Ace of Shades isn't a bad book - but it's not spectacular either. It makes the fatal mistake of trying to be something it isn't.
Ace of Shades needs to stick to it's own story - Enne Salta and Levi Glaisyer are great characters without trying to turn Levi into Kaz Brekker.
Because you can't just take a random teenager and voila, he's Kaz!
Drop the Six of Crows wanna-be attitude and Ace of Shades stands well enough on it's own.

Because Ace of Shades does have a lot going for it.

First - The world building

Oh my goodness - The City of Sin is incredibly detailed and rich. I felt like was in the city with Enne. From the Gambling dens and cabarets to the dark alleys, the city was diverse and immersive.
Also, I loved the metro system! I don't think I've ever read a steampunk book with a met system and I LOVED reading about these characters riding the cars.
The magic system is also really complex. Different talents mixing, with royal families carrying different talents. I LIKE IT.

Also, talents that you can use to control people??? Give me more

Mixed in with the magic & city is, of course, the crime. I want more with the crime families and street gangs. Honestly, that's what makes this book so intriguing. The Donna and Don and casino families.
I don't think I've ever read a YA Steampunk Family with such intense hierarchies of crime? I mean, Six of Crows had gangs, but I'm not sure how well they qualified as organized crime? Anyway, it was really a wild read with these crime families.

The Characters
Ace of Shades needs to spend a bit more time developing rich characters. Enne was great, but I felt like the rest of the ensemble were just meh. The descriptions of the characters didn't live up to how they acted. Their actions were difficult to understand.

Enne Salta was so fun to read. She's naive and funny. I know some people have complained about her naivety, but I thought it was refreshing. She alternates between prudish and shocked, and I like it. It reminds me of me if I was dropped in the middle of Vegas.

Levi Glaisyer - He's not Kaz. And his motivation to become a street lord makes NO SENSE. I was super annoyed with him as a character because he's trying so hard to be this street lord, and he doesn't match up to the job? Different characters say he's better than the rest of them, but I don't see it? It's confusing, conflicting messages.
Also, Levi is bisexual. Which is great, EXCEPT the way his sexuality is treated. He has intense platonic relationships with his guy friends. Definitely not romantic, but they are rich and strong friendships. Also, he sleeps with guys. So he only sleeps with the guys he uses? But he actually falls in love with a girl?
I don't like sexuality used that way. It feels like Levi's bisexuality is just exploited - like he can only develop real relationships with girls, and he just enjoys sleeping with guys. I HATE this narrative about bisexuals.

The plot
There are GREAT things happening with this plot. I want to read more, really I do.
But I also felt like there were weird things that just didn't make sense. Why Levi takes Enne to the Donna makes NO SENSE. (view spoiler)

I am very excited to see things play out in the second book. Ace of Shades ends with some major cliffhangers and I am excited to see where this series goes!

Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Amanda Foody is on a quick path to being an all time favorite author of mine because at this point, she can do me no wrong!

After reading and loving Daughter of the Burning City, I was highly anticipating her second novel, Ace of sahdes. Here we are folks. It was glorious.

This book is literally too high quality for this world. I want to assimilate it into my being and find a way to apply all of Enne Saltas qualities and knowledge into my life. Who is Enna Salta, you ask? Oh, just the main character of this story WHO IS A CONSTANT REMINDER THAT GIRLS ARE BEAUTIFUL AND ETHEREAL AND I AM A PILE OF INCOHERENT SEAWEED WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. So the plot consists of Enne who has traveled to the City of Sin in search of her adoptive mother who has gone missing. She's completely out of her element in this dark and gruesome world. A world that I found pretty similar to Six of Crows but honestly, FAR more brutal and intriguing. Enna eventually gets caught up with a street gang lord who surprised the heck out of me. I never thought I'd want to squeeze the cheeks of a character before..

All in all, this is a sweeping epic tale that has complex and detailed world-building that is seamlessly integrated into the story which I loved!! Sooo when can I get Amanda's next book?

"If I'm not home in two months, I'm dead." These were the last words Lourdes, had spoken to Enne Salta before she left for New Reynes, The City of Sin. Four months after Lourdes departure, Enne sets off with a guide book to the city in hopes of finding her mother before her debut. Enne, a proper young lady, had been preparing her whole life for her debut and title of lady, something she wanted more than anything...except finding her mother. Unaware of Lourdes secret life in New Reynes; Enne unexpectedly finds herself thrown into danger in a city filled with political upheaval, corruption, and lies. With the help of Levi Glaisyer, a street lord and con man, she will set out to find answers, resist the corruption of the city, and make it out alive.

