Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson Series: Dance of Thieves #1
Also in this series: , Vow of Thieves
Published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) on August 7, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 508
Source: NetGalley, Purchased
My content rating: YA (Some violence, Nothing more than kissing)
My rating:
A new 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.
I can’t tell you how excited I was to see that Pearson was revisiting the Remnant Chronicles universe! This book takes place several years after the conclusion of the original series. You definitely don’t have to have read the original series to understand what’s going on in this one, but I LOVED it, so I highly recommend reading it for the background history. Some of the characters make appearances in this book.
What Fed My Addiction:
- Thief turned warrior. Kazi is an accomplished thief who crosses the queen. I love that, instead of punishing her, the queen sees Kazi’s potential and puts her into her elite royal guard. Kazi has a tragic backstory that we learn as the story unfolds. Her sense of loyalty to the queen combined with her own search for vengeance against the man who sent her tragic story into motion—and anyone who would take advantage of the weak—make her an incredibly strong and dynamic character.
- A complicated history. At first glance, Jase’s people are glorified gangsters. They run their unofficial empire with an iron fist. But, once again, as the story proceeds, we learn what’s behind that fierce sense of entitlement and we discover that Jase and the rest of the Ballengers might not be quite the bullies they seem. I love this sense of gray morality in a book—you’re never quite sure whose side you should be on or whose actions you should condone. The Ballengers have a rich history that has had a profound impact on their society, and they’re not willing to just let that history slip away.
- Jase and Kazi together. Once Jase and Kazi’s paths cross, neither of them are ever the same. I LOVED every minute of this match-up because these two had chemistry beyond belief (and I’m not even referring to just romantic chemistry, though that was definitely a part of it). The point where they met was the moment that the book sparked for me and I didn’t want to put it down. I even had to put the book down for a while (because of the Make Me Read It Readathon), but when I picked it back up a full week later, I was able to jump right back in and I was immediately immersed in the story again. That says a lot to me.
- Lots of twists and turns. As expected with Pearson, this book takes several detours I didn’t see coming. (Sure, there were a few predictable elements too—especially where the romance was concerned—but I was okay with that.) Even better, Kazi and Jase didn’t see them coming either, so we got to be blindsided right along with the characters.
What Left Me Hungry for More:
- Took a little while to warm up. Part of this might have been my own issue. I spent the beginning of the book straining to remember details from the original series. Every time a name or a piece of history was mentioned, I found myself trying to remember if this was a detail I should already know or if it was new. It took me a while to get over this and to just move on to enjoying the story. But once Jase and Kazi were thrown together (which really wasn’t all that far into the book), I was all in!
- Too neat of an ending? Or maybe that’s the wrong way to say it. I was pretty happy with the way it all ended up, but it was the manner in which we got to that finale that left me feeling a tiny bit cold. It happened a little too quickly and easily, in my opinion. However, never fear because Pearson gave us a nice little hint of danger to come at the end of the book—just enough to get us itching for book two!
Pearson never disappoints, and this book was no exception. With a pair of protagonists fighting for opposite goals and a rich history that adds depth to the story, Dance of Thieves is a spectacular start to a new series!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (but I loved it so much, I also bought a physical copy for myself!). No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
About The Author
Mary E. Pearson is the New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author of The Remnant Chronicles trilogy, The Jenna Fox Chronicles, The Miles Between, A Room on Lorelei, and Scribbler of Dreams. She writes full-time from her home office in California.
I pre-ordered, so I got this fancy bookmark in the mail to go with the book!
Have you read any of Pearson’s books? Are you as big of a fan as I am? I want to know!
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16 responses to “Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson: A Spectacular Spin-Off!”
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I have the audio of this to review, but haven’t started it yet. Honestly, I think I’m a little nervous!! But I am so excited to get back into this world!
Glad you enjoyed it, great review!
Tonya!!! It’s so good to see you again. I’ve missed you! 🙂 Hope you love the audiobook!
I’ve been seeing this one getting great reviews lately and it sounds like an exciting book. Plus the cover is gorgeous!
Have you read the original series yet? If not, you definitely should!
I haven’t read any of Pearson’s previous books, but I bought this one a few days ago and am so excited! It sounds amazing.
I think you can easily read this one without reading the original series first (though I definitely recommend the original series!!).
Great review. Never read anything by this author. Will have to follow up on your recommendation and check the author’s different books. ❤️ I like the moral gray areas to a story, nothing is ever as it seems! Thanks!
I love Pearson’s books, so I definitely recommend them!!
I haven’t read anything by Pearson but this book recently caught my eye, so I’m glad to hear it’s such a great read. Kazi sounds like my kind of character!
I’m a definite fan of Pearson!
This is new to me author but I will check this out right away cuz your post has piqued my interest. You make it sound great!
I hope you love her!
Isn’t it the best when an author you love jumps back into the world of a series you love? I actually haven’t read the Remnant series even though I know it’s quite a popular series! I think I’d want to read those first before jumping into this one. And I am glad you were able to get back into the world and still absolutely love it even if you needed to warm up a bit. 😀
You definitely don’t NEED to read The Remnant Chronicles first, but it’s such a great series that I recommend it anyway. 🙂
I still have to read Remnant Chronicles! I just checked and my library has the trilogy so I really need to pick up that trilogy! I’m so happy to hear how much you loved this book too!
Oh, I hope you love it!