DNF Review – Dance of Thieves (Dance of Thieves Duology, Book 1) by Mary E. Pearson (3/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 507 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: August 7, 2018
ASIN: B078X1SVGN
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Dance of Thieves duology
Source: Borrowed ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 3/5 stars
“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.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Dance of Thieves duology. I got a copy of this to read on ebook through Kindle Unlimited.
Thoughts: This was a DNF for me. I stopped reading it at about 25% in. This is the third time I have tried to read this book. I keep forgetting it is a continuation of the Remnant Chronicles which I never finished because I didn’t enjoy the second book in that series. I was going to try to push through this anyway, but it is mostly just a flat out enemies to lovers story with very little else going one. I just can’t stay interested in it and I am making sure to record this down this time so I don’t pick it up again!
The story follows Kazi, former street thief from the first series set in this world. Kazi is now a soldier for the queen and has been sent to investigate attacks on new settlements in the kingdom. Kazi is certain that the Ballenger empire is the one attacking, what she doesn’t know is that the patriarch of the Ballenger empire has died and his son, Jase, is their new leader.
Through a series of improbable circumstances Kazi and Jase end up chained together (literally). What follows is them trying to get to safety while alternatively hating each other and trying not to fall in love with each other. It is a very basic enemies to lovers storyline and I found it boring. This is the first 25% of the book and I just had no interest in it so I stopped reading at that point.
Pearson has been more miss than hit for me as an author. I enjoyed her book “The Adoration of Jenna Fox” but didn’t enjoy the rest of that series. I also enjoyed the first book in the Remnant Chronicles but really didn’t like the second book in that series. I think I am done picking up books by her at this point; something about her writing style and pacing just doesn’t work for me.
My Summary (3/5): Overall I didn’t enjoy this and stopped reading about 25% of the way in. The story starts out like it’s going to be some epic fantasy story and then quickly devolves into a rather two dimensional enemies to lovers story. I wasn’t a fan and don’t plan on reading more Pearson books in the future.
