Author: E.J. Mellow
The Thief Kingdom is a place hidden within the world of Aadlior. Many whisper of its existence, but few have found this place, where magic and pleasure abound. There, the mysterious Thief King reigns supreme with the help of the Mousai, a trio of revered and feared sorceresses.
Larkyra Bassette may be the youngest of the Mousai, but when she sings her voice has the power to slay monsters. When it’s discovered the Duke of Lachlan is siphoning a poisonous drug from the Thief Kingdom and using it to abuse his tenants, Larkyra is offered her first solo mission to stop the duke. Eager to prove herself, Larkyra accepts by posing as the duke’s potential bride. But her plans grow complicated when she finds herself drawn to Lord Darius Mekenna, Lachlan’s rightful heir. Soon she suspects Darius has his own motivations for ridding Lachlan of the corrupt duke. Larkyra and Darius must learn to trust each other if there is to be any hope of saving the people of Lachlan—and themselves.
Welcome to the world of Aadilor, where lords and ladies can be murderers and thieves, and the most alluring notes are often the deadliest. Dare to listen?
The Mousai trilogy follows three sorceress sisters, Arabessa, Niya, and Larkyra, where each novel is dedicated to one of them. After reading two of the novels, it was finally time to read this book, Dance of a Burning Sea. This novel follows Niya Bassette and pirate lord Alōs Ezra and takes place in the Thief Kingdom in the world of Aadilor. Their story leans a lot into the enemies to lovers as the two of them begin at odds before feelings begin to appear. Alōs was a standout character as he was very divisive. There were a lot of negatives about his character where I can see some readers seeing his positives outshine these while others cannot move past them. I was not in favor of his character and while I could see why the author may have made certain choices, his character was not for me.
As this is a series, it is great that I now have read all three. For me, the third novel was the best, then the first, followed by this one. The pacing of this novel, like the other two in the series, is slower than the average similar novel. The author has a signature style based on my experience with the three novels where everything is a little more drawn out. The romances are filled with chemistry and each character goes through some emotional growth. I may not have continued the series if I read this novel first, however, I do think this novel was worth the read. Overall, I think this novel, and series, were great and I would definitely read more from the author in the future.
chonkybooksreview.com 