Revered as a dancer within King Illian’s court, Vasalie Moran was destined for greatness, until a murder charge levied against her destroyed her chances. Two years have passed since Vasalie was imprisoned, and now the very person who framed her for murder, Illian’s king, has use of her once more—her freedom, if she can work her way into the upcoming royal gathering as a dancer and gather information in his favor. Dance of Lies was an intriguing romantasy novel that captivated me with its premise of a dancer turned spy who uses her talent to gather intel on a gathering of flawed royals, while facing the wounds of her past and a devastating romance. Brittney Arena’s focus on a disabled heroine was also a promising center for this debut that I had not seen represented enough within this genre. All to say, Dance of Lies had a lot going for it. As I began this novel, I kept an open mind even as we cycled through the motions of setup and characterization that never really found its footing. Dance of Lies had a sensational atmosphere, the prose evoking beautiful imagery, but it was just an elaborate smoke screen masking the flat characters, world building, and overarching plot. This novel was overwritten, at the expense of these things, while our heroine continued to go through the motions and repeat the cycle much to my chagrin. I definitely think slowing down certain developments would have helped a lot in drawing out this series, especially at the end where a truly bonkers amount of things were revealed. Definitely sad I didn't love this one more.

Oh my freaking god, this book! Y'all this book! I feel changed after reading it. A Dance of Lies is packed with everything that I could ever want in a book - political intrigue, incredible chronic illness rep, a thrilling world with just the slightest hint of a magical secret, great love interest(s?) and of course, the most incredibly crafted plot.

This book starts off intense and immediately upon reading the first sentence, the first page and the first chapter, you know that things will get crazy and wild. The pacing is so so great - the intensity (take a shot every time that I mention this) never goes away and as we get to the middle of the book, it only ramps up. It made reading the book a very nail biting experience and I am so here for that. And the writing?? Obsessed. I'm obsessed. Every word on page is written with care, and that shines through in so many intense moments (see I used it again).

Vasalie, as a protagonist, was so riveting and I didn't want to stop reading about her. She's suffered a lot, more than you could imagine, and fights for her survival every day. Even when she's forced out of the prison King Illian threw her in, she thinks of her future and her freedom and uses that as a motivator as she gets embroiled deeper and deeper in the vicious plot organized by the king. The way she describes her love for dance feels very visceral - it is very much a part of her and will always be. Her dance is a weapon and you see her utilize that throughout the story.

I have to admit, Copelan was a very interesting character. No spoilers, but him and Vasalie have a very complex relationship which unfolded in an unexpected way. Then there's Anton. The moment he appeared on page, I was a goner. His flirty nature had me in a chokehold. I wish I could say more about him, but trust me, he will get you too. And grudgingly, I will admit this - I despised Illian and hope he can rot, but he was such an interesting and well developed character. But still evil though.

Honestly the way the book was going, I thought it was going to be a standalone, but luckily the ending leaves you with room for what I think is going to be an amazing sequel.

All in all, A Dance of Lies was absolutely amazing and I will buying everything that Brittney Arena writes.

Our protagonist, Vasalie, is a traumatised, poorly treated dancer to a horrible king. She grows so much throughout this book; she is fierce, confident and intelligent but is still vulnerable and emotional.

Maaann, this book has my perfect combination: banter with heaps of emotional damage.

“What, you think your extra limb is the size of a gourd or something? You can’t overcompensate your way into her favour when you’re the very definition of a rectum.”
💀💀💀💀 the way I CACKLEDDDD at this 💀💀 A very unserious remark in a very serious situation, and I loved it!

It was a pretty action packed book with sooo much court intrigue/politics, deceptions, secrets and revelations, TWISTS AND TURNS, incredible locations and of course, emotional turmoil. You will laugh, you will cry. You will giggle, and you will want to scream at the icky characters.

I liked the chronic pain representation and the theme that you can still be strong even when struggling physically.

