I absolutely loved this book! Couldn't put it down and dove into book 2 immediately. Loved Enne as a main character soooo much!

It might be stupid to point out but I hated the use of 'mucking' in this book. I get that it's marketed as YA but either swear or remove the curse completely. It isn't needed to make a point.

I do love the diversity in this book. Asides from the previous annoyance with made-up curse words, I actually found the writing really engaging. It was easy to fly through the book and it kept me on my toes. I would recommend this for lovers of subtle fantasy and mystery.

Thank you Harlequin (Australia), TEEN / MIRA for the review copy.

After finishing ACE OF SHADES I am now completely obsessed with Amanda Foody's work! I put a hold on the second book in the trilogy before I was even halfway through ACE OF SHADES and I can't wait to dive back into Amanda Foody's world!

Not as bad as I expected
To be honest, I really thought ACE OF SHADES would be a flop. I hadn’t read many reviews, and Foody’s first novel had a pretty mixed reception. I was worried that the potential of the unique concepts (talents and volts) would not be executed well. Luckily it was actually decent for most of it! It was slow at the beginning and struggled to capture my attention until at least 15%, and there were a few meh bits. But overall it wasn’t bad.

I loved Enne’s character story
There was so much mystery surrounding Enne and the fate of her mother, I loved it! I did predict some of the twists unfortunately but it was still a really interesting mystery. I enjoyed it a lot more than Levis’s personal conflict story line anyway.

20’s Steampunk Vibes
The world of ACE OF SHADES is relatively unique for me. I’m used to reading fantasy novels whose worlds mimic more historical eras with no modern advancements. The world of ACE OF SHADES has more of a steampunk vibe of the 1920s, especially the scenes set in the casinos. There is no magic per se (some specific talents are closer to magic than others), but guns and cars and high rise buildings.

The comparison’s to The Dregs aren’t fair
The biggest comparison I’ve seen for ACE OF SHADES is SIX OF CROWS. That comparison is in no way fair. Firstly, SIX OF CROWS is insanely good and sets the bar crazy high. Secondly, even though Levi is a gang leader, we don’t really see him interact that much with his gang. There were three Irons that got decent page time, and even they were barely in it. The focus is more on Levi and Enne’s personal conflicts.

I can’t wait to see the consequences
A lot of plot events in ACE OF SHADES are going to have massive ramifications for the world. I’m really excited to see how the consequences of the characters actions play out, particularly the political changes.

In Summary
ACE OF SHADES was more entertaining than I expected. It doesn’t live up to the same standards as some of the books it was compared too, but its mystery and atmosphere was still very much enjoyable.

I have tried Foody's work before, and it always felt like not quite what I needed/wanted. She writes quite well, and her characters are fairly well-formed, but for whatever reason I just can't seem to get involved in the story. I may be spoiled for this one because of reading Six of Crows, which Ace of Shades feels really similar to, but not quite as compelling. I read quite a bit of this but ended up DNFing it because I just kept getting irritated with the characters - particularly the main character Enne. She is so well-formed as someone raised in a 'posh-er' part of town that she just drove me up the wall.

Foody's writing is definitely promising, though. I may revisit when she releases something new.

*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Okay I loved this and devoured what is a pretty lengthy book in about a day and a half. Enne starts off so innocent and naive and turns into a total badass, and Levi is presented as a trickster and comes out with a heart of gold. Literally a perfect pairing but MY GOD could the author please stop with the s e x u a l t e n s i o n and please just let them get it on?? Christ I thought surely by the end but nay and I'm about as frustrated as the characters are by that dangling carrot. So dear god next book better come fast and it better be frisky as all hell because I want that damn kiss.

Anyway the world building was great, the characters were super interesting and everything was complicated and mysterious and I LOVED that Levi was bisexual as all heck because yassssss representation thank you. Tbh I didn't like how young all the characters were because whilst yeah it's a YA novel it does somewhat stretch the believable. But yeah what a wild ride from start to finish.

Spoiler Free Section

I am calling it now this book is going to be my all time favourite read for the year! I received this book for review from Netgalley and I am so happy that I picked it up, I ended up giving it five stars.

