"Your jewels are not enough. Your power is not enough. You are rich in diamonds but poor
in spirit. You are lacking." Another tight breath, and then, "He does not envy you. I do not want you. You are but dust in the wind, here and gone again."

Rating: 5⭐️

Wow, where to start! I must admit that at first I’ve been attracted by the absolutely stunning cover and by the fact that the fmc was a dancer, however I didn’t think i would love this story so much!

A Dance of Lies centers around the main character Vasalie, a former dancer and Jewel of one of the three brother-kings of Miridran who has been falsely accused and imprisoned in poor conditions for over two years. Unfortunately, the time spent in jail and the mistreatment she faced, left her body severely damaged and malnourished. Thus, when a second chance arises for her, she must endure the pain and dance once again in order to win her freedom.

First off, i loved how our main character dealt with her pain, her character growth was amazing as she went from being ashamed of her “weakened” body to proudly admitting how difficult it was for her to perform while bearing the pain.
Throughout the book, Vasalie has to thread through many difficult situations, that leave her feeling anxious and conflicted and I must say I deeply felt her dilemma as it was thoughtfully and realistically conveyed!

There is also quite a vast cast of secondary characters and I really appreciated the bond Vas formed with them and how they came to help her and understand her peculiar situation.
I must say that a particular character totally stole the show and that was Anton! I don’t want to spoil his role or anything but he was by far one of the most charismatic male characters i’ve read about in a while, his humor was chef’s kiss!

Furthermore, i particularly appreciated how the story wasn’t predictable! It left me guessing who would be the love interest, if a certain character would be a villain, how the story would end, if some characters knew what the reader already knows etc.
I wasn’t expecting that ending at all, even though i was hoping for *something* to happen and it is just SO promising for book 2!
I’m just incredibly sad that I’ll have to wait for a while🥲

I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of The winner’s curse (for the political intrigues), The Pleated Prisoner (former savior becomes captor) and Acotar (for the banter, misunderstood characters, resilient heroine)

Thank you SO much to Bloomsbury, the author Brittney Arena and netgalley for a free e-arc of this enchanting story, all opinions are my own!

My honest 2nd 5 star book of this year so far! I just couldn’t stop reading and I absolutely loved it Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

An amazing book about healing, hoping, dreaming and loving people even when your own fears seem to loud to face. I absolutely loved this book - from the worldbuilding, to the lore, to the characters and their arc, this was a journey I adored partaking in. The FMC - a dancer and artist turned spy - was an inspiration; a character who keeps fighting despite the things she thinks make her weak. Being by her side as she finds people who see her strength and power and love her for it was lovely.

I know some people were a bit confused by the whole "who's the love interest" thing but to me it just made sense for the character in question - and when you actually get to the point where you know, for sure, who's it going to be, I couldn't help but be extremely pleased because I just love him for her (and if you haven't yet, please head over to the author's instragram page and see the fanart because it's stunning).

I definitely recommend this book to everyone looking for an immersive fantasy book with a political intrigue, found family and a side of romance.

I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!

I had pretty low expectations going into this, as I do with most romantasy books nowadays, so I was not expecting to love this as much as I did! there is a perfect blend here of an engaging plot, interesting characters and a wide range of emotions, from love and romance to hate and obsession.

what I appreciated most about the plot was the way it flowed so seamlessly - the pacing is steady throughout the whole book and the stakes are high (and believable!). I love books where I can lose myself in, where the story feels real and the world is painted so clearly in my head, and "A Dance of Lies" is definitely one of them.

among the themes depicted in this story, obsession was the one I was most mesmerised by. while being a delicate topic, it's handled beautifully by the author and it made the book shine. we get to see the consequences of obsession, as well as how perfectly Vasalie uses that to her own advantage.

speaking of Vasalie, I think she might be one of my favourite FMCs, because she doesn't rely on physical strength to survive in the cut-throat world of the story. she has to rely on her wit, her intelligence, and that is just as important, perhaps even more so, than brute force. I admired her resilience and determination to survive, but also to do the right thing.

as for Anton, he was perfect and his character arc was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, which is why I need the next book right now :)

thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such an exciting new story which was a thrill to read. I really appreciated the complex representation of health and disability. It is so important to have these perspectives in literature and I feel like I have also been learning as well as enjoying the book.
I liked that the direction of the plot and the twists were unpredictable. I was constantly guessing the secrets and mysteries, often to be proven wrong.
A quick paced plot with an addictive writing style.

A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena is such a good book. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.