Mary E. Pearson

When outlaw leader meets reformed thief, a cat-and-mouse game of false moves ensues, bringing them intimately together in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.

Dance of Thieves

Stella

"No one did anything," I answered quietly. "Then hold on to me," he said. "Let me show you the stars."

The family dynasty—those both blood and embraced—was safe 

Leen

“Every exchange of words between Jase and me seemed like a dance, a step forward, a step back, circling, both of us leading, anticipating, wondering what the next move would be. He didn’t trust me any more than I trusted him.” - kazi 

Sophia

He crossed the room, and no one tried to stop him. He walked up the steps and lookey down at me, his eyes searching mine, and then he pulled me into his arms, crushing me, his face nestled in my hair.

"I already told you," he whispered in my ear, "and I won't take it back. I love you, Kazi of Brightmist, and I will never stop loving you, not through a thousand tomorrows. Come back with me. Please."

They weren't even in this book really and I'm still so invested in them haha idk they seem so cute together

"Just so we know we have the story straight, you two are posing as husband and wife?"

Eben set down the pot of water he had just filled, and Natiyah paused from mincing scallions, the silence long and full.

"No," Eben answered. "We're not posing." And then he went back to his work.

If they don't end up together in the very end I will be so upset

My thoughts galloped as fast as Mije, and somewhere in my head I heard desperate words that couldn't be mine. 

I do want tomorrows with you, Jase. I want a lifetime of tomorrows.

The truth was my ankle was still tender, but Jase seemed to sense this in spite of my protest, and he limited our dancing to gentle swaying.

"I think this is the least we can do to warm the chill between these two camps," I said.

"I think I don't care anymore, as long as you're in my arms."

I lay there next to her, and even though the healer assured me she would be fine, I pressed my fingers to her wrist, feeling the thrum of her pulse.

I hoped Mason was wrong. I hoped I was wrong. Because I was still tangled up with her and I didn't want to be cut loose.

They are so cute😭 I dread the time when they return to being enemies

I lay on my back and he hovered next to me, propped on one elbow. His finger traced a line along my jaw. He didn't ask anymore what had been done to me. Not it seemed he only wanted to erase it, wash it from my memory, and for now, I let him.

"What did they do to you, Kazi?" His voice was low, earnest. Even in the dim light, I was able to see the worry in his eyes.

I pretended I didn't know what he was talking about. "Who did what?"

"Who made you afraid of an open world? An open sky? Was it Venda? Your parents?"

"No one did anything," I answered quietly.

"Then hold on to me," he said. "Let me show you the stars."

"What's that?" I replied, my voice far too breathy.

"These moments when we're not hating each other."

I stared at her, swallowed, my thoughts suddenly jumbled.

"Well?" she asked. I knew the answer but I drew it out, offering several wrong answers, making her laugh once. It was the first time I had seen her laugh, genuine, without any pretense, and it filled me with a strange burst of heat.

Our gazes held, and she seemed to know what I was doing.

And she did. A dozen more, until her lids grew heavy and she finally fell asleep.

AHHHH page 70 and they are already beginning to be cute haha

"I watched you in the wagon. Your chest. For a while, I didn't see a move at all. I thought you were dead."

I didn't quite know how to respond. "You were watching my chest?"

He stopped, looked at me, suddenly looking akward and young and not like a ruthless killer at all. "I mean-" He began walking again. "What I meant was, I eas watching to make sure you were still breathing. You were out cold."

I smiled - somewhere deep inside me so he wouldn't see. It was refreshing to see him flustered for a change.

I weighted the advantages and costs of every word and action 

 I acted. Some saw me as aloof. Mason said, with admiration, that it made me a stone-cold bastard, but this girl had pushed me to a reckless burning edge i didn't even recognize, and her calm reply only pushed me further.

She knew something about survival. I wondered if she might even know more than me.

I stopped abruptly and stepped in her path to block her, the question I promised myself I wouldn't ask bubbling up anyway. "Why don't you like me?"

"Back at the river, you said that you don't like me. I want to know why."

"We just got out of the river. Why didn't you pee there?"

"Maybe because I was doing this little thing called fighting for my life."

"You mean I was fighting for your life. You just went along for the ride."

