Review: Poison Dance by Livia Blackburne
Poison Dance (Midnight Thief #0.5)
by: Livia Blackburne
Publication Date: Sept. 24, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 86 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
James is skilled, efficient, and deadly, a hired blade navigating the shifting alliances of a deteriorating Assassin’s Guild. Then he meets Thalia, an alluring but troubled dancing girl who offers him a way out—if he’ll help her kill a powerful nobleman. With the Guild falling apart, it just might be worth the risk. But when you live, breathe, and love in a world that’s forever flirting with death, the slightest misstep can be poison.
Poison Dance was a very engaging story and I felt it had a very strong plot. I was immediately pulled into the world Blackburne had created and it definitely left me wanting more. I am so very ready for The Midnight Thief to release this summer!
I did find myself having a hard time connecting to James. He is not very open and definitely keeps things close to his chest. Having grown up in the Assassin's Guild, James has learned how to survive and to keep his eyes open wide for his enemies. However, being approached by a beautiful dancer is the last thing he expects. Thalia waltzes into his life and is bent on death. She knows loss and wants revenge for the person that has taken away someone very dear to her. She enlists James' help to take care of his person in exchange for information she has learned about Guild politics.
I really liked Thalia. She is strong-willed and doesn't back down just because it's dangerous. She is determined to seek vengeance and will stop at nothing to do it. I liked the relationship that formed between her and James, and even though I saw the ending coming, I still hated it for them. The ending and the epilogue show us that James's story is far from over and I am eager to see where Blackburne will take us in The Midnight Thief and what role James, the Guild, and the Red Shields will have!
6 comments
I liked this novella too and I am really excited for The Midnight Thief now. I actually didn't see that ending coming, but I think it is because I didn't want to see it. When I read it I wouldn't even acknowledge that it had happened right away lol. Great review!
ReplyDeleteSame here Teresa! I can't wait for Midnight Thief! The ending made me majorly sad! But I was able to prepare myself for it.
DeleteI do really want/need to read this novella. I'm excited about The Midnight Thief and I'm very curious about this one. Sucks you didn't connect to a character, but I'm glad you still enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteGreat review!! :D
Novellas are so tricky for me! It takes quite a bit in my opinion to really make one work because it's so easy to feel detached.
DeleteGreat Review Jess! Hopefully you all be able to connect with James more in the next installment! Thalia sounds very likable! I like a determined and strong-willed main character! Thanks for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteLindy@ A Bookish Escape
Thanks Lindy! I needed a different genre in my life, so I'm glad I read this one!
DeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
My blog is an award-free blog, however, as I just do not have the time to follow-up.