I'm not sure what it was but this book didn't really pull me in. I think it was mostly the characters but overall I didn't really mesh with the writing style and lost interest after about a third of the book. It had lots of potential but just fell a little flat.

This book intrigued me from the beginning, vampires and angels at war with each other, haven't read anything like it before. The world was beautifully created and the characters were amazing as well. I will definitely be reading more from Clare Carter

Ace of Shadows follows Logan, a human whose father was taken by vampires when she was a child, and Cade, a mute half-angel, half-vampire. The two meet up early in the novel and work together to save Cade's angel friends and find Logan's father.

I'll admit, I skimmed through the second half. At that point, I just wasn't interested in the characters or the plot. I thought that they had potential but that wasn't met. After about 50 pages, I started to lose interest. I think the multiple shifting POVs played a role in this. I feel like I didn't get to know the main characters because there were so many people's perspectives I was reading. Also, maybe this is just me, but I had a really difficult time following the time jumps from future to past, especially with those different characters.

Since I couldn't really connect with the characters, I didn't really care much about Cade and Logan's romance. I didn't dislike it – I didn't really dislike anything in this novel – I just felt meh about it. The plot summary was interesting and I was intrigued by the first few pages but it just didn't catch my attention. I did really like the inclusion of ASL/a mute character, though. I thought that was the most interesting part of the novel, especially in a supernatural context.

I received a free eARC of this book from FyreSyde Publishing via Net Galley for an honest review.

This book follows the family of Robby (father), Eli (son/brother) and Logan (sister/daughter) during the late 80's and early 90's.. Throughout this time a long standing war is taking place between the angels, vampires, izels and humans. The family gets separated during their travels and the book follows each character during their journey and trials to try and find each other.

This book has a lot of adventure, and action. There is some romance but nothing to graphic and it does not overshadow the story. I loved how brave both Logan and Eli are. Logans journey seems to be the main focus and she has many trials. This story does have an HEA which I enjoy.

There were a few things that I dd not like which is why it received a 4 star review. There was a lot of time jumping which could be confusing. I was able to follow the story although i did have to look back to see what year I was reading about. The other thing that I thought was a bit confusing was at the very end of the story was a small chapter that seemed out of place or not needed at all. Other than those 2 things, I enjoyed the story and recommend this book to anyone who loves a good versus bad type fable/fantasy.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Ace of Swords in exchange for an honest review.

I can feel my reviews for these YA fantasy romances becoming more and more generic, but that's because books like this tend to be a lot of the same thing world, plot, and character dynamic wise. That's not necessarily a bad thing (tropes exist for a reason), but books like Ace of Swords really need you to start caring about the characters pretty early on to keep you invested in the plot, and I found all of them to be quite bland. As a result, I never got invested in any of their relationships (even though there's queer rep in here which is singlehandedly the easiest way to bias my rep starved heart in favor of a book) and it all fell really flat.

I was sent an EARC of this in exchange of an honest review... I didn’t like it.

I found it so difficult to get into the story. The characters I didn’t like, and I felt like they were a lot younger than they actually are. I feel like there wasn’t enough world building to be able to get into the story enough. I got a little confused with the timeline and I kept forgetting where I was at in the story. It just didn’t work for me.

In the 1990s, there is an ongoing war between Angeles and Vampires. It is the humans and the werewolves that find themselves caught in the middle as they are not major players for one side or the other, but can be unintended victims of war. Our main story is about a girl trying to find her father after he is suddenly kidnaped by vampires. There are multiple side stories that create a vast tapestry of intertwining stories that captivate the reader to find some truths as everything may not be as it seems. The story seamlessly includes representation of a mute character, LGBTQ+ relationships, toxic relationships, and prejudices in an entertaining supernatural novel.

