First time I've read this author and I'm thinking this might not have been the right book for me to try, it was slow going and there was times I wanted to put it down. But I kept reading ,while it to me a while to get into the story and it was still slow going the story concept was a good one, with that said I would like to think Netgalley for for me the chance at trying out a new to me author in change for my honest opinion.

I finished reading Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody yesterday before work and I give this book 5/5 stars! Both of her books (AoS and Daughter of the Burning City) have such interesting concepts and they're so different from anything else I've read. She has such unique ideas and they make her writing stick out compared to other fantasy books that are currently out.
♠️
Enne travels to New Reynes aka the City of Sin to find her mother, and instead ends up finding herself. She goes from being someone nobody notices to someone everyone notices, which ends up being a bit of a problem. Her character development is pretty significant throughout the book. She also meets Levi who is the bad boy, a Lord of a street gang, but he's also so much more.
♦️
The story is told in both of their view points. They do a lot of traveling throughout the City of Sin and it was really fun reading about different areas and I can't wait to explore it further in the next book!
♣️
And in case you're wondering I loved this book so much I'm already working on a custom candle or two for it!

Thieves, rogues, and shady characters? Sign me up. I enjoyed my time reading about the shady, morally ambiguous world of New Reynes. I enjoyed being able to learn about it much at the same time as Enne Salta, the main character, on her first visit to the City of Sin to locate her missing mother. It's a little bit of Six of Crows and Caraval all mish mashed together!

This was a really good book. I enjoyed reading it and being introduced to the city of New Reynes, a self-proclaimed city of sin; picture a magical, more dangerous version of Las Vegas. This story follows the point of view of two main characters, Enne Salta and Levi Glaisyer. Enne arrives in the city searching for her adoptive mother, Lourdes, with just Levi's name as a clue. They quickly meet and the fun begins.
Enne upon her arrival is innocent, having been raised far from the city in a sheltered existence, she quickly feels in over her head. Despite her initial hesitation and the culture shock of being in the city, she finds New Reynes brings her to life; she views herself as really being 'seen' for the first time. I love Enne's story arc from sweet little girl to certifiable badass.
Levi, quite Enne's opposite is a street kid, a con-man, a card dealer and a Lord of one of the local street gangs; not unsurprisingly he has a heart of gold however and certainly a sweet spot for Enne. They work together to try to solve the mystery or who Lourdes actually is and where she has gone. There is an enjoyable cast of side characters in this that really helps the story along.
I did have two minor problems with the book, one was the made up curse words, I found to be a little silly and unnecessary. They were slightly distracting actually because it was so silly. The second problem was the magic system - I don't feel it is every really explained; there are a lot of concepts that are given names but no explanation or definition. There was a lot of ambiguity with it. I read a lot of fantasy and do not expect to be spoon fed concepts but it shouldn't be a mystery either as to how a world is functioning. I was at the very end of the book, in one of the final scenes, still not understanding what was happening with the magic. This issue is actually laced throughout the book which can make sections of it confusing. Perhaps in the second book some of these issues will be cleared up? I am excited to move forward with the series and would definitely read the next book once it becomes available. I thought the ending was perfect and will definitely leave readers wanting more!
Overall, I feel this is a pretty solid start to a series that a lot of people will enjoy due to the action and sweet romance. Thank you so much to Harlequin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this book early and provide my opinions. I am excited to see what other readers think about this one once it is released.
🔱♠

Definitely a full 5/5 stars for this book, while it had a few flaws, it was still REALLY good and I super enjoyed it!! It's so different and original. Actually it kind of reminded me of Melissa De La Cruz's "Frozen" series just in that the cities where the books start out is kind of the same idea, but oh my god, Amanda Foody did SUCH a good job!! I really liked her first book, "Daughter of the Burning City" but this book definitely topped that, which is really saying something!!!

I definitely plan on purchasing the physical copy when it's released in April!! 😍👍🏻

Huge thanks to Harlequin Teen for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

Going into Ace of Shades, I was very excited. I’ve read Amanda Foody’s debut book, Daughter of the Burning City, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. I had high hopes that Ace of Shades would be the same way. I had some mixed feelings about it and didn’t like it as much as Daughter of the Burning City. Still, it was a good story.

