Dance of Thieves

By: Mary E. Pearson

Narrated by: Karissa Vacker, James Patrick Cronin, Ann Marie Lee

Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

A stunning new adventure set in the kingdoms of the Remnant.

A formidable outlaw family that claims to be the first among nations.

A son destined to lead, thrust suddenly into power.

Three fierce young women of the Rahtan, the queen's premier guard.

A legendary street thief leading a mission, determined to prove herself.

A dark secret that is a threat to the entire continent.

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.

©2018 Mary E. Pearson (P)2018 Listening Library

Narration

I love this story! I am so happy to be back in the Remnant world! Can't wait for the next one! However, the male narrator in this audiobook is not my favorite. I feel like he would emphasize words/sentences that I wouldn't have if I had the physical book and read it for myself. He also made all the female characters sound whiny and annoying. For the 2nd book please find a new male narrator!

Fantasy, Adventure and Romance!

My thoughts jumped, my own words taunting me, The thing about a mark is they’ve created lies in their head, a story they’ve invented that they desperately want to believe, a fantasy that merely needs to be fed.


Kazi grew up on the harsh streets, becoming a thief to survive- a dang good one, at that. But now, she was chosen by the Queen to be one her elite guards, but an impulsive move may coast her that. Kazi has the opportunity to redeem herself by going on a mission of importance for the Queen, the person who has so much undeserving faith in her. Jase has just lost his father and now became the ruler of his people, spending his first night as ruler wallowing in his grief and alcohol. When the two have an altercation in streets, they never anticipated being kidnapped by slavers. Banding together (both emotionally and literally by shackles- even though they are enemies- Kazi and Jase have to find their way home and to the truth of their people's conflict.

The world building was amazing and layered, with all the regions and wars as well as histories and people so lovingly craftes. I really wanted a map so I could place all the locations mentioned in the story physically since I am a visual person. This is a book that I would love a map for! And yes, this is a spin-off, but it was such a complete world, plot and characters that there was no need for previous books (but you should read the Remnant Chronicles because they are fantastic!). This was such the perfect blend of court politics and intrigue, betrayal, lies. adventure and feels!

Oh my gosh, Dance of Thieves ended up being so romantic! Seriously, I had no idea what this story was going to be like, but I knew I was going to read this new spin-off series because I enjoyed the Remnant Chronicles so much. Gah, it was so freaking romantic and hug worthy at times, I felt like I needed to swoon- or at least force Kazi to (so not her style though but appropriate for the situation, I think).

“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 shook my head trying to pull away. “Jase, no—”

But he pulled me closer and didn’t stop. “When I asked, What is this? I already knew. I knew what I felt, what I was certain you felt, too, but I was afraid to say it, because it was all new to me. It seemed too soon, too impossible. But everything about us didn’t just feel right, it felt like something rare, something delicate that I was afraid of breaking. Something that only comes along once in a lifetime.”

I loved Kazi, but let's be honest- she may be a kleptomaniac. The girl did have an interesting habit of collecting the most random of trinkets of all varieties. Sure, she is a product of her upbringing, and you do what you need to to survive, but really she is a master thief. She has the most prickly of shells, but inside she was a lonely sad little girl. I loved her riddles, people maneuvering skills and her loyalty. The banter and love between Kazi and her 2 sisters in arms was perfect, you could see the love and bond between the girls and that they would gladly go into battle for each other, no questions asked.

Jase had such a strong moral compass that always pointed true- even though the morals of his people did not always line up with what other thought was right. I did really enjoy the dynamic between Jase and his family, you could see the love as well as the ruler boundaries that were probably hard to hold at times. He was just given a new, terrible and great responsibility yet he held up like a champ (for the most part). He was so caring towards Kazi, even though their purposes were at odds. (sniff sniff)

Ps I loved seeing "the Queen", who I know as Lia be her insightful, protective, queenly self. I will admit after the ending of The Beauty of Darkness, I was hoping for at least a little mention of a romantic connection with a certain wonderful guy, so the ending made my heart ever so happy...

“Do you suppose,” he finally whispered, “that this could be part of making … the best of it?”
...
I was as loyal to her as he was to his family, and I would betray him when the time came. I would bring his family and dynasty to their knees. His world was about to end.
The best of it.
We were only making the best of it.
For now.

