Dance of Thieves

Dance of Thieves

  • Downloads:3745
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-03-24 09:15:21
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Mary E. Pearson
  • ISBN:1250308976
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

Mary E。 Pearson's Dance of Thieves is a new YA novel in the New York Times bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts。

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader。 Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules。 But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty's resentment and anger。

At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements。 When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought。 As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions。

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Reviews

Priya

Not a bad story, but I’m disappointed by the cliffhanger because I’m not invested enough to continue to the next book。

Frannie Napier-Keeling

Ugh。 I really didn't like this book。Basically, when I finished it this morning, it went something like this。 Me : I should've left you on that shelf at Indigo where I found you。Dance of Thieves : But ya didn't! (I'm so sorry for that, but that vine has been playing in my head for literal weeks, and I don't know why, all I know is that it needed to be expelled by my mind, and this was the first outlet that came to mind。 Anyway, back to the review。)Let me preface this by saying I have not read the Ugh。 I really didn't like this book。Basically, when I finished it this morning, it went something like this。 Me : I should've left you on that shelf at Indigo where I found you。Dance of Thieves : But ya didn't! (I'm so sorry for that, but that vine has been playing in my head for literal weeks, and I don't know why, all I know is that it needed to be expelled by my mind, and this was the first outlet that came to mind。 Anyway, back to the review。)Let me preface this by saying I have not read the Remnant trilogy, which is set in the same world as this one, but was released earlier and has different characters。 So, that being said, I might've found Dance of Thieves a lot more enjoyable if I had already gained a better understanding of the universe Mary E。 Pearson was trying to create。 However, that was not what happened and I ended up reading this with only a half idea of what was happening at all times。 It wasn't that it was objectively bad, I just found it to be lacking any substance。 Many aspects were underdeveloped, while others were overdeveloped, and overall, I just wasn't invested in the story or the characters at all。 It was one of those stories, where so much happens, but at the same time。。。 nothing happens。 Nothing particularly relevant, at least。Without further ado, I'll dive right into some of my more specific thoughts on this book, and as always this is SUBJECTIVE, so don't kill me in my sleep if you disagree。 I can understand the appeal of Dance of Thieves, it just wasn't for me。I think that the most notoriously icky part of this book for me was the fact that the main characters didn't have any defining personality traits。 I usually gravitate towards very character-driven stories, the best example being Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo。 Even if the plot of Six of Crows is very well fleshed out, the standout parts of the duology are the interpersonal dynamics and internal struggles of all the (extremely human, interesting, and loveable) characters。 I could go on about Six of Crows, but that's for another time。 My point is, the characters in Dance of Thieves just felt very flat。 They had backstories, they had emotions, but there was nothing about them that really made me grow attached to them or find them funny, like a particular habit, or quirk, or anything like that。 The only exception I can think of is the character named Synové, who was truly adorable。 Not to be dramatic or anything, but I would gladly lay my life on the line for her, specifically because she wasn't always thinking about the mission。 She let herself get distracted, she enjoyed life, she liked flirting with boys and eating sweets and having fun (kind of similar to Nina Zenik, actually! I promise I will shut up about SOC at some point)。 So like, Synové fan club。 However, none of the other characters really seemed like humans, they just existed to make the plot move forward, and all of their flaws had a purpose that was very obviously related to the story。 For instance, Kazi, one of the main characters, was extremely difficult to sympathize with, because she was so driven at all times。 It was part of her character, but I found her impossible to relate to, and it made her storyline quite uninteresting。 The same goes for the other MC, Jase, but I started to warm up towards him towards the end。 Only a little though, and if it takes the author about 450 pages out of 500 to make their reader interested in their MC, it's because the aforementioned MC is simply not that interesting。 The next aspect I want to bring up is connected to this disconnect between reader and characters。 You see, this book was very much about the relationship between the main characters, Kazi and Jase, to the point where it almost qualifies as a romance novel。 And just to be clear, I love romance books, I love slowburns, I can easily spend hours on AO3, you get the idea。 If this had been a well-developed love story I probably would've become really invested in it。 However, when you don't care that much about the characters, you don't care that much about their relationship, and that's unfortunately how I can resume my experience reading about Kazi and Jase。 Also, they got together within a week of meeting each other。 Is this how straight people go about romance? Like, what do you mean you didn't spend six months gazing longingly and pining for each other? In any case, I won't demand a slowburn, but if there's no real foundation to the relationship, it doesn't make me wan't to pursue my reading。 It just felt very forced and artificial and boring。Another aspect that I won't stay on for too long was the fifty or sixty pages of infodump at the start of the book。 It was not compelling, and it didn't end up really serving any real purpose, because the story was centered around the romance anyways。 In fact, I feel like the amount of information we were given at the start about the world and the political climate could've been reduced by a lot, to actually introduce the characters' personalities and make them more compelling, but it wasn't。 So, the author talked about the world and the setting, then didn't really use it in her plot, but failed to set up compelling and fleshed out characters when her story demanded them。 I will say that the cities and places and politics that were presented were pretty interesting, and I really had a clear image of all the scenes。 That was definitely the standout part of this novel for me, I truly did find it enjoyable。 Also, the book cover is SO SEXY, don't be fooled by it。 This has been quite a harsh review, not because the story didn't have positive aspects, but because I sort of。。。 forgot about them。 They just weren't very memorable, and I think that's my takeaway from this novel。 It was just kind of forgettable。 I probably should've put it down before I got this far, but if you read my last review on Red White and Royal Blue, you might notice a pattern of me being 1) too stubborn to give up and 2) ready to sacrifice almost two weeks if it means I can add another book to my reading challenge。 In any case, good riddance。 This was a very mean review but I hope it made enough sense and was developed enough to not be gratuitously so。 I'll go reread Six of Crows now。 。。。more