This story is told from seven different points of view! Each character focuses on one character either in the present or past. Our present timeline takes place around the fall of 1994 and the story mainly stays around 1990 for its chapters in the past, with an exception in the late 1980s. First up, we have Robby, who is the father of two characters, Logan and Eli. His kidnapping by vampires starts the journey for the two children and sets off the events of the books. Next, we have Eli, the older brother, who is a human. Our main character is Eli’s younger sister, Logan, also a human. We have the supernatural characters next, two angels, Amber, an angel, and her boyfriend, December, also an angel. You have Amber’s childhood friend, Cade, an Izel (angel/vampire hybrid). Finally, the last point of view is Denzi, the vampire king.

Eli and Logan start in the same orphanage, but are separated after Eli ages out of the system. Eli’s journey takes him to eventually end up in a transition house with the Vicky, the Queen of Swords, the human queen. He becomes a member of the Cards, a group of elites that each represents a Tarot Card. He is the Fool, which following the Tarot, represents faith in the future and new beginnings. It disappointed me that this was not further explored as it seemed to be mentioned and then the story moved on. Eli’s main chapters are set in the past as the events he is involved in act as backstory for the events in the present.

Logan escapes her time at the orphanage and journeys on the search for her father. Near the edge of vampire territory, she runs into Cade, who is mute. It was fantastic to have a mute character included in a story as I loved the author incorporated the use of ASL and how Logan immediately wants to learn it in order to communicate with him. The two of them join forces as Cade wants to find Amber and December after becoming separated and Logan wants to find her father, both most likely will be found in vampire territory. Logan is at first unsure about Cade due to his vampire heritage, but soon she starts to think that maybe not all vampires are the enemy. Cade is most likely the last of his kind as the Izel population was wiped out suddenly after an attack by vampires. There is a mystery surrounding the attack as the vampires aren’t completely claiming ownership of the attack and maybe other beings could be involved.

Amber, December, and Denzi’s portion of the story take place in both the past and present as Amber and December have been caught by the vampires and are now planning their escape so they can find Cade. Amber and December have a very complex relationship and it was interesting to read about how their relationship has stayed together since they were younger. I found myself very invested in their story to see not only how they will grow as characters, but also how their relationship will be affected by their capture. Although, Cade and Logan began to develop feelings for each other during their travels together, I found myself not being as invested in them in favor of the secondary characters.

Overall, Ace of Swords fits the Tarot card description as it represents the pursuit of truth and to find justice. The entire novel is set in both Montana and Wyoming, however, I would not have known if the story did not flat out tell me where the characters were. I wish there were more descriptors of the environment as it was difficult to tell if they were traveling though the wilderness or cities. The story was really interesting when you look at the big picture. You have all the different beings who are at war with each other with those caught in the middle trying to stay alive. There is a complex web of characters who all have their different backgrounds and motivations for how they arrived at a certain place and how they fit into the story. I found it all very interesting. The most difficult part while reading was relating to each character. As the chapters switch points of view, I was unable to connect with each character as the story moved on before I was given a chance. For the plot and general pacing, this system worked as the reader got the backstory and present events presented in a timely manner, but it left the characters behind as there was no opportunity to care about them. It was a very entertaining, but slightly confusing, read.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, FyreSyde Publishing, for an ARC to read. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

Ace of Swords is a dystopia fantasy novel with hints of adventure, romance and diversity. The opening of the novel we are introduced to the world in which Logan, one of the protagonists, has grown up in. In this world, there are humans, angels and vampires. After losing her father, Robby, to a vampire attack, Logan and her brother, Eli, grow up in an orphanage and they lose touch when Eli ages out of the system. This sense of loss leads Logan to research the colony of vampires near her orphanage. While on one of her stakeouts, she loses something precious to her and stalks into the vampires' territory to find it. This is where she meets Cade, a mute half-angel half-vampire. She realizes that Cade can help her in her search for her father and brother.

The different perspective in this novel were diverse and led to an engaging plot with twists and turns. The inclusion of a mute character who communicates through ASL is refreshing, as is the description and task of learning of ASL woven within the story between Logan and Cade. The relationships that are explored in Ace of Swords are truly amazing and diverse. Cade faces by adversity and prejudice due to his race. Logan faces being alone in the world after she ages out of the system. The other characters include Denzi (the king of the vampires), Ben (Eli's partner), December and Amber who are the angel friends of Cade who hid him after the traumatic attack of the Izel race. Each character brings their own perspectives and storylines , which includes the love between siblings and friends, a slow and hesitant love only starting to blossom, or steady relationships build on several years already spend together. Clare also includes toxic relationships, and sends the characters in Ace fo Swords into journeys of recognition and recovery.