Personally, the writing style didn't capture my attention. It's not a discredit to the author, just sometimes writing styles don't click for everyone. This book has a lot of very descriptive scenes and I am more of a plot driven reader than one who enjoys long descriptions of the room, outfits, surroundings.

This turned out to be a really enjoyable romantasy! The writing had this lovely poetic flow that made it super easy to get lost in. The villain was definitely a standout - way more complex and layered than your typical bad guy, which was a nice change of pace. Sure, some plot points were pretty predictable, but there were still plenty of surprises that caught me off guard.

The story follows Vasalie, who used to be a court dancer until King Illian basically destroyed her life by framing her for murder. After rotting in his dungeons for two years, he suddenly drags her out with a deal: spy for him at this big royal gathering and earn her freedom. Sounds simple enough, right?

Wrong.

His missions get increasingly twisted, forcing her to hurt people she's starting to care about. Things get even messier when she realises Illian might be working with an even worse threat - and it's closer to home than she thought. Enter his brother, the King of the East, who becomes both an ally and another complication as Vasalie gets caught between their family drama.

The whole thing builds to some pretty intense revelations about her past, and she has to figure out who she can actually trust while trying not to lose herself completely in the process. Good stuff if you're into morally grey characters and political intrigue with your romance!

I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a romantasy to get lost in and honestly, I can’t wait for the second book in the series because that ending… yeah, it still has me gurning hard!

This book can be summarised in 3 parts.
The first part: i was incredibly enchanted by the beginning of the book, we are introduced since the very first chapters in half of the plot and that was very much needed and made me trust the wrong characters. I loved so much how the dancing was heavily a part of the story

The second part is where I lost a bit of my interest because even though the story continues i hated how the fmc was being pushed from all the sides. Now one character that is too nice for my liking made me also hate the continuation of the story but the third part saved the day.

The third part i think is what saved the book in my opinion from being a total failure and got to the point of “omg i cant believe that just happened “ and “what am i going to do now?”
And it makes me happy to say that this book even though in some parts got boring for me is definitely worth the read and has an unique way of shaping the tale that the author wrote.
I definitely recommend this if you want an easy politically intriguing with a dash of romantasy.

Thank You so much to the publisher for the arc this is out on the 5th of June

I absolutely adored this book. I thought the premise of having the main character having to deal with the lifelong effects of imprisonment and having to continue on as ion nothing happened to her was very intriguing, and it was done so well. I loved that she didn't have a magical fix, she had no choice but to continue on and to look after her body. I thought the romance was really well done, it wasn't insta-love, it was a lovely slow burn and I am desperate for the next one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. - Freya, arc & monthly book box pick reviewer (athenafreyag on Instagram)

A Dance of Lies is absolutely AMAZING!!!!!! I don't know if I devoured this book or if this book devoured me! I was so taken with the story and Vasalie and Anton; I feel like a tsunami has hit me, to be honest.

It's brutal but it also offers hope and light through characters' bravery and friendship. It reminded me a lot of Natasha Ngan's GIRLS series and writing for their brutality, emotional resonance, and brave mc.

Vasalie escaped an abusive household and became the King's Jewel, his most precious treasure in his court. But all good things come to an end, and Vasalie was imprisoned in brutal ways. She was malnutritioned and weakened to the point she could barely stand. We see her struggle so much with the loss of her dancer body, with envy of those other dancers who didn't have any difficulties and women who were "whole" when Vasalie didn't feel whole at all. That portrayal was genuine and authentic since it stems from the author's background. I come to tears everytime I think about this.

The King, Illian, then has a change of heart and he orders her to become his spy at an event where all kings and queens of the neighbouring kingdoms will be present. However, it's not only espionage he orders but also poisoning. There, Vasalie meets a dancing partner and another King, Anton who happens to be Illian's younger brother. Both become love interests for Vasalie, and we see Vasalie develop different feelings and later evaluate them. It's not really a love triangle, since Vasalie becomes attracted to the first man, comes to terms with her feelings and his behaviour, and then becomes attracted to the other man. I actually liked that she had different love interests, that she experienced different feelings and met different people, instead of going from the one king who betrayed her straight to the ultimate love interest. I don't see it often, sadly, and I loved it. Let women experience more before their ultimate love interest, people. We deserve to see women wanted and wanting.

