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Dance of Thieves

Mary E Pearson

4.5/5 ⭐️

Two things about me are that I really struggle to stay focused when I’m reading a book, and that I value my sleep over pretty much everything else. That being said, I was GLUED to this book from the second I started, and I both stayed up late and woke up early to read it.

Dance of Thieves is fantastic. It moves really quickly, event after event, and the language Pearson uses is engaging and delightful to read. It’s a good mix of formal literary language that you might find in a classic, and the more casual, modern language you’d find in your everyday YA novel. These two balance each other out perfectly.

I can’t really review the plot in any way that doesn’t give away spoilers other than saying it’s fantastic. It’s very layered and you can see what’s coming, but in a ���this was planned out very carefully” way and not a “this is a cookie cutter of every other book” or “this foreshadowing is the least subtle thing I’ve ever seen” way. There are so many twists and turns and things are always happening. There’s never a moment where it’s boring.

The romance is really good! While it’s not the best I’ve ever read, it is of course still incredibly compelling and actually adds to the story, as so many YA romances do not. Even if you’re not a fan of romance, you would probably still love the book because it’s not a main focus. And yk I love a queen who actively fights against falling in love.

I’m only taking a half star away because Jase has too many siblings and it gets confusing, and the ending felt as though it was a little rushed, like Pearson had a word limit that she was trying to not go over— it moved a little too fast, if you know what I mean. Other than those two things, honestly, this has been my most enjoyable read of 2025.

[a-dinosaurs-bookshelf]

Better Than the Movies

Lynn Painter

3.5/5 ⭐️

Honestly, this book was super cute. It’s a fun, lighthearted story about a teen romance, and though you can definitely tell what’s going to happen at any given point in the book, I felt like it was still really easy to get invested and enjoy it

The reasons I felt like this book was a 3.5 and not higher are:

- The main character’s inner dialogue is SUPER cheesy. Yes it can be kind of cute, but sometimes it does get really annoying

- Similarly, the dialogue between characters is often nearly unbearable. There is absolutely no reason a full-grown adult should be saying words like “what the frack!” A major exception is the dialogue between the two main characters, Liz and Wes— their interactions felt realistic and very enjoyable

- Jocelyn— the main character’s “best friend”— is a complete and total bitch. Just a shitty shitty person and friend throughout the total book. This is never acknowledged and Jocelyn actually ends up manipulating Liz into believing she’s the toxic one.

Overall, it was an enjoyable book and the downsides didn’t stop me from enjoying reading it at all. I’d definitely recommend it if you can handle a bit of cheesiness! I’ll for sure be reading the sequel :)

[a-dinosaurs-bookshelf]

hey!

it’s finally summertime, which means i once more have the chance to read books of my choosing and not be incredibly burnt out!

this blog is basically just a record of what i’ve read and my thoughts on it. more for me than anything else but if it helps you find some recommendations, that’s awesome.

and i’m always looking for book recommendations! since i’m reading for fun/as a relaxer, i’ll mostly be focusing on less thought-provoking books, but really i will read anything :)