Dance of Thieves

An addicting new fantasy from one of my favorite YA fantasy authors. This book has it all. Romance, danger, conflict, fierce characters, and humor. Pearson's rich storytelling once again swept me off my feet, and had me falling head over heals in love with her characters, and their story. I absolutely loved being back not only in the Remnants world, but in a Mary E. Pearson book. This book is definitely my new favorite book of hers. It's richly detailed fantasy world set within a world I already loved. It's a new story with a rich history (which is the Remnant Chronicles), new characters, some previously introduced characters, a villain you'll love to hate, character chemistry that will you wanting more, and two characters that I absolutely loved falling in love, and whose stories I loved reading. It wasn't hard for me to quickly fall in love with Jase and Kazi. Individually, both are incredibly resilient, street smart characters who show no fear, and don't back down from a challenge. Both are on opposite sides of things, but it made things that much more interesting and complex for each other. After they find themselves in a complicated situation, they're forced to trust to each other enough to work together. It's during that time they form an deniable bond. Their bond felt right, and natural, but it also leads into their pretend relationship. Which really was my favorite aspect of the story, because while it's all pretend politically, neither can deny their true feelings, which makes things really interesting and complicated for the two of them. Having this story told in alternating points of views between Jase and Kazi was brilliant! I don't think this story would have worked any other way. It allows readers to really see the various situations that arise, and the full picture of everything that's going on both with Kazi's mission, and Jase's ruling, and now the situations between the two of them. It also allows readers to really get to know both the characters more, and understand where they're both coming from, their feelings for each other, intentions, and the reasoning behind their actions. I loved getting to know Jase and Kazi. The rest of the characters in this book are great. Having the dual povs of views also allow readers to really get to know these other characters more. From those in Jase's family, to those with Kazi, these characters all added a lot to the story. The world building is just what I'd except from Mary's books. It's richly detailed, easy to visualize, and adds an new element to a world that I already had fallen in love with. The overlapping of the previous history in this book was perfectly done. I loved the way Mary included that in the story. If you read The Remnant Chronicles prior to reading this book, the characters, and events mentioned from that series will make more sense, but this book is definitely it's own storyline, and one you may be fine with reading on it's own. While Dance of Thieves is a continuation of the series, I love that it's a new storyline, and series set after those events. This book is everything I knew it would be, and much more. That ending! I can hardly wait to dive into the next book in this series.

I'm gonna get this question out of the way: do you need to read the Remnant Chronicles before you read this? The quick and technical answer is "No, you do not." This is an entirely separate story, but in terms of plot and characters. Where the two overlap is historical context. A lot of the history of this novel is comprised of events that took place in TRC, and so you're spoiled for the previous series. Spoiled a lot. So, if you would ask me - I'd suggest reading the series first, and then getting to this. You don't HAVE to, but you'll thank me for it. Likes: ✨The characters. Pearson is a master of characterization; she constructs distinct personalities and voices for her protagonists, giving them their own unique flavor. Our two main characters with perspective chapters are Kazi and Jase, both of whom are deeply flawed in their own ways but that's what makes them so fascinating. Their internal struggle and deep-rooted sense of loyalty - whether it be to their kingdom, to their family, to their values - are traits that largely define both of them, causing intense friction between their relationship, but also a profound sense of understanding. The result is a back and forth, a push and pull between them that's so delicious to watch unravel. But that's not all - the side characters are also well fleshed out with their own personalities and their own goals. You get a good sense of who each major side character is. Their relationship dynamic with each other, whether they're on good terms or mortal enemies, are also given proper weight. Pearson utilizes this chunker of a book to the best of her ability in terms of characterization, because even after you turn the last page, you still feel like they're standing right beside you. And you KNOW I'm a sucker for good characterization. ✨The romance. I can't tell you how long it's been since a 'ship' has made me swoon like this, but Kazi and Jase's relationship was genuinely all-consuming. For a lot of the reasons I mentioned above and their characters' positions in this story, their relationship is complicated to say the least. Kazi is a reformed thief-turned-guard for the queen, and Jase is the head of the Ballenger family - a family that doesn't have the best reputation in the kingdom. For all intents and purposes, they're rivals. Or at least they should be, but they're so similar in so many ways that they can't stay away. Another great thing Pearson does is stay far, far away from the 'will-they-won't-they' trope. They do. And they fall for each other very early on in the novel. It's so unexpected, because a lot of the events that take place in the first 25% of the book are events I usually expect in a sequel! But Pearson structures her books confidently and smartly. She gets the trope-y stuff out of the way (and does it deftly, naturally!) so she can focus on the issues the way they need to. Because of this, the reader is fully invested in the romance because they've already tasted it. But the complications that exist are fully explored, delved into deeply, which makes the relationship and characterization all the more rich and powerful. ✨ I was going to talk at length about characterization and the romance, which I've done, but just because these next points are shorter doesn't mean they're any less well done. The richness in the world-building and the political system made for a very complex plot, chock-full of betrayal, deceit, traveling (I sure love traveling in a medieval-inspired world!), thievery, fighting, sneaking around and illicit kisses. What's not to love! ✨ The writing was beautiful, but I expected nothing else from Pearson after she totally blew me away with her Remnant Chronicles series. Dislikes: ✨ Honestly, my only true gripe with this book was some of the world-building and its info-dumpy nature. I understand because the political system and the mapping out of the world is extremely important to the overall story of the novel, and a lot of this cannot be done unless you have (1) info-dumps or (2) maps. Since I had an ARC of the book, I did not have access to the maps so I sometimes found myself confused. I feel if the information was complemented with a visual element, it would have been a lot easier. But as it was, parts of my reading experience were confusing. I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bom

