Vow of Thieves (Dance of Thieves #2) by Mary E. Pearson (Review)

     The sequel to the much loved Dance of Thieves, in Vow of Thieves starts with Kazi and Jase travelling back home Tor's Watch, all while... canoodling to pass their evenings. While traveling back, Kazi gets signs that things might not be great up ahead, and when they finally get back, they are attacked and Jase escapes mortally wounded, and Kazi is captured. Tor's Watch had fallen and alone and in captivity, Kazi is devastated and listless. She wants revenge, but her captors have Jase's kid siblings and if she lashes out, they will pay the price. Unsure what to do, Kazi has to navigate protecting Tor's Watch, the children and protected herself.
       Just like Dance of Thieves, I really enjoyed Vow of Thieves. The characters were all fun to read, dramatic and exhilarating, and I was often on the edge of my seat while reading this book. I will attempt not to spoil anything important, but I do have to say that the plot twist and turns in this novel had me actively gasping as I read. Kazi is still a great character. She is tough and capable, but the author didn't feel the need to make her heartless and gave her a sensitive and vulnerable side, which I love. I often find authors ruin powerful female characters by taking away vulnerabilities and feminine traits from them. I respect that Mary E. Pearson doesn't do that. I love all of her strong female characters because they are allowed to still be women and identifiable to a female audience. All in all, read this series, and I give Vow of Thieves the rating of FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Dance of Thieves (Dance of Thieves #1) by Mary E. Pearson (Review)

      Taking place not many years after the events of the Remnant Chronicles final book, The Beauty of Darkness. The war is done, but evil men ate still out there, and its up to Kazi and her team to recapture it and bring these monsters to justice. To do so, she must infiltrate the kingdom of the mafioso-like-leader, Jase, and his mafia family known as the Ballengers. The queen suspects this family to be housing and harbouring these traitors and if they are, they are in violation of the treaty of kingdoms, meaning Kazi, a master thief, must take them to the queen for justice. As Jase and Kazi clash, sparks fly and the tensions rise. Who will win, who will lose, and what will it cost them, you'll have to read to find out.

       I really enjoyed Dance of Thieves, but I do have one complaint; the beginning of the story was very slow and boring. For the first two chapters, I was grinding my teeth in disinterest, but once I got past that hump, I became fascinated by the story. Kazi is a master thief and Jase is the fantasy version of a mafioso, and together they make an awesome team when they both get thrown into mutual danger. Kazi fights for the queen, and Jase fights for his family and their power, and united they fight to survive and return home. Romance wise, the novel was a little confused by fairly solid. I really liked the Mafia-like-feel that the Ballengers had. It was creative and exciting to see a modern story trope recreated in a historical fantasy setting. All in all, I really liked Dance of Thieves, as I did the Remanent Chronicles, and I give it the rating of FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles #2) by Mary E. Pearson (Review)

   The second installment of the Remnant Chronicles, The Heart of Betrayal continues the breathtaking and intense story of Lia, a runaway princess captured by the enemy kingdom. She is confronted with the hard choices in this strange kingdom were she is captive, where she is faced with danger and lies around every turn. With not just her life on the line, but many others, what will she do?
    The Heart of Betrayal has a very different feel from it's predecessor, The Kiss of  Deception. In the first novel it was lighthearted more often then not, but in this novel things got serious and dangerous. Although this novel feels different, it fit right in with the series and took Lia's story to a whole other level. I found the characters and settings in this novel to be potent and well developed. I wasn't hard to get sucked into The Heart of Betrayal. I did struggle a bit to enjoy the sheer quantity of politics there seemed to be in this novel, apposed to The Kiss of Deception. There were moments of the novel that seemed a little like time fillers more then key plot points. That aside, the novel was pretty riveting and left me wanting more. I am very excited for the next installment of the series. The Heart of Betrayal was a great read and I'd recommend it to light fantasy or historic romance lovers. I give The Heart of Betrayal FOUR STARS OUT OF FIVE!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson (Review)

     YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!! I LOOOOOOVEE THIS BOOK! OMGosh! Soooooo well written! Soooo well thought out and planed. I love every single word written by Mary in The Kiss of Deception. Whoooweee! I'm a sucker for a good plot-line. From the beginning to the end I couldn't decide who I was rooting for because the prince and the assassin were just so awesome! When I was reading my insides were always dancing in happiness.
      The main character deserves a definite "YOU GO GIRL!" and her family deserves a good shmuck upside their heads. Each moment in this book invokes emotion and passion. Its very clear that Mary (the author) knows what she was doing when she wrote this novel because I could not put it down. The character and plot development was amazing and perfectly done, and to top it off; you could cut through the romantic tension with a butter knife. As you can tell by my excited ranting, I very much enjoyed reading The Kiss of Deception. I am very excited to see what Mary does to continue the series. It was a joy to read, and I definitely recommend it. I give Kiss of Deception the illusive rating of FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!