This is the month of reading anticipated sequels and To Dance with Death is my latest. I loved this one and the ending is perfection! This duology is everything! Keep reading this book review of To Dance with Death for my full thoughts.
Summary
Once a spy for the ruthless King Illian, Vasalie sacrificed herself to kill him and prevent a prophesied war. But Illian’s brother, Anton—the king she allied with and began to love—struck a deal with Moranya, the goddess of the underworld, to bring Vasalie back. The his compassion, his memories of her, and all the events of the past six weeks.
Now stripped of the truth, Anton believes his friends betrayed him and accepts Moranya’s offer to rule the kingdom of the dead. But with the kingdom he leaves behind on the brink of civil war, and her cruel father threatening to invade, Vasalie realizes only Anton can reunite a fractured realm.
To save her world and the man she was coming to love, Vasalie must journey to the underworld and reclaim him. But the Anton she finds is the worst version of the arrogant, debauched king she once thought he was. To restore him, she’ll have to restore his memories first… even if it means sacrificing her own heart.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
To Dance with Death is a romantic tale about saving the one we love even if they don’t know who we are. It’s about giving someone back their memories, the pieces of themselves, even if we don’t know about the future. As strangers, To Dance with Death is heart wrenching as Vasalie must watch from afar and try to save him without him knowing. To Dance with Death is a dual perspective story which allows us to see the ways Anton is transfixed all over again. This sequel and series finale is about the ultimate love, about being haunted by guilt, and about a connection that finds us in every life. We have to trust that our heart knows the way.
I also loved the way To Dance with Death examines the Afterlife and what ties us to our problems and loves. The pieces of humanity that we lose if we are faced with eternity, the mortality we end up giving up. Arena challenges what we know about this world, Anton, and Vasalie. There were unexpected tender moments as Anton struggles with his past, when it’s too hard to stand up for the truth of who we are and when we just embrace what they say about us. To Dance with Death is the perfect series ender and really expands the world – and the after world – for readers.
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Find To Dance with Death on Goodreads, Storygraph, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.