Zuzana Plačková

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it, click here。 Lia and Rafe have a baby, jej!!! I want another oneYeah, I love Jase

Callie LaBelle

Overall: 5/5Characters:5/5Plotline:5/5Themes:5/5Writing:5/5Enjoyment Factor: 5/5Review: I loved jumping back into this world, and there were so many new aspects that were explored from the lore and history to the world。 I think I loved this romance more than the original trilogy because it was so well executed。 The feelings and the intentions and thoughts were so tangible and realistic they were just so much fun to follow。

Vee

This book definitely needed a bit more dynamism but I did find it enjoyable and at times very intriguing。 Let's start with our two main characters, Kazi and Jase, two people who are not unlikable, are sometimes funny and other times quite dramatic (I know declarations of love tend to be dramatic in novels but c'mon, calm down! It was quite amusing though)。 They start getting interested in each other at the beginning of the novel, which was a bit of instalove but did not feel forced。 A person can This book definitely needed a bit more dynamism but I did find it enjoyable and at times very intriguing。 Let's start with our two main characters, Kazi and Jase, two people who are not unlikable, are sometimes funny and other times quite dramatic (I know declarations of love tend to be dramatic in novels but c'mon, calm down! It was quite amusing though)。 They start getting interested in each other at the beginning of the novel, which was a bit of instalove but did not feel forced。 A person can definitely be attracted to another instantly, or at least after a few encounters, and in this case I feel that it came before than them falling in love。 Liking someone takes time, sometimes it's shorter and sometimes longer, and it's a continuos process。 Kazi and Jase did have that, but it did not feel as real or genuine to me。 It lacked in the small things that are part of a relationship and the fact that the characters were also a bit bland didn't help。 However, the characters were fun, not only the main ones but also the side ones, and would often make ironic jokes, which is my favourite kind of humor (YES)。 Something I heard a lot of people point out is the fact that it's very romance heavy and。。。 yes and no。 Romance is one of the plots of the book but it's not the only one。 Let me tell you this from someone who has read many romance novels, you can tell when a book is just about the romance, where every chapter is only about the main characters's relationship and there is no other plot at all。 In this book, our characters have missions and responsibilities。 They have to deal with many of the current political problems in the novel, which makes the story intriguing。 It is easy to get hooked on it, I actually finished it in 2 days because I found it hard to out it down, especially as I got near the ending。 All of of this to say, the book has its flaws but it was fun and interesting! It is a great book to spend an afternoon reading, with a good amount of action and romance that keep the reader from putting it down。 。。。more

Siobhan

This book was written so beautifully。 Many of my nights were spent staying up late, trying to catch up on Kazi and Jades many adventures。 I can confidently say that this book will be one I will read many times over。 Filled with deception and twists, love and hatred you will definitely be wanting more。 And if you wanted to know, I will be spending my nonexistent money on the sequel。

