Dance Of Thieves Summary, Themes, Synopsis & Characters-Mary E. Pearson

Book Title	Dance of Thieves
Author	Mary E. Pearson
Genre	Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publication Date	August 7, 2018
Number of Pages	508
Publisher	Henry Holt and Co.
Setting	The kingdom of Venda

Watch “Dance Of Thieves” by Mary E. Pearson Summary

Dance Of Thieves Characters

The main characters of Dance Of Thieves are:

1. Kazi – A member of the Queen’s elite guard, sent on a mission to retrieve a stolen artifact from the notorious Ballenger family.

2. Jase Ballenger – The leader of the Ballenger family and a notorious thief, who finds himself drawn to Kazi.

3. Wren Ballenger – Jase’s sister and a skilled fighter, who is fiercely protective of her family and their secrets.

4. Synové and Raife – Members of Jase’s gang, who have their own agendas and secrets.

Dance Of Thieves Themes

Dance of Thieves is a young adult fantasy novel with several themes –

1. Love and sacrifice – The story explores the theme of love and sacrifice through the relationship between the two main characters, Kazi and Jase. They both have to make sacrifices and difficult choices for the sake of their love for each other.

2. Loyalty and treachery – The theme of loyalty and betrayal is important in the novel as characters battle with their loyalties to their various kingdoms and the ones they love.

3. Justice and redemption – The narrative plunges into the concepts of justice and redemption as Kazi seeks to right the wrongs of her past and provide justice to those who have been hurt.

4. Power and corruption – The story explores the themes of power and corruption via corrupt rulers and bureaucrats who abuse their positions for personal gain.

5. Identification and self-discovery – As Kazi, Jase and other characters fight with their identities and find their place in the world, the novel examines themes of identification and self-discovery.

Dance Of Thieves Summary

The Queen of Venda orders three of her Rahtan, or elite soldiers, to track down Watch Captain Beaufort Illarion, also known as the dragon, who betrayed Morrighan and contributed to organising the Great Battle six years earlier. Kazi takes her fellow fighters Wren & Synové to the rumoured location of the captain at Hell’s Mouth, which is governed by the lawless Ballenger Empire.

Other Rahtan personnel, Eben and Natiya, notify the King of Eislandia, and Griz (another Rahtan) rides to the King of Morrighan for reinforcements. On their route to Hell’s Mouth, Kazi, Wren, and Synové stay at a wrecked Vendan settlement chosen with the King of Eislandia’s approval.

Following his father’s untimely death, Jase Ballenger has taken over as Patrei (leader) of Hell’s Mouth. He has issues with Rahtan’s investigation into treaty infractions. When he confronts them, Kazi threatens him with a knife to the throat, unaware to the reality that he is the Patrei.

After finding Jase’s actual identity, she chases him down an alley, where they are caught by labour hunters (enslavers). Kazi awakens at the back of a waggon, his ankle tied to Jase’s. Kazi, a notorious Vendan street thief known as Ten, snatches the key from the driver.

 The driver finds the escape before they can set free their ankle chains. Kazi & Jase, still bound together, jump from a cliff into a river afterthat they make a truce in order to survive. Jase escorts them to his family’s outpost, which he claims is a Vendan village. Despite their differences, they fall in love during the adventure. Their shackle is released when they get at the outpost, and Kazi finds that Jase lied to her about their location.

Jase races Kazi to Tor’s Watch, his family’s castle, for his father’s funeral. To explain his absence and escape suspicion, he claims he and Kazi were just enjoying a passionate affair. Jase interrogates other labour hunters discovered in Hell’s Mouth before asking Kazi to write to the Queen of Venda, requesting that she visit the Ballenger Empire and certify that it is legitimate. Kazi orders the Ballengers to reconstruct the Vendan settlement they say they didn’t demolish in exchange for the letter.

Kazi discovers Wren and Synové at Hell’s Mouth and convinces Jase to lodge them and stop tailing her. She looks for Illarion at Tor’s Watch, while Jase meets with Garvin, Kazi’s tail, who is attempting to remember her prior identity. Kazi gets bitten by the venomous dogs of the Ballengers, but she hides it from Jase until she loses consciousness. Jase is perplexed as to what she was doing. He shows her the family vault, which she says she was seeking for and which indicates his ancestors created the continent’s first empire. 