I loved Anton. He was the warm breeze in a cold night. He is powerful and humble, smart and funny, and arrogant only about his looks and delightful personality, to which I have to agree. He's the best!

Ishu is definitely a scene stealer! You will love her! hehe

The plot was sooo good! The court intrigue was unique and stood out from other court intrigue, in my opinion. Maybe because we had three Kings who were brothers, I'm not sure. But reading it felt new and refreshing. I didn't see any of the plot twists coming, and the fantasy elements were so brilliantly woven through the story.

And people, this is a debut!! Like where has this author been and why has it taken so long for the author to be published?! Masterful character portrayal, excellent plot, and some steamy scenes to turn up the temperature; this book has everything! I will read anything by Brittney Arena, ANYTHING! She's an autobuy author for me.

This is the July adult monthly pick for a UK monthly book box company, and there is no way I'm skipping! I am so excited to see the design!!

Oh how I loved this book! We follow Vasalie Moran who was a dancer in King Illian’s court. She was his ‘Jewel’, until he framed her for murder. After surviving 2 years in his dungeons, King Illian makes a deal with Vasalie; he will let her out if she spies for him at a six-week Gathering where all the most important people of the kingdom will be.

First of all, in a Romantasy world full of very similar FMC; Vas really stood out. She is strong and resilient, but also has to deal with chronic pain and physical limitations due to the 2 years she spend in a cell and a lot of trauma from her past. Her development throughout the book is beautiful and you won’t be able to not root for her.

This book has romance, court intrigues and an amazing world building. I really love how Vas navigates her feelings towards the different men who are in her life and how she figures out what she wants and deserves through the events that take place during that 6 weeks period.

As a dancer, the way her different dances were described was absolutely beautiful and painted vivid images of all the choreography, costumes and the stories they were telling.

The themes of grief, guilt, pain, love and loneliness were explored in a great way and I loved discovering Vas and the other characters backstories.

I’m very excited to continue this series and can’t wait to see what will happen between Anton and Vas!

Thank you very, very much to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and Brittney Arena for giving me the opportunity to read an e-arc of this great book ♥️

I read the first few chapters of this as part of the Bloomsbury Big Night In Readathon. I was instantly intrigued by the story and the writing. I very much look forward to going back to this when I have some time and finishing the rest of the book.

I’m going to start with the only ‘negative’ in A Dance of Lies: it was predictable.
I loved it regardless, it’s a slow-paced romance filled with political intrigue and high-tension.

The prose Brittney Arena deploys is incredibly poetic, and the story is gut-wrenchingly perfect, filled with love, betrayal, found-family, and second chances: Brittney took a painful chapter of her life and spun it into magic.
The court setting was phenomenal, and the lore was so intricately weaved.

A Dance of Lies is an immersive journey of self-acceptance and healing on your own terms, and the vulnerability we’re made to feel through the eyes of Vasalie is incredibly moving and emotional.

I was so invested in Vasalie, she had so much depth and character and just sheer will, I loved her growth throughout the story as she slowly accepted her new body and it’s limits, refusing to be defined by her disability.

I had such a hard time choosing between Anton and Copelan!
Anton was cocky, flirty, and mysterious and probably a better match, I loved the banter and the yearning, but I also thought her chemistry with Copelan was so dreamy and intense, especially while dancing, and I found myself blushing during most of their interactions.
I can’t choose!

I believe this is a duology, but can be read as a standalone as the initial plot is nicely concluded a couple of chapters before the end, the last chapters setting up for new adventures for book 2.