The writing style in this book was fantastic it really fit with the time period and setting that it was trying to portray and gave it such an authentic feel. The setting was amazing, I love the way that this book really transports you to another time and place in such a realistic way. The ambience of this story really is one of the best aspects of the novel and it keeps you so engaged and enthralled with this world and everyone in it.

The magic system within this book is one of the best that I have read. I loved the idea of everyone have 'talents' that they inherited from their parents and that some of these can be quite normal such as dancing all the way up to the really exciting and dangerous ones of being able to control fire etc. I also really enjoyed the idea of the gangs oaths and that by swearing to one lord you must follow their directions, but that to keep that loyalty there are conditions.

The plot of this book was amazing, I loved all of the mystery aspects surrounding Lourdes' disappearance and just surrounding Lourdes herself. From the beginning of this novel we realise that Enne really doesn't know what her adoptive mother does when she is in New Reynes and that she has been living a double life that Enne had always been to scared to ask her about. We then follow Enne as she discovers more and more about Lourdes' life and the revelations really don't stop throughout the entire novel.

The politics of this story is really interesting and I really would have loved to have seen more from it. We learn about the Mizers, monarch sympathisers and the gangs but I really would have loved to have heard more about what the world was like when the Mizers still ruled. I am hoping that we get to delve into more of the politics in the next book.

The characters all had an incredible amount of depth to them, they were all extremely well done. Enne and Levi were definitely my favourites, their interactions with each other were so funny to watch and we really saw them change through out the novel in one way of another. I love how Enne has so much strength of will but she also has a vulnerability that really shows through when she is out of her element, which is most of the time in New Reynes, most of the time we get these really strong female characters who through their strength lose some of their compassion and vulnerability but with Enne it is always there which I think is a welcome change since really we all have times when things are just too much for us.

Spoiler Section

Enne had an incredible amount of character growth and development. I loved watching her really come into herself and find out who she really was. At the beginning of the novel she saw her time in New Reynes as a corrupting force but by the end we really see how it just brought out who she was really meant to be and how she finally wasn't living in the background but becoming a formidable force.

I love how the plot of this book just grew from being a search for Lourdes to becoming Enne finding out that she had been lied to her entire life and that she was actually a Mizer and should not have been alive. Some of the aspects were predictable but that really didn't bother me since the characters had also really seen these things coming too which is something different that I haven't seen in many books but really enjoyed. I loved how much the talents impact this story, how Enne finds out who she really is and who her parents are because of the talents that she possesses. The magic that surrounds each of these talents is also really exciting, I love how some of these people have the ability to control others as well as set up locations like the Shadow Game. In this novel we don't really get to know much about Enne's Mizer abilities since they didn't really find out who her father was but we definitely see how it is more than just making volts, I cannot wait to see what her powers are and how she can use them.

I really enjoyed all of the flash backs that we get through the shadow cards, it really adds so much to the story by being able to give the character's backstory in a way that really flows with the novel instead of just having the character thinking back on the memories, I thought that this was incredibly inventive.

Enne and Levi's relationship was so enjoyable to watch grow. From the beginning they really did not like each other and saw their short partnership as an inconvenience more than anything else, but then they really grow and start to understand each other and find that they may be much more similar than they once thought. The anticipation of waiting for them to finally admit their feelings for one another was overwhelming and I had really just wanted them to be together but the way that the book left off was the most perfect way to go, I can definitely see how they both picture each other as a threat and that they would be better off alone but also how they are protecting each other by staying separated as well. I cannot wait to see how their relationship advances in the next book as I am sure it will, they are so drawn to each other that I am sure it can go no other way.

The book honestly was incredible and I will 100% recommend it to anyone. If you have a love of fantasy, amazingly gripping worlds, characters who you will come to love and magic then you should definitely pick up this book :D

Oh my. I'm just going to take a moment and appreciate that Amanda Foody is BRILLIANT and ripping my heart out and destroying my feelings. And it is all worth it. For maybe the first third I was feeling major "Six of Crows" vibes, the whole world of kid gangs, thieves, a kind leader with a dark side... and at the start I found that slightly jarring because I couldn't look past the similarities. But I had faith in Amanda Foody because I absolutely LOVED her first book, "Daughter of the Burning City" - it was fresh, full of interesting characters and high stakes. And this book turned out to be no different. Basically from the very first page the stakes were through the roof, and they just kept getting higher and higher, and things turned dark very quickly. I was a bit down that **SPOILER** Raymond went so quickly, because I thought he was an interesting and dynamic character with a lot to offer, with a great sly smirk!

