Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, had some great new ideas and concepts, and left me wanting to know what comes next! The made up curse words were a bit distracting though...give me the real words or none at all.

Enne and Levi...that slow burn is killing me!!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

This kind of reminded me of Six of Crows in the sense of it was a heist book. I wasn't too huge a fan of Six of Crows, so I didn't enjoy this book as much because of the similar feel. It was a little weird that "mucking" was chosen for the cursing. I'm not a fan when books make up or create alternative cuss words, it just seems awkward. Some things got a little confusing, but maybe they will be addressed in the second book. Overall, not a bad book, but not my favorite either.

Unfortunately, Ace of Shades, was not a story I could get into. I thought the card tattoo idea was interesting but that's about it. I thought the banter between characters was kind of stuttered and did not flow well, and I just had a hard time reading. I did not finish reading the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of “Ace of Shades” by Amanda Foody. This story is fantastic! The world building is so much fun! I loved the writing. I was gripped immediately which I admit is not always the case anymore. The more I read, the higher my expectations. This book has a bit of an “Alice in Wonderland” meets Vegas vibe and I was very into it. The characters are full of life and imagination. I was not planning on buying this book when it first came out but I plan to be at the bookstore the day it comes out to get a beautiful hardcover edition.

“People don’t play this Game to win, my dear. You play the game not to lose.”

I feel like Amanda Foody crafts these creative and compelling fantasy worlds that pull you into their dark and mysterious ways. And boy does she succeed at it. Ace of Shades follows Enne, a proper lady who must venture into New Reyes, the City of Sin, to find her missing mother. Once she’s there, Enne is pulled into a deadly game that might hold the answers to the secrets of her past.

Things I Liked
As I’ve said before, I always love quotes at the beginning of the chapters. I thought the guidebook quotes really helped establish New Reyes and set a fantastic vibe for the story.

I like how the story was structured. We see everything broken into the days that have passed and Enne’s experiences in New Reyes. This made it really fast-paced and the story never felt weighed down.

I really liked the talents and powers that are showcased in the story. We get to see some really unique and creepy magic - like the blood gazers - and I love how powers were inherited. You get a talent from each parent, one dominant and the other weaker. It was unique and I liked it a lot.

I LOVED the epilogue, it honestly brought the whole book up and I’m excited for book 2 because if it. The book ended on such a high note for me that I look back on it happily because I’m excited.

Quotes
‘We’ll get mugged walking around with a map. That tourist nonsense is an affront to everything I stand for.’ “What do you stand for” Bravado?” ‘Obviously.’

“The worst hurt in the world was the kind you grew to accept.”

“Avarice, pride, and lust - these are all modest desires. What the city of sin craves is destruction.”

Things I Didn’t Like
I feel like the worldbuilding was very focused and precise, but didn’t create a cohesive world. And there was definitely some gaps that made things confusing. We learn a lot about talents (my favorite part) and the gangs, but I feel like I don’t have a lot of info about New Reyes and it’s history and everything about the Mizers and the revolution.

I did not like Enne at all. She was so whiny and couldn’t stop crying. It actually got frustrating. I understand that she’d in this new place and is desperately trying to find her mom, but I wanted her to adapt and use the city more. Play the part when you have to, and you can fall apart later. But she didn’t and that made her seem naive and not that smart. . None of the other characters wowed me - they were mostly forgettable, or I feel like I didn’t know they enough (I honestly kept forgetting some people’s names)- but I was annoyed by Enne.

This was way more plot focused than character focused, so as a character driven reader it wasn’t my favorite. But I am excited for book 2 and I do appreciate the worlds that Amanda crafts so well.

I received a copy of the book from HarlequinTeen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for a chance to read an advanced copy of this book.

I really loved this book! Foody does an incredible job of world-building the city of New Reynes. The grimy, crime-ridden, gang controlled North Side where the story takes place is incredibly vivid. From the people walking the streets to the opulent casinos to the smells, tastes, and sounds of the city, everything is detailed, well-described, and provides an engaging backdrop for the story. The characters are equally as detailed. The Lords of the gangs are seedy, traitorous, and down right bad; the Dons and Donnas of the casino families are corrupt and vile; and our main characters, Enne and Levi, are just fantastic. In the world of Ace of Shades, every person has a talent inherited from their parents. Even though the variety of talents is incredibly diverse, they are all unique and fully believable within the story.

The story follows the journey of Enne, who is studying to be a lady at a finishing school in the much more civilized city of Bellamy across the sea, and Levi, the Iron Lord, card dealer, and leader of a street gang. Enne’s mother disappears while working in the city and she travels to New Reynes to find her. Her mother had told her to seek out Levi if she ever disappeared, so that is exactly what she does, landing her in the middle of an incredibly dangerous, high stakes world. As they search for Enne’s missing mother, the story switches perspectives between Enne and Levi. I really enjoyed being able to see the story through both their eyes, providing more depth to their motives, feelings, and actions. The relationship between Enne and Levi is also well played, with moments of anger and mistrust, mixed with moments full of hope, redemption, and, of course, a little slow-burning romance.

One of my favorite things about this book was the depth of the characters. Enne, for example, changes so much over the course of the book. She goes from a damsel in distress to a brave, confident, and self-assured young woman. I love a great tough-girl character, who can keep up with the boys (even outdo them sometimes) and take care of herself! I also loved the glimpses into Levi’s past and how he became who he was. He also changes dramatically over the course of the story, realizing what is really important and forming an incredibly strong bond with Enne. Another thing I loved was the Shadow Game, a dark and ominous card game that no one escapes. Receiving an invitation to the game is an execution sentence; no one makes it out alive.

This book was just fantastic! It was action packed, full of twists and turns, and kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending left me hopeful and yearning for another book, which is sure to follow. If you liked Caraval and Six of Crows, you will love this book. I highly recommend this fantastic young adult fantasy novel!

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.

Enne is a society girl at a finishing school in Bellamy, awaiting her mother's return from a trip. When her mother doesn't return from New Reynes, Enne takes the advice of her mother's last message which said:

''If a storm were to further delay my return or another unforeseen circumstance occurs, you can speak to Mr. Levi Glaisyer, a friend of mine who lives in New Reynes. He will be glad to assist you.''

New Reynes is nothing like the Bellamy that Enne grew up in, it is full of gambling, vice and gangs. Armed with The City of Sin: A Guidebook, Where to Go and Where Not To, Enne sets off to discover what happened to her mother. Along the way, she discovers the truth about herself and her past.

Levi is in a bind, he works for the St. Augustine casino and leads a gang known as the Irons. He needs a lot of money and he needs it now. Levi agrees to help Enne look for her mother in exchange for the money he needs to pay off his debts. Levi helps Enne navigate New Reynes with mixed success.

This book took me a little while to get into. The first 30% or so of the book is heavy on the world-building, some of which is confusing. Most of my questions were answered latter in the book. It's also kind of awkward to pronounce a character's name like the letter 'N' in my head and most of the character names are one letter away from 'normal' names, which makes them weird to read.
" Enne - Anne
" Reymond - Raymond
" Jac - Jack
" Etc.

Overall, I definitely recommend giving it a read. It's a strong follow-up to the authors' debut, Daughter of a Burning City. I look forward to reading the sequel.

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.