Isabella

4。15 stars

Chérie On Top

Venomous dogs? NightmarishI wasn't convinced at first but I ended up liking it so much。 This is a squad of really strong women and that's exactly what we love here。 Venomous dogs? NightmarishI wasn't convinced at first but I ended up liking it so much。 This is a squad of really strong women and that's exactly what we love here。 。。。more

Kensy

I'm speechless。。。。 I'm speechless。。。。 。。。more

Echo_29

3。9/5 starsGreat plot, wonderful side characters, the amount of affection portrayed (I。e。 a ton of kisses, all the time) between our main leads was not my favorite。 Very fun read though!

Sarina

RATING: 6/5REVIEW: If you're thinking about getting into reading this book will do it for you。 This book is mostly focused on a blooming romance, however, the relationships created in this book are absolutely stunning。 It's definitely one of the most underrated series。 I read this before reading the Remnant Chronicles and it still made perfect sense, things will seem confusing at first but then you'll instantly catch up。 The trust between Kazi and Jace is unmatched。 Their totally different backg RATING: 6/5REVIEW: If you're thinking about getting into reading this book will do it for you。 This book is mostly focused on a blooming romance, however, the relationships created in this book are absolutely stunning。 It's definitely one of the most underrated series。 I read this before reading the Remnant Chronicles and it still made perfect sense, things will seem confusing at first but then you'll instantly catch up。 The trust between Kazi and Jace is unmatched。 Their totally different backgrounds make you wonder how they ever ended up together, yet being chained and trapped to each other created such an intimate bond。 No, the angst isn't out the roof, but the tension is still present till the very last chapter。 I definitely would recommend this it's my new favorite。 。。。more

Eleanor

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Gabby

Great storyline very well written and imaginative, a little slow for my liking but overall would recommend

Jessica

This book was a treat☺️

cindy

It was a 3。5 when I finished the book but now that I'm sitting down and trying to write a review, I think my rating has dropped to a 3。5。 This book is interesting。 It's the enemies-to-lovers trope but 10,000 times more turbulent。 The characters are a little underdeveloped but since this is the first book in the second series, I'll give it a little slack。 The pacing of the story is a bit strange to me and I still can't understand why it was laid out this way。。。 In simple terms, a story usually go It was a 3。5 when I finished the book but now that I'm sitting down and trying to write a review, I think my rating has dropped to a 3。5。 This book is interesting。 It's the enemies-to-lovers trope but 10,000 times more turbulent。 The characters are a little underdeveloped but since this is the first book in the second series, I'll give it a little slack。 The pacing of the story is a bit strange to me and I still can't understand why it was laid out this way。。。 In simple terms, a story usually goes build-up, climax, falling action, and resolution。 I feel like the outline of this story completely jumbles everything up。 The best part of the story was at the beginning and the end, and the middle parts were rather forgettable。 I'M SO CONFUSED? I did like the alternating POVs and some of the character interactions, however, I cringed at many parts of the story because, well, it was a little cliche and IDK CRINGEY。 I won't say I don't recommend this book because it does have its merits。 Overall, though, I do think there are better stories to *checks records* spend 4 days of your life on。 。。。more

Simone Aparecida

Como sempre, maravilhoso ❤️

Leonor (Ner)

Though the beginning was kinda confusing for me, the moment I got the swing of it, man, this book surely had its grip on me!

Delaney Devins

I really liked this book! The ratio of romance to story building was really nice。 Excited to read the second book in this series!

riley wheeless

this was an intense book。 lots of world building and character depth。 i don’t think i’ll read the second one just because i can’t really get myself to read series。 also i wasn’t too happy with the way it ended。 kazi and jase were like the same person and i think that’s why they were drawn to each other。 great writing!!

