This was a beautifully done fantasy romance novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this. The world worked with the fantasy element and really enjoyed the dancer that became a spy. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed getting to know the characters in this story. I was invested in what was happening and enjoyed the overall package. Brittney Arena wrote this perfectly and was glad I read this.

Brittney Arena's “A Dance of Lies” is an absolute triumph of storytelling, blending vivid character development, a perfectly tuned pace, and outstanding disability representation into a mesmerizing narrative. From the first page to the last, Arena delivers an unforgettable reading experience that captivates, challenges, and inspires.

The character development in this novel is nothing short of remarkable. Each character feels fully realized, with strengths, flaws, and arcs that resonate deeply. Vasalie is a standout—layered, dynamic, and unapologetically human. Arena doesn’t shy away from exploring the complexities of her characters, making their journeys feel authentic and emotionally impactful. Even the supporting cast shines, with every interaction adding depth and meaning to the story.

The pacing is masterful. Arena strikes a perfect balance between action-packed sequences and quieter, introspective moments. The story flows seamlessly, keeping readers engaged while giving them time to absorb the emotional weight of the narrative. Whether it’s a tense, high-stakes scene or a tender, heartwarming exchange, every moment feels purposeful and compelling.

One of the novel’s most significant achievements is its thoughtful and empowering representation of disability. Arena handles this theme with care, authenticity, and grace, portraying characters with disabilities as complex individuals with agency and strength. Their struggles are acknowledged, but their identities are never defined by limitations. Instead, they are celebrated for their resilience, resourcefulness, and humanity. This level of representation is not only refreshing but also deeply moving, offering a perspective that is often underrepresented in literature.

“A Dance of Lies” is more than just a story—it’s an experience. It challenges societal norms, celebrates diversity, and reminds readers of the beauty of perseverance and self-acceptance. Brittney Arena has crafted a book that is not only beautifully written but also profoundly meaningful.

If you’re looking for a novel that combines stunning prose, unforgettable characters, and a deeply important message, “A Dance of Lies” is an absolute must-read. It’s the kind of book that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page. A masterpiece in every sense of the word!

Wow, I am blown away at how good this book was. I love this kind of heroine where their strength isn't through fighting and snarky remarks and is so refreshing to see this kind of heroine

The writing is so whimsical like that adds to the whole story, I would say it's rather similar to Stephanie Garber writing style. The world building is so good and the characters are all likeable.

The plot was so interesting and it was a very well done book for a debut novel. It really captured my attention within the first few pages and I honestly can't wait to see how she continues on with this series

I love seeing disability rep in fantasy romance, and as a POTS patient I loved the way that disability was dealt with realistically in this book,

THIS IS THE BEST fantasy romance read ( coming from someone who isn't big on that genre) I DEVOURED this... I don't even know where to start with this it was that good... plot follows a disabled dancer Vasaile who escaped from an abusive father, she becomes King Illian’s "prized jewel"... After King Illian imprisons her for a murder he knows she didn't do, ends up releasing her but this "freedom" comes with a brutal price....

The world building in this book is just stunning  -- the world building in fantasy books aren't my cup of tea but with this read I ATE it up -- it literally felt like watching a movie in my head and I LOVE when books have that effect on me! Vasaile's character development was just phenomenal 👌🏻also as someone who has a physical disability/ limitations I loved that I could resonate with some bits

Check the trigger warnings 🫶🏻

Grateful to have been given the opportunity to read this work of art!

Dance of Lies was a beautiful dance of will power, heartbreak, trust and mysteries. I enjoyed reading the book. It was a pretty heavy read at times, with the female lead being an enigma. I loved the writing style, the explanations of every small detail bringing key highlights to the dances performed and acts displayed. Overall, I am looking forward to read the next book in this series. It's a perfect book for a mystery lover.

Obsessed. This is my favorite type of fantasty book. HEAVY on political intruigue, strategy, and manuvering and heavy on character development. With a sprinkle of romance.

I loved all of the characters in this book. I thought every single one of them was layered and complex, making you not know what their next move was going to be. The main character and her development was really well done. The representation of chronic illness and PTSD and what a different kind of strength can look like in a fantasy book was so well done. And also, the love interest (I won't name names) was swoon-worthy.

Can't wait for the rest of the world to read this.

☆ ☆ .8
We👏🏻love👏🏻a👏🏻book👏🏻with👏🏻a👏🏻map👏🏻 but also thank GOD this book had a visual aid because I was on struggle island trying to remember every city and who’s from where at the start WHEW.

This is a great debut novel, I enjoyed this. I must admit that I wasn’t sure at first but it do really picks off after 40% in! The pacing at the start is a little flimsy and the plot seemed unclear, I was just confused, you also get a lot of world building dumping information while there’s A LOT of character to remember, but I swear everything gets clearer after.

