Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Summary from Goodreads:

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.

Review:

So, I read the Remnant Chronicles this year. I wanted to read them all before starting this new book, and I wanted to have read them + this one before going to a festival where I could have the author sign them all. Unfortunately, I was super sick the day of the festival and missed out. And then I postponed reading this book because a million library books came in for me. Then, I was worried I wouldn’t remember enough of the books leading up to this one.

Thank goodness I remembered the other books. I know some reviewers have said you don’t need to read The Remnant Chronicles to enjoy this one, but I disagree. A lot of this book alluded to past events, and important characters just would not make sense to you if you have not read the earlier series. That being said, I loved it. I loved the Remnant Chronicles and I wasn’t sure I’d end up loving these new characters like I did the past ones.

I fell in love with these characters too. This book felt like a super amazing combination of Tamora Pierce, Sherry Thomas, and Leigh Bardugo. This is YA fantasy at it’s best. That being said, the story isn’t an entirely new one. It follows a lot of well-known YA fantasy tropes. However, it does bring in new characters, fun additions, and lots of steamy romance. And because of those things, it didn’t feel too overdone. It still felt kind of fresh.

I’m also a sucker for hate turned to love romances. I loved watching Kazi and Jase get to know each other. They are both just so smart, quick, and loyal to their causes. You can’t help but want them to see these similar qualities in each other and know that they belong together.

The plot moved quickly –especially in the beginning when the book was a bit of a survivalist story. Watching the two characters survive in the wilderness while literally chained together at the ankles was quite a story. And then, I was just as riveted in the middle of the book because I needed to know what Kazi’s true mission was. What were her secrets, and what was her awful history?

I love that Pearson slowly answers all your questions as you read, keeping you interested in the plot the whole time. She’s a master of the slow reveal. Though if you’re a fantasy reading pro, you’ll call a lot of the reveals before they happen.

I loved the friendships and side characters. I loved seeing characters form the past books and reading about the leaders they’ve become. I loved seeing the aftermath of the world that survived such chaos and reading about the kinds of people who can benefit from all the sacrifices made in the earlier series. The world building kept going. The character development was masterful. And the love story was one I was hoping for. All in all, this was a fantastic read. I give it a 10/10.