The story starts quickly with Enne arriving in New Reynes. The reason is immediately stated, and the story and the main players are introduced and developed from there. New Reynes was definitely the City of Sin. Once again, I think Foody did a good job developing the darker themes of the story such as corruption, crime, and gambling. However, so much of the city was dark, dangerous, and rife with corruption with little to nothing else to break up those themes. It certainly lived up to its name. But, I would have liked to see a little more of the outside world beyond it. It was mentioned, but mainly through flashbacks and exposition from Enne’s limited point of view. But I never got a sense for what those places were actually like. The bulk of the action and mystery was centered in New Reynes and the search for Enne’s missing mother. Luckily, I didn't mind because there was a lot going on with the plot.

So who was good and who was bad? Who could be good or bad in a city nicknamed the City of Sin? There was no easy way to tell when many of the characters were morally ambiguous. That being said, the characters were a highlight for me, or more specifically, I liked the dynamics between them. Levi Glaisyer was far from an infallible character. He made a lot of mistakes and kept a lot of secrets. His past was catching up with him. And I could say the same thing about many of the characters from Ace of Shades, including Enne. At times, Enne was a little naïve, but it fit with the context of her upbringing and subsequent arrival in a new place.

Like I said above, Ace of Shades wasn’t a bad story. I liked it a lot actually. However, the beginning didn’t really draw me in the way Daughter of the Burning City did. It took several chapters before I was able to really get into the story. By far my favorite parts of the book took place in the latter half of the story when the true nature of the city and the game were revealed. There were hints of broader political and social unrest brewing beneath the surface of New Reynes, but they were hints. Of course, the implications point toward where the story could go after the end of Ace of Shades. And I’m interested in seeing where those implications eventually lead and what the consequences will be for Enne, Levi, and the other characters.

So, Ace of Shades was a good story. It was a promising beginning to a new series, and I know I’ll probably read the sequel. I also recommend it for those who enjoyed Foody’s last book, Daughter of the Burning City.

Disclaimer: This copy of the book was provided by Harlequin Teen via Netgalley for this review.

So this is going to be a short review because this is a DNF for me. I was really excited about this book but I just cannot get into it. I have no idea what's going on, it is giving me serious Caraval vibes (which would be great if I hadn't hated that book), and some of the language (made up curse words that are so ridiculous I can't even take serious, and calling female characters "missies") actually makes me cringe. I tried but this just wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this novel! Enne has become my new favourite character--I absolutely adored her and her development throughout ACE OF SHADES was brilliant, believable, and beautiful. I can't wait to see what else is planned for her.

You know those books you read, and when you finish you just want to shout out its amazingness to the world? I finished Ace of Shades at 1 in the morning, and was all set to run out in the street and wave it around for everyone to know. Who knew that a book centred on a City of Sin selling crime, gambling and sex was the one you need in your life right. now. Cuz you do. So get it. Now.

This book is told over the course of ten days in dual POV, and I *adored* Enne and Levi. Separately, together, didn't matter. They now hold a special place in my heart, and damn anyone who tries to hurt them. Looking at you, Foody. Enne is a prim proper lady trying not to let the city of New Reynes corrupt her. Meanwhile, Levi is a gang lord who is trying to keep the corruption of the city on him to a minimum. Their individual character development is flawless. From who they were on page one to the last, the change in each character was both understandable and believable. Plot-wise, the journey they take throughout this book, again separately or together is a wonderful adventure. At no point was I ever bored and wishing to move on to the other POV. The sexual tension between them? Holy @$!* I can't remember the last time I have ever wanted a pair of characters to kiss, but I am so glad Foody let it play out like it did. And don't even get me started on the secondary characters. Each was a little delight wrapped up with a little bow, drugs and murder aside.

