A Dance of Destiny

by Shayna Purdy

Ada Berenice is a daring teenage girl with passionate ideas about the morals of her country. When she’s captured and taken to the palace to be questioned by the prince, she’s not afraid to speak her mind. Ada is forced to become a servant to the queen and becomes involved in a world-altering ploy. As she becomes intertwined with the life of Prince Cyril Laskaris–a stuck-up boy with a conflicted mind–she finds that his shocking predicament may alter her scheme.

Leora and Medea are Ada’s best friends, and when she’s taken to the palace, they know they will do anything to get her back, even if it means putting themselves in immense danger.

Leora and Medea form a risky plan to rescue Ada. But unbeknownst to them, Ada has her own risky plan to execute. If she succeeds, she could save her country from its corrupt monarchy. But if she fails, the consequences will be greater than she can imagine.

411 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2024

About the author

Hey, I'm Shayna! I'm a Young Adult indie author, and I currently have one published work; my debut novel, A Dance of Destiny.

Reviews

[James Arthur · Rating 1 out of 5]

“A Dance of Destiny” promises grandeur with its lofty title and supposedly epic premise, but instead delivers a meandering, hollow mess that is nothing short of an insult to its readers. This book feels less like a carefully crafted narrative and more like the author threw random ideas onto the page, hoping something would stick. Spoiler alert: nothing did.

The plot, if you can even call it that, is a confusing jumble of poorly explained events and clichés stolen from far better works. Characters wander aimlessly through the story with no development or purpose, spouting dialogue that alternates between cringeworthy melodrama and mind-numbing dullness. Every “twist” is so painfully predictable that you’ll see it coming chapters in advance—if you can even muster the will to keep reading that long.

If you’re looking for a book that will make you question why you started reading it in the first place, “A Dance of Destiny” will certainly deliver. Otherwise, save yourself the time and frustration—this is one dance you’ll want to sit out.

[Chris Purdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book written by an astounding teen author. I truly am not a huge reader, yet this book captured me. I strongly recommend it for any fantasy enjoyers, and I can’t wait to see what the author publishes in the future!

[Shayna ❤️’s books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could be biased since I literally wrote this book— but I think it’s great LMAO

[Kat1976 · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off…I cannot believe this is the first book this author has released. The descriptions they use put me into the settings of the scenes and are so well done. I could completely picture the world they have created and I loved it. This is something I come to expect from well established authors but I was pleasantly surprised a freshman release could even be in the same league.

I absolutely loved the character development. The female characters are especially strong. It is also a book that kept me guessing. If I had to pick my favorite character it would be Medea. She is everything I want to see in a lead support role and then some.

I hope the author releases the next book of the series soon as I need to spend more time with all of these characters. I have become an instant fan. Well done.

Also to note, it is written for young adults and is absolutely appropriate for anyone over 11. I am an adult but I really enjoyed it as well!