3.5 stars.

The premise of the story isn't particularly unique (worse, you can feel it straining to try to be), but it's fun to read and the pacing is well above average. I liked the world building as well, even if it was a little unclear what exactly was being built (magical Las Vegas/Old West Saloon/SUPER weird take on Oliver & Company?)

On the whole, the plot itself is fine as long as you don't think too hard about what's happening. Lots and lots of plot holes, though none so bad that they're unforgivable.

The characters are a bit thin. Enne is annoying and Levi is pouty and Lola and Jac are woefully underdeveloped stock characters. The villains were fine, though none are anyone we haven't met before in a similar story. Bizarrely, the most interesting person in the book is Lourdes, which seems problematic since we've never actually met her. It feels a little like that ancient computer game Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?...You just know that after all the near misses and time spend hunting, actually finding her (and you KNOW they will, "presumed dead" or not) is going to be a letdown.

Overall, some problems quality-wise, but I liked this. I'd read another.

4 ★ – SINFULLY EXCITING AND FUN

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody was a fascinating and entertaining read. It’s sinfully exciting, quite unique, and wonderfully magical.

I had such a great time reading this book. The world building intrigued me from the very beginning. It was creative, mesmerizing, and whimsical! Although there were a few confusing parts here and there, I really enjoyed reading about the different kingdoms, gangs, talents and basically just everything that existed in the City of Sin. The writing style was descriptive and easy to read which made it so much easier to get lost in the story and I loved that about this book. The plot was interesting, fast-paced, and thrilling. There were a few unexpected twists here and there that caught me off guard so that was definitely fun. I loved the romance — it was one of those slow-burn types and the pining on both sides were so heartfelt, believable, and well-developed. I really rooted for the Enne and Levi and cannot wait to see where their relationship will be in the next installment.

I have to be honest and admit that I had quite a difficult time with one of lead characters. Enne Salta just got under my skin and annoyed me throughout most of the story. She was naive, stubborn, arrogant, and just not someone I would want as a heroine. I thought there was no way I would like her, BUT — towards the end of the story, I did go through of big change of heart. Her character development was not an easy one, but in the end, I definitely thought Enne was one badass heroine. Levi Glaisyer was an interesting character and I liked him a lot from the very beginning. He’s complex and broken, but also very caring, protective and sweet. He’s definitely my favorite and I loved his POV. The other characters and villains were pretty awesome and I enjoyed getting to know them all so I’m really excited to see where everyone will be in the sequel.

All in all, this was an amazing beginning to a thrilling new fantasy series. There were a few things that weren’t explained as clearly as I would want, but that didn’t really affect my reading experience. I still had a great time spending a few hours in the City of Sin and I definitely will be coming back for more.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I ended up liking Ace of Shades a lot more than I expected to. I read Amanda Foody's debut, Daughter of the Burning City, and I was incredibly underwhelmed, which was really disappointing because I had such high hopes for it. Despite this, I still found myself really intrigued by the synopsis of Ace of Shades, so I thought I would give a shot anyway, and in my opinion it was a definite improvement from her previous book!

This story takes place in the New Reynes, more commonly known as the City of Sin. Within this city is a large divide between the North Side and the South Side, with the North being the more downtrodden area that is run by various crown gangs and the South side being the more 'reputable' area. Foody really seems to have taken her time in creating her world and giving it an extremely solid foundation. I would have liked slightly more detail regarding the larger aspect of the world, as well as how regular citizens lived, but overall I really enjoyed her worldbuilding.

One area that confused me about Foody's world, however, was exactly what time period this book was meant to take place in. I couldn't tell if it was just a made-up fantasy world with its own sort of time-period, or if it was meant to be a real-world time? There were modern elements such as cars, electricity, and other modern items, but the way that the clothing, mannerisms, and societal norms were described made it feel more early nineteenth/late eighteenth century. This doesn't really affect the story itself, but it was something that I kept questioning in the back of my mind and did leave me feeling somewhat uncertain throughout the book.

The main characters that we follow are Enne Salta and Levi Glaisyer. The supporting characters in this book were also very interesting, but didn't play quite as big roles as I would have liked, so I won't say all too much about them here. Enne travels to New Reynes in order to track down her missing mother, Lourdes Alfero, and is shocked by the loose morals that seem to be so prevalent. Enne herself is rather snobbish, pretentious, and has extremely strong manners, so it was entertaining to watch the culture shock that she experienced in this new, more uninhibited city. Once in New Reynes, she slowly uncovers more and more secrets about herself and her mother, and by the end of the book she must come to terms with who she really is. I found Enne's character development to be really well-done and well-paced. There was a very obvious transition as Enne goes from someone who refuses to do thing that aren't 'appropriate' to someone who realizes the world isn't quite as black and white as she thinks.