TRAMA Un nuovo romanzo ambientato nell’universo della serie Remnant Chronicles, in cui un ladro riformato e un giovane leader di una dinastia non riconosciuta si scontrano in una battaglia che potrebbe costare loro la vita – e i loro cuori. Quando il patriarca dell’impero dei Ballenger muore, suo figlio, Jase, diventa il nuovo leader. Anche i regni vicini si inchinano di fronte alla forza di questa famiglia di fuorilegge, che ha sempre governato secondo le proprie regole. Ma una nuova era si avvicina, messa in moto da una giovane regina. Ciò fa di lei il bersaglio della rabbia e il risentimento della dinastia. Allo stesso tempo, Kazi, una leggendaria ladra di strada, viene mandata dalla regina ad investigare le trasgressioni contro i nuovi insediamenti. Quando Kazi arriva nell’ostile terra dei Ballengers, scopre che Jase è più di ciò che immaginava. Mentre eventi inaspettati accadono fuori dal loro controllo, facendo in modo che le loro vite si scontrino e facendo si che il loro rapporto cresca in modo intimo, i due continueranno a giocare al gatto e il topo con false mosse e motivi affinché non adempieranno le loro missioni segrete. RECENSIONE Molti di voi probabilmente non conosceranno i libri di Mary E. Pearson. Questo perché non sono mai stati pubblicati in Italia, e trovo anche che lei sia tra le più sottovalutate scrittrici di young adults. Lo scorso anno ho divorato l'intera trilogia delle "Remnant Chronicles", di cui "The Kiss of Deception" è il primo romanzo. Ho amato ciascun libro. Non è una trilogia che si perde per strada come molto spesso succede; è davvero ben riuscita. "Dance of Thieves" è ambientata nello stesso mondo della precedente trilogia. Per leggerlo, non siete necessariamente obbligati a recuperarla, ma lo consiglio fortemente. Primo perché è bellissima e non ne resterete delusi; secondo, vi resterà più facile comprendere questo mondo. In "Dance of Thieves" fanno comparsa molti dei personaggi dei libri precedenti, ed è stato molto bello vedere come sono cresciuti e maturati, e vedere come sono andate avanti le loro vite. Questo è un libro incentrato fortemente sulla storia d'amore, anche più di "The Kiss of Deception". Se non vi piacciono i libri dove l'amore ricopre un grande ruolo, probabilmente questa serie non farà al caso vostro. A me non dispiace, e trovo che la storia d'amore in questo libro sia davvero ben fatta. Il genere di relazione che nasce tra Kazi e Jase è tra le mie preferite, ovvero quella tra nemici che poi diventeranno amanti. Anche se i protagonisti provano subito una certa attrazione tra loro, non è uno di quei casi dove si innamorano a prima vista. La storia è sviluppata in modo graduale, naturale e credibile. “She fascinated me, her contradictions, her secrets, and the girl that sometimes surfaced from beneath her tough soldier exterior, like when she spotted the wish stalks on the bank. The girl who forgot who I was and pressed a wish stalk to my ankle. In another world, another circumstance, I think we might have been friends. Or more.” All'inizio del libro si trovano in una situazione un po' complicata: incatenati insieme. Per loro non c'è altra scelta che cercare di collaborare per sopravvivere. La fiducia sarà il problema cruciale che dovranno cercare di risolvere nel corso del romanzo. Nessuno dei due, nonostante l'amore che li lega, si fida particolarmente dell'altro. Comprensibile, visti i segreti che continueranno a tenere nascosti. Adoro il personaggio di Kia. Credo che sia la mia protagonista preferita dei libri della Pearson. Kia è un'orfana del regno di Vendan, ed ha vissuto durante il regno del Komizar. Durante questo regno, i ladri potevano rischiare di perdere le dita nel caso in cui venivano scoperti. Lei è soprannominata Dieci, perché le ha ancora tutte. Grazie alla sua abilità, entra a far parte dei Rahtvas, le guardie personali della regina Lia. Il libro è perfetto dall'inizio alla fine. Peccato per quelle ultime due pagine, che mi fanno desiderare di avere il seguito già tra le mani. Sono sicura che i libri seguenti saranno anche migliori, e "Dance of Thieves" ha tutti i buoni propositi per diventare una delle mie serie preferite! VOTO: 4.5/5 stelle!

Ich bin mit diesem Produkt sehr zufrieden! Die Qualität entspricht genau meinen Erwartungen, und die Verarbeitung ist hochwertig. Die Lieferung war schnell und gut verpackt, sodass das Produkt in einwandfreiem Zustand angekommen ist. Es funktioniert einwandfrei und erfüllt seinen Zweck perfekt. Ich kann es definitiv weiterempfehlen und werde es bei Bedarf wieder bestellen!

Szybko przyszła, nie było problemów z dostawą, zgodna z opisem

Came in a perfect condition and is definitely not a pirated version. Super excited to read it.