The world building in this was top notch. I've never read Foody's other work, so I don't know how this holds up to the rest, but I know I *loved* this. To my pleasant surprise, not once did I picture Las Vegas, the more prominent Sin City. Instead, I was put in mind of Atlantic City in the 1920's. If you read my review of Nothing But Sky, you'll know how much I absolutely love anything that has to do the 1920's. I don't think there's even space in this review for me to gush about how much I loved the aesthetic of this world, the richness of the history, the intricacy of the magic system, and the mystery of the Shadow Game. And the Game itself? So worth the wait. I'll leave it there. I know if I really start getting into what I loved, I won't be able to stop. Last year, Caraval was the one that had me raving like this, and it was my favourite read of the year. This is well on track to being my favourite of the year.

Did I mention magic? Because the implementation of magic in an already masterclass world had me 100% invested. I found it to be quite inspiring. In a nutshell, each person has a split talent and a blood talent, each inherited from one parent. In turn, this gives a person their full name. For instance, Enne Abacus Salta means you have an affinity for counting and dancing. These little details of other characters revealed themselves throughout the book and each was such a surprise. Simple talents like an affinity for acrobatics and telling truth from lie, to more impressive ones like blood gazing and spells cast binding an individual to the will of another. I really appreciated that none of them were the typical cliche abilities that always crop up in these kinds of books.

I am equally disappointed and delighted that it took me a week to read this book. The former, because all I wanted was to stay inside that world and never leave. The latter because all I wanted was to stay inside that world and never leave. Bring on book 2 NOW.

2.5 stars rounded up to three since this did actually pick up in the last half, but just barely. Admittedly, I was so relieved to finish this book - generally I can read cover to cover in 2-3 days, but this one took me WEEKS and I dreaded every time I picked it up until about 75% in.

I wanted to love this book so much, especially given all the comparisons to Six of Crows, which I actually did love. The reality is less that the two are similar and more that Ace of Shades feels like a cheap rip-off of SoC, which was disappointing, to say the least. Of course, that was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things that annoyed me about AoS. Here are a few others:

1. The made-up profanity, as several others have mentioned. This book doesn't seem to be aimed at middle schoolers, especially given the talk of drugs, sex, alcohol, so why the need to make up curse words, especially when they're not even very good? It took credibility away from the story and was really obnoxious.

2. Lack of character development. The idea that Enne came to New Reynes as a goody-two-shoes wannabe debutante who did a complete 180 in 10 days not only beggars belief, it's just lazy writing. There was zero introspection involved in these developments and this made Enne's arc extremely hollow/something I just didn't care about in the slightest. Levi's evolution was slightly more believable, but only because there wasn't much of one for him.

3. The obligatory romantic storyline. Insert giant groan here. When will YA writers (and writers in general, I suppose) realize that you can have boys and girls or men and women develop a fulfilling, healthy platonic relationship that doesn't have to turn into some corny, stretched story of love and longing that really has no place in the narrative. All this subplot did was make me roll my eyes. This isn't a spoiler since it's fairly obvious from the beginning that this is where things are going.

Basically, this book seems like a strange conglomeration of all the great YA fantasy books over the past couple of years, recycled and regurgitated in some not great ways. Not for me.

This story felt a little forced to me and used some of the same repeat themes often found in YA novels. The world building was nicely done in this novel. Interested to see what author does next. Overall a good read.

"Ace of Shades" is one of the most talked-about upcoming releases of 2018, and when I read the fascinating excerpt on Amanda Foody’s website, I wanted to review it.

Foody created such a dark, thrilling world full of danger and morally grey characters. I was instantly drawn into this world with casinos, politics, gangs, and people trying to survive. That’s what this story is, at its heart: a tale of survival. And of magic, though we’re mostly teased with magic until the climax of the book.

The protagonist, Enne, begins as a somewhat priveleged lady and the journey she goes on is hard, but fascinating and well-written. She must put aside her society manners, and sometimes her morals, to find her mom and survive the city. She’s a great main character, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Jac, Lola, and of course Levi are also interesting characters. Lola begins by loathing Enne, so it was great to see their dynamic change over the course of the novel. Levi is cool character, mysterious and dark. He’s bisexual, and we even get some romantic scenes with Levi and both genders. I really appreciated that not only because it adds diversity, but also because they were steamy scenes. Levi and Enne have a will-they-won’t-they dyamic throughout the novel and that tension is delicious. I hope they do finally get together in the next book, but we’ll see! There’s also the mention of a character who dressed like both a female and a male, and even sometimes androgynous.