Ace of Shades is the first book in a fresh new YA series set in a time of street gangs but with an exciting element of magical fantasy. What I really enjoyed about this novel was the unique blend of historical and fantasy elements. Talents and abilities are bestowed by bloodlines from both parents which also somewhat determine class; however some individuals have abilities that fall outside of normal human capabilities. New Reynes, a city of corruption has a long history of revolution and war between the different criminal bosses that control the different zones. Although this first novel was action packed, it focuses mostly on introducing the characters and the history of the city while Enne gains allies for the upcoming novels. I'm excited to see what surprises the other books in the series will hold as well as getting to know more about the main characters introduced. This is definitely a series I would suggest checking out and is sure to be a top pick for 2018.

When this book was first announced in 2017 I was over the moon excited. I had read Foody’s debut, Daughter of the Burning City, and had fallen in love and was very much looking forward to getting my hands on more of Foody’s work. So many of the early reviews were absolutely beaming about Ace of Shades and I wanted in on the action. When my eARC request finally came through, I dove right on in.

Characters

In Ace of Shades we really follow two main characters, Enne and Levi. Enne finds herself in the City of Sin looking for her adoptive mother, Lourdes, who has gone missing and was last known to be there in New Reynes. When she arrives she is a wholesome, naive youth with very proper etiquette. She quickly finds herself embroiled with the street lord Levi and his gang. Levi, with the promise of a massive payment from Enne, agrees to help her find Lourdes.

For 3/4 of this book I absolutely could not stand Enne. She was naive and childish and had all the personality of a wet fish. Also, miraculously, everything seems to go her way. Isn’t that nice? How annoying. When you are a silly little thing meandering around in a place called the City of Sin you should get into a lot more trouble than this precious flower did. However, I will say that in the last quarter of the book her character really bloomed. Enne leaves her childish ways behind and becomes someone fascinating.

Levi, on the other hand, is dull from start to finish. He has found himself owing a great deal of money to a powerful man and that is his only focus. That’s cool, I can understand that being your obsessive when you life is on the line. But, lo and behold, a pretty face comes along and he becomes smitten. He is still concerned about the money but he is more worried about wilting that precious flower and protecting her and it really ground my gears. Levi had nothing going for him.

Plot (some spoilers)

The plot is actually pretty interesting. If you read the blurb at the top, you’d know that the story takes place in a seedy city known for gambling and gang violence. In my head I automatically pictured a run down version of Vegas. Enne goes to this city looking for her mother who went missing there. She gets caught up in some of the gang violence, indentured to a essentially a mob boss, nearly murdered on multiple occasions, and ends up finding very little information about Lourdes all the while being taken advantage of by the city.

While the plot is interesting, Enne’s reactions to what happens to her is what turns it a little on the dull side. She cries, goes and finds help, and makes a general mess of things. In a nutshell, the general plot was interesting but the characters moving through that plot needed some zing.

Overall

This book was interesting and had fairly unique subject matter. There is a whole magic system etc which felt fresh, not recycled, and that is always nice. The other thing I want to mention is the ending. This is the first book in a trilogy, I believe, but everything felt rather wrapped up there at the end. I wasn’t left with the nagging feeling of wanting to know more of what could happen because the main plot line had been more or less resolved. I just didn’t care what more happened.

It was just so structured, as if nothing spontaneous could possibly happen. That made the story as rigid as a nun in a catholic school. If the characters had been anywhere in the realm of likable this would have been a very good book. As it is, I feel like I can’t give it more than a 3/5.

If you're a fan of Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows series, read no further. Just go now and pre-order this book. Immersive world-building, mesmerizing, flawed, diverse characters, life or death stakes - all done masterfully.

The setting of New Reynes, the City of Sin, is a character unto itself in this book - I felt as if I were experiencing the dark, narrow streets, enticing smells of street vendors, and threats lurking around every corner. The guidebook references at the beginning of each chapter are entertaining and give subtle hints at what's to come.

Although she may fool you initially, Enne Salta is almost as badass as V.E. Schwab's Delilah Bard. An unexpected strong resolve and nerves of steel hide behind her 'proper young lady' exterior - don't underestimate her. Levi is pulled in several directions, makes questionable choices, struggles to do the right thing - and could charm a snake.

