Review: Dance of Thieves (#1) by Mary E. Pearson

Summary from Goodreads:

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: 


What I Liked:

Characters. Despite some pacing and romance issues I had with the novel, I really loved the characters. It is not surprising because that is what I loved about the first series as well. My favorite character was Kazi, she is a strong and fierce character who does what she needs to do even if it means making people mad. The side characters were good as well but I mainly enjoyed the novel when it was told from Kazi's point of view. I also enjoyed how Pearson included characters from the first series as well. 

World Building/Setting. I grew to love the fantastical world Pearson crafted in the first series and she does a good job of expanding on it. I enjoyed the fact that she introduces us to another part of the world. She brings back the familiar Venda with the character, Kazi but also builds new parts of the well-crafted world. The second half of the novel and Kazi's flashbacks expanded on the setting and I hope the next book shows more of the world.  

What I Disliked:

Pacing. I struggled to get through the first half of this 500 page novel. I felt that the first half dragged and did not have enough world building/plot development because it focused on the romance and the two main characters too much. 

Romance. The main element that hindered some of my enjoyment with this new series was the romance. It started to happen only at 20% and it felt a little rushed to me. I warmed up to it by the ending, mainly because it is clear that it will be a main thing in the books to come but I felt like it was a little unneeded. 

I recommend checking out this fantasy series if you enjoyed Pearson's former one. I have a feeling that the books to come will be action packed and well-done. 

Rating:

3.5 Stars Out of 5 Stars.