I smiled. "Don't worry," I answered, spitting his own words back into his face, "I wouldn't want to be chained to a 

I LOVE a struggles-to-swim × keeps-her-on-the-surface scene haha it's my kryponite

"Lean back!" he yelled. "Cross your legs! Feet forward!" Jase pulled me so I was between his arms, leaning back against his chest, rapids splashing over us, spinning us, but each time he righted our course and we shot down the river like aimless leaves swept away on its surface.

alexys <3

“I know" he said. "I've always known." 

“My tomorrows are yours, Jase. I want them all to be with you.”

“ai already told you," he whispered in my ear, “and I won't take it back. I Iove vou. Kazi of Brightmist, and I will never stop loving you, not through a thousand tomorrows. Come back with me. Please."

I stared at her, the air punched out of me, but then, the glimmer again-I saw the glimmer in her eyes, and it struck me. I understood what she was doing.

“The queen will get here when she gets here, but if you wake my baby daughter one more time, I'll pop your head from your shoulders. Understand?" 

"A man who has had very little sleep in the past forty-eight hours. But to you I am King Jaxon."

"I love you. I love you with every breath. with every thought that's inside me. I've loved you from the first time I kissed you on that ledge. Even before that."

I looked up at him. Love didn't even seem like the right word to explain how I felt about her. The word seemed too small, too used, too simple, and everything I felt about her seemed complicated and rare and as wide as the world. I nodded. 

This reminded me of graceling at the beginign but I loved the ending and the story and I rlly want to read the next one 

Linara K.S

04/05/2024 Kazi and Jase just feel like home to me. Their hardships and thoughts are far too intertwined with my own to part. 

I might've only now realised that there's a resonance between what Kazi does to protect herself and what I do at times (not on the same scale, of course, but the idea remains the same), she shelters herself behind silence and distance, trying to carry the weight of pain alone without ever showcasing vulnerability which in her eyes equates to weekness. Her kindness despite everything she's been true is truly admirable and inspiring.

I've also realised why I love Jase so much. Why, along the way, much like Kazimyrah, I couldn't help but fall in love with his stubbornness and unfaltering will. He stands his ground, and despite being a blind fool driven by his own ego, you can not help but sympathise. In my case, I understand far too well his strong-willed stubbornness, the consequences that come from it. And most of all, I admired his devotion. Devotion to family, to promises, to convictions, but most telling of all to Kazi. Despite everything, the lies "the unsaid truths," as they like to call them, the secrets, he remained steadfast like a rock unmoving against a churning river.

To conclude this long introspection, I loved this book, and you should DEFINITELY pick it up. Or else...


16/03/2021 Ajdgfjdhfgj! I was afraid I would lose interest in this book since it's been a while, but OMG, this BOOK-
 I can't even
First and foremost, the MCs: Kazimyrah & Jase; 
These characters are so realistic and raw! They have fears and secrets they want to keep hidden from others. Jase and Kazi are complete opposites to each other, though they do have some traits in commun such as their determination and their desire to protect. 
Jase is out-spoken, prideful, and just a wonderful character. He prioritises his family and his duty over everything else. He emanates kindness and honesty. Even though he tries to hide it. 
Kazi is better suited in the shadows (her words, not mine), she, too, is kind but for other reasons entirely. Kazi is one of my all-time favourite characters. Her trauma is so well dealt with; i found myself tearing up simply from the way she talked about herself. She isn't prideful, nor is she one to show weekness. However, she puts on a show to whomever she chooses as a target. "Always juggling," 


THE PLOT; 
despite being a character driven book, the plot kept me on my toes. The stakes were high and reasonable. Every plot point was caused by desicion and not by circumstance, which i love. The metaphors were on point, and i found MANY quotes i adore. 
The humour took me by surprise. Despite being a heavy fantsay book with much tension, pockets of humourous scenes can be found. I remember laughing in the dead of night at one of the scenes, my brother thought me mad.

Oh, and the writing!!! Lyrical and seamless. The words flowed as gently as a river. I kept turning pages without even taking time into account. 
Two sittings. That's all it took for me to start and finish this book. I have to admit that i don't regret sleeping at 4 am. just to finish this masterpiece of a book. NO REGRETS AT ALL.

THE ENDING (dun, dun, dun...) 
I find that endings could make or break the story altogether, and LET ME TELL YOU the ending did not disappoint. 
I saw reviews complaining that the ending was rushed, but um... NO.
It was perfect. Plus, there are many things to solve in the sequel. The ending was sAtIsFyInG!!!!! to say the least. 
Ok, i'm going to stop raving about this book. 