Levi is from New Reynes itself and lives on the North Side where he is the Iron Lord of the Irons crime gang. His gang is currently struggling with money and pressures are coming in on all sides demanding money, putting Levi in some dangerous situations. Enne stumbles into the company of Levi and he becomes her guide, and well... without spoiling anything, we'll just say that things start to take off at that point. Levi is tough, as a crime lord must be, but he knows how to wield his power in an effective manner that earns him respect. I really liked Levi's character, but I will say that it seemed as if Foody sort of talked up his danger and intimidation level. Levi certainly seemed like a guy I wouldn't want to mess with, but he hardly seemed as scary as everyone made him sound. I would call him a softer edition of Kaz Brekker. Despite this, I still really loved his character and the bisexual representation and the diverse representation.

I was really pleased with the pacing of this book. The story isn't overly fast-paced, but it isn't slow either. There seemed to be a wonderful balance of action and events that pushed the plot forward in addition to plenty of character development and focus on the more thematic elements of the story.

Despite all of the wonderful things about this book, I did have a few issues. One of my biggest frustrations was Foody's in-world word choices. For starters, 'missy' was used far too often in relation describe Enne. I'm not sure if it's just an in-world thing to call a woman a 'missy' or if this is actually done in some places, but this drove me crazy. Some examples that confused me:
"I found this missy asking about the whiteboots and Pup"
"There's a missy here to see you"
"The missy in question sat on the couch, her back straight as a billiard rod, her legs resting to the side with one ankle tucked.."
"Terribly sorry, missy."
At first I thought a 'missy' meant a young girl, but then it was used in different ways and I was really unsure. I did a count on my Kindle and found fifty-one usages of missy, which is about fifty too many.

Also, Foody's made-up curse words were... not good. I am all for some good in-universe curse words that fantasy likes to do, but it has to be done really well, and this just wasn't. This might not be a big deal to many people, but it just really annoyed me. 'Muck' is one of the most common ones used, but it sounded so horrible because it really just sounds like a censored version of f*ck, which made it sound dumb. It drove me crazy. It was used in the same way as f*ck in most places, but there were a few where it sounded more like the word muck itself: "And walking straight into some muck." So how is this word supposed to be used? It confused me about as much as 'missy' confused me. I know this is just a minor gripe, but it was something that bothered me and sort of pulled me out of the story.

Overall, I still really enjoyed Ace of Shades and ended up giving it four stars! This is a fun, entertaining book with solid characters and an interesting storyline.

My eyes! My eyes! I wanted to love this book because the title and the cover had me salivating, but I could barely bring myself to sludge through this garbage. Flat characters, boring plots, stupid decisions, special snowflakes - all of the YA tropes in one place. It gets a star for the diversity representation, but that's it. And it would have been amazing if the title had been a play on words and one of the mains was actually ace. But nope, typical love drama over three books type of mud.

Linked review NOT spoiler-free! https://codicesandcompendiums.wordpress.com/2018/04/09/review-ace-of-shades-by-amanda-foody/

When this book’s synopsis first started circulating the YA book community, I was unspeakably excited for it. A book about dangerous gangs and gambling, with a bi young man of color as one of the protagonists? Sign me up! Unfortunately, this book suffered the same problem I have with the author’s debut, Daughter of the Burning City—it has a lot of cool ideas at play, but the execution leaves a little bit to be desired.

THE PHOTOGRAPH OF LUCKLUSTER CASINO MATCHED THE STORIES OF NEW REYNES: RED LIGHTS THAT FLASHED WITHOUT FLAME, WOMEN OF LOOSE MORALS DANCING ON STREET CORNERS IN SPARKLING, SKIN-TIGHT CORSETS, GAMBLING DENS BECKONING PASSERSBY WITH SEEDY SMILES AND THE ALLURE OF FAST FORTUNE.

Amanda Foody proved with DOTBC that she’s capable of weaving some very aesthetic settings, whether it’s a twisted carnival city of sin, or a slum full of casinos hiding wicked gang lords and thieves. I love a good casino or gang slum setting, so that was one of the first things that piqued my interest about Ace of Shades.

“SO YOU CHEAT,” SHE SAID, THE CONTEMPT OBVIOUS IN HER VOICE.
“WE MAKE A BUSINESS OUT OF WINNING.”
My biggest problem was that I couldn’t ever fully buy in to the characters. The story alternates perspectives, and first, we have Levi Glaisyer, lord of the Irons gang, orb-maker, and criminal genius. More than anything, I adored the diversity of his character being an unapologetically bisexual young black man, which is a role I have so rarely seen in YA fantasy. (Speaking of diversity, I’d also note here that Enne’s mother, Lourdes, is a gender-fluid character, which was a nice added bonus, despite not being a prominent piece of the story.)

