Book: A
Dance of Lies
Author: Bittney
Arena
Pages: 448
Date(s)
Read: July 14th, 2025 to August 2nd, 2025
Date
Published: June 10th, 2025
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing style: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Ending: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Format: Hardcover
Date Bought: July 1st, 2025
Book Cost: 26.99
A Dance of
Lies is a jewel of a book. The world is lush and vibrant with an unforgettable
story and noteworthy characters being led by a fantastic female lead who has
various struggles both mental and physical, to overcome. The revelations and
twists will have your jaw dropping.
In this
fantasy world, full of the perfect amount of world-building, I should add, we
are introduced to Vasalie Moran. Once the Kings Jewel she has spent the last
two years wasting away in jail for a crime she didn't commit. King Illian is
willing to release her if she acts as a spy for him during the crown's
gathering on the Isle of Anell. While there, she meets a motley assortment of
interesting, unique, and lovable characters with different and varied
motivations and personalities. Vasalie longs to interact and make friends with
others, but her precarious position as Illians spy keeps her from involving
herself with others until a particularly devious request forces Vasalie to make
some tough decisions.
This novel
takes a lot of care in its handling of tough themes. Vasalie herself is left
with permanent disabilities and changes to her body from the years in prison
with malnourishment and lack of movement. Vasalie is a multifaceted heroine who
has become my all-time favorite female main character. She struggles with not
only various ailments, but deep psychological pain, and the morality
surrounding betraying those around her in a bid to save herself. Never has a
heroine struggled so much with such quandaries; it was really refreshing.
This book
of course wouldn't be a romantasy without romance, and you will get a unique
love triangle with two very different men in terms of looks, personality, and
places in their respective societies. It's like night and day. Usually, when I
read romantasy the various love interests are all highly similar, brooding and
sulking, stoic males. You won't find that here; men have real personalities.
They also both have fully fleshed-out pasts.
I have one
complaint, it's a small one. It ends on a cliffhanger and since it was just
released there's no book two yet, but rest assured knowing that as soon as it's
available for preorder it's going to be at the top of my TBR.
If you have
even a passing interest in romantasy and are looking for a heroine with more
depth than usual and male love interests with personalities that doesn't entail
growling then you need to run to your local book store and grab A Dance of
Lies.
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