28/12/2019 Absolutely loved it!!! I even pulled an all-nighter just to finish it, and at the very end, I just couldn’t finish it, so I savoured every word in the last 10 pages. I can’t wait to read the sequel !!!

(3.5) Ending was rushed and came at an end too quickly. Other than that, there were some cringy lines but overall pretty cool.

Mary E. Pearson's Dance of Thieves is a new YA 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.

envee

so much happening but nothing at the same time.

Ive been really wanting to read enemy to lovers and this did not disappoint. The beginning was a bit rough/ feel the lore of the world could have been explained a bit more up front. But enjoyed!

Ashley Denktas

Selin Igten

4’5/5 
this book… finished it in a couple hours and GAWDDDDDD it was good
started of a bit slow but it was so good truly
kazi<3

Dance of Thieves is an incredible read from the first to the last page. The pacing is perfect, nothing felt rushed and it never felt like you were stuck in one moment for too long. Whilst the miscommunications between Jase and Kazi are frustrating at times, I love both their characters, and the range of other characters that support them. The world building - in terms of the Ballenger family and Hell’s Mouth - is great. Whilst the overall plot of the story was largely predictable, the smaller details of the story remained largely unpredictable and added greater meaning to the overall story. Dance of Thieves is vibrant, and a great fantasy read.

Charlotte Squire

it was fine but nothing to write home about. it’s not one i would necessarily recommend but i’m not mad i read it

kels

"You’ve infected me with a poison that I don’t want to flush out, because you’re a mad viper twisting around my middle, cutting off my breath, yet I want you more than I want to breathe."

This is a fascinating story of forbidden love, loyalty and a whole lot of hypocrisy. It has taken me FAR too long to start this book. I bought Dance of Thieves a long time ago and it has sat on my Kindle shelf forever and I was about to pick it up when my friends recommended I read The Remnant Chronicles first. I am so glad I followed her advice because I think reading the trilogy first really helped understand the story better. This story follows Kazi and Jase, Kazi is a streetrat thief turned trusted Rahtan warrior, she is on a mission to investigate treaty violations following The Great Battle six years ago and to track down Captain Illarion for Queen Lia after he managed to escape justice for his crimes at the end of The Beauty of Darkness . Jase is the newly appointed Patrei to the Ballenger family, the head of a lawless family who claim to be the first Kingdom on the continent descended from the Ancients.

I had high hopes for this book right from the beginning, I was immediately absorbed into the story and loved the pacing initially, but it started to get a bit dry in the middle and then I found the ending too rushed. I fell in love with Jase and Kazi while they were out in the wilderness and I was curious to see how they would handle their budding relationship once they got back to civilisation. I loved how open and kind Jase was, his passion for his culture and his protectiveness towards his people was very admirable, and the stories he told where so touching and beautiful. Kazi was also amazing, I really had to sympathise with where she had come from and how she had grown to such a loyal and fierce soldier. I loved her sisterhood with Wren and Synové so much, and it made sense why she remained so guarded towards Jase as they got to know each other. The hot and cold, enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers, back and forth between them was equally thrilling and frustrating. I was rooting for them right from the beginning but I just wish there hadn't been so many lies, deceptions and hypocrisy between them. I know some of this is necessary to be able to drive this type of plot forward but there were points where I just wanted to throttle them both.

Unfortunately when they did get back to civilisation it started to drag a bit in the middle. We got some really beautiful moments with the Vendan settlement and with the Ballenger's tight knit family being so accepting of Kazi, Wren and Synové - it really hurt knowing that they would betray them after all of that. I kept holding out hope that Kazi would just explain to Jase why she was really there and he would help her but it never came. I think this book ended up being just a little bit too long with these scenes drawn out too much. These overly lengthy but also wonderfully poetic scenes were then compared to the rushed ending of the story and it just didn't end up working 100% for me. 

Once they get back to Venda with Jase, it all felt too easy. Everyone is threatening him with the noose and then suddenly Kazi is very easily persuading everyone to simply let him go and all of her anger at him for hiding Zane from her is just forgotten. It felt like a rush to give them a happy ending for book 1 when it might have worked better to end on more of a cliff hanger between them two. 

