A Fulfilling Conclusion to an Epic Tale in “Vow of Thieves”

Kazi and Jase’s saga concludes in Vow of Thieves, the sequel to New York Times best-selling author Mary E. Pearson’s Dance of Thieves. Trust me when I say that you are not prepared for what is about to go down in Hell’s Mouth.

I am such a fan of the world that Pearson has created, both in this duology and in its predecessor The Remnant Chronicles. This world is so rich and diverse and ripe with possibility, and I have fallen in love with each new part that’s been unlocked in every successive book set there. Vow of Thieves returns us once again to the Ballengers’ homestead, but it’s in a very different state than it was when we left. The ending of Dance of Thieves gave us a little glimpse of what was in store, but trust me when I say that you are not ready for what is to come.

There is an ominous warning on Jase and Kazi’s journey back, and they are attacked before they can even set foot in Hell’s Mouth. The Ballenger family – what’s left of it – have taken refuge in their vault and someone new rules the land. Separated by circumstance, Jase and Kazi must fight to discover who the real enemy is and how to defeat them.

This book is full of all sorts of political intrigue. You don’t know who to trust, and you don’t know if you can believe what you knew before. Constant twists and turns in a mystery plot can often feel like the author is being confusing just for the sake of it, but with the plot of Vow of Thieves, stuff may surprise you, but it doesn’t feel unearned. It’s a twist, and you may be shocked, but it’s a twist you feel like you should have seen coming. I’m very tempted to reread Dance of Thieves just to see if I can pick up on any of the things that are revealed in this book.

The characters are no less compelling than they were in the first installment – perhaps even more so, now that their world has been turned on its head. I think I fell in love with them even more in this book.

Pearson has a gift for crafting a story around a secret and giving just enough for the audience to figure it out before it’s revealed. In The Kiss of Deception, it was the identities of the two men pursuing Lia – which one was the prince, and which one was the assassin? Vow of Thieves has a similar secret; it’s relatively big, and it does affect the plot, but not to the extent it did in the first series.

Vow of Thieves provides a satisfactory conclusion to Kazi and Jase’s story while still leaving a lot open for a return to the world as a whole. I would very much like to see that.

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Vow of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson is published by Henry Holt and will be available August 6 wherever books are sold.

**I was given an advance copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

Stay tuned for an interview with author Mary E. Pearson from San Diego Comic-Con!

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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