Foody creates such dark, lush settings with her descriptions, and it helped me become fully immersed in New Reynes. She created a tone and atmosphere that suits the plot and the harshness of the City of Sin. Sometimes her writing was a bit jarring which took me out of the story, but mostly it flowed well. For example, ‘She looked at the door. The door opened’. I also felt that at times the plot was a little slow, but neverthless I found this a quick read because I wanted to know what happened next.

"Ace of Shades" is a dark tale of survival in a cruel city. The prose is mostly captivating, and the characters are interesting. Enne is a fantastic protagonist, and her character ARC is one from society lady to survivor. I feel like we just got a taste of the magic in Ace of Shades, so I can’t wait to see more of it.

I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately, it fell short. I just couldn't get in to it. Maybe it was just me and someone else will love it but it was dull in the middle so I had no interest in continuing it. It started out with such promise but again, I just couldn't keep going.

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody 
Series: The Shadow Game
Format: ebook
Pages: 304
Published by Harlequin Teen
Release date: April 10th, 2018
Top 3 Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Steampunk
My rating: Set it on fire/If you have nothing else to read/you need to <b>read it/Run and buy it.</b>

<b>The City of Sin...</b>

"Don't reveal your emotions.
Trust no one.
Never find yourself lost."
If the discovery of New Reynes was slow at first, it quickly became addictive. Amanda Foody created here a dangerous and dark city, where secrets have more power than money and where you can lose your life before you know it. Imagine a world of smoke and poisons, songs and pistols, games and tricks... and there you are, in New Reynes. We enter it as tourists, just like Enne at the beginning of the book, cautious but curious. But as the book goes on, we become players. And the city plays a dangerous game! That is what Enne will learn, just as Levi, who thought he knew the city well. But what he knew was only the beginning, and a new game just started!

<b>A steampunk/magical vibe</b>

While reading this book, I felt like a mix of old Far West towns, steampunk, and magic. I won't lie, it also reminded me a lot of Six of Crows, sometimes a bit too much, but not enough to be a real bother. Like, there were similarities, but enough differences too.
In this world, people have two talents, inherited from their parents: a blood talent, stronger, and a split one, weaker. These talents can help them with their job, like being a math genius or making orbs (a part of what represent money in this world). Others can get you killed. During this book, we will discover more about each character's talents, as well as the most dangerous one. I really enjoyed the part magic had in this book, present, but not too much. Just enough to tip the balance and make things more interesting!

<b>Characters you can only love!</b>

I will be honest, at first, I hated Enne, I could not stand her, her thinking, her reactions. She was always crying and complaining. But then, she transforms through the book, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. She becomes so much more than what she was (or maybe, she just uncover it). And in the end, I loved her and I wanted to keep following her adventures. 
As for Levi, the second main character, I loved him from his first appearance. His doubts and his hopes, still so pure even after years in the City of Sin. He was great from the start, and stayed great all through the book!

" Her guidebook had been wrong about one thing: the most dangerous part of the City of Sin wasn't the beckoning of the card tables or the threat of the gangs. it was the allure of Levi Glaisyer's roguish smile."

We also meet Jac and Lola, sidekicks that I hope we will learn more about!
As for the enemies of our heroes, they are simply terrifying and ruthless! Their powers are dangerous and you'd better stay out of their way. Unfortunately for Enne and Levi, they have a third talent: to make powerful enemies!

<b>In a few words</b>

New Reynes was magical, dangerous and dark. It twists all souls that enter and we will follow how it changes sweet innocent Enne into something else, someone else. After a slow beginning where it was hard to really get into the world and the story, I was captivated by the plot, the characters and the City itself! The Shadow Game just started... and I can't wait for the next move!

Review published at abookandacup.wordpress.com on March 12th.

I had no idea Six of Crows and Caraval were seeing each other, but they were and this is their baby. I was totally mesmerized by the world of debauchery, seduction and mysterious card games within Ace of Shades and cannot wait to get more! This is one to check out.