I loved this book. I loved the world building, the characters, the romance the whole thing. The book gripped me and I couldn’t put it down.. I would highly recommend it for a summer read, a chance to escape reality into another world.

This was INCREDIBLE. The intricate world-building was beautiful, and the political maneuvering kept me on the edge of my seat, unable to put this book down. There is a lot happening and a lot of information to take in, but it is so worth it. I loved the characters. Our FMC, Vas, goes on quite a journey in this book which sees her come out stronger and fighting on the other side. I never bought in to Copelan as a love interest at all, but I think the author/Vas did a good job of recognising the void he filled/purpose he served for her. The true love interest could only ever have been King "you are art" Anton!!! I need more of him! The end of this book ripped my heart out and I NEED book 2 **now** please. I can't wait to see how everything comes together in the next one.

“Why do you dance?” … “because there is power in it” -Power in commanding the attention of my audience, a power I lack in every other area of my life.

I’m so conflicted with this review, the world building was EXTRAORDINARY however I had zero emotional connection to the characters, the love triangle/square didn’t sizzle and the motives linked with the plot fell flat.

I absolutely loved the representation of chronic illness/pain!

“I’m proud of surviving, of persisting, despite my pain.”

This book will be for you if you love:
💃 Court politics
💃 Vibrant world building
💃 Undercover spy
💃 Blackmail, lies & betrayal
💃 Love triangle/square with low spice
💃 Chronic illness representation

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

**This book has been hinted to be included in an upcoming special edition book box**

A Dance of Lies is a wonderful start to an adult fantasy romance series full of politics, plotting and intrigue. This one isn’t heavy on the fantasy though, it’s more focused on rival courts and kingdoms with a sprinkle of fates and original mythology. The initial setup gives Plated Prisoner vibes. The protagonist Vasalie, a dancer, has been kept as the treasured possession of a king she was once enamoured with, but he has since betrayed her leading her to look for new allies in other courts and a way to escape him.

What really stood out about this story for me was the setting. The majority of the book is set at a conference between the kingdoms within a luxurious glass palace, the stunning cover really captures the aesthetic of the whole story. It’s full of beautiful descriptions of the seaside palace with walls covered in mosaics and wisteria, stained glass windows, glass bridges and a pet white tiger! Vasalie’s dances and costumes are also described in elaborate detail and woven into the plot. It’s beautifully written and if you’re like me and vivid imagery is important to you then this book is for you. The setting also makes it a perfect fantasy read for summer.

I loved the way the characters were written. It was nice a nice change to read about characters in their twenties and thirties and I also appreciated that the FMC is chronically ill, however would have liked this to be woven into the plot a bit more. It was mentioned a lot towards the beginning but that dropped off later, I’d really like to see this explored more in later books.

The romance is definitely a side plot in book one, there’s more focus on getting to know the characters and their backstories and understanding the political conflict. It starts out with hints of a love triangle and you only start getting tension with the actual love interest after the halfway mark. There’s great chemistry between the main characters though, and this book does a great job of creating unresolved tension and setting up the relationship for the rest of the series.

I really enjoyed my time reading A Dance of Lies and I will be picking up book two when it’s released!

This is the first book in such a long time that made me excited to read again. I could not put it down, and just needed to know what happened next. I love romantasy, it’s my fave genre, but sometimes I think it can be quite predictable. Not this! I was on the edge of my seat. Just when I thought the plot was going in one direction, it took a completely different turn. The characters are so well written and I cannot wait for the sequel.

A Dance of Lies is a rich romantic fantasy debut filled with politics, secrets, betrayal, and moral complexities.
I found myself gripped by the writing and the storytelling was really intriguing. It was a perfect blend of mystery elements, performances, romance and politics.
I liked the fact that the main character has flaws, she has dealt with neglect and emotional abuse, so perfection would be unrealistic.
Overall this is a fantastic fantasy debut and I highly recommend it.

