I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Vow of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
Series: Dance of Thieves #2
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 8/6/19
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 496
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Kazi and Jase have survived, stronger and more in love than ever. Their new life now lies before them―the Ballengers will be outlaws no longer, Tor's Watch will be a kingdom, and Kazi and Jase will meet all challenges side by side, together at last.

But an ominous warning mars their journey back, and they soon find themselves captured in a tangled web of deceit woven by their greatest enemies and unlikeliest allies, a place where betrayals run deeper and more deadly than either had thought possible, and where timeless ambitions threaten to destroy them both.

Short and Sweet Review

After everything that happened in Dance of Thieves, Kazi and Jace are in more love than ever. Kazi and Jace are on their way back to Tor’s Watch, but on their journey they’re ambushed and separated. Kazi and Jace have no idea if the other is alive, now they need to try to do everything they can to keep their wits about them as they navigate enemies and allies and try to make it back to each other.

Let’s start with Kazi. She’s being held as a prisoner by Montegue the king of Eislandia. Montegue believes he should have had Tor’s Watch as part of his and after much planning he does get it by taking people by surprise and attacking. This attack has the Ballenger family go into hiding. Kazi has to deal with Montegue and his twisted way of thinking. Kazi doesn’t know what’s going on outside of the Inn where she’s being kept but she does know that she just has to make it another day. The only thing keeping Kazi going is Jace’s voice telling her she can do it. Montegue has Jace’s younger siblings which he uses as protection and to keep Kazi in line. Kazi does find in ally in Paxton, Jace’s cousin. I did like their partnership, Kazi wasn’t sure if she could trust Paxton but in the end he comes through.

Jace was injured during the attack and it’s a miracle that he survived it. Jace is on a settlement with people who are taking care of him. All Jace cares about is finding Kazi. Jace also reunites with Wren and Synove, this was my favorite part I loved how they were there mainly for Kazi but also for Jace because of Kazi’s love for him. These three end up making it to Tor’s Watch and meeting with the others in the Ballenger family. 

The Ballengers were not excited when they heard that Jace and Kazi were together but once they realized that Jace truly loved her they changed their minds. I liked how everyone teamed up to rescue Kazi and finally take back Tor’s Watch from Montegue. 

I love this Duology and this book was great. It was interesting to see how Kazi and Jace had to navigate being separated but I’m glad they found some new allies along the way! I was also excited to see the Queen of Venda and the King of Dalbreck in the end. Kazi and Jace didn’t start out with the best relationship but in the end it’s one I fell in love with!

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
Series: Dance of Thieves #1
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 8/7/18
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 512
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

A formidable outlaw family that claims to be the first among nations.

A son destined to lead, thrust suddenly into power.

Three fierce young women of the Rahtan, the queen's premier guard.

A legendary street thief leading a mission, determined to prove herself.

A dark secret that is a threat to the entire continent.

When outlaw leader meets reformed thief, a cat-and-mouse game of false moves ensues, bringing them intimately together in a battle that may cost them their lives―and their hearts.

Short and Sweet

Kazi is a Rahtan and that means she is in the queen’s army. Kazi is sent to Hell’s Mouth by the queen to investigate transgressions against Vends settlements but she also has another mission and that is to bring  General Illarium back to face judgement for the crimes he has committed. In Hell’s Mouth Kazi comes across Jase Ballenger who is now the new Patrei after his fathers death. Hell’s Mouth is supposed to be under Venda’s jurisdiction, but the Ballenger family believes its in theirs. These two end up having to learn to work together after unexpected events end up bringing them closer than they thought could be possible.

Characters

Kazi: Kazi used to be a thief and being a thief was her only way to survive she had to support herself when she was six because her mother was taken from her. Soon Kazi joined the queens army and she takes her missions seriously. I liked Kazi and I felt for her, she’s had a hard life and she’s just trying to make it by. She likes to tell riddles and honestly she’s a good thief she can steal things without people even knowing she did it, she’s quite resourceful in that way. I loved her as a main character she was strong, smart, and always thought ahead.

Jase: After the death of his father Jase becomes the new Patrei which means he’s the head of the family now and in charge of Hell’s Mouth. Jase has to deal with people attacking Hell’s Mouth and he tries to take care of this by making a stand and showing people that the Ballenger family is stronger than ever. Jase hasn’t struggled as much as Kazi so it takes a while for him to understand her. I also liked Jase as a main character he deeply cares about his family and will always put them first and he’s also smart.

Romance

Kazi and Jase: So in an unforeseen event both Jase and Kazi are kidnapped by labor hunters and end up chained together. The two of them now have to work together to get back to civilization, and this is when they become the closest and learn a lot about each other and realize that their initial thoughts about each other may not be true. When they get back to Hell’s Mouth these two still have feelings for each other but they do realize that they can use each other to get what they want. I loved these two so much and after much contemplation these two are now one of my favorite book couples theres just something about how they started to where they ended up it was perfect, cute, and just thinking about them makes my little heart swell with joy.

My Thoughts

~ In this book we get POVs from both Kazi and Jase and both were enjoyable and usually I like one characters POV more than the other but I equally liked both and was excited to see what would happen or what they were thinking.

~ Kazi didn’t travel to Hell’s Mouth alone she came with two other Rahtan soldiers, Wren and Synove. I loved all of these girls they were all trained to fight and they’re good at it. Wren is more intimidating but she does care about her friends. Synove is more talkative but she’s a great archer. These girls love each other and all have a dark history so they definitely understand each other on a deeper level.

~ The Ballenger Family also plays a large part in this book, and they are a large family if I remember correctly there are 11 children and this family is very close knit. The Ballengers were the first kingdom but they aren’t recognized as a kingdom by the others and are looked upon as a territory and that’s something the Ballengers don’t like.

~ Kazi is supposed to find  General Illarium and its been rumored that he’s been spotted in Hell’s Mouth so now that Kazi has been invited to stay with the Ballenger family as a guest it makes her quest to find him a lot easier.

~ I thought the plot was great and there wasn’t a point where I thought it was slow or I didn’t want to continue reading. I think Pearson did a great job and her writing makes you feel like you’re with the characters and you can see what they see and feel what they feel and thats what amazes me about her writing.

~ My favorite part of the book was seeing some of the characters from the Remnant Chronicles in this book especially Lia and Rafe long live the queen and king!

Overall

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I honestly can’t stop thinking about it. I’m kind of upset that I read it as fast as I did because the sequel doesn’t come out until August and I don’t know what to do with my time now. I thought the plot was amazing, the characters had so much depth and made you feel for them, and I loved going back to the remnant world. I would recommend this book to everyone especially if you read the Remnant Chronicles but you can still read this book without having to read the Remnant Chronicles. I can’t wait until the next book comes out so I can join these characters again, this book quickly became one of my new favorites!