Ace of Swords is definitely unique and gripping. The multiple point of views following each characters through the timeline steadily create an amazing reading experience. The closer the individual characters get to finding out what is happening, finding each other and reaching the climax of the plot, (which didn’t disappoint), the more you can't put the book down.

This book was ok. I mean I liked the story enough but it wasn't something that got me hooked into the story.

My main issue was that I just couldn't connect with the characters.

I know some would enjoy this book more than I did.

ace of swords turned out to be an interesting and entertaining read for me. the time jumps in every chapter made it increasingly difficult for me to follow the story at times, however. moreover, the lack of explanation/history about the war between the vampires and angels, the unexplained ambiguity of the werewolves, the question of “if there are angels, is there God?” all remained unanswered. so, while this was entertaining and action-packed, i felt that i, as a reader, was missing way too much key information to really connect with the story.

A war between angels and vampires! it was the war that I had to read!

The truth is that this was the main thing that attracted me to the book, that curiosity about how this war would be and the truth is I was not disappointed I liked it enough, but what I really liked is the narration was easy and quick to read.

But what most caught my attention was its cover, it seems divine to me although I feel it has little to do with history

It was hard for me to really get into this book. I feel for me at least that was because of the world building, I liked having many POV's in stories but the world building fell flat and I could really picture the world as well as I wanted to.

I was excited to get into this,but I just was never able to get into the story or connect with the characters. I'm not sure if it was because of the multi-POV, at times confusing timeline, or shallow world building. I do think that there is potential, but it just left me feeling rather meh overall.

"Ace of Swords" transports its reader into a fascinating dystopian world defined by the ongoing war between angels and vampires. After losing her family to vampires, our main character Logan spend her whole life in fear of their species, yet she never stopped researching them in hopes of finding her father. When she meets Cade, a mute half-angel, half-vampire, whose species was eradicated years ago, she knows she has found an opportunity she cannot pass. What she doesn’t know is that the longer the two travel together, and the better she comes to know Cade, the less she starts to hate her supposed enemy.

I really need to point out how much I enjoyed the inclusion of a mute main character in a fantasy book! It’s definitely something I have not come across often (which is incredibly sad), but I found Cade‘s representation very well written.
Especially the description of ASL was greatly woven into the story and I appreciated the fact that Logan immediately started learning it in order to communicate with Cade more easily.

I also really enjoyed the natural representation of LGBTQ+ characters and how (especially) gay characters were accepted without second thought by everyone in this book. I liked the fact that in a war-driven world full of angels and vampires, at least homophobia supposedly isn’t a thing anymore!

Additionally, the relationships in this book were particularly engaging and held a great variety. In "Ace of Swords" the reader gets the chance to read about so many different kind of developing relationships - let it be the deep love between siblings and/or friends, a slow and hesitant love only just starting to blossom between supposed enemies, or steady relationships build on several years already spend together.
Clare Carter covers toxic relationships as well, and is sending her characters onto a believable journey of recognition and recovery, which was another great addition to the variety of representation in "Ace of Swords".

And while there were many stages of different relationships represented, they read rather like a lovely addition to the story, leaving the main focus on the fascinating world building and individual character growth, which I absolutely enjoyed.

"Ace of Swords" was as unique as it was captivating!
Its multiple point of views following different characters in different timelines steadily create a very gripping reading experience, especially the closer the individual characters come to joining together and reaching the ultimate climax of the story, which didn’t disappoint in the slightest.

Being written in a rather easy and direct writing style, "Ace of Swords" is an ideal book to fly through. I was for sure constantly left eager to learn more about the politics behind the ongoing war between angels and vampires - which ended up being much more complex than I anticipated it to be! I liked getting to know the motives of so many different parties of the war, and how everything (and everyone) ended up being so smartly connected.

