Review: Dance of a Burning Sea (Mousai #2) by E.J. Mellow

Dance of a Burning Sea

(Mousai #2)

by E.J. Mellow

October 19, 2021

Goodreads Summary:

Within the world of Aadilor, there is a hidden place called the Thief Kingdom, where both magic and pleasure abound. There, the Mousai, a trio of deadly sorceresses bound by oath and blood, use their powers to protect the kingdom’s treasures.

Niya Bassette brings the potent gift of dance to the Mousai, but behind her tempting twirls, she carries a heavy secret—that the infamous pirate lord, Alōs Ezra, has been threatening to exploit for years. Now banished from the Thief Kingdom for smuggling, Alōs resurfaces in Niya’s life with a plot to hold her hostage, leveraging what he knows to extort a pardon from the Thief King.

But Niya makes her own deal with Alōs to guard her secret and guarantee her freedom—yet in doing so binds herself aboard his pirate ship, where she must navigate deadly waters, a bloodthirsty crew, and her own traitorous heart. Soon, a simmering attraction between her and Alōs threatens their delicate truce and makes for a tumultuous ride on the open seas. Far from her kingdom, Niya is entangled in a dangerous dance indeed.

Welcome to the world of Aadilor, where dark deeds can mask noble hearts and the most alluring of sways often ends with a burn. Care for a spin?

From award-winning author E. J. Mellow comes the thrilling second installment in the Mousai series, featuring a powerful sorceress who finds her loyalties tested by a ruthless pirate lord.

Review

I enjoyed the first Mousai book, Song of the Forever Rains, very much. With my anticipation for the new couple I was worried Dance of a Burning Sea wouldn't reach my high expectation. I shouldn't have been concerned because this second installment was unputdownable from start to finish.

Dance of a Burning Sea was such a rush of an adventure! From visiting an underwater kingdom to sneaking onto an island of Giants, there was no shortage of pulse-pounding moments. Add in two passionate and fiercely protective characters, all the excitement had my heart in my throat. "Nothing worth having is ever easy." (p. 401)

I really enjoyed Niya's tenacity and feistiness. As one third of the Mousai, she was powerful. But not so powerful that she was untouchable. One innocent mistake had her facing dire consequences. Niya learns a hard lesson but the growth she makes was extremely pleasing.

At the beginning of Dance of a Burning Sea, I couldn't have disliked Alōs more. He was wretched to Niya. But as we slowly uncover his past I felt a lot more sympathy for him. To say Alōs has had a hard life would be a gross understatement. "...anything done for good, he could only fulfill with great evil." (p. 148) I still hate the way he treated Niya but I understood his actions a whole lot better given his backstory.

Now, Dance of a Burning Sea wouldn't be the story it was without the romance. What a pair Niya and Alōs made. The resentment from their shared secret ensured they wouldn't play nice (with each other). However, underneath their hostilities, lurked some seriously complicated emotions. The simmering tension between Niya and Alōs was sexy and exquisite pain. I couldn't wait for them to come to blows because boy were they explosive in every possible way.

I cannot praise Dance of a Burning Sea enough! It's a journey full of stimulation, sensuality and satisfaction. A new favourite fantasy series, I cannot recommend it enough!!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the copy I received.