A Dance with Fate by Juliet Marillier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong language, a sex scene that is mostly left to the imagination



The young warrior and bard Liobhan has lost her brother to the Otherworld. Even more determined to gain a place as an elite fighter, she returns to Swan Island to continue her training. But Liobhan is devastated when her comrade Dau is injured and loses his sight in their final display bout. Blamed by Dau's family for the accident, she agrees to go to Dau's home as a bond servant for the span of one year.

There, she soon learns that Oakhill is a place of dark secrets. The vicious Crow Folk still threaten both worlds. And Dau, battling the demon of despair, is not an easy man to help.

When Liobhan and Dau start to expose the rot at the center of Oakhill, they place themselves in deadly danger. For their enemy wields great power and will stop at nothing to get his way. It will take all the skills of a Swan Island warrior and a touch of the uncanny to give them a hope of survival. . . . 

There's a certain kind of magic in Juliet Marillier's writing that draws me in and keeps me turning the pages every single time I read one of her books. This one was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to The Harp of Kings. I actually think I liked this one a little bit more.

I enjoyed the chapters from Liobhan and Dau the most. The way their relationship grew and changed was wonderful read. I have to admit that although I enjoyed Brocc's chapters, I mostly just wanted to get back to Liobhan and Dau! I did feel bad for Brocc with what he was going through with his wife and their differences, and it did not endear her to me at all. He needs to find his voice. I also liked that he begins to explore why the crowfolk are the way the are.

This was a rather emotional book with the subject of abuse, both human and animal. There were a couple of times that this book brought me to tears. In particular the part where the words of a song remind Dau of his beloved dog that was killed. I lost it thinking of my own pets that have passed on.

I'm not sure how many books will be in this series, but so far I love it and I'm looking forward to reading more!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.