The book starts off with Enne Salta travelling to New Reynes, the proclaimed "City of Sin" in search of her missing mother. Her only lead is the name of a street lord, Levi Glaisyer. From there, future lady-to-be Enne, is swept down a path that grows to feel increasingly outlandish, yet intimate, as the story continues. She uncovers secrets about her loved ones and herself she never believed possible.

Some of the best aspects of this book were the world, its history and the way magic is handled. I LOVED the blood and split talent aspect and it opens a universe of possibilities when it comes to the types of talents that exist. Additionally I found the history and lore (eg. the Mizers) of the world very interesting and hope to learn more about volts, how magical talents came to be and how the Mizers fell. I mean how cool is it that the main form of currency is orbs filled with (essentially) electricity? Hellooooo Nikola Tesla. Speaking of that, I got a very strong vibe of a late 1800's-early 1900's setting and oh man am I here for it. Street gangs, mafia families, acrobatics shows, gambling dens, I live for fictional worlds that are painted so brightly and fascinating as this one.

I also got a kick out of Enne and her propriety at the start of this novel and the way she began to unwind and let go of her inhibitions as she became more comfortable being herself, rather than always putting on an act. Her horror at certain circumstances was humorous and the way she began to take control and feel good about herself was empowering. Her character grew by leaps and bound and I expect we have much more growth to come.

Then comes Levi, the best (and most precious) card dealer in the City of Sin. Seriously, I just want to bundle Levi's tortured, mischievous soul up in a blanket and carry him around with me. Levi's situation is a prime example of being between a rock and a hard place. Levi only wants what is best for those he feels responsible for, but he cannot do that if he cannot save himself first. I loved Levi's desire for greatness, yet never got the sense that he had lost his humanity. Oh - and Levi is a totally bi and a POC and I'm supporting you honey, keep up the good work. Really - what I need is for Enne and Levi to burn New Reynes to the ground together.

Overall, this is a really unique story with a great world and a fun cast of characters. I cannot say too much about the plot and search for Enne's mother without spoiling the story for you, so just take my word for it and check it out!

Also - where's mah fan art at!?

This was good, but I think it could have been so much better.
Parts I liked:
The overall story was very intriguing and I loved the whole gangster vibe it had going. The added magic line thrown in was really fun as well and I found myself very invested in the talent/split talent aspect of the story. It was definitely different and one that I really wanted to know more about.
I also really liked the characters. Levi was great and Enne didn't quite work for me until the end, but by the end I loved her and them together. She grew into her backbone and after what was revealed in the end I can't wait to see how she grows into her own. I think the will be a fierce character and can see her being in my top ten of all time favorites.
What I didn't like:
The history was too muddled. I wish the author would have told the history of her story in a straight forward way. It was incredibly hard to understand who was who for me and which side was the bad side. I found myself glossing over those parts because I just couldn't get a grasp on them. A glossary wouldv'e been fantastic to be honest. I think that may have been all I needed to keep it all straight. If though when the "game'" is talked about I still didn't know what it was until the very end which could have been the author keeping things as a surprise, but it bothered me and still does that i didn't know what she was talking about throughout the entire book. I also had a hard time understanding what volts were and how they worked. I think this whole concept is amazing, but for me I need a lot more information.
One other thing bothered me and that was the LGBTQ line. This book has been pushed and pushed as LGBTQ and while there is one scene with Levi that focuses on this that was basically it. He fell for Enne and that's great, but why even add the LGBTQ if you aren't going to commit to it. It felt like a really cheap way for the author to call her book diverse by throwing in a tiny scene. The rest of the book Levi is all up in Enne so for me this should not be pushed as a LGBTQ diversity book.

So while I did enjoy this and will certainly pick up the next installment I had quite a few major issues with it. I am hoping the next book works better for me because I really do find the idea very intriguing.

I have been seeing this book everywhere, and am glad I got a chance to read it! It is dark and clever, and though the story unfolds a little slowly, I didn't mind. The world-building is well done and the characters engaging. I would read more by this author in the future!