The characters are great, they each have their own personalities with their own way of talking and own mannerisms, I liked our protagonist (she’s the king jewel, don’t worry you’ll remember it I think it’s said about 20 times.) I liked that her chronic illness didn’t just disappear and she actually had to learn to live with it, she might’ve felt a tiny bit whiny at times but honestly towards the end she gains some confidence and it gets better. I absolutely LOVED Anton, great sense of humour, great dialogue whether he was concerned, just an overall great character. I thought Illyan was a little unclear, it’s a case of “you get told, you don’t see” as a vilain he fell a little flat for me, he’s not horrible and I liked the twist and turns of him but he was a tad “meh” in comparison to our protagonist father. I do wish this book had multiple POV’s I think it would’ve been better seeing as there’s a lot of different people.

The plot itself was entertaining (once I understood what was going on and who’s who), I think it could’ve been a tiny bit more fast paced because I do agree that this book suffers from a case of overwriting but I liked the plot twists and the fact that the book is separated in three sections!

Overall, it’s a great debut novel, the tropes are well executed, the characters are well written and I enjoyed reading this! Oh! And the cover is to die for, it’s absolutely gorgeous. As always thank you netgalley, del rey and random house publishing for the arc, review will be posted close to publication day!

I have to start this review out by commenting on the author's note at the beginning of the book as well as the video she made on TikTok about it. The author mentions how this story reflects her journey with chronic illnesses and pain conditions (and the anxiety that often goes hand-in-hand with that) and how she uses fantasy novels as her escapism when dealing with these issues. I really related to that, so I was really excited to read this. She also mentioned that this book follows how that can impact a person over time (and as someone who also struggles with many chronic illnesses and pain conditions, I wanted to see how that was written). I was nervous but also excited to read this. I do NOT like sick lit, but I like the representation when reading about an issue from someone who suffers from that same thing. I prefer it to be an aspect of a character, something they deal with randomly, I don't want it to be their entire personality. And this book did a good job of just making it a single aspect of our main character.

This book also explores dance a lot, and how it can mean different things and how it can be used. (This book has quite a bit of political drama.)

This book has lots of secrets and deception, spies and very unlikely allies, and quite the slow-burn romance.

I do wish this book had some more world-building, I just wanted this to feel a touch more fantastical and whimsical. But overall, I had a good time!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

This book was just OK to me. I am not a typical fantasy reader, or a romance/fantasy reader. The book felt like it had a lot of fluff and unnecessary bits to it. I did not keep my attention, and it was hard to read and finish the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

‘I remind myself I am no damsel. I’m no princess bound within a tower. I am a shadow’

I loved this book, what a debut novel!
I shunned the majority of my real life responsibilities to finish this. I was truly hooked.
For everyone who is a fan of Romantasy, this will be for you.

In A Dance of Lies, Brittany Arena crafts a poignant and immersive narrative. I honestly felt as though I lived in this world through her descriptive storytelling. I need a map, I need a playlist, I honestly just need this to be published so I can get my hands on a physical copy.

Arena's portrayal of chronic pain is raw and authentic, capturing the mental and physical toll it takes on Vasalie as she navigates untrustworthy foes, dangerous royalty, gaining her freedom and love.

A slow burn but so worth the wait. I cannot wait to see what Brittany brings us next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What bothered me the most about this book is that the author could not decide in a male love interest. I don't like reverse harems and I don't like love triangles. Maybe I'm projecting my own opinions, but it doesn't feel like there are many readers who do. I want there to be one main love interest. We want one male love interest to root for and swoon after. The fact that every male character was described as hot and that she had little chemistry with any of them left me confused as to who the actual male love interest was. In the end, it left me rooting for no one.

I did appreciate the disability rep though and would love to see that integrated more into fantasy novels.

A Dance of Lies is one of the best books I’ve read ever. I had to pick my jaw up from the floor, wipe my tears and stifle my anger many times through the story.

Brittney Arena’s debut Romantasy goes beyond a simple romantic tale.

Vasalie Moran, a coveted dancer, is viewed and treated as others as an object at their disposal. Throughout the story, she overcomes adversities, and proves to herself that she is capable of so much more than she could ever imagine,

A Dance of Lies was exciting, mysterious, suspenseful, and utterly beautiful.

A great debut that left me wanting more!

I was intrigued by this novel between its gorgeous cover, synopsis and chronic pain/disability representation, and overall really enjoyed it! If you’re a romantasy lover, this one is for you!

I found that it took until about 45% of the way through until I was truly hooked, as the beginning felt slow, with writing at times that felt repetitive and over-worked. Certain descriptions came across as unnecessarily complex, which detracted from the pacing.

