Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody (Website, Twitter)Published by Harlequin on April 1st 2018
Genres: Action & Adventure, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 304
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.
Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody is one of those books that grabbed me the second I read the summary and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I am so glad I picked this one up because I really enjoyed every second of the story and can’t wait to see where Foody goes with the rest of the story.
Enne Salta is definitely out of her element the second she steps foot into New Reynes…the City of Sin. As a young lady who is more familiar with finishing school, Enne is in trouble the second she gets to town, but she has no choice. She needs to find her mother and the only clue she has is a name; Levi Glaiyser.
Enne is an interesting character. There are things she clearly has no idea about and the second she decides she is going to take charge of her fate and figure out what is really going on, she becomes more than the proper young lady she was when she entered the City of Sin. She was willing to do whatever she had to in order to find her mother and she truly does. She shows a lot of growth throughout this story and while she knew that not everything was what it might have seemed, she definitely did not expect to find out what she did.
I really liked Levi and love that he isn’t perfect. He is a con-man and a street lord, and he is in a lot of trouble. He is governed by a magic noose put on him and it has put him in a bad place…both with investors of a scheme his boss started as well as with his gang. When he meets Enne, he sees a way out of the trouble he is in and leaps at the opportunity to get what he needs. He also puts Enne in a position he never thought of which creates some issues. It was hard not to root for Levi and want to see him succeed and no matter what hits he took, he would always get up and do what he needed to protect his people.
I loved how Foody built up the friendship between these two unlikely partners. Their first interaction doesn’t really start them out on the right foot but as they both realize they need each other to get what they want/need, their relationship begins to change. I thought she wove the secondary characters into the story really well too. Jac, Lola, Vianca…they all play key roles in the story and I can’t wait to see what happens with all of them next right along with Levi and Enne.
Foody built up an interesting world within this book. Through her writing I could easily imagine these characters wandering the gritty streets of the city and facing the dangers of the environment head on. Foody combines magic, gangs, friendship, and a whole lot more in this book and does it all very well. The only reason I had to put the book down was because I had to be an adult and actually go to work.
Definitely consider checking this book out. I have seen some comparisons to the Six of Crows series which I don’t disagree with on the surface. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book in the series and can’t wait to get the finished copy on my bookshelves.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
About Amanda Foody
Amanda Foody has always considered imagination to be our best attempt at magic. After spending her childhood longing to attend Hogwarts, she now loves to write about immersive settings and characters grappling with insurmountable destinies. She holds a Masters in Accountancy from Villanova University, and a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from the College of William and Mary. Currently, she works as a tax accountant in Philadelphia, PA, surrounded by her many siblings and many books.
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