I really enjoyed this book but I do feel like it struggled to accomplish what it was hoping to. I imagined the Ballenger's as similar to the Shelby's from The Peaky Blinders and I think if this book was written more New Adult then we could've really gotten some heavy, gritty lawless, morally grey angst out of them but instead it felt like this book wanted to focus more on the purity of the romance between Jase and Kazi. I will absolutely be reading Vow of Thieves straight up next and am looking forward to it, but I think this series will be a solid four stars for me in the end.

Genevieve 

"You’ve infected me with a poison that I don’t want to flush out, because you’re a mad viper twisting around my middle, cutting off my breath, yet I want you more than I want to breathe."

4 ⭐'s

This is a fascinating story of forbidden love, loyalty and a whole lot of hypocrisy. It has taken me FAR too long to start this book. I bought Dance of Thieves a long time ago and it has sat on my Kindle shelf forever and I was about to pick it up when my friends recommended I read The Remnant Chronicles first. I am so glad I followed her advice because I think reading the trilogy first really helped understand the story better. This story follows Kazi and Jase, Kazi is a streetrat thief turned trusted Rahtan warrior, she is on a mission to investigate treaty violations following The Great Battle six years ago and to track down Captain Illarion for Queen Lia after he managed to escape justice for his crimes at the end of The Beauty of Darkness . Jase is the newly appointed Patrei to the Ballenger family, the head of a lawless family who claim to be the first Kingdom on the continent descended from the Ancients.

I had high hopes for this book right from the beginning, I was immediately absorbed into the story and loved the pacing initially, but it started to get a bit dry in the middle and then I found the ending too rushed. I fell in love with Jase and Kazi while they were out in the wilderness and I was curious to see how they would handle their budding relationship once they got back to civilisation. I loved how open and kind Jase was, his passion for his culture and his protectiveness towards his people was very admirable, and the stories he told where so touching and beautiful. Kazi was also amazing, I really had to sympathise with where she had come from and how she had grown to such a loyal and fierce soldier. I loved her sisterhood with Wren and Synové so much, and it made sense why she remained so guarded towards Jase as they got to know each other. The hot and cold, enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers, back and forth between them was equally thrilling and frustrating. I was rooting for them right from the beginning but I just wish there hadn't been so many lies, deceptions and hypocrisy between them. I know some of this is necessary to be able to drive this type of plot forward but there were points where I just wanted to throttle them both.

Unfortunately when they did get back to civilisation it started to drag a bit in the middle. We got some really beautiful moments with the Vendan settlement and with the Ballenger's tight knit family being so accepting of Kazi, Wren and Synové - it really hurt knowing that they would betray them after all of that. I kept holding out hope that Kazi would just explain to Jase why she was really there and he would help her but it never came. I think this book ended up being just a little bit too long with these scenes drawn out too much. These overly lengthy but also wonderfully poetic scenes were then compared to the rushed ending of the story and it just didn't end up working 100% for me. 

SPOILER

Once they get back to Venda with Jase, it all felt too easy. Everyone is threatening him with the noose and then suddenly Kazi is very easily persuading everyone to simply let him go and all of her anger at him for hiding Zane from her is just forgotten. It felt like a rush to give them a happy ending for book 1 when it might have worked better to end on more of a cliff hanger between them two. 

END SPOILER 

I really enjoyed this book but I do feel like it struggled to accomplish what it was hoping to. I imagined the Ballenger's as similar to the Shelby's from The Peaky Blinders and I think if this book was written more New Adult then we could've really gotten some heavy, gritty lawless, morally grey angst out of them but instead it felt like this book wanted to focus more on the purity of the romance between Jase and Kazi. I will absolutely be reading Vow of Thieves straight up next and am looking forward to it, but I think this series will be a solid four stars for me in the end.

nina 

kei hiroto

absolutely jaw dropping, my tears stained the damn pages, it was so good and so nice to read! i had a hard time getting into the book at first because of the heavy world that kazi and jase lived in but i just couldn't put it down once i started getting immersed in it!! absolute golden book, everyone should read this!!!

nuélle

THIS WAS SO GOOD ??????? 
and how am I supposed to study for my physics exam tmrw with that ending??? LIKE I WONT BE ABLE TO FUCKING FUNCTION AT ALL WITHOUT READING THE SECOND BOOK

big ab

this was cute, entertaining. not much action. but i really did enjoy it nonetheless.

praline

4.75 stars. now this is an interesting one, it was a struggle to fully understand what the history was in the first 5 or so chapters of the book. i actually realized later on that there was whole trilogy that i should’ve read before this (but the covers are ugly so i won’t be doing that). however, the book was really good, the world building and characterization were fantastic and the writing was stellar. plus the angst and longing between the kazi and jase while constantly trying to deceive each other was enemies-to-lovers gold. its definitely one of the few ya fantasy books that i consider top tier.