Though there was touch of the old insta-love happening between Levi and Enne, I really loved them both as characters. They were multi-layered, full of surprises and guts, and their will is astounding. I can't wait to see what happens next in their adventure (THAT ENDING GAH!). This book leaves a lot of unanswered questions, and major cliffhangers, so I am currently in a bit of a book hangover state. Thank you for that Amanda Foody, thank you SO MUCH.

I'll admit that I found the Shadow Game at the end, which we had spent a large part of the book fearing, a wee bit anticlimactic. I don't know if I was the only one to find that it seemed to end relatively easily? At least, compared to the build up. But that didn't deter me for long because I really loved everything else about the book, and the over-arching sinister mystery is enough to keep me waiting with bated breath for the next book! Highly recommend!!!

Oh wow, I'd never read a book by Amanda Foody before, but this one blew me away. On the surface, it's a simple story about a

But it's the character progression that is everything to me. It took me a very short time to be rooting for Levi and Enne, together and independently. I loved Jac immediately, and then there's also Lola, and Oh Goodness I already can't wait until the second book in this series, where I'm sure they will be their own very strong gang of four.

I didn't love Vianca, but she made for a good villain. I'd be interested in the next one to see if there is more motivation behind her. You sort of got bits and pieces of hints behind her interactions with Levi, but it wasn't enough to convince me the whole story is there.

As for her mysterious son...

Anyway, the world that the City of Sin occupies is just stunning. I felt as though I could see all of it very clearly from the descriptions given in text. I liked how well Amanda utilised Enne's newness to it all to bring the author in. As she got used to it, so too did we. I honestly can't rate this high enough.

Cover Art:
This cover is great! It is eye catching and perfectly represents this book! I love the addition of the shadow taking the form of the city in the background and the card suits right at the back. I also loved the little quotes on the back and front of the book. Before I started the book it made me really interested in the book! 

"Take a card and stake your soul. Survival is your only goal. Surrender to the vice within. Bet your life - hope you win."

Writing:
Amanda Foody's writing is absolutely superb! After reading Amanda Foody's debut, Daughter of the Burning City, she was straight away on my auto-buy list! The world building in this book is amazing. It is such a vivid and unique world. Some of the ideas that came to life in this book were just so interesting! I'm so keen to see how this world will expand even more in book 2 & 3. I honestly feel like, given the chance, Amanda Foody could create a world as vivid and in-depth as the worlds in Harry Potter, LOTR and other similar books. I'm so glad we got a trilogy from her this time where she can expand her world so much more (don't get me wrong, her stand-alone debut was still amazing and the world was so detailed as well).

The book is written in multi-POV, following Enne & Levi. The multi-POV was awesome. It was really easy to differentiate between the two POVs, which is one of my main issues with a lot of multi-POV books. But in this one, the two characters showed different personalities within their perspectives and it was really easy to tell whose POV I was reading from, even without reading the name.  
Her characters are also really well done! She has left a little to still be discovered in the next book, which I also enjoy.  The characters are well rounded and complex and it was awesome seeing them develop throughout the book. 

As someone that is not a romance fan, I didn't mind this one. Even though the whole book took place in 10 days, it didn't feel like insta love. For the most part, it was just attraction, tension and genuine care, so that is the main reason why I don't see it as instalove. Either way, she does write the tension really well!

I also loved how she wrote the diversity in this book! There was no questioning, it was just completely normal to be a person of colour, LGBTQIAP+, etc. There were a couple LGBTQIAP+ characters that popped up throughout the book which was great!

Plot:
The plot was really addicting complex and kept me hooked for the whole book. There are so many aspects of the plot in this book and every one of them was really well done. There were tonnes of twists and turns to keep it interesting the whole time. There is also a mystery that keeps you guessing all the time. 

Characters:
Enne is the first main character that we are introduced to and she was an awesome character. She developed amazingly throughout the book, but we also see the struggle within herself as she develops and changes away from how she thought she was meant