✰Zara✰

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ 。 5DANCE OF THIEVES is a book with betrayal, secrets, and romance; just my type of book。 Kazi is sent to the land where the Ballengers rule, and there she meets Jase Ballenger。 When the patriarch of the Ballenger dynasty dies, his son, Jase, becomes the new patrei (leader)。 One thing leads to the next, and they find themselves forced to use and work with each other。 And of course, this leads to some unwanted r o m a n t i c feelings。I loved Kazi, Synové, and Wren's friendship。 It's alway ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ 。 5DANCE OF THIEVES is a book with betrayal, secrets, and romance; just my type of book。 Kazi is sent to the land where the Ballengers rule, and there she meets Jase Ballenger。 When the patriarch of the Ballenger dynasty dies, his son, Jase, becomes the new patrei (leader)。 One thing leads to the next, and they find themselves forced to use and work with each other。 And of course, this leads to some unwanted r o m a n t i c feelings。I loved Kazi, Synové, and Wren's friendship。 It's always nice to see girls supporting (by supporting I also mean killing anyone who harms one of them) girls in books, no matter what genre。 You can understand the characters in the book; you know why they act the way they do, and why they make their decisions。 I didn't read the Remnant Chronicles before I read this book, so I was confused a few times。 A couple of things I didn't enjoy is Jase's downfall of sorts and the pacing。 At the beginning of the book, I absolutely fell in love with his character。 But the moment they reached their destination, he just became a bit unlikeable。 The pacing of the book wasn't my favorite。 It felt like a lot happened, but at the same time, it didn't。 Overall, this was a lovely book and I hope to read the sequel once I finish reading the Remnant Chronicles。 “𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚍𝚘 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝙺𝚊𝚣𝚒?” 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚠, 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝。 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚖 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜。𝙸 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝。 “𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝?”“𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍? 𝙰𝚗 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚔𝚢? 𝚆𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚅𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚊? 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜?”“𝙽𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐,” 𝙸 𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚕𝚢。“𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎,” 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍。 “𝙻𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜。” 。。。more

Mia

Possible spoilers????------------------Strong female lead(s) who can wield a sword(s) -amongst other weapons-, found family, magic, waring kingdoms, enemies to lovers。。。 what more could you ask from a book。 I love Kaz, Wren and Synové; their friendship is real and well written。 It also has split first person perspective between Kaz and Jase which I love。 I completely recommend this book and I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel!

Booshi Da'Neer

3。5/5

Sadie

4。5/5 ⭐️ Dance of Thieves follows Kazi, a pickpocket turned soldier, and Jase, the patrei of a powerful family, in a tense and deceitful dance of manipulation, politics, and emotions。 When they are forced to rely on one another while being chained together, their perceptions and motives may change。。。 I really enjoyed this book, especially the second half, as it really picked up its pace。 I love a book where nothing is certain, and this is definitely the case with Kazi and Jase。 Forget enemies t 4。5/5 ⭐️ Dance of Thieves follows Kazi, a pickpocket turned soldier, and Jase, the patrei of a powerful family, in a tense and deceitful dance of manipulation, politics, and emotions。 When they are forced to rely on one another while being chained together, their perceptions and motives may change。。。 I really enjoyed this book, especially the second half, as it really picked up its pace。 I love a book where nothing is certain, and this is definitely the case with Kazi and Jase。 Forget enemies to lovers, give me enemies to allies to friends to lovers to betrayals to enemies to friends to enemies to。。。 and it doesn’t end there! The relationship that is built throughout the book is both obvious and unclear at the same time, and I loved how each character is one step ahead of where the other one thinks they are。 Like any high fantasy book, it took me a second to get into the world and understand their customs, but I quickly caught on and I loved the little details of culture shock thrown in as Kazi changes location。 What took off half a star for me was the fact that some of the dialogue was a big repetitive or basic, but lines like “my tomorrows are yours” realllyyy made me forget about those real quick。 This book is driven by its complicated, clever, and equally badass characters who are both struggling with identity and love, and it’s that journey (with the added benefit of just about every fun trope) that made this book so fun to read! 。。。more

evelyn

I really enjoyed this book and now I'm excited to read vow of thieves! I really enjoyed this book and now I'm excited to read vow of thieves! 。。。more

Lily Griff

I have to admit I was quite disappointed。 The main character seemed to be strong and skilled yet I felt only her deceitfulness was put on display, not her years of combat lessons。 I felt that her and her backstory had the makings for a great novel, yet her interactions with the love interest ruined it。 She "fell in love" within the first few chapters, to a bratty, prideful man who never acknowledged his privilege。 She was very easily swayed from her mission considering the pressure and years of I have to admit I was quite disappointed。 The main character seemed to be strong and skilled yet I felt only her deceitfulness was put on display, not her years of combat lessons。 I felt that her and her backstory had the makings for a great novel, yet her interactions with the love interest ruined it。 She "fell in love" within the first few chapters, to a bratty, prideful man who never acknowledged his privilege。 She was very easily swayed from her mission considering the pressure and years of experience she had。 Honestly I kept putting the book down out of frustration for the male love interest because of how much he bothered me。 The only reason I finished it was because my loan from the library was going to run out。 。。。more