Ace of Shades offers a fast-paced plot, gangs, casinos, rogues, intrigue, mystery, romance, and magic - and it's one of my top YA fantasy reads. The second book couldn't come soon enough.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

In her <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2218538676?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1">review</a>, Cinda Williams Chima described this book as "<i>Six of Crows</i> meets 'House of the Rising Sun,'" and that's honestly the best description I've seen. I'm a huge fan of both of those things, so this should have been a total winner for me. Ultimately, though, <i>Ace of Shades</i> was too trope-y for me to rate it as highly as I did <i>Jade City</i>, which is one of the best gangster books I've ever read.

First things first, <i>Ace of Shades</i> has a killer premise: a gang leader and a lady-in-training get caught up in a mysterious card game which might cost them their lives. New Reynes has a distinct inspired-by-New Orleans vibe, with its old warm charm, big casinos, and reputation as a "City of Sin." And the different gangs and magic systems had a very <i>Six of Crows</i>-type feel. Overall, I liked a worldbuilding a lot, though I did have questions (Public telephones? That feels a little too modern, idk).

The plot is also fast-paced and moves us through the story (and the city) in a way that keeps you turning the pages. I was definitely never bored. If I weren't in school, I could have finished this book in a day or two.

Where <i>Ace of Shades</i> fell apart for me was the characters. I recognize that this is personal taste, but if you're going to write a book about criminals, I feel like you really have to *go* there. It's repeated multiple times that Levi is a good person - he rarely cheats people, unless he has to; he's never killed anyone, unlike the other gang leaders; and one of the other characters constantly tells him that Levi is better than the others. While it's hard to buy that a 17-year-old could be a gang leader, a problem both <i>Ace of Shades</i> and <i>Six of Crows</i> shares, at least Kaz Brekker *felt* like he could get the job done. Levi never comes across as formidable, and honestly, I was shocked that <spoiler>Chez or one of the others didn't challenge him earlier</spoiler>. This is something I thought Fonda Lee did very well in <i>Jade City</i>, especially in the character of Hilo: he's horrible; we see the terrible, violent things he does <u>from page one</u>, but we love him anyway. I wanted Amanda Foody to trust us a little more, give Levi a sharper edge, and let us fall for him anyway.

A second problem I had was the trope-y feel. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but <i>Ace of Shades</i> has a distinct YA flavor to it that I'm finding interests me less and less. For one, the romance (though admittedly never taking over the plot) feels both superfluous and inevitable. While <spoiler> Levi and Enne never admit their feelings for each other</spoiler>, we know they will in book 2. There's no surprise here. Nor was there any real tension, in my eyes. I wanted to feel like it's possible they might not get together, but as is so common in YA books, the romance seems sealed from the first chapter.

So in the end, while <i>Ace of Shades</i> is a fast read with interesting worldbuilding, I just didn't think it was as good of a book as other mobster-led stories I've read, notably the aforementioned <i>Six of Crows</i> and <i>Jade City</i>. I'd still recommend this one, though only to those who are hungry for more of Ketterdam and Kaz, and don't mind if the story doesn't quite live up to its inevitable comparison.

While it’s not technically a villain origin story, “Ace of Shades” offers the rare opportunity to watch a character who is the very definition of innocence thrown into the unforgiving world of lies, greed, betrayal and sin with little hope of survival but with the determination to come out on top.

This book follows Enne, a sheltered young woman desperately searching for her mother in the city of sin with nothing more to go on than a letter offering up a man, Levi who might be able to help but who also happens to have problems of his own and while their two stories intertwine, they are forced to trust each other and work together in order to find the answers Enne so desperately craves and work to keep each other alive.

This is a world that blends the allure of magic and the temptation of sin creating a dark and seedy atmosphere that draws you in while following these characters as they try to survive and establish a reputation that will allow them to advance in the world far better than any gambling den or dance hall would allow while offering the underlying political tension that could start a new war if secrets that were thought to be buried manage to make themselves known with the smallest slip of the tongue.

Fans of ‘Six of Crows’ will love this book as it shows the importance of loyalty and the dangers of pulling off the impossible with a horde of enemies lurking in the shadows and a game of chance that you won’t survive losing.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Ace of Shades is a masterpiece of a book. The worldbuilding, the writing, the characters, and the plot are all phenomenal and I am so excited to see where the next book takes them all. It's wonderful and refreshingly diverse, clearly influenced by Six of Crows and Spirited Away but with its own delightful spin. I simultaneously didn't want to put it down, and wanted to stop reading it so I wouldn't finish it.