows what she wants and OMG, I fear for anyone in her path. I will be hanging out to pick up a copy of the next book, eager to see how this fiery, resilient dancer continues to defy the odds.

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for an eARC to review prior to release.

Thank you for an early copy for an honest review!


I absolutely loved this book! I was hooked from pag one, all the way through!
In A Dnace of Lies we meet a dancer who has been wrongly imprisoned for 2 years make a deal with the man that put her there. Desperate to be free, Vasa agrees to be his spy but not everything is as it seems.
The story building of this book was amazing and I felt immersed in the world. I especially enjoyed the deception that was woven into the plot.
Vasas character development is also amazing. And her representation of a character with a disability was welcomed.
I can't wait for the sequel!

4.5 ⭐️

What a phenomenal debut. This book had me crying, swooning, giggling and staying up way past any reasonable bedtime to finish it.

The writing itself is beautiful and the world is built in a way where I felt like I was right there in it. It starts off fairly bleak as our FMC Vasalie has been imprisoned for a crime she did not commit by a man she used to trust and is dealing with the impact her confinement has had.

We follow Vasalie as she tries to navigate a dangerous game amongst royals trying to balance her own safety and wellbeing against what she believes to be right. I don't wantnto give away any spoilers because figuring out who to trust with Vasalie was part of the fun of reading this book.

This book really takes off after the halfway mark and I truly could not put it down. The set up for book day has me chomping at the bit for more.

What I loved:
- chronic health rep
- banter
- political intrigue
- "you are art"

What I would change:
- I wanted more of the lore with the fates, but I feel this may have been intentional aligning with Vasalies own beliefs.
- the fact that I now have to wait an unknown amount of time for the sequel

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for me to review

This is such a romantic, lush, full-of-intrigue romantasy—I loved the character depth, yearning, and chronic illness representation. Arena's debut is such a boon to the romantasy world and I cannot wait for it to hit shelves!

E-Arc received through NetGalley.

Does the 2.5 rating really reflect the quality of this book? Not really, if you, unlike me, don't mind what I call the 'Just-Talk-Already'-plot this book is a nice read. But if you are like me in hating this type of plot this is a horrible version of it<spoiler>Anton has no in-world reason to say 'He can't hurt me' instead of 'He can't kill me' to Vasalie, the only reason he doesn't is so the plot of the book can keep the ending as it is now</spoiler>

I do think this book had potential, but this really ruined it for me.

The novel is a solid debut and I can definitely see the potential for many interested readers.

I love the premise of the story-- the political/court intrigue, representation of chronic disabilities and the existence of a goddess.

I liked the realistic portrayal of her disability, and how your body will eventually begin to deteriorate under the cruel circumstances she was in. However, when she dances she often ignores the pain in her body and through sheer willpower-- completes the task at hand. Maybe it would be possible if she only did it once, but she's managed to push through the pain every single time.

The first 15% of the novel was hard to get through mainly due to the repetition of Vasalie's internal monologue which dragged the pacing. Emilia was also constantly mentioned. It definitely had its potential to be the character haunting the narrative but at the same time, I couldn't grow to care for Emilia. There were only brief mentions of her and her sacrifice at random intervals
I disliked Vasalie's initial attitude towards Illian since he wrongfully threw her in prison to suffer yet when she comes out, her behaviour is contradictory. She bargains to leave his kingdom but she worries if she's been replaced by another 'Jewel' and wistfully reminiscing over past memories. Whilst it was good to get the physical consequences of being locked up that long, I would've liked to see how she's kept herself sane after being in there for so long.


Eventually, the pacing did pick up and the plot twists were really unexpected. More and more secrets and relationships were uncovered as you read further which made up for the slow beginning.
The vivid descriptions of her dances were beautiful. The imagery was amazing.
I enjoyed the banter between the characters, especially between Vasalie and Anton.


Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey Books for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A great debut novel!
First of all, I was very impressed by the author's note. I was very excited when I learned that I would be reading a disabled main character, a heroine.

Let me tell you about the plot. Vasalie is the favorite dancer of the king. But she is accused by the king himself of a murder that she did not commit, and she is thrown into the dungeon. Two years pass. One day, the king summons her to his presence.

The king asks Vasalie to participate as a dancer in a very important and big event that will take place soon, and at the same time to spy for him. Of course, two years in the dungeon under terrible conditions have taken their toll on Vasalie's health and made it impossible for her to recover. If she accepts the mission, she will be exonerated, but if she refuses, she will be sent back to the dungeon. If she tries to betray the king, she will pay with her life.

There are a couple of points where I had a few problems with it, but I loved it all the same. Because there is a main character who doesn't know who to trust and who not to trust, and she lets the reader experience the dilemmas she gets into.

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review, it was a wonderful journey!

So I binge read this in 2 days!

I had other stuff to do but by about chapter 3 I knew everything else was going to have to wait! What a fantastic debut novel.

Vasalie was a dancer in the kings court before he framed her for murder and imprisoned her for 2 years. Now he needs a spy, and that spy needs to be a performer who can enter all the other courts at a meeting of kingdoms “The gathering”. He offers Vasalie a deal, her service for her freedom, but she might not be able to live with herself afterwards.

What I loved:
- The story is really fast paced. I couldn’t stop reading and got totally lost in the story.
- I didn’t guess the twists, The storyline was original and interesting and didn’t rely on the standard tropes.

What could be better:
- I wanted to know more about the world they live in, I think the world building could have been stronger but this didn’t make me enjoy the story less.

This is one for anyone looking for a grown up version of the cruel prince, lots of political intrigues and scheming kings and generals.

If that doesn’t convince you, there is a pet tiger that acts like a kitten. Ishu has my heart, more of him in the next book please 🐯❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This book was beautifully written! First of all, I loved the chronic illness rep. Vasalie goes through a self-acceptance journey that is inspiring to anyone with a disability (myself included; I have autism!). She knows she’s limited in her body, but she still finds a way to do what she loves even if it means getting a little creative. But that’s the beauty isn’t it? Challenges offer a chance for creativity.

I loved how it kept me guessing who the actual love interest was going to be. Too often books just hand you the character that the FMC is going to fall in love with without any struggle or chances for character development, but not this book. Once I figured out who it was, I became obsessed with him! He’s incredibly witty, charming, and just the right amount of arrogant.

The mystery that was added to the story kept me wanting to turn the page and uncover all the juicy secrets. Some of the plot twists I didn’t see coming, and I love that! The aspect of court intrigue was perfect as well.

This is definitely more romance heavy than fantasy. If I could offer any criticism, it would be to add more aspects of a fantasy world. At the end, we get a glimpse into the fact that the world Vasalie knows is bigger than it seems, but I wish we got a little more throughout the story. This is a fantasy, so I would’ve loved to see more magic or fantastical creatures for example. I like how some of the beings mentioned reminded me of Greek mythology though.

I’m ready to read the next book and watch the love story unfold and for Vasalie to create deeper friendships!