⚔️ “Fae, War, and Banter for Days—Dance of Kings and Thieves Is the Ultimate Fantasy Escape!” ⚔️

BlondeBookDiaries
Feb 17
3 min read

📖 Dance of Kings and Thieves is the most fun, fast-paced book yet! Found family, epic banter, and twists you won’t see coming—OBSESSED! 👑✨

AUTHORS WARNING

One of my favorite books in the series so far!

First off… it starts with both the North and East coming together and fighting side by side, which is amazing in and of itself because, up to this point, we’ve only been given one kingdom at a time with a tease of certain characters. While we do experience loss in this book, I’d say this one, in particular, has the least amount of trauma, double the comedy, and so. much. to. love.

We get to see how Elise and Malin handle battle together, and it does not disappoint. We also learn some new secrets about our favorite characters that leave us wanting more, as they’re trickled in like Easter eggs throughout the book.

Some of our favorite characters from earlier books return, and there are many reunions that make you feel like you’re truly part of the group. So much family and friend loyalty and support in this series—and this book in particular.

I think I really loved the entire dynamic of “no loved one left behind.” I relate to Malin—her home life, the way those in power who were meant to guide her treated her. We know the book gave a reason for that, but not all of us had a loving home life. That was one of the reasons book four irritated me so much—it highlighted that treatment, reminding me of things I had already let go of in my own life.

I’ve never had a group of people who unwaveringly have my back like the families in The Broken Kingdoms do, and I think that—in the world and society we live in today—to see that play out so eloquently on the pages is the true fantasy.

It’s not the different types of fae, mesmer, or glamour in their world that captivate me the most… It’s that unwavering and unconditional support for others. That, to me, is the real fantasy I yearn for when reading this series.

One of the things this book touched on was parents being separated from their babies, and as a mother who is battling that… this one hit home in a different way.

In reality, people don’t even let me tell my truth before assuming I am to blame. In fantasy books, they can plainly see who the villain is—the type of mentality it takes to separate a mother from her child. But in real life, it’s never that easy and oftentimes can be much crueler to share.

So, it’s often easier to simply bury myself in books, but once again, L.J. Andrews has found a way to bring up things I’m rather good at not letting myself feel.

They say you have to feel something before you can manifest it into your world. This series has been a beautiful example of what it feels like to be supported and loved without bounds, and that’s been an interesting revelation for me—something I’ve never truly experienced before.

Steam Rating 🔥🔥🔥

There were quite a few spicy moments in this book compared to the others, but I love the way it gradually builds. If that’s not your thing, it’s super easy to skim the page, pick up the dialogue, and skip ahead. Sometimes my brain just doesn’t want anything sex-related, and that can be a pain if I’m reading a literal wet-your-panties romance novel 😂.

The storyline moves quickly, leading to events you don’t see coming—lots of twists and turns—and it all wraps up with a wonderful, truly happy ending.

The book ends with Kase and Malin, and the last chapter picks up with none other than one of my all-time faves… Ari—the ambassador who now has a new serf chained to him for the next 100 turns and has been asked by King Valen (King of the North) to follow Gunnar to the South.