I set out this summer to hit my Goodreads Reading Goal of 40 (Yeah, I know some people read like a thousand books a year. I’m not one of those people.) I started Dance of Thieves without expectations. I hadn’t read any reviews. Amazon kept showing this book to me. So, while shopping for books, I took a chance on it. I mean, it’s fantasy and has thieves. I like both of those.
I enjoyed this book. I expected more thieves and action and less slow-burn romance, internal narration, and gangster-style power play, but here we are.
This book was sooooo long. Longer than I felt it needed to be for the amount of story it told. Dance of Thieves had a lot of narration and backstory. A LOT. Which, I don’t mind those things. Generally. I did not fall into this story and forgot about I’m reading. I did not stay up reading into the wee hours. I was capable at any point to set this book down and do something else. Which, doesn’t mean this book is bad. It’s not. I enjoyed it. I just…didn’t love it.
The characters were great and had depth. Kazi was the type of MC I can get behind and root for. Jase was…kind of boring, but he had his moments. The entire storyline around him and “family above all” got old. The side characters were fantastic and fit into the story, even if there were so many I couldn’t keep them straight.
The world building was extensive, yet I can’t picture the world. The people. Yes, I know there’s another series set in this world, but I don’t want to have to read another book to understand this one. Like…is this book high fantasy or science fiction set in a distant future after an apocalypse?
The writing was fantastic. It flowed.
Anyway, despite my few complaints, I’ve giving Dance of Thieves 4 out of 5.
Beatrice B. Morgan 