**PROCEED WITH CAUTION - Spoilers for Remnant Chronicles and minor spoilers for Dance of Thieves**
Dance of Thieves
By: Mary E. Pearson
5 stars
The Dance of thieves duology comes after the Remanant Chronicles trilogy. Lia is now Queen of Venda. The MC is Kazimyrah (Kazi) of Brightmist, she is one of the Rahtan. Kazi and her two best friends Wren and Synové, who are also Rahtan. They are sent to find the watch captain who escaped from the Great Battle at the end of the Remanant Chronicles. They end up at Tor's Watch, an unofficial territory run by the Ballenger family. Jase Ballenger, heir and Patrei of Tor's Watch and Kazi form a ✨connection✨and things start happening!!!
I finished the Remnant Chronicles, I was okayish about them. I expected better. I've heard people say that this book is amazing but I was still hesitant because I didn't like Mary's writing in the trilogy. However, since I own the duology, I decided to read it AND I'M SO GLAD I DID!! I am happy that I read the Remnant Chronicles first because it helps with world-building and there are a whole bunch of things in this book that are from the original trilogy. I would definitely reccomend reading the trilogy before you read the duology, however you don't have to. I just think it really adds to the reading experience.
Writing
I mentioned in my review for the Remnant Chronicles that I thought the writing was too extravagantly detailed and try-hard poetic, so obviously I was dreading the same writing in this duology. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mary E. Pearson toned it down a bit. In this book, the writing was beautiful! It was so perfect and fit the characters and story with its flourishy and poetic and beautiful words without being irritatingly biblical. So, that alone was an immediate thumbs up for me.
Characters
In the Remnant Chronicles, the characters were... okay. I mentioned feeling detached from them. This book, NO WAY. It was the complete opposite. I loved the 2 main leads, Jase and Kazi. THEY WERE AMAZING AND COMPLEX AND FLAWED BUT IN THE BEST WAY!!!! I also loved Wren and Synové!! I liked the Ballengers too. And also, is it weird that I liked Lia more in her few scenes as the Queen of Venda in this book than throughout the 3 books before where she was being Miss Power Princess saving the world?? We also got short peeks of Pauline and Kaden WHO I SHIPPP and are now MARRIED!!! Rafe and Lia who I was okay with in the trilogy are now married with a baby girl named ASTER *wink wink*... so now I'm good with them.
Romance
Now we can talk about the best thing in this book. Jase and Kazi, a new addition to my OTP list. And yes I know OTP is ONE true pairing but MY LIFE, MY RULES. TOO BAD. Also, Jase Ballenger, I love him, he's a bbf fo' sure but I like him for Kazi more. He's still a bbf but not like TOP bbf.
Now... onto the lovey doveyness!!! Kazi and Jase are just absolutely positively 100% perfect for each other. They're soulmates. I loveeed their slowburn enemies to lovers and the twists and turns and manipulation and deceiving!! 😍😍 (and yes i am aware i sound like a psychopath)
Anyways, the tropes in here were perfect. The forced proximity trope where their ankles were chained together and they spent weeks in the wilderness together 🔥🔥🔥 that was so cute. And they decided that even though they hate each other, they should "make the best of it" well well look where that got them... KISSES!!! 😏😊😁😉
He swallowed, his face only inches from mine. Long silent seconds passed, and it felt like all the world and stars and sky were closing in on us, pressing us nearer to each other.“Do you suppose,” he finally whispered, “that this could be part of making … the best of it?” My breath fluttered faintly in my chest. There were a hundred things I should have said, but instead I answered, “I think it could be.” His head tilted to the side, his face lowering, and his lips barely brushed mine, tender, slowly, leaving time for me to turn away, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to.
I swear I squealed so many times in this book, like seriously they the most amazing couple, but still amazing in their own right. There was also a knife against the throat scene but Kazi did it to Jase?! Like how hot is that!!🔥🔥🔥 Usually it's the guy but I loved it!! Also, I loved Jase and Kazi like they were both such great characters. Kazi is such a bad-ass I love her, she is one of the best MC's I have ever seen. Also, I forgot to mention Jase has a super hot tattoo on his shoulder/back of the Ballenger crest. And we got to read a lot of scenes with shirtless Jase 😏😏. Also, they didn't do the act in this book, BUT I'M HOPING THEY DO NEXT BOOK!!! Moving on, Jase is practically a mafia prince, like he's the head leader (patrei aka prince) of a powerful outlaw family. Like, is that not mafia-esque?? The kisses between these two literally so HOT... like i can't even. Kazi and Jase are both so powerful and strong on their own, but together, it's like, watch out, its a supernova force of nature!!!
Plot
The plot is sooo much more enjoyable if you have read the Remnant Chronicles first. Although, the book is like more romance-driven than plot, it was still prominent. (Also, can I just say that when it comes to Kazi and Jase, I could always do with more romance!!) Basically "the dragon" aka The Watch Captain aka Captain Beaufort Illarion is this wanted criminal, and the Ballengers are harboring him and Kazi, Wren and Synové, young ladies from Queen Lia's Rahtan have been tasked with going to the Ballengers and subtley finding out if Illarion is there. But things get complicated of course! Something that I loved in this book is how young women are part of the Rahtan?! Like, high five Lia! You did something good!. I loveeee Wren Synové and Kazimyrah's little trio.
The best Dance of Thieves fanart
Okay so overall, amazing book. Mary E Pearson really just wrote a stunning book to make up for the remnant chronicles. Literally, everything wrong in Remant Chronicles, she fixed over here, bland romance becomes perfect passionate beautifulness, poop writing becomes amazing, etc. I think she took everything bad in the trilogy and made it good and took the good stuff and like perfected it. Anyways, Mary sure can write a good romance and a succulent fantasy. (Why did I say succulent? I don't know, it just fit!) My only request is please write a nice smutty scene for them in the next book!!😏😁😘
OMG I WANNA READ IT NOW