Book Review: To Dance with Death by Brittney Arena

[ID: a blue, yellow, and brown book cover with an illustration of decorated stained glass. The human figure in the center of the glass has been shattered and “To Dance With Death” is written in the center in white text. The other glass panels include yellow and purple flowers, a sailing ship, a white tiger, a sword, and white birds. The book sits on an antique silver plate framed by fake yellow and dark blue flowers. A silver and white hairpin in the shape of a flower and a small silver and bronze model sword sits on the right and bottom of the book.]

Thank you to @DelReyBooks & @NetGalley for an early look at one of my most anticipated sequels of 2026 which releases August 4th! TO DANCE WITH DEATH is the epic conclusion to the DANCE OF LIES duology which follows a chronically ill dancer-turned-spy as she fights to reclaim her freedom and save her realm.

A DANCE OF LIES enchanted me with its blend of political fantasy, lush descriptions, and chronic illness representation. TO DANCE WITH DEATH picks up right after the maddening cliffhanger of A DANCE OF LIES and brings us to a new, clever setting that had me glued to the page.

I think you can really see the author’s background as a visual designer in the prose of this book. Each setting and scene is a visual feast and felt cinematic. I was especially intrigued by her take on the underworld, it was new and refreshing.

I wasn’t fully on board with the romance in A DANCE OF LIES as there’s a bit of a bait and switch regarding the main love interest. I’m happy to say that TO DANCE WITH DEATH fully delivered on the romance and completely won me over. The tropes in the book were simply delicious!

One thing I hoped to see in this book was a bit more of Vasalie’s disability. I wanted to see it upend things rather than watching Vasalie constantly pushing through her pain. Without spoilers, I think my hope was both fulfilled and unfulfilled. I know some people will say there was too much focus on her illness and some people will say there’s not enough…

I land in the camp that still wants a bit more, but I treasure the representation that we got in TO DANCE WITH DEATH and I hope the author continues to write from her personal experience in future books!

TO DANCE WITH DEATH was an entertaining and solid ending to this series! I highly recommend it for my fellow fantasy fans.