Poison Dance

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***Poison Dance by Livia BlackburnePublication Date: September 12, 2013Rating: 5 starsSource: eARC sent by the authorSummary (from Goodreads):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.What I Liked:You all KNOW how badly I want to read Midnight Thief, right? That's Livia's official debut, to be published by Disney-Hyperion, in early July. I've been *aching* for that book since like, May (no seriously - check my "About Me" page). So, when Livia mentioned that she would self-publishing a novella related to Midnight Thief, you know I was all over that!James is one of the characters that we will see in Midnight Thief, and if I'm not mistaken, he plays a pretty significant role. Maybe not as a protagonist, but as a secondary character with an important role in the plot. This novella is about him, and a young woman that he meets - Thalia.Thalia knows something that James wants to know - about the Guild, assassinations, his former leader... somehow, she knows more than she leads on. James and Thalia work together, and form an agreement. Thalia will give James information, if James uses his assassination skills to kill someone for Thalia.Both characters are so complex! You wouldn't think that a novella could convey so much about two characters, in such a short length, but Livia does this brilliantly! James is torn between duty and love, and Thalia... she's just broken. A difficult past filled with loss and death, a miserable future filled with pigs for men and slobs for employers - Thalia is so complicated. Her need for James to kill the person is twisted and tragic.I admire Thalia's bravery and courage. Thalia is headstrong and independent, but she is also very clever and strategic. She knows when to act demure, and when to show her claws. In this regard, she and James are very well matched. James is extremely observant, strong, and analytically minded.The progression of their relationship is slow and beautiful. I love how Livia times everything perfectly. The relationship grows - it doesn't feel rushed and insta-love-y, or dragged out and boring. James and Thalia are a great couple! And there is no love triangle - thank goodness!The plot of this novella is actually rather complex, instead of a straightforward one, which most novellas feature. So many things are going on - with James, the Guild, Thalia, her mark, her training, the trade business... Livia weaves a complex world into a short space, and somehow, manages to capture the world in a simple and intricate manner.The ending. The ending is bittersweet. I totally saw the ending coming - it's the way the story is set up. From the beginning, I knew for sure that one thing would happen, and it did. The thing is, as bittersweet as that event is, this novella really couldn't end any other way. Read this book, and you'll know what I mean!What I Did Not Like:There wasn't much that I didn't like - maybe that I NEED Midnight Thief even more than before?! Yes. That.Would I Recommend It:Totally! As with most novellas, it's not necessary to read this novella before or after reading Midnight Thief (not that I would currently know about AFTER). But we get some great insight on James (and Thalia), so why not? It's priced very cheaply, and totally worth your dollar!Rating:5 stars. I can't wait to read more from this author! But you already knew that. Please give me an ARC, Disney!

I've got to begin by saying that this cover is such a bummer. I think that the cover of book one, Midnight Thief, is absolutely gorgeous and this is just so...not. I understand that this book isn't really published by Disney, but I wish they matched and were on the same level of beauty.With that in mind, I'm actually a little thankful that I read this free novella after I read book one. I'm really bad like that. I have a habit of reading novellas after the book they're meant to come before. It's technically because I don't like paying for really short stories so I never seek them out and partly because, at times, novellas make me really anxious for the book and waiting for it becomes even harder and more agonizing. However, I would venture to say that if I read this book prior to book one, it would certainly whet my appetite and make me want to read more.This is the back-story of James, one of the prominent characters in book one. It takes place during a time where the leader of the Assassin's Guild was murdered, so the new leader, Gerred, is taking over and doing things his way. Because James is such a great assassin, he poses a huge threat to Gerred and Gerred refuses to trust him. James can't trust Gerred in turn despite his lack of desire to attempt to take control of the Guild and a huge silent power struggle ensues. This is the story of how the leader of the Assassin's Guild in book one comes to be.In the end, this book serves its purpose. It makes readers curious and it gives you back-story to an otherwise mysterious character. Does it change my original opinion on James? No, but it makes me understand why he is the way he is and why has done what he has done. The writing is very fast paced and there's not a ton of detail, so it's hard to really connect with the characters and become invested in their stories. But, hey, that's what the novel is for.If you're questioning whether it is worth picking up Midnight Thief or not, I would give this novella a chance. Not only is it free, it explains the mysterious and illegal workings of Forge, so you get to know the world and a few of the characters you will encounter in book one. It'll help make your decision easier and hopefully whet your appetite for more.

Poison dance tells the story of intelligent assassin James--who knows that staying alive and getting paid is worth more than fighting his way to the top of the assassin's guild and becoming 'king of a privy'--and Thalia, the secretive dancing girl with a spine made of steel who hires him to teach her how to kill. It's a prequel to Livia Blackburn's debut novel, out this July, and a quick read (I read it on Kindle but the print version is 84 pages long, and some pages are given over to extras, after the story itself ends), but packs a powerful punch with its tight plot, fascinating characters and equally fascinating world.I say fascinating--because James and Thalia *are* fascinating. James is an assassin and works for an assassin's guild--two things you'll easily find if you dip into a modern fantasy novel--but while he's certainly likeable and sympathetic, he doesn't lose sleep over the kills he has to make to keep his job, either. In short, he's a believable assassin. Working for a believable assassin's guild--one that's fallen from the glory days of artful poisons and court intrigue and become grubby with power struggles, paranoia and cheap thuggery.It's hard to decide what to call Thalia. Second main character, female lead? I don't think it matters, because Thalia is a very well crafted and unique character with an almost magnetic presence and bearing on the plot. She has agency, too, in spades--she may not be narrating this tale, but it's just as much hers as James's. The chemistry between these two characters is phenomenal--and I'm not just talking about romantic chemistry, but the whole spectrum of their interactions, none of which feel trite, tropey or in any way forced in service to conflict or plot points. The plot, rather, flows naturally out of what happens when James and Thalia meet, and start talking. The dialogue is excellent, but also economical--and Blackburne says just as much about Thalia and James in the pauses between conversation, latent emotions and small actions carried by each.There is enormous power in Blackburne's writing, and if you've come here by way of her blog, as I have, you'll know she's studied almost every aspect of writing from a brain scientist's point of view. Well, it definitely shows. Debut novelist she may be, but there is true mastery at work here. Blackburne succeeds wholly in propelling you hard into a very well-realised fantasy world, telling her story through characters whose development is so well nuanced that you don't even notice it happening--until her carefully-stacked stake pile tips the scales and it all gloriously overflows and you find you're rooting for characters you've only just met, but feel you've known for an entire novel.I heartily recommend this book--a perfectly told story in itself, and a gripping introduction to the fantasy world we'll meet fully in Midnight Thief.

I read this after i was recommended Midnight Theif in an email. I don't normally like short stories or novellas, but this one really set the scene well and was a good story too. For anyone that enjoyed Sarah J Maas' "Throne of Glass" books, you will love this. Can't wait for the next book to come out.

Original story loved it

This was a nice change and I really enjoyed it,two customs but they mixed in really well,a good read