Anna Hertler

THIS WAS SO GOOD THAT I ACTUALLY COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN

Forgetmenots

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it, click here。 I finally finished the book and I feel relieved to finally be done with it which is never a good sign。 I’m gonna be fair and not just list the things I didn’t like, I’ll start with the pros:- The Queen and her Rahtan were an interesting element I just wish the author would have elaborated more on that。 Kazi being able to see ghosts and death which was also a very vague element that deserved more elaboration。 The first Ballengers and their back story。 Now the cons:- lack of plot, world building I finally finished the book and I feel relieved to finally be done with it which is never a good sign。 I’m gonna be fair and not just list the things I didn’t like, I’ll start with the pros:- The Queen and her Rahtan were an interesting element I just wish the author would have elaborated more on that。 Kazi being able to see ghosts and death which was also a very vague element that deserved more elaboration。 The first Ballengers and their back story。 Now the cons:- lack of plot, world building was soo confusing, the Romance WAS NOT AN ENEMIES TO LOVERS。 This was probably the thing that annoyed me the most because the romance had one job! To carry the story!!!! Honestly it was more of an insta love with a few miscommunications。 No likeable characters, I could give two shits about any character not even the mc’s, the whole thing felt very generic I’m sure we’ve all read a version of this book just tweak a few details。 I’m gonna circle around and come back to the romance because that’s just how much I didn’t care for it。 The two mc’s relationship had a nice spark in the beginning but then they lost it and their chemistry the minute they started their relationship。 The dialogue or banter between them was soo corny and cliché I got second hand embarrassment from reading it。 And lastly I feel like I’m still very confused about kazi’s backstory because the author never really gave us much detail she just eluded to it a lot。 Maybe theres more clarity in the second book。I really wanted to like this book because it was getting a lot of hype online, unfortunately it just wasn’t it for me so I don’t think I’ll be reading the sequel。 。。。more

Hazelbue

Wow I loved this book! Interesting plot and world。 Amazing characters。 What I liked-both the main characters。 They were compelling with strong motivations for each of their actions。 I understood their decisions and why they acted the way they did in every scene。 The dual POV worked perfect for this type of novel with enemies to lovers。 I really like the backstory she painted for both of them and how it tangled up in their actions/thoughts。 For how much plot this book had it was also very charact Wow I loved this book! Interesting plot and world。 Amazing characters。 What I liked-both the main characters。 They were compelling with strong motivations for each of their actions。 I understood their decisions and why they acted the way they did in every scene。 The dual POV worked perfect for this type of novel with enemies to lovers。 I really like the backstory she painted for both of them and how it tangled up in their actions/thoughts。 For how much plot this book had it was also very character driven。 Character focused story’s tend to be my favorite。 I especially loved Jace。 Kazi at times would shield her feelings or the truth from him but Jace for the most part stayed truthful。 Kazi made up for it in the end though…-the side characters。 I loved Jace’s huge family。 I loved Kazi’s two best friends and how they are well developed on their own。 -Even though this was YA and had kissing only I loved the romance between Jace and Kazi。 That’s because it was palpable in their actions。 Mary Pearson managed to convey more emotion and love in their kisses than most authors do in much more detailed scenes。 What I didn’t like-the first few chapters were slow…but maybe that’s because I didn’t read the Remnant chronicles yet。 POV: dual POV Story type: enemies to lover, fantasy Characters: 4。5/5Plot: 4。5/5Enjoyment: 4。5/5Writing style: 5/5Depth: 4。5/5Humor: 4/5Romance: 4。5/5Chemistry: 4/5Angst: 4/5Story ending: 5/5 。。。more

Maya Paulson

This book。。。 I haven’t read the second one yet but I am at a loss of words。 This book is sooo good。 The enemies to lovers to enemies to lover is *chefs kiss* GO READ IT NOW!!

Tess Ferguson

Get through the first 50 pages。 Then it’s amazing。 I picked it up and put it down 10 times before getting past that hump。 Soooo worth it!