However, the plot and characters kept me engaged until the last page with the second half of the book really picking up speed! I adored watching the relationships unfold, both romantic and platonic, and am on the edge of my seat to see what happens next.

While the writing at times felt overworked & I did question the main character’s rationale several times, the plot and characters (especially the main love interest!!) made for an extremely engaging read.

It’s going to be a long wait for the second instalment.

Thank you Del Rey and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I first want to thank the publisher for sharing this ARC with me. That said, this was a DNF for me. The writing was not well done or creative at all. There was no real style in the writing, and the only creative "flair" was the contestant similes. The plot also did not suck me in at all,

I’m sorry to say this, but this book was a disappointment for me. I’d been so excited to read it, and am very grateful for the free ARC I received from the publisher, but it was a boring read for me.

I hated not knowing who was the MMC until around the middle of the book. We had like 3 candidates, but the chemistry of the FMC sucked with all of them so at some point I didn’t even care who the MMC was.

In the beginning, I was very intrigued by Illian, and was hoping he’d turn out to have a very grand reason for treating the FMC that way, and that by the middle of story we’d finally find out he was doing all of it to save her life or something noble like that.

However the twists were more predictable and kind of… unreasonable. Many things just didn’t add up.

I didn’t highlight any lines either throughout the whole book, which in my case means the writing was simple and vague as well.

Another issue I had with the book, was the FMC. She was such a huge pick me. God, I was annoyed. Like everyone was falling at her feet from first sight. She was JUST a dancer, without a real character, and yet somehow she was “oh-so-remarkable”.

Sadly, I will not be reading the sequel. I genuinely don’t care about any of the characters and what will happen to them.

I wanted to like this but I just could get past how stupid the FMC is.
She is been through hell, knows the guy who put her through that is actively doing awful things, actively using other people, actively trying to take over…. But she still trusts he will keep a promise to her?!
I get that she is weak from everything she went through but you can’t be weak and stupid, pick your poison.
It’s also very very long, it was hard to get through. I spent the whole time trying not to quit reading and I’m not fulfilled having finished.

4.5 stars

This was an incredible book full of court politics, intrigue, and plot twists. Arena created a vast world, with each kingdom described in detail, and adeptly weaved nuanced high-level politics with the more intimate story of Vasalie's life.

One major standout of the book was the imagery, especially when Vasalie reached the glass palace. I felt like I was there, seeing it through her eyes. I also loved the disability representation and the way it made sense in a fantasy world without being shoehorned in.

I appreciated that Arena focused on friendships nearly as much as romantic relationships, though I wish the female characters had had a bit more agency. With the way the book ended, though, it looks like powerful women will be integral to the sequel, and though I think the pacing may have worked better if some of the twists at the end were saved for the next book, I still can't wait to read the conclusion to the duology!

Thank you to @randomhouse @delreybooks and @netgalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so happy to have been approved for an arc for this book, so thank you to net galley and del ray. What first pulled me to the book was its beautiful cover so I clicked on it to read the synopsis and that was so intriguing to me I requested an arc to read this story that caught my attention, after all who wouldn’t be interested in a dancer turned spy/assassin for the king she used to dance for and in his court. However I read up to 40% and I find myself unable to read more. Unfortunately I didn’t not like the book and I feel like the execution of the story did not live up to the expectations of the synopsis. The book had a very strong start with our fmc getting out of her prison but after that the book slowed down and I felt like it dragged on and on. The writing was repetitive and dull that I dare say this book is an example of overwriting. I found all the characters unlikely and unrelatable. To end on a positive note, I adored that vasalie the fmc was a rep for chronic pain/disability and that her pains didn’t magically disappear but she has to live with them and fight through them.

The emotional damage was REAL with this one!!

A Dance of Lies is an intoxicating blend of mystery, betrayal and the complexities of love and trust. I was warned this was a slow burn and boyyyy was it!! Come the last chapter I was left gripping and begging for more.

Arena's writing is so vividly descriptive, I felt as though I grew up in East Miridran and I was home. The enchanting world she’s built is beautiful… but it was built on lies. I felt like I was watching a movie. The author helps you to visualize an extravagant palace, a sea glass chandelier - down to a stamped letter on a desk. I was in awe of this world she created.

Throughout this novel, you follow Vasalie Moran, a dancer who was wrongfully imprisoned for murder. While in prison, she developed illnesses that left her both physically and mentally drained. She’s released from prison on a contingency clause from King Illian... She is to get into the Gathering and dance as an entertainer all the while be his perfect spy. Vasalie craves her freedom above all else, but at what cost? What will King Illian have her do? Can she truly trust those who offer her help or will she be betrayed again?

No spoilers here, my friends! This is a must read and I'm easily adding this to my re-read pile.

Thank you NetGalley and Brittney Arena for the ARC 🤌🏻🖤 I’ve come to love Vasalie and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for her!