A Dance of Lies is a spellbinding debut that effortlessly blends political intrigue, slow-burn romance, and a fierce fight for freedom—all set against the backdrop of a kingdom teetering on the edge of war. With a protagonist who is as broken as she is unbreakable, Brittney Arena delivers a gripping romantasy that hooks you from page one and refuses to let go.

Vasalie Moran is a former court dancer whose grace once captivated kings—until one of them, King Illian, framed her for murder. After two years in the darkness of his dungeons, Vasalie is offered a brutal bargain: serve as his spy at the month-long royal Gathering or remain imprisoned. What follows is a high-stakes game of deceit, survival, and power, as Vasalie walks a dangerous tightrope between loyalty and betrayal, all while haunted by a past she can’t escape.

Vasalie is a standout heroine—not because she’s invincible, but because she’s vulnerable and real. The trauma she carries, both physical and emotional, is portrayed with sensitivity and nuance. Her pain is ever-present, but so is her strength. Her journey from a shattered prisoner to a woman reclaiming her agency is incredibly moving, and her resilience is a core strength of this novel.

Arena’s writing is fluid and evocative, with moments of lyrical beauty that enhance the intensity of the story. The pacing is tight, the action scenes pulse with tension, and the emotional beats land with impact. Though the world-building leaves a bit to the imagination, the focus on character dynamics, court politics, and moral dilemmas more than makes up for it.

The romantic tension in A Dance of Lies is palpable, with a love triangle that leans more into complexity than cliché. Vasalie’s conflicting feelings are handled believably, and while some readers may find themselves torn between the love interests, it’s her internal struggle and growth that truly drive the romance. One particular character—Anton—is an absolute standout, bringing wit, charm, and depth to every scene he’s in. His charisma and banter provide the perfect counterbalance to the darker elements of the story.

What makes A Dance of Lies shine is its unpredictability. Motives are murky, alliances shift, and no one—not even the reader—is safe from betrayal. The final twist is jaw-dropping and sets the stage for an explosive sequel that I’m already desperate to get my hands on. This is a must-read for readers who crave morally grey characters, political intrigues, and heroines who fight tooth and nail for their freedom. A Dance of Lies is a stunning debut that promises even greater things to come.

I feel like this could have been a good standalone but it turns out it isn’t! It was written like a standalone up until the last few chapters, where it becomes clear the author is intending for a sequel 🫠 I didn’t love the characters or the world enough to be excited to return to it in the future, hence my rating. But I do have to admit the reading experience itself was enjoyable overall. Here’s a spoiler free breakdown below:

Vasalie is a dancer imprisoned by King Illian, freed after two years in captivity to spy for him at a royal Gathering of sorts. He framed her for a murder she didn’t commit (we don’t know why as he was apparently in love with her prior) and he uses said murder to blackmail her to do his bidding.

<i>Things I enjoyed:</i>

🔸 There was a good balance of action and romance, neither overpowering the book

🔸 The plot was well paced, and I found it intriguing and unputdownable. I simply needed to know how the story ended! Kudos to the author for keeping the reader engaged

🔸 The writing was good and there were some lovely descriptions. There was also a good attempt at world building

🔸 Unique concept - I’ve not read about a dancer in a romantasy before, and I liked that she had a disability that was not visible. I think that aspect of her character was tackled well, and was a consistent feature of the book, not just a ‘disability rep’ tick box


<i>Things that didn’t work for me:</i>

🔹 Unfortunately, despite the engaging plot I didn’t feel like I actually liked the characters at all. I just never connected to Vasalie, and I’m not sure why. There was a found family aspect to this novel too but again, I found myself not caring, despite knowing I should!

🔹 Similarly, as there are multiple love interests, the amount of character building they each get is quite shallow. I never got to root for any of them, because the FMC jumped between them so much. (Sidenote, and mild spoiler: Vasalie gets annoyed at love interest A when he stops pursuing her in favour of another but all the while I felt like she was also flirting with love interest B?! I was like girl, you’re one to talk 👀). The whole almost love triangle didn’t work for me.

🔹 Lacklustre world building - where is this novel set? I kind of imagined it as ‘The South’ in GoT but that was just off pure vibes. I wish there was more detail and imagery about the world this is set in.

🔹 Lastly, I just didn’t believe all the political intrigue and scheming. When we find out Illian’s motive for imprisoning Vasalie … I was like ‘really?’ … just didn’t seem believable. Same with some of the twists and turns towards the end. Again, I blame characterisation as some people’s motivations were just not making sense.

Overall, I guess I enjoyed this to a degree, and it may motivate me to read the subsequent books. But I’ve read better romantasy than this. The plot and the romance reminded me of [b: Throne of Glass|76703559|Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1673566495l/76703559._SY75_.jpg|11138426] by SJM (which I didn’t enjoy) because everyone is just head over heels in love with the FMC for not apparent good reason. Granted, this wasn’t as bad as ToG.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 3 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it.