On the other hand, where similar YA fantasy characters would often seem vicious and hardened, Levi also stands apart in a bad way: he is a teddy bear to a fault. Despite the fact that we’re told he’s an infamous gang lord in “The City of Sin”, where he holds his own against multiple other gangs and crooks, none of Levi’s actions actually made me feel that he was capable, much less the ruthless criminal I was expecting. Levi is a really lovable and warm character—I just didn’t find him to be particularly three-dimensional.

PRETTY OR NOT, LEVI WONDERED IF HE HAD EVER MET SUCH A DELICATE, UNPLEASANT CREATURE.
The other protagonist of the book is Enne Salta, who I unfortunately disliked from front cover to back, no matter how hard I tried to enjoy her chapters. She comes onto the scene incredibly uppity and snobbish, and never fully loses that trait, even though a week’s time in the story tries to transform her from a boarding school ballerina to a terrifying assassin. Again, much like with Levi’s progression, it all felt very insincere and forced to me.

Another complaint I had about the story is minor, but applied to the entire cast of characters pretty evenly: the made-up swears in this book are nearly unbearable. I personally don’t usually mind when a book replaces curse words with made-up terms, as long as it’s used sparingly, but after a handful of chapters, I was sighing inwardly every time a character said “mucking” or “shatz”.

ALL YOU KNOW ARE STORIES, ENNE TOLD HERSELF. AND NOT ALL STORIES ARE TRUE.
On a happier note, I enjoyed quite a few aspects of the story. There are a lot of moving parts to the plot (almost too many, to be fair), and quite a few of them felt very “new” and unique to me, such as the volt orbs for currency, or the inherited talents that each individual has (one from each parent, with one talent being stronger than the other). I was genuinely impressed by a lot of these details and would certainly be interested in learning more about the history of the world. I wish we had been given more back story to the world that New Reynes takes place in, but this is only the first book of the series, so hopefully, future installments will provide further explanation.

All in all, I thought this book fell right in the middle of the scale—I enjoyed myself well enough to finish the story, but I don’t feel any pressing need to continue the series or learn what happens next. That said, I can easily see this story becoming a quick favorite for a lot of readers—especially anyone who enjoys casino settings, and does not mind slightly underdeveloped storytelling and world-building. While it wasn’t entirely my cup of tea, if the synopsis of Ace of Shades interests you, I would certainly recommend picking it up and giving it a try.

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Harlequin Teen for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the setting and world building that Amanda Foody has created. While I told myself I wasn't going to start yet another series I couldn't help myself after reading the synopsis of this book. I am super interested in seeing what unfolds throughout this series. The magic system and talents of this world were so intriguing and different, as were, all the characters. Unfortunately, now I must wait for the second installment.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Review:

I received this E-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

I am going to be completely honest, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I had read part of Amanda Foody's other novel (The Daughter of a Burning City) and wasn't a huge fan of her writing style or the characters involved. Ace of Shades is a big step up from that and I am quite glad I had the chance to read it, even if it took me a while.

It took a good one hundred pages for me to get into this book, but once I was in, I was fully committed. Though Enne bothered me at the beginning, her character development throughout the novel was well written and in the end I loved her a lot more. Speaking of characters, I would sell my soul to ensure the happiness of one Levi Glaisyer. He quickly became my favourite characters and it makes me endlessly happy to have a black canon bisexual protagonist in a fantasy novel. He is a dynamic character, with many different layers, one who doesn't shy away from being outwardly fragile. His POV left me wanting to go and give him a hug (because let's be real, who wouldn't want to). The entire cast of main characters in this novel were ones that I came to love in the end. Jac and Lola add more dynamics to this group of misfits, and I am rooting for them to overcome everything that's coming their way.

Even side characters, like Enne's gender-fluid adoptive mother Lourdes, were added in seamlessly. She isn't an often present character, but her character develops in ways I hadn't seen coming. I need to know more about her in the future, and I hope that we will be given more of her backstory in future books.

There is a lot of violence in this book, its definitely not for the faint of heart-if you aren't a fan of reading that sort of thing, I'm not sure how much you would enjoy this.

The world building and magic aspects can be hard to follow at times, it is definitely a book you need to give your full attention to when you read it. The city of New Reynes is just part of this bigger picture, that in all honesty I am still a bit confused about. This being the first in a series there are a lot of questions I'm left with, but that is to be expected. I can't wait to see where Foody takes the story in the next book, how all of these plots will come together- can I just ask that no harm come to Levi? .. ya I knew that was a long shot too.

People don't play this game to win, my dear.
They play this game not to lose.

*An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Harlequin Teen*

ACE OF SHADES by Amanda Foody hits shelves April 1oth!