I dnf'd at 60%, I felt a little bit edged with this one. Some scenes were exciting but then others were overwritten and I felt bored for the remainder of the time. I wasn't fully invested in any teased romantic relationship, which felt like there was many and none of them I rooted for. I just kept wanting to put it down and read something else.

While I may have taken a long while to finish this book (mostly because other books kept coming in between) I am more than happy to report, that I am still reeling after finishing it at 3 am this morning.

I've seen this one floating around bookstagram for a while now and was more than delighted when Del Rey approved of my request on Netgalley basically the same minute I hit the button (or a few minutes later at most). I've seen so many people rave about how good this book truly is that I desperately wanted to see for myself.

I am going to hit it off and say, this one was a full-blown 5 stars for me because it made me FEEL. I had my stomach in its clutches basically over the whole second half and I just couldn't put it down yesterday, going as far as taking my phone with me in the shower and continuing on reading between sprays of water.

A few things stand out that you don't really read all that often about in the usual fantasy or romantasy genres, and I absolutely loved these aspects. Vasalie is a headstrong but definitely damaged young woman, both mentally and physically. Getting a diagnosis at the beginning of the book, telling her that her dream of being a dancer will never again be possible, at least on the level she was used to. I loved how even as the story went on, even as she got stronger and found creative ways to work around her aching, weak body while still executing her love for dancing, she didn't magically heal and was while again. She learned to live with this, learned her new reality, and still tried her best with it.

While I took a while to truly get into this book, it was mostly because I kept getting distracted by other books. Once I'll give this a reread (something I'll do as soon as book 2 is on the horizon), I'll make sure to give it my all from the beginning, as it deserves.

Technically, A Dance of Lies is marketed as a romantasy but I feel like (as I do rather often these days) that it doesn't quite fit in this in-between genre. I much more feel like it's a fantasy book with a romance subplot because for me, what was still at the centre of the plot was Vasalie's life. Her, as a person, learning to handle her damaged body, her love for dancing, which was now tarnished and left a bitter taste in her sore body and mind. And above all, her need to not only survive but also find a way around the impossible tasks she's forced to do.

There is romance, yes, in the classical sense (one that was rather surprising for me, but all the more enjoyable), but there is also romance in the not-so-classical sense. Namely, Vasalie is falling in love with herself again. Accepting what this body she once knew so well was now able to do and work with that. Accepting herself even in the face of jealousy when seeing other able-bodied people doing what she can no longer do. And all the while, overcoming more than one trauma while facing the injustice of men using her as nothing more than a tool for their will.

I would even go as far as saying, this one has a subtle hint on female rage, something that not always needs to be bold, loud and blazing hot. Vasalie's rage is subtle, cold and unforgiving and still as valid and as much part of this story.

Apart from the plot and everything that makes this story so unique and impactful, I really connected with Brittney's writing, her prose and the way in which she introduced new characters throughout the story and let them take their course. People arent always as they seem to be at first and Brittney wrote a fantastic take on this, showing just how much they can change or hide their true selfs.

All in all, this is not only 5 stars but well worth a reread, and I can't wait to read more and experience what else Brittney's world has to offer.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise was strong, and I thought the dancing element was a unique twist. But one of my main issues was that I just couldn’t connect with Vasalie. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but two things definitely didn’t help: first, she wasn’t a reliable narrator, and second, she came off as really whiny.

The love interest was fine—he gave off major Rhysand vibes—but I figured out his motives long before Vasalie did, which made her obliviousness frustrating.

There’s a lot of info-dumping throughout the book, which made the story feel heavy and at times overwhelming. It was also super confusing—maybe that was intentional, but if so… mission accomplished. The plot itself was fairly standard, but I struggled to keep track of the many rulers and political factions. It just felt like too much.

All of that aside, what really killed the book for me was the ending. It wrapped up with a trope I personally can’t stand, which left a bad taste. I'm not sure if I’ll pick up the next book because of it, which is a shame.