Ace of Shades Review
10:27 AM
Title // Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1)
Author // Amanda Foody
Publication Date //April 2018
Publisher // Harlequin Teen
Readership // YA
Genre //Fantasy
Rating // ✭✭✭✭
I received a copy ofAce of Shades from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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.
Review
Ace of Shades is a very atmospheric young adult fantasy set in a casino town.
This was a book that surprised me. I thought I would like it, because I like stories with gritty settings and a bit of magic thrown in, but I was surprised by how much I liked it, and how quickly I read it. Amanda Foody’s writing style is easy to read, with clear delineations between the two character point of views. There’s character development for both Enne and Levi, and enough mystery and intrigue to keep my turning pages (even if those pages are metaphoric, because I read a digital copy).
Of the two characters, I preferred Levi, who’s just confident, determined and loyal. He’s also bisexual, which is a non-issue for him and every character who knows him. Enne is a teenage girl lost in a city she doesn’t know or understand and she needs to learn the ropes pretty quickly to avoid being swallowed up in the City of Sin.
Overall, it was just a lot of fun and a great way to spend a couple of hours.
4 out of 5 stars.
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