Dance of Thieves, by Mary E. Pearson, is an enticing fantasy book that kept me pretty much on edge.
Kazimyrah of Brightmist, one of the Queen’s elite soldier guards, and Jase Ballenger, the son of an outlaw family who claim to be the first family among all the nations, are enemies. This changes quickly, though, when they are captured by labor hunters. They are forced to work together to escape, and as they embark on their journey back to safety they fall for each other involuntarily. Kazi knows she shouldn’t. The mission the Queen sent her on could only end one way: with Jase hating her. Yet, when they do return, Kazi and Jase end up having to pretend to be together, each for their own selfish reasons.
A bigger threat lurks in the dark, threatening to overthrow the Ballenger dynasty and the rule of the other kingdoms.
In this enemies to lovers, will Kazi and Jase get their tomorrows together, or will their different backgrounds and the enemies in the shadows get the best of them?
I relished this book because it had well thought out, three dimensional characters. The author also did an amazing job at world building, with deep history and fascinating sights. Unfortunately, the way we are introduced to everything had me lost for some chapters. It took time to learn who everyone was and where they came from, but afterwards I was hooked.
The story seemed to revolve around Kazi and Jase’s relationship and their struggles as a couple, with little attention to the bigger picture. As I read, I wished that the author would tell me what their motives were, to reveal the bigger plot, and even if it took some time, it was worth it in the end.
The riddles and the foreshadowing were entertaining. This was probably my second favorite thing about the book. My first were the characters and the setting that the author put up. Tor’s Watch is a magnificent place, and the characters were everything that I hoped for.
Sadly, this is not my type of book, though I would recommend it to any enemies to lovers or fantasy fans.