"Ace of Swords" is not only full of amazing representation, it also holds a great balance between strong world building, action packed chapters, and slow paced passages focusing on character development and internal struggles.
If you are looking for a great dystopian vampire story, this might just be the one for you!

[ I am incredibly thankful for NetGalley and FyreSyde Publishing for providing me with a free arc of this in exchange for an honest review! ]

I found the writing to be quite stilted. I kept being pulled out of the story by how awkward it was. I didn't finish the book for this reason.

I also found the timeline hard to follow. It jumped around a lot and despite referencing the table of contents, I still struggled to keep it straight.

A classic enemies to lovers story with lots of action and a ton of tention between the main characters. It was a nice plot and keeps you wanting to keep reading.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Ace of Shadows follows Logan, a human whose father was taken by vampires when she was a child, and Cade, a mute half-angel, half-vampire. The two meet up early in the novel and work together to save Cade's angel friends and find Logan's father.

I'll admit, I skimmed through the second half. At that point, I just wasn't interested in the characters or the plot. I thought that they had potential but that wasn't met. After about 50 pages, I started to lose interest. I think the multiple shifting POVs played a role in this. I feel like I didn't get to know the main characters because there were so many people's perspectives I was reading. Also, maybe this is just me, but I had a really difficult time following the time jumps from future to past, especially with those different characters.

Since I couldn't really connect with the characters, I didn't really care much about Cade and Logan's romance. I didn't dislike it – I didn't really dislike anything in this novel – I just felt meh about it. The plot summary was interesting and I was intrigued by the first few pages but it just didn't catch my attention.

THANK YOU to Xpresso Book Tours and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the synopsis i was imidietly intrigued by this book, as it was really interesting twist of the regular story that includes angels,werewolves and vampires - we have Logan, a regular human that lost everything and seeks revenge and the most intriguing Cade that is half angel,half vampire and my favorite part - he has to use sign language, he may be the last of it's kind because his kind were all massacred during their annual meeting.
The first two chapters started stong and imidietly hold you with it's intensity and emotions, but unfortunately as the book progress....it went for the worse.
In my humble opinion there were too many POV's in order to create wider view of the events ,but i fear that hurt the character development and it felt like rushing to tell the story before we had the opportunity to know better the characters and connect to them in some way.Maybe if the book span was twice as long it would've accomplished the effect that was needed.
The only characters i was able to grasp a little bit were Amber and December and their motivation felt most natural of all others.
In comparison the interaction and the love interest between Cade and Logan felt awkward and rushed most of the time and the built-up in their romance felt strange.
I loved how Cade's use of sign language was incorporated in the book and was really something fresh as it's not used frequently and added interesting flavor.
As I've said before, i absolutely hate writing negative reviews, because i strongly believe that all authors put a part of their heart and soul in every book they write , so i realy hope it's not taken as a negative review ,but as an encouragement and help for their hard work.

I was a little skeptical about this book, I’ll admit, but I decided to give it a chance, and I’m glad I did! I really enjoyed the characters and their development. The author had some great ideas incorporated into the plot, especially the sign language. (I was just saying the other day that we need to showcase the differences between us but not in a negative way!) my only complaint is that it got a little confusing trying to catch up when things shifted.

Angels and Vampires have been at war for years, with humans, like Logan, nearly wiped out as a consequence. Logan's father was taken by vampires when she was a kid, so she's spent her life studying them. Hoping for a chance to get her revenge. Her brother is long gone, cast out of the orphanage when her turned 18. When a mute Ixel (half vampire, half angel) saves her from a vampire, she get's her chance to find the vampires base.

First off, this book was so good, I genuinely enjoyed it. The world is unique, the characters are engaging. I think incorporating ASL was done really well (however, I am not deaf or hard of hearing, so take my opinion with a grain of salt).

The only thing that bothered me was that I couldn't keep track of the timeline, even with the dates at the beginning of chapters I kept getting confused.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.