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding Amanda Foody’s newest release, Ace of Shades! I was more than eager to read it once I got my hands on a copy as I had heard good things about her debut which I still need to read. This book was far different from what I was expecting, it was intriguing and full of mystery. Though some of the world politics were a little complicated and adding in magic and abilities it makes things a little harder to grasp as it wasn’t based on things I was familiar with. But other than those murky waters I found I quite enjoyed this one!

Enne has come to New Reynes in order to find her mother who has been missing for some months now. She was left with a letter that says where she went and if she hadn’t returned to go to New Reynes and find a man named Levi, who would, hopefully, help Enne find her. When Enne does all this, she finds that New Reynes is a most dangerous place indeed. Trusting Levi to help her find her mother will be a great leap of faith.

Levi is the leader of The Irons, a local gang that works with gambling and whatnot. Though Levi is in a bit of a pickle himself as a deal to earn big money that his boss brought him in on is starting to go sour. He owes a lot of money to another man named Sedric Torren who runs his own casino and is notorious for getting what is owed to him. Basically, don’t cross Sedric, like Levi is about to. He has ten days to earn the money he needs to pay him back and helping Enne find her lost mother may just be the key to getting that money.

As I said, this world was a little more complex that I had anticipated. It was part fantasy, part steampunk almost what with the different kind of technology they used. I wouldn’t say it’s steampunk exactly, because steam and machines weren’t really a part of it, but that’s the feel I got from it and is the best word I could think of to describe it. Adding in the fact everyone is gifted with two kinds of abilities, you have the makings for a world not like our own.

There was a good deal of mystery to this one; what with trying to find Enne’s mother and then of course, another mystery pops up. One that wasn’t expected, though I admit I started making my own suspicions over things. The end results are inconclusive you could say, as while we did learn some things, the ending to this one leaves things a little unsettled, yet I wouldn’t say it was really much a of a cliffhanger, more like laying the foundation to what will likely build into an even bigger puzzle!

There was a bit of possible romance happening, but I was astonished to see that not much happens in that area. But I would think when the next book comes around we might finally get to see something between Enne and Levi!

Overall this book is leaving me feeling a bit puzzled over things and what happened, the hows and the whys…what will likely happen in the future to come. I am not sure of any of it. It was still a really decent read but I feel like while I am reading I shouldn’t be questioning things about how the world works. And yet, I found I never really quite grasped what goes on in this place. And when I can’t understand how things work, I can’t quite get into the story. Here, I did have a general understanding, but I’m all about the details. So while I understood enough, I still found that I only sort of liked this book. There were times when I was really enjoying myself, and perhaps I will have a great appreciation for things come the second book. I still liked this book, but I can’t say it was an immediate favorite. I definitely plan to check out the rest of this series and hopefully Amanda’s first book as well, so I’m not done yet!


Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars


Ace of Shades releases April 10, 2018

I truly enjoyed Ace of Shades, I went in not really knowing what the book was about. I didn't read Daughter of the Burning City, so I was unfamiliar with Amanda's writing. But I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed Ace of Shades. There were some flaws but by the end of the book, I was wishing for more.

My favorite part of the book was the setting. New Reynes is described very well and the reader can feel the struggle of the people in it. There is a clear class system and from the very beginning you know how the system stands out. Gangs profit by gambling and cheating others.
The power trope has been a frequent in many YA books of late, and Ace of Shades is no different. But while many books have only a select few carry a power, Ace of Shades shows that those powers determine your class. Everyone has two powers; their surname is the more powerful one and is called the Blood Talent. This talent is the one used to distinguish classed of talents. There were a few times when a person's blood talent determined who you could or couldn't interact with.

In the beginning, I wasn't too sure about the characters. My interest in them wavered my times at the start, but as the story progressed I was fully invested. The character development for both Enne and Levi turned them into very likable leads. I was fully invested in their story and hoped for a happier ending for them both.

Enne was the character I wavered the most on. I liked her in the beginning because I too would bring a “How to survive a new city” guidebook with me. I felt that by the end, Enne had the most character development to the point where I loved her more than anyone else. By the end of Ace of Shades Enne was a strong female character but still held onto her femininity. I think a lot of female leads are losing their vulnerable side and Enne was opposite in the beginning. Instead, she grew from a vulnerable girl who cried a little more than you'd want, but then grew into a badass woman who was willing to (willing to what?)

