Cover Image: A Dance for the Gods

A Dance for the Gods

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I enjoyed this book a lot more compared to the first book in the series and felt as though the character development and plot progression were the main winning points for this book. The writing style isn't to my particular taste and could be developed more however certain scenes such as romance and action scenes were better written compared to the overall scope of the book.

Despite the writing style the world building is vey good and the political intrigue is well-developed and, I imagine, will continue to be so for future books in the series. I also liked that the book picked up exactly where it left off in the first book which allowed a smooth transition for readers.

The book does, however, suffer from a lot of information dumping which I hope can be rectified for any future sequels to the book. I would also like to see some originality rather than a mirror-piece to a well-known and popular book as I feel like this book has great potential.

Was this review helpful?

I was absolutely obsessed with this!

Firstly totally off topic, but this cover is absolutely stunning, I am obsessed but moving on!

There’s a vast and variety of characters and they were so easy to follow, we have a princess who is wanting to kill her brothers murder, sounds good no?

All of the politics, different kingdoms it was just SO good!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to #Netgalley for making this book available to me.

Before I go into the review of this book, I have to state that this book is more adult than a young adult with explicit sex scenes and trigger warnings for discussion on sexual assault, death, emotional manipulation and more... Also, the fact that I did not read the first book in the series made for a rather confusing read especially for someone like me who likes to know the backstory for a lot of the characters. Nevertheless, it was still enough for me to pull certain things together as I read on.

The world in this book was one thing that I really loved. The fantasy world was so well structured and it was easy to see the inspiration from African culture and myths. This high political fantasy novel follows the death of King Ewuare and the subsequent enthronement of Kendi. Kendi childish rulership is about to destroy the kingdom. His mother's lover Kofi would soon become the scapegoat that Meha uses to protect her children. Whilst this is all happening we have people around and outside the kingdom trying to gain power and rulership status. Queens sacrificing anything to get pregnant, warriors killing their brothers and more.

I have to say that I could see trace elements of other books in this, an example is the George R. Martin series, even Sarah J. Maas Assasin style writing. It was amazing to see a common thread of betrayal, violence, family drama, love and war in this book has seen in looks of political fantasy.

I gave this book 3.4 out fo 5 stars

Was this review helpful?

Disclaimer:
I have not yet read the first book of the series - I wish it was also available on netgalley!
The book is educational and delicious through expressing culture and place. The strong characters and mythological ties demonstrate the author's immense knowledge and talent. It had the three components of a good book: characters, plot and prose were on point.

Was this review helpful?

Disclaimer:
I have not yet the read the first book of the series but I am going to purchase it after having enjoyed this one so much.
A tale that has it all! (and some explicit sex scenes)'
I loved the way the characters were written which is always a big plus for me and I was impressed on how quickly I immersed myself into the story despite realising that I was reading book 2 in a series.
I would definitely want to read more of this world.
Thank you Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is actually the sequel to the first book, A Cry to War. I didn't realize that initially and had to read the first book before continuing with the series. I'll try to keep details to a minimum to avoid spoiling it for anyone, but it does continue following the events that happened upon King Ewuare in book one. It remains an African inspired series is based on pre-colonialism of various kingdoms. There is heavy political intrigue throughout the book and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Especially, when the betrayals started happening. It was a little lengthy at times and given that it is a multiple POV story, sometimes it was hard to get through some of those viewpoints and easier to get through others. Case in point, I often looked forward to reading from Eweka's point and I look forward to the next installment.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book, though admittedly it was only after I had finished it that I realised the novel was the second in the series. The narrative is alive with sumptuous imagery and strong characters (the opening chapter is a particularly good example), and I found that the African culture and mythology gave the book wonderful colour, particularly as I have never read a fantasy series that manages similar content so well. I am keen to read more from this author. I do agree, however, with many other reviews that I have seen in that the book must be given a higher age rating, as several of the scenes were sexually explicit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ghagerian Publishing for providing me with an ARC for this novel.

Was this review helpful?

With such vivid characters, compelling plot, and beautiful prose, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think all the elements of the book played well to make this a very interesting reading experience. I will admit, this book was darker than I expected and I was not expecting that cliff hanger. However I will definitely pick up the third book when it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc!

Was this review helpful?

It was a solid book! I thought it could benefit from some more editing - sometimes the flow was off. The plot was solid enough and so were the characters, it just didn't particularly "grab" me.

Was this review helpful?

I was not aware I was reading book 2 in a series, but it did not discourage me from reading A Dance for the Gods. I really enjoyed the characters , though I sometimes got confused with the names and who they were but it was not a big deal. I was still able to enjoy and follow the story. Will definitely go back and read book 1 , however I feel like this book is easy to follow without having prior knowledge of the first book. The story line was great, the characters where well written and entertaining, I was able to read it quickly and enjoyed it till the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book.

Was this review helpful?

