REVIEW
A DEADLY DANCE
A “Dance of Thieves" becomes an acclaimed must have on YA shelves.
Cecilia Martínez Canales
Lately, “Dance of Thieves” has become one of the most popular fantasy books sought in the last months. Many of you might be wondering, what does it have to make it so appraised and looked out for? What is a dance of thieves? Is it just criminals and robbers having a dance session or what does it mean? If you´ve read “Dance of Thieves”, you know that it´s much more complicated than that.
A “Dance of Thieves” tells the fierce story of a Rahtan soldier, the queen's premier guard, who is entrusted to fulfill a mission in a foreign land. Kazi was a skilled thief who earned her place in the palace at a young age. She left behind her ways to serve the queen and the kingdom of Remnant, when a sudden threat arose, giving her a chance to use her old skills again. By the queen's mandate, she travels along with fellow Rahtan soldiers to a solitary and dangerous nation, which is ruled by a strong family that refuses to accept outsiders. She needs to try to be civil with them and unlock their secrets to put out the world-ending threat. Meanwhile, the leader in Hell's Mouth has perished, leaving his son to become the person in charge earlier than anticipated. Jase was mourning the death of his father when he was told that outsiders had invaded his homeland. He faced an extremely stubborn Rahtan soldier who was trying to get in his way and who claimed to have the right to be there by the “queen's orders '. Kazi´s and Jase´s stories become intertwined by a play of fate and so the dance begins.
Mary E. Pearson, author of the book, introduces us to this intricate world of lies, betrayals, and love. The book has unique and amazing storytelling which lures the readers and keeps them on the lookout for all the secrets and lies yet to be revealed. The book also has strong female characters and lovable ones that make the story interesting by showing their perspective and hardships
“Dance of Thieves” does not only tell the story from the perspective of Kazi, the royal guard. Instead, the author separated the chapters in a set told from the point of view of Kazi, and the other one from the point of view of Jase. It really makes the narrative come alive by letting the reader get to know those two characters who oppose each other and are supposed to be enemies. It helps give the story more depth by showing the reader the motives of each character, which may then stir conflict in them to have trouble picking a side. Not only that but when a character is lying to the other, the reader knows, which is amazing and thrilling! It's almost as if you are part of the secret, and no matter how much you wish you could tell the other characters what is happening, there´s nothing left but to watch the story slowly unfold.
Though the change in perspectives is great, that is not the only thing that the book has to offer. The book has strong female characters, like the protagonist herself, and you can´t help but root for them while reading. The author really fleshed out the characters to make them relatable and interesting. Every action of the characters has a hidden reason as to why they act a certain way, and it's clear in the way they were written, that they have bigger roles than what they look like. Kazi, throughout the book, appears to be a strong soldier who doesn't waver when it comes to her job, yet throughout the book, we get to know a little more about her and her past, and why the mission was so important to her. We get to see her careful walls start to peel down a little at certain things, which really makes you understand her better and want to know more.
It is a great book to read if fantasy and fiction are on the table. Though there's not a lot of dancing involved in the book, you´ll see that “Dance of Thieves” lives up to the hype. Its great storytelling will keep you up at night wanting to finish “one more” chapter and its great characters will guide the way along the adventure.