Should I give Dance of Thieves another chance?

First let me confess something: I liked but didn’t love The Remnant Chronicles. I ADORED the first book but then the series declined for me and I only gave the last book three stars. I think my main issue was it felt really religious. The romance kind of disappeared and the religion took its place.

When I first heard about Dance of Thieves it didn’t register with me that it was by the same author. Eventually I figured it out but it sounded SO GREAT that I decided to give it a shot…

Dance of ThievesDance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
Series: Dance of Thieves #1
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. on August 7, 2018
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 384
Source: Purchased
Book Details
Rating: Did Not Finish

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty's resentment and anger.

At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.

I’m sad to report that I stopped reading only 8% through. Despite me having read The Remnant Chronicles (Dance of Thieves takes place in the same world) I felt like I was jumping straight into book two of a series instead of book one. There were a lot of references to places and names that I felt like I was expected to know, but didn’t, and I had a hard time following. That confusion led to disinterest and frustration.

I read a review by someone else who said they had trouble at the beginning but pushed through and were glad they did. So based on the fact that I didn’t love The Remnant Chronicles, do you think it’s worth me giving this another shot? I think the plot sounds so cool, but I had such a hard time getting into Dance of Thieves.

Have you read Dance of Thieves? If so, tell me what you thought! Should I give it another chance?

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9 comments

    1. Thanks Laura! I’m glad to hear the audio was nice. I haven’t really been able to get into audiobooks though, but I haven’t really given them that much of a chance. I only really tried one or two. Maybe I should give it another shot.

  1. From what I understand, only people who were in love with the Remnant series have liked this book. Considering that you only liked it, I’d say – chalk it up to the fact that we cannot like everything that an author likes, and move on. But just be aware of this, and when a new book/series comes out from them, check it out anyway.

  2. I liked the first in The Remnant Chronicles best by far, and I enjoyed the others, but not nearly as much. I did like Dance of Thieves.

    1. Kind of the same here. I LOVED the first book in the Remnant Chronicles, but didn’t like the other two as much. I hate it when that happens. 🙁

      I’m glad you enjoyed Dance of Thieves though!

  3. I haven’t read anything but this author before but it is REALLY HELPFUL to know that this builds off another series and kind of expects the reader to know the world. I will now re-prioritize my reading a bit because I wasn’t planning on reading the Remnant Chronicles. Hope you get some answers to your dilemma, though!

    Kaleena @ Reader Voracious Blog recently posted: Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
    1. I’m glad I was able to draw your attention to that! I’m not sure if reading the Remnant Chronicles is really 100% necessary but based on the little reading I did so far I think it definitely would help tremendously. It does mention quite a few people or locations from the first series and knowing that information probably helps you click with the story a lot better.

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