This was an enjoyable African-inspired fantasy story. I'm not sure I've ever read a fantasy book set in Africa before, so I appreciated the unique setting. The plot was fast-paced and action packed - I really enjoyed the political intrigue. I adore books that are about mythology, so I really enjoyed learning about African mythology. I thought that the cast of characters were likeable, especially Princess Jamila, however I would have liked to see more character development, with perhaps a better balance between the focus on the plot and the characters.

Was this review helpful?

I was drawn to 𝘈 π˜‹π˜’π˜―π˜€π˜¦ 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘡𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰π˜₯𝘴 on the Netgalley site due to the stunning cover and the intriguing summary.

It sounded like a book that I would be lost in and find myself entranced by the world within the book's pages and its characters and events. I was unaware that A Dance for the Gods was the second part of a series when I was accepted and began to read the book, which was unfortunate as there is talk of events that will have happened in book one by E.O Odiase and K.N. Pumpani.

Mea Culpa for not being aware.

The world building by E.O Odiase and K.N. Pumpani is phenomenal and it is very easy to imagine the five kingdoms and those who lived there. I couldn't help feel there was similarity to the Game of Thrones series in the way the Kingdoms form allegiances against others in a bid for power along with the complexity of the many characters which caused me to feel a little reticent about 𝘈 π˜‹π˜’π˜―π˜€π˜¦ 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘡𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰π˜₯𝘴 but I was determined to continue as my dislike for a book by another author shouldn't affect my enjoyment of another novel despite the similarities.

I liked how their was an internal and external confusion and doubt over the place of Gods within 𝘈 π˜‹π˜’π˜―π˜€π˜¦ 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘡𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰π˜₯𝘴 as they try to place their faith in something be it the Old Gods or the New along with trust and faith in one another. This despite being in a fantasy novel is something that many find themselves struggling with and the authors way of exploring that gives the reader the ability to place themselves in the midst of the characters.

The book is supposed to be for the 16-18 age range but I feel that this isn't correct and 𝘈 π˜‹π˜’π˜―π˜€π˜¦ 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘡𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰π˜₯𝘴 should be in 5hr adult section due to some pretty graphic scenes along with such things as the almost dismissive mention of a character stating they would rather be assaulted sexually by multiple people than do something. (Which I had be considering DNF this book as it felt like it was placed there as a shock tactic as it offered little to the story at that point).

If you like books such as Game of Thrones and ones with a lot of political intrigue with fantasy elements this is for you. I did not enjoy it at which was disappointing me for as I had high hopes for 𝘈 π˜‹π˜’π˜―π˜€π˜¦ 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘡𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰π˜₯𝘴.

Was this review helpful?

This is the first book I have read on this type of story. I had a little of a hard time getting into it. I was interested as I wanted to read more into the African culture. This book was like an African Game of Thrones - lots of intrigue, plots, and assassinations. I would have liked to have seen more character development. Everyone was trying to get revenge on everyone else. It was a bit dark. I found myself skimming parts. However, I'm giving it 3 stars out of 5 as outside of the character part, I think the story was well written. It did make me curious about what the first book was about and I may go back and read the first in the trilogy. Expect a cliffhanger.

Was this review helpful?

An absolutely beautiful and magical book that was almost impossible to put down. Sadly, I only realised after receiving it that it was a second book but, funny enough, I was able to enjoy it all the same. This book is such a wonderful reading experience, deep into African history and mythology and I am going to read the first part as soon as I can get my hands on it... I was so smitten by this book and after a while, I could even forget I hadn't read the previous one. I highly recommend it!
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC!

Was this review helpful?

I wish I could give this a more in depth review, but I can’t.

I think the cover is absolutely beautiful and the synopsis intrigued me so much. However I think I am missing some information since this is the second book. I didn’t realize it was a second book until after I was approved.

I appreciate the publisher granting me early access and I wish that my review was better. Perhaps in the future I can post an updated review.

Overall I did love the vibe and had no issue with the writing style whatsoever. This series is definitely going to be added to my TBR.

Was this review helpful?

i hadn't read A Cry to War before reading this book but I still really enjoyed reading this book that I ordered the first book to read. I look forward to more from the author.

Was this review helpful?

A Dance for the Gods is an enjoyable experience, aimed at an older audience. I’m a sucker for all things mythological and would recommend this book for readers with affection for this type of story.

It’s a journey to a different kind of world, and the authors embrace this with passion.

The sprawling creativity, interactions of the characters, and ancient setting were all fascinating. Recommended for a mature audience and, once more, a highly entertaining read.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed the premise of this book as I had never read anything like it before. The different kingdoms and characters were well portrayed, as well as the magic system. The story is quite fast-paced which I enjoyed. However, the plot could have been stronger in my opinion and I also don't think this is suited for the younger audiences considering all the sex scenes. I don't understand why they were so explicit since it did not add much to the story. Furthermore, I think the overall writing style could still use some work.

Was this review helpful?

Wow.. treachery... betrayal... murder... this book has it all. While this book is full of adventure it also keeps you interested throughout. Sometimes I found it hard to keep up with all of the different names and who belonged to the different tribes.

The age group says 16-18 but I find the content more adult than young adult... explicit sex scenes.

All in all it was an enjoyable story.

Was this review helpful?