Ace of Shades is the Las Vegas AU of your dreams. Set in New Reynes, the City of Sin, during the 20th century our story follows two POVs of equally kickbutt characters, Enne Salta and Levi Glaisyer. Enne is on the hunt for her missing adoptive mother named Lourdes who told her that if she doesn't return in two months then she's dead. With only Levi's name as a source of help Enne struggles to stay afloat in the city uncorrupted and elegant, but when secrets about her past and true identity come to the surface Enne has the character arc of a lifetime. Levi on the other hand is a charming, cunning con man and lord of a gang called the Irons. When Enne enlists him for help he is neck deep in a failing scam business and is receiving hints of an invitation to the Shadow Game, a game where no one comes out alive. The stakes are high and the sexual tension is higher.

I absolutely loved this book! The setting is incredibly fleshed out and atmospheric. The violence is gritty and the characters don't shy away from clever maneuvers and escape tricks. One of my favorite parts were the villains. They were truly chilling in a way most fantasy novel villains are not. I am possibly most excited to see the return of most of them in the sequel, or the romance picking up. Despite this story being a high stakes fantasy there was much more manipulation and trickery involved when exploiting or seeking advantages than actual magic. This doesn't mean there isn't any magic involved though. On the contrary, magic is literally in the character's skin as they carry volts around in their arms. I still don't completely grasp this in the technical fashion, but I cannot wait for the sequel to discover more about this interesting world and political system.

Let's talk the romance: Levi and Enne have this beautiful, angsty burn of a romance. I was itching for more but I do appreciate the fantastic pacing of the novel. If I was writing it myself I would've struggled so hard holding back. These characters have so much chemistry and are both individuals I find to be compatible. Can book two come faster please?? And the diversity! Levi is bisexual and black and Lourdes is stated to be a cross-dresser or possibly even gender fluid. The diverse aspects are natural and inclusive throughout. Amanda Foody is brilliant.

Of course, this book isn't flawless, though it comes very, very close. My only critique would be on execution of the history of New Reynes. I had to take a break from the book for school, and when I came back a HUGE ball was dropped the next chapter in and I had to flip back a bunch to remember why that particular information was significant. The history comes all at once in the beginning so pay attention! I wish the characters had recapped a bit for my sake but hopefully they will in the sequel. Overall, this book is excellent and gripping. The last fourth of it was especially thrilling and I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend for anyone, even if you aren't a fantasy fan. It doesn't read as much like a fantasy as the book it's compared to (which is a very high fantasy I've heard), Six of Crows. I have not read that one but I think Ace of Shades stands alone in excellence. And can we talk about this cover?? So eye-catching and perfect for a bookstagram photo.

Pick this up one up at your bookstore or online as soon as you can! You'll be thinking about it for days on end.

My Goodreads review is up now: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2279927305
I will post a bookstagram and brief review on release day to my Instagram (instagram.com/sydneys.books), my Twitter (twitter.com/sydneys_books) and my Facebook page (facebook.com/sydneys.booksIG).

Ace of Shades succeeds on every level. What few criticisms it might garner reflect more of my own personal preferences for a perfect five-star read, rather than shortcomings I think many other readers would share. Usually when I enjoy a book to such an extent I struggle to pick out parts to highlight in a review. This time, however, several aspects stood out as exceptional and reminded me what a difference it makes when even the most common genre conventions are handled with grace.

So far 2018 has been a banner year for strong female protagonists in YA. That trend continues with Enne, the young woman central to Ace of Shades. From the very beginning she brought to mind another favorite fantasy character: Sansa Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire. Like Sansa, Enne possesses a superior sense of poise and grace that serves as a defense against those who seek to take advantage of her naivete. Beneath those proper manners, though, hides a steely determination that grows as her time in New Reynes stretches on. Enne doesn't grow a backbone: she grows into the confidence she always had. To some that might sound like a subtle distinction but it's an important one, especially considering some of the trials she endures. That suffering doesn't "create" a strong young woman; she already existed. But the environment of New Reynes is ripe for an assertiveness unwelcome in her sheltered, cultured upbringing.

As I've expressed in past reviews, insta-love rarely works for me. Thankfully, Ace of Shades features some great slow-burn chemistry between Enne and the leader of the Irons, Levi. While they're never exactly enemies, the pair do make a gradual and believable progression from wary, selfish allies to friends with a clear attraction to one another. Foody leaves ample room for further development (or twists!) in future novels without playing a coy, will-they-or-won't-they game.

I also adored the general idea of the Shadow Game. To avoid spoilers I won't go into too much detail, but it seemed to draw a little inspiration from gladiator games...just with a magical twist. It also promises to function as the central problem for future books in the series; certain mysteries are solved in Ace of Shades, but their answers spawn further questions and complications that draw you deeper into the story. Beyond the (quite honestly terrifying) concept of the Shadow Game, I enjoyed how its introduction actually answered some of Enne's questions about her mother and satisfied the reader's curiosity while opening the door to larger conspiracies.