The description sounded good, unfortunately I was just bored throughout. It dragged, nothing gripped me and I just didn't care about any of the characters by the end.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"Your jewels are not enough. Your power is not enough. You are rich in diamonds but poor
in spirit. You are lacking." Another tight breath, and then, "He does not envy you. I do not want you. You are but dust in the wind, here and gone again."

Rating: 5⭐️

Wow, where to start! I must admit that at first I’ve been attracted by the absolutely stunning cover and by the fact that the fmc was a dancer, however I didn’t think i would love this story so much!

A Dance of Lies centers around the main character Vasalie, a former dancer and Jewel of one of the three brother-kings of Miridran who has been falsely accused and imprisoned in poor conditions for over two years. Unfortunately, the time spent in jail and the mistreatment she faced, left her body severely damaged and malnourished. Thus, when a second chance arises for her, she must endure the pain and dance once again in order to win her freedom.

First off, i loved how our main character dealt with her pain, her character growth was amazing as she went from being ashamed of her “weakened” body to proudly admitting how difficult it was for her to perform while bearing the pain.
Throughout the book, Vasalie has to thread through many difficult situations, that leave her feeling anxious and conflicted and I must say I deeply felt her dilemma as it was thoughtfully and realistically conveyed!

There is also quite a vast cast of secondary characters and I really appreciated the bond Vas formed with them and how they came to help her and understand her peculiar situation.
I must say that a particular character totally stole the show and that was Anton! I don’t want to spoil his role or anything but he was by far one of the most charismatic male characters i’ve read about in a while, his humor was chef’s kiss!

Furthermore, i particularly appreciated how the story wasn’t predictable! It left me guessing who would be the love interest, if a certain character would be a villain, how the story would end, if some characters knew what the reader already knows etc.
I wasn’t expecting that ending at all, even though i was hoping for *something* to happen and it is just SO promising for book 2!
I’m just incredibly sad that I’ll have to wait for a while🥲

I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of The winner’s curse (for the political intrigues), The Pleated Prisoner (former savior becomes captor) and Acotar (for the banter, misunderstood characters, resilient heroine)

Thank you SO much to Bloomsbury, the author Brittney Arena and netgalley for a free e-arc of this enchanting story, all opinions are my own!

My honest 2nd 5 star book of this year so far! I just couldn’t stop reading and I absolutely loved it Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

An amazing book about healing, hoping, dreaming and loving people even when your own fears seem to loud to face. I absolutely loved this book - from the worldbuilding, to the lore, to the characters and their arc, this was a journey I adored partaking in. The FMC - a dancer and artist turned spy - was an inspiration; a character who keeps fighting despite the things she thinks make her weak. Being by her side as she finds people who see her strength and power and love her for it was lovely.

I know some people were a bit confused by the whole "who's the love interest" thing but to me it just made sense for the character in question - and when you actually get to the point where you know, for sure, who's it going to be, I couldn't help but be extremely pleased because I just love him for her (and if you haven't yet, please head over to the author's instragram page and see the fanart because it's stunning).

I definitely recommend this book to everyone looking for an immersive fantasy book with a political intrigue, found family and a side of romance.

I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!

I had pretty low expectations going into this, as I do with most romantasy books nowadays, so I was not expecting to love this as much as I did! there is a perfect blend here of an engaging plot, interesting characters and a wide range of emotions, from love and romance to hate and obsession.

what I appreciated most about the plot was the way it flowed so seamlessly - the pacing is steady throughout the whole book and the stakes are high (and believable!). I love books where I can lose myself in, where the story feels real and the world is painted so clearly in my head, and "A Dance of Lies" is definitely one of them.

among the themes depicted in this story, obsession was the one I was most mesmerised by. while being a delicate topic, it's handled beautifully by the author and it made the book shine. we get to see the consequences of obsession, as well as how perfectly Vasalie uses that to her own advantage.

speaking of Vasalie, I think she might be one of my favourite FMCs, because she doesn't rely on physical strength to survive in the cut-throat world of the story. she has to rely on her wit, her intelligence, and that is just as important, perhaps even more so, than brute force. I admired her resilience and determination to survive, but also to do the right thing.

as for Anton, he was perfect and his character arc was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, which is why I need the next book right now :)

thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such an exciting new story which was a thrill to read. I really appreciated the complex representation of health and disability. It is so important to have these perspectives in literature and I feel like I have also been learning as well as enjoying the book.
I liked that the direction of the plot and the twists were unpredictable. I was constantly guessing the secrets and mysteries, often to be proven wrong.
A quick paced plot with an addictive writing style.

A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena is such a good book. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.