Naiya

I’ve read this book three or four times in the span of a few months

This is definitely one of my favorite books of all time

Jase and Kazi keep me going

5 star fantasy romance

🌿🌿🌿

I enjoyed every moment in this book. I didn’t love it, but it is still a great book. The story was told well and I never knew who to trust. I would definitely recommend reading the Remnant Chronicles before this. The story has more meaning and the picture is a lot clearer if you know everything from those books.  

Izzy 

It was in no way the plot that I thought it would be but I don't mind haha

It took me a second to get into it because I didn't read the series before but I understood everything just fine so I'm glad I didn't have to read the other series. Once I understood the world building and plot points it was such an enjoyable read. It did take me longer than normal but I actually liked that because if i really love a book I want it to never end haha

The ending made me a bit naseous but I think it was obvious to everyone that 

 was about to happen. And I guess something did.😭

I loved how Jase immediately forgot that she basically betrayed him and still loved her with everything he has. (This is better not a scheme of him!) He was right to forgive het straight away because my girl never did anything wrong actually. They should thank her on their knees kissing her feet actually.

I'm a bit anxious about the second book and by a bit I mean VERY. But I hope it'll be more about war or something and not them betraying and lying to each other AGAIN.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

It was in no way the plot that I thought it would be but I don't mind haha

It took me a second to get into it because I didn't read the series before but I understood everything just fine so I'm glad I didn't have to read the other series. Once I understood the world building and plot points it was such an enjoyable read. It did take me longer than normal but I actually liked that because if i really love a book I want it to never end haha

The ending made me a bit naseous but I think it was obvious to everyone that something was about to happen. And I guess something did.😭

I loved how Jase immediately forgot that she basically betrayed him and still loved her with everything he has. (This is better not a scheme of him!) He was right to forgive het straight away because my girl never did anything wrong actually. They should thank her on their knees kissing her feet actually.

I'm a bit anxious about the second book and by a bit I mean VERY. But I hope it'll be more about war or something and not them betraying and lying to each other AGAIN.

Daymaris Arca

The queen is definitely my favorite character. Sometimes it dragged on but I enjoyed the read vv good

Sasha

fiona

dnfed at about 33%. was so so bored and hated the romance

I don't even know where to begin with this book. If you're into fantasy romance, this is truly just the perfect fantasy romance novel wrapped with a pretty pink bow. I had heard that this book involved an enemies to lovers trope, but I wasn't expecting Kazi and Jase to fall for each other as quickly as they did. I loved the idea of them already having fallen for each other and then having to try their hardest to distance themselves. I absolutely loved how in love Jase was, and how little he tried to hide it. This was such a quick and refreshing read for me, and I can't wait to read the next one.

lavneet

Dance of thieves was an epic high fantasy book I read last year and I enjoyed every second of it. For starters, the world building and history in this book was amazing. I do love a good political fantasy and this one was done so well ! 

I loved all the different kingdoms and the separate histories each of them had and the politics between them. The first fifty pages of this book really confused me but I caught on quickly and really enjoyed it. This book had an enemies to lovers trope which i always enjoy and Jase and Kazi's relationship had many up's and down's but it all came together in the end. The characters in this book were easy to love and Kazi and Jase will always be a favorite fantasy couple. Also I must say I do love books with dual pov so you can really see what the characters think about each other

June

Dance of thieves was an epic high fantasy book I read last year and I enjoyed every second of it. For starters, the world building and history in this book was amazing. I do love a good political fantasy and this one was done so well ! 

I loved all the different kingdoms and the separate histories each of them had and the politics between them. The first fifty pages of this book really confused me but I caught on quickly and really enjoyed it. This book had an enemies to lovers trope which i always enjoy and Jase and Kazi's relationship had many up's and down's but it all came together in the end. The characters in this book were easy to love and Kazi and Jase will always be a favorite fantasy couple. Also I must say I do love books with dual pov so you can really see what the characters think about each other

I knew it was going to be good the second they got chained together for a few days 

Dance of Thieves

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