Lastly, Foody evokes a gilded decay in New Reynes, split into the prosperous South Side and dingy, crime-riddled North Side. Her writing captures the unique blend of excess and corruption that shapes many of the conflicts in Ace of Shades. Most important for a continuing series, she's crafted a vibrant world that I look forward to returning to with plenty of unexplored corners to reveal in future books. Despite opening with a foot chase, I did think that Ace of Shades was a little slow to start and I would have liked to see some of the supporting characters fleshed out more thoroughly. However, overall I was deeply impressed with the start of this new series and I can't wait to read what happens to Enne, Levi, and their friends next!

First of all, let me thank Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for the chance to read and review this book: Ace of Shades, pre-release. As always, these thoughts are my own. This review is spoiler-free and no main plot points are revealed.

I give this story 3.5 stars.

Synopsis: 
Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…
and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems. 

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play.



I have not yet read Six of Crows, but I've seen this story compared to it a few times. I leave it up to you to judge for yourself.

Let's talk about the good things first. 

That Cover, People. It's amazing.
All the editions I've seen of this book are just stunningly beautiful, and the decor inside the book is just as beautiful. The chapter headings and the fonts are perfect for this story.

Character:
"She was a pistol wrapped up in silk. She was a blade disguised as a girl."
Um, actually, no. While Enne Salta was an okay main character, she was dissatisfactory because we generally want a MC who is clever-- maybe not as a clever as we are, as readers, but at least a little clever. Enne... well, she's not. She's not stupid, but she is really really naive to a point where she's not really believable. She wanders into gang fights, she's pretty oblivious,  she never wonders about anything, and her inner monologue felt pretty detached. I never connected with her.

"Street Lord and Con Man"
Enter Levi Glaisyer. He's a criminal genius, lord of the Irons gang, and his talent has to do with money. (both in cheating card players and in the currency, which was one of many details that intrigued me-- more on that later)

Except. He's a teenager, supposedly. He doesn't think, act, or look like a teenager. Even a worldly, hardened teen doesn't act like an adult, they act like a worldly, hardened teen. In that, Levi immediately put me off. His character is not realistic, in that he's the sweet, gentlemanly-like love interest for Enne. He doesn't seem capable, or realistic, as a street lord.

Worldbuilding
This story has some fascinating tidbits that I want to bring up. The magic system is very cool, though not explained, and the city itself is (and is supposed to be) Vegas. Nothing wrong with that. 

Their money is volts, and are contained in glass orbs, which is just really really cool. 

The city is divided up in a pretty confusing manner and I never really understood the street lord + talent + actual streets thing.

This feels like book two to me, except that there was a lot of info-dumping. If this had been the second book in a series and the first book had been about Lourdes, that would have been much more interesting. Maybe it will still happen, who knows.

Plot
Honestly, this story seemed a little confused about the plot. It switches from being a rescue mission/ mystery to a boy meets girl to an assassin story to another rescue mission. If just one of those elements had been taken out, it would have been less cluttered and more easily understood. Again, if this was the second book in a series and the first book had been about Lourdes, wow. I would have loved that.

Conclusion:
I think this book is worth reading because of the new and fresh ideas Amanda Foody throws in. For me, it fell in the middle of the scale, but if you don't mind a little underdeveloped characters and storytelling, and a few token 'gender fluid' scenes, you will love this story. And, apparently, if you need a story with a shadow of Kaz in it, this might help.

I really wanted to like this book, but one chapter in and I was already having trouble getting myself excited to finish it.
Starting off the book, I could not get into the writing. Then, I could not connect with either of the main character. Levi is supposed to be a street Lord, and honestly I just couldn't see it. Then there was Enne who, well I can't pin point exactly what I didn't like about her, but no matter what I never connected with her, which became a problem when the whole story revolves around her looking for her lost mother. After not being able to connect with either of the main character this book became hopeless for me. I didn't care about Enne's mother or if she was found, so I was was just pushing myself through to see if there was anything that would catch my interest other than that, which nothing did.
I hate writing reviews like this where I feel like I am going on and on about what I didn't like, because I think readers that can connect with the characters can enjoy this book, but for me I could have done with not reading it.

Amanda Foody's debut novel Daughter of the Burning City majorly impressed me, so I was couldn't wait to get my hands on her sophomore novel, Ace of Shades. Additionally, with comparisons to Six of Crows, one of my favorite books, it was hard for me to not want the book. As with her debut, Amanda Foody wowed with her fascinating and unique story.