The story felt magical and epic and I never wanted it to end. But as per all of Mary's books, the heartbreak and betrayal was strong too. There were moments where I thought my heart was ripped out of my chest, all I hoped for was a HEA...that may not be how this story ends. That last chapter though! I seriously do not know how such a beautiful and real moment could fall apart into such utter heart-wrenching chaos. Sorry for all the words, but I feel like I have a lot to say when it comes to my love of this book, this author and this world. I am so tied in knots, wanting to know where the story will go next. There is no doubt that I will be picking up the next leg of the adventure in this duology as soon as possible.

ahhh! she's done it again!

such a great book in the Remnant universe! Mary has hooked me again and I can't wait for her next book. Although not critical, I suggest you read her first series in this Universe, The Kiss of Deception. it's so fun to hear a little about those characters I fell in love with. thanks Mary! Also, great narration!

a good Roguemance

I'm always after this kind of book. it hit all the right notes of rogues and royalty, mistrust and sly goals, forbidden love. but the execution of it all fell a little short for me. the fist half was great and the tension built well between Kazi and Jace but once they reached that moment somehow the pace quickened and things felt rushed. the second half of the book had moments and things they did had purpose, but something felt missing or not quite there. things were repeated a lot too and many parts of the story were rushed tellings. i didn't think the 2 points of view were necessarily but I did enjoy Jace. nothing felt like too much of a surprise. still enjoyable and I listened to it all.

Too long for a cheated ending....

The narrators were great but I felt the story was too long for such a rushed ending. I didn’t mind that this was a 15+ hour audible. It’s the last 1.5hr that sped by to just kind of give a sort of happy ending to this “episode”. I thought that after I invested so much time in the main characters idk.... just felt a little cheated.
Sooooo there’s not really a cliff hanger but the author gave you many questions at the end as a set up for the next in series, which by the way it not out yet 😡 😡
I DO recommend it and FYI it is mostly a romance clean but suggestive.

Dramatic

This story didn't really catch my interest. I believe I expected something else based on the description. I was very melodramatic and a bit political in the world the author created. I expected something faster paced and not so beat around d the bush-like. It picked up near the end but a little too late for me. If it had that twisting and energy through out, I would have liked it more.

Cheesy and predictable

If you want something rather predictable, than this is your book. Characters don’t have a lot of depth or mystery.

the story had zero depth, stereotypical scenarios

I was literally cringing at the corny one liners. I powered through it hoping it would get better. It didn't. Please don't waste your credit.

Loved this!

I loved this so much! The Remnant Chronicles is one of my favorite series of all time and I have been so excited for this book. I love this world, and I loved seeing other parts of this world that weren't in TRC, but I also loved when the TRC characters showed up! I missed them. They didn't take over the story though, this book was definitely about Kazi and Jase. I loved how everything played out. It was a little slow to start, but its also long so that was okay. A lot happened in this one book and I would do anything to have the sequel right now. Kazi and Jase were awesome, I loved them both.

You can read this without reading TRC first, but it will spoil something for you about TRC that is really fun in that series. You should read TRC anyway if you haven't yet, because its amazing.

Mary E Pearson is one of my favorite authors, I will read as many books in this world as she puts out and I will love them all.

This audio was really great, I loved the performance.

Slow

This book was so so slow. It was too political and so much backstory and world building before the actual story came. Also the male narrator was pretty annoying. I ended up returning it I hated it that much.

Immersive listen

Really enjoyed this and I got completely absorbed in the story. It was quite a while before I realised the heroine was actually only in her late teens, as fortunately it reads as older than that. Technically this may be a Young Adult story but I’m in my thirties and enjoyed it. The story ties up nicely as a stand alone book but there are threads that will continue into the rest of the series. Narrators are great too - though I’m sure James Patrick Cronin is also known as the narrator Joe Arden. Either that or he has a voice twin. He’s got a great voice either way. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!

Beautifully narrated

Those familiar with Mary E. Pearson's Remnant Chronicles should not hesitate giving this a listen. The plot is well-developed. However, much reliance has been placed by the author on the eventuality of a sequel, leaving the listener waiting for answers and not receiving them by the end of the book. Nonetheless, the main characters are strong and sufficient care has gone into building them. Mary E. Pearson has gone quite easy on her characters in this book as compared to Kaden, Lia and Rafe of the Remnant Chronicles. Her characters in Dance of Thieves are more likable and more accepting of each other thereby offering the reader a more gentle, less anguish-filled listen.

The narration was beautiful. The different narrators offering an almost cinematic quality to the entire performance.

Three sisters who got each others backs

Dance of Thieves by @marypearson. This book is a batshit 🦇💩 crazy story filled with love and death in equal measure. Two people from opposite world's 🌎 are captured by slave traders and end up incarcerated in a co-dependent struggle to survive.

The characters were wonderfully written and personified their respective kingdoms. Their were so many twists and turns in this plot I almost felt my eyeballs pop out their skull 💀. My first @marypearson read but not my last📚 5/5 ⭐ #BookReview

Follow me on Twitter @zennyreadsalot for more amazing reviews

A pretty amazing audiobook!

story was amazing but narrators needed some getting used to

still you must read or listen to this story

its a great enemies to lovers book

Highly recommend

The narrators were perfect. Loved the story and was able to be fully immersed in the world the whole time.

in love

perfect contrast of romance & drama
love the characters and how they mix, not predictable whatsoever.
this book is a definite read.