Jase, his brothers, and the Rahtan reconstruct the burned-out Vendan village in a more suitable place. Kazi wonders whether the town was an attempt by the King of Eislandia to irritate the Ballengers, but Jase says he’s a fool. Because the Vendan queen has announced her visit, Jase’s brother Gunner asks them back to Hell’s Mouth. Jase and his brothers are assaulted by raiders on the way back, and the Rahtan rescues them. Jase finds that his sister Jalaine’s lover, Fertig, was the raiders’ commander.

Jase accompanies Kazi to the arena, the Ballenger’s primary source of revenue and a marketplace for dealers from all across the world. Kazi encounters the King of Eislandia and takes a piece of paper bearing the inscription “Devereux 27.” When Jase takes Kazi on a tour, she becomes extremely upset and leaves when she sees Previzi drivers (black market traders). Garvin informs Jase that Kazi stole from Eislandia’s King and exposes her prior identity as the thief Ten. 

Back at Tor’s Watch, Kazi discovers Illarion and many of his cohorts laughing about the Ballengers and stockpiling weapons to attack the other kingdoms. Kazi and the other Rahtan intend to seize them. Jase confronts Kazi about lying, and Kazi admits that her mother was taken by a Previzi driver named Zane, a mercenary and labour hunter. Kazi, an orphan, survives by stealing. Jase fakes the fact that he recognised Zane, who now works for him. Jase sets up a trap for Zane and realises that he is still associated with the Hell’s Mouth labour hunters and a guy named Devereux. 

Kazi & the Rahtan pour a pill for sleep into the Ballengers’ meal & seize Illarion and his companions. On their way out of Tor’s Watch, they get encountered by the Ballengers, who had switched the draught. Jase’s brother offers the swap of Illarion for Zane, against whom Kazi seeks revenge. However, the traitor Kazi kidnaps Jase & forces him to drive the detainees’ waggon. On the way to the Vendan outpost of Marabella, Kazi informs Jase that Illarion and his soldiers plan to betray him and murder his family. Jase merely desired the weapons to protect his people.

Kazi brings Illarion to Marabella & informs the queen about Jase and his family. The queen forgives Jase & consents to recognise Tor’s Watch as the continent’s first kingdom to join the Alliance of Kingdoms. Kazi was assigned back to the Ballengers as her ambassador. Kazi and Jase confess their love for one another & begin on the voyage back to Hell’s Mouth.

Dance Of Thieves Synopsis

“Dance of Thieves” by Mary E. Pearson is a young adult fantasy novel set in Remnant, a world divided into kingdoms controlled by strong families.

The story follows Kazi, a reformed thief and member of the Queen’s elite guard, as she investigates a plot to overthrow the Queen by a neighboring kingdom. Kazi meets Jase Ballenger, the leader of a group of outlaws who may have information about the plot.

As Kazi and Jase grow closer, they must navigate their complicated pasts and decide whether their loyalty lies with their respective kingdoms or with each other.

As they rush to figure out the mystery and avoid a war that may destroy their world, they encounter danger, treachery and surprising partnerships.

“Dance of Thieves” is a fascinating and romantic tale of adventure and intrigue with deeply developed characters and elaborate world-building that will leave readers wanting more.

Dance of Thieves Series Order

The series consists of two books and a novella, in the following order:

1. Dance of Thieves
2. Vow of Thieves
3. Legacy of Light (novella)

Dance Of Thieves FAQs

Dance Of Thieves age rating

I suggest this book to anybody over the age of 14.

About the Author-Mary E. Pearson

Field	Information
Full Name	Mary Elizabeth Pearson
Date of Birth	August 14, 1955
Place of Birth	Southern California, United States
Education	Bachelor’s degree in Art from Long Beach State University
Notable Works	-The Jenna Fox Chronicles -The Remnant Chronicles -Dance of Thieves
Awards and Honors	-Golden Kite Award