Ace of Shades began with the protagonist, Enne, arriving on the harbors of New Reynes, the City of Sin, in search of her missing mother. Enne's characterization was one of my favorite parts of Ace of Shades. At the beginning of the story, she was a sheltered, young, very prim and proper young woman who had never experienced much darkness in her life. She was essentially tossed into the middle of this city known for its sinfulness, with the gambling, the gangs, and the wars. Watching her navigate this city was a little scary at first because I wasn't sure if she would make it out alive. Sure enough, she easily fell into pitfalls throughout the first half of the book, a major one being when she became magically tied to a notorious and sinister leader of the city. It made her character growth realistic for me. So many times in novels you come across these heroes/heroines who don't seem to struggle when they find themselves in a new world and it irritates me, so I found it quite refreshing here that the heroine came across many obstacles and most of the time didn't overcome the obstacles. As she searched for her mother and became more familiar with the city, she grew by leaps and bounds, becoming a stronger and braver version of herself. Along the way, she also discovered more secrets about not only her mother but also herself. Though her mother wasn't physically present in the book, Amanda Foody managed to flesh out her character through Enne's memories.

Besides Enne's POV, we are also privy to Levi's voice. Levi was a mysterious Iron Lord who had his own gang despite his young age. I was pleasantly surprised by his character over the course of Ace of Shades. He initially came across as this tough and hard-to-gauge character, but underneath all the roughness was a boy with a very soft heart. Though he thought Enne was a nuisance in his side, he quickly became protective of her and helped her on her mission. There was a romance between the two that slowly started brewing and simmering in the book, but as of now, it was very much to the sidelines. I am entirely too eager for more of these two though because the potential there is amazing judging from all the banter. There was also a whole slew secondary characters here, who though not as compelling as Enne and Levi, made for an interesting addition to the story.

The world building here was also well-done. Amanda Foody has a gift for creating atmospheric settings and she certainly managed to bring New Reynes to life. I will sometimes the world went right over my head, but I didn't find that to be too jarring. I was also completely fascinated by the magic system in the book - everyone is born with talents that are indicated by their last names and as with any magic some had talents that were powerful than the others. The gang dynamics and the politics of New Reynes was another element that I completely dug. I also appreciated the diversity in the story and how natural and thoughtful the diversity was - there were people of color and characters who identified as LGBTQ.

I had a really good time reading Ace of Shades and I'm definitely excited to read more of this series. Ace of Shades ended in a good spot with parts of the story line wrapped up, but also left threads open-ended for the subsequent books which I appreciated because I'm not one for cliffhangers. I definitely recommend this one if you're in the mood for a more unique and rugged YA fantasy series!

My Rating: 5/5 This book was perfect!

Characters: 5/5 I found the characters so dynamic and interesting! I definitely feel like most of the characters aren’t black and white at all. They all are a shade of gray and that makes them even more interesting. They are unpredictable. If I had to survive in New Reynes, I would definitely want to do it with a group like Enne’s. I really liked Enne, especially in the second half of the book. She was adaptable and interesting. I’m curious to see how she changes in book 2!

Setting: 5/5 I love the city of New Reynes. Like the characters, the city is a shade of gray. Be careful who you trust and who you make an enemy out of. But it isn’t all bad, You might just discover more about yourself than you’d ever think. The book has a map in it so that you can better see where everything is in relationship to each other and also which sections are owned by which gang or family. Throughout the book, you really get to know how the city works. The world building was amazing in this book.

Plot: 5/5 This story had twists and turns all throughout. It was an adventure and a mystery. It kept me sucked into the book from start to finish and I can’t wait for the second one!

Relationship: 5/5 I’m a sucker for a hate to love relationship! The relationship in this book was more of a Mistrust to Trust relationship and it was just as good. I thought the romantic relationship was well developed. I also enjoyed the platonic relationship building as well! Enne comes into this city alone and unknown but by the end of the book she has a group of Ally’s and Quite a few enemies!

*I was provided the eARC of this title courtesy of NetGalley and Halrequin TEEN in exchange for an honest review.*

When I found out Amanda Foody was writing a book about shady, morally gray characters involved in dangerous schemes and shenanigans set in a fantasy version of Vegas, the book instantly jumped to the top of my "to read" list. I love her writing style, and her ability to write female characters who can be feminine without being weak and helpless. I dove into <i>Ace of Shades</i> with excitement and an open mind.

And came away disappointed, and slightly annoyed.

*The world building was strangely reminiscent of several different settings from other novels. There were echoes of Bardugo, of Chee, of Garber, and nothing was "different" enough to make it stand out. In fact, I felt like it paled in comparison to all its inspirations.
*Some of it is confusing. There are talents (two kinds?), oaths and anti-oaths, allegiances, deposed royalty, politics, a weird monetary system, and that's just the start. Unfortunately, this requires many, many info dumps. The huge chunks of explanation and exposition slow down the plot, and take the focus off the characters in an effort to tell the entire backstory. It also keeps Foody from being able to delve very deeply into character, because she's too busy explaining the world.
*And in a strangely contradictory point, I was interested by the talents. The talents are inherited from each parent, and are reflected in the family names. This was, perhaps, the highlight of the book for me, seeing how the social system works based on family names and traits. I hope this idea is more deeply developed in the next book.
*The characters aren't compelling enough to make me <3 them. Naturally, because of the nature of the story and setting, it's easy to draw a connection between Foody's Enne and Levi and Bardugo's Inej and Kaz Brekker. But they definitely WEREN'T Inej and Kaz. They weren't compelling, and Levi especially was less than convincing as the leader of a vicious street gang. And though I didn't <i>hate</i> Enne, she suffers from the YA female character "ordinary-girl-turned-extraordinary-goddess" cliche.
*(It's important to note, though, that Enne does undergo quite the character arc, which I found to be refreshing. She starts out as a naive, prissy, proper girl, and, out of necessity to survive, adapts to her surroundings and becomes a rebel in her own right.)
*And, now we come to the thing that annoyed me the most. The made-up curse words. Seriously. Mucking? Shatz? The lack of originality is almost insulting.