Levi was someone I liked the more and more I saw him. I haven't read Six of Crows yet, but I do know that many people are comparing Levi to Kaz. I wouldn't know if he's similar or not, but I did enjoy him as a character. He was a great foil to Enne's personality. I hope to see more of his background and see him interact with other characters more. His relationship with Enne was a little clichéd at times, but I enjoyed their working together more than the romance.

While the start was a little slower, the more I read the more I was immersed in the City of the Sin. Enne ended up being a fantastic female heroine who became stronger the longer she was in New Reynes. Her friendship with Lola is something I hope Amanda explores more in the next installment. Overall, I was happy to read Ace of Shades and I will recommend it to anyone. I'm excited to see where Enne and Levi head next, and I see the many opportunities for each of them.

This is a solid book! It was engaging from start to finish, taking place over ten days, featuring a few central mysteries that get partly resolved by the end of the book. While I didn’t fall in love with this book, I don’t know that there’s anything specific I can point to that this book did wrong. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it.

First shout-out has to go to the worldbuilding, which is pretty damn cool! As far as I can tell, it’s set in a late 19th-early 20th century mash-up of London and…Italy? Maybe? Anyway, it’s a far cry from your usual pseudo-medieval setting; Foody’s City of Sin glitters with neon lights and seedy casinos. New Reynes is still suffering from the effects of a revolution that left the monarchy dead and replaced with a Republic; as it is, the city is still quite unstable. The magic system is built into bloodlines; everyone is born with two “talents” – ranging from acrobatics to fire manipulation – depending on their parents. Telling someone your family name essentially reveals your talent. I was really, really into this; it reminded me of old-school fantasy, but in a fresh setting.

The story begins when Enne Salta arrives in New Reynes, better known as the City of Sin, in search of her mother Lourdes, who has been missing for several months. Enne has little to go by, except for the last letter her mother sent, instructing her to seek out Levi Glaisyer, who turns out to be a young street lord in a very precarious situation of his own. Levi owes an exorbitant amount of money to one of the city’s mafia families, with payment due in ten days. When he and Enne meet, he promises to help her once she promises she’ll pay him. The story is told in both Enne and Levi’s POVs, in third person past, which was a refreshing change of pace from the usual first-person POV.

Both Enne and Levi are likable enough. For some reason, I keep seeing comparisons to Six of Crows, particularly to Kaz and Inej, but frankly I couldn’t see any similarities, and I think it’s to this book’s detriment that this comparison keeps being brought up! I don’t want to be comparing this to Six of Crows as I read; they are two completely different books with completely different characters. Frankly, Levi is no Kaz, which is not an insult to Levi’s character – they’re just two totally different people! In fact, the narrative makes it a point to establish that Levi is more kind and compassionate than other characters (including Enne!), so he’s pretty much Kaz’s opposite.

Enne is a very relatable heroine. She comes to New Reynes scared and clueless in search of the only family she has in the world. She is at various points scared and weepy and frustrated, but all her reactions make sense, so I was never irritated by her. Over the course of the ten days the novel takes place in she develops into a stronger, surer person, but it is not an abrupt character change. It’s not as though Enne suddenly becomes someone else, but existing aspects of her persona morph into more ruthless counterparts. I loved that about her.

Second shout-out is to the casual diversity in this novel; Levi is explicitly black and bisexual. Enne’s mother is said to be gay and genderfluid. There’s several casual mentions of people’s sexuality, which was super refreshing to see! Also, this isn’t anything to do with diversity per se, but I liked this book’s mature approach to sex. There’s an actual female masturbation scene here, and I literally don’t think I’ve ever seen that before in YA.

The inevitable romance did not make me want to bash my skull into a wall, so that’s good! I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. The plot was solid, particularly for the first book in a trilogy. There was a lot of introductory material that is clearly setting up for a trilogy, but it was handled smoothly.

Overall, a good book, and I’ll probably check out the sequel.