That said, the book <i>was</i> entertaining, and I can see how it's creating a lot of buzz. It'll be popular with a lot of YA readers. I think Amanda Foody has a lovely writing style, and a way of making it easy to immerse yourself in her stories. And because of that, I didn't completely hate this book. It was *just* interesting enough for me to finish, and maybe even enough for me to read the next installment in the series.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book, and of course jumped right in!! I found the world to be so well built and intriguing, and the “magic” system was unique and interesting! In this world, everyone has hereditary talents- both a main talent and a “split” (lesser) talent- that is passed from their parents. I loved reading about all of these talents as we met new characters and the world grew.
Enne (pronounced like “n”) is the FMC and it was great to watch her character grow as she goes from sheltered debutante to immersion into this dirty gritty world of The City of Sin.
Levi, the MMC, is like a light in the midst of all the dark, with his wit and charm and smarts. He’s like a more benevolent Kaz Brekker, and it works well!
This loses one star because I felt certain aspects of the world were not as fleshed out as they could have been (such as volts and how they are made...it was all very vague). I suspect we will learn more as the series continues, and am certainly eagerly anticipating book 2!

Unfortunately, I DNF'd (did not finish) this book. I was not able to fully connect with the characters the way that I like to do. I felt as though Enne was very annoying to follow as the main character. I would have loved Levi to be the sole main character rather than switching back and forth between their perspectives. Also, the magic system felt out of place in the world that was created. I was confused through most of it and felt as though while I was reading that I was lost the whole time and eagerly waiting for more description and explanation regarding the magic system.
However, I enjoyed the diversity in the book and the world (beside the magic system). I really like the idea of gangs and government that was built.
Hopefully in some point in the future I will pick it up again and enjoy it because I really wanted to.
Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2199514427?book_show_action=false

This was such an excellent way to start off a series! It was very entertaining and captivating. And quite frankly, unlike anything I’ve ever read.

I found Foody’s world-building fascinating and so unique. I’ve heard some people had a hard time following her magical aspects at first, but I didn’t. You just have to make sure you give the book your undivided attention and you’ll follow her creative world easily!

Her characters are fantastic! Seeing Enne’s character development happen didn’t feel rushed or unrealistic. It was beautifully handled.

Levi. Just. Levi. The guy leans against stuff. And smirks constantly. And has the coolest hair ever (that was honestly my favourite idea of Foody’s, it was so clever!) He’s a man after my own heart. But in all seriousness, his POVs always left me feeling emotionally ravaged. He’s such a sympathetic soul! My heart cries for Levi. I just want him to have a nice and easy and safe and happy life!

Obviously this being book one, there are a handful of plot points that didn’t get summed up, because the story needs to continue. But I love how this series has started.

This book has definitely left me wanting more! I’m anxiously awaiting book 2!

4 stars

This book was so awesome y'all! I actually finished it really late last night (this morning) because I'm a procrastinator (and then I had to go and write this whole review before sleeping), but I binged the last 250 pages while lying in bed and whoa was it fantastic!

I've had a pretty bad year with fantasies so far and everything just feels so mediocre to me. I look at Six of Crows and An Ember in the Ashes and I think "Wow, I wish I had more amazing books like these."

But now I finally found a fantasy worth its salt. The hype wasn't a lie (to me) this time and ooh am I so thankful! I would have been distraught if I had skipped over this one, but I had such an amazing time reading.

The plot was super engaging and I sped through the whole book really quickly and all the layers (the different mysterious aspects with Enne's mother and also Levi's debt problems and the Shadow Game and handling a gang and all that romantic tension--gah!) really helped make this a super entertaining novel.

I've read entertaining novels in the past that have just ended up being really disappointing (i.e. Everless), but this definitely didn't let me down!

Enne starts out as a naïve, innocent sort of character (she literally cries like, twice, on her first day in New Reynes) but then things start to change and she enjoys some of the places that she goes to (though, not Sweetie Street) and I really liked seeing her character arc. I definitely wasn't too fond of her at first because it felt like a lot of other YA novels with innocent MCs, but that soon changed. Enne emerges at the end as badass and yet she remains sensitive and feminine while also being strong, which I really loved

And did I mention that the other MC, Levi, is a black bi boy? No? Well, HE'S A BLACK BI BOY!!! This was just so epic and I love the diversity. He's also got a lot on his plate and even though I didn't connect as well with him as I did with Enne just because Enne was new to the whole experience like I, the reader, was. It also felt a little unrealistic that he was a seventeen year old street lord, especially because he wasn't too great at street-lording, which I hope will change.

I did think there were a few parts that could have used a little polishing up, like the magic system ended up being a little fuzzy for me and I wanted more to it. I also wanted more for the history embedded naturally in the book. There's still a lot of information potential in the sequel with the Mizers and other political groups, and I hope we have a lot of spicy things happening with this! Other places just felt like the plot needed a little cleaning or clearing up.

Foody is a great writer and after reading this, I definitely want to check out her debut! I think the highlight of the novel was just how cinematic and engaging it was, plus some of the twists were totally epic! It all had this really interesting and gang-y (without being cringey) atmosphere.

I'm also kind of shook at how she wrote this when she was underage to go to a casino--this is honestly the most shocking part of this whole book. I saw Foody mention this in a tweet and it just goes to show that writing has no age limits, especially when an 18 year old can write something as awesome as this!

I'm as surprised as you are that I'm able to write a review this late at night, but it just goes to show how fantastic this book is! I definitely recommend this to fans of Six of Crows, and even though it may not be the same beloved series, it's definitely got a similar vibe and appeal to the readers! It's definitely not your average, mediocre, cringey fantasy, that's for sure! I'm going to click request so fast for when the second book is on Netgalley, hopefully.

I’ve had Ace of Shades on my TBR list since Katie started ranting about how excited she was to read it. I was so excited to be able to read a digital galley of the book for this tour! I’m also glad that I decided to wait a few days before thinking about how to write this review after having read it because I made the mistake of reading reviews on Goodreads before formulating my own review. Now that I’ve had a few days to process both the book and their reviews of it, I feel like I’m more capable of fully expressing my thoughts and opinions on it. Here’s hoping I’m right!

The characters were all relatively well developed. I’m not quite sure how I feel about Enne and her thought processes, but they were all laid out well enough that she was quite three-dimensional and easy enough to imagine as a real person. I liked the occasional switch to other character points of view while still maintaining Enne as the main point of view character. It allowed for a greater development of some of the characters that we might not have gotten from only her perspective.

Ace of Shades is set in the North side of the City of Sin, where street gangs and mafia families rule. The world was built up really well to the point of being immersive. Amanda Foody obviously took great care in building up the rules of the world without being blatantly obvious about it because I was able to fully understand them without realizing I had learned them.

The plot itself was interesting, though it did start off slightly slower than I was anticipating. I was having trouble wanting to read a digital book when I picked it up, so the fact that it took about two chapters to pick up was irritating to me at the time. In retrospect, that seems a bit unreasonable but there you have it.

The story kept me hooked from that point on though and I ended up staying awake and finished reading it around 1:30AM, which was horrible when I was at work the next day. There were beautiful plot twists and the ending wrapped up at least most of the loose ends while leaving enough room for the next book in the series to start from. Not quite a cliffhanger but not fully satisfying either.

One thing I saw a lot of in other people’s reviews was that the cast and world were too similar to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and I feel like I should address that here. I can say that while there are definite similarities, I feel like Ace of Shades stands on its own very well. While I don’t feel like seeing the similarities between the two novels is a reach, I can say that it’s likely just genre similarities. It’s a perfect example of “If you liked this, read that.” So, honestly, if you enjoyed Six of Crows, Ace of Shades is definitely a series you’ll want to pick up.

I really did enjoy reading this novel though. I definitely understand the hype surrounding Amanda Foody’s writing because her style flows really well. If I’m being completely honest, I’m already ready to preorder the next book in the series. I can’t wait to read more of this world and these characters!

The gave me some "The Last Magician" vibes. If you want a strong female lead with a host of strong supporting characters this is a book for you.

The word building was paced very well. A few chapters in I could easily imagine what everything looked like and the magic system was also easy and quick to understand. Nothing kills a story like a overly heavy world building, no worried of that here.

The writing style felt very honest. It didn't feel like the author was trying to hit a word count or be someone else. This allowed me to become invested in the story and not think about the writing style as much witch us the goal of every author.

The plot was great. We have a young woman thrust into a new world trying to save someone and in the end she finds out so much about herself and trusting in others.

There were times when I felt and little bored but the pacing was spot on most of the time. I did find myself questioning the logic of what was happening but it is a YA Fantasy so...... it is expected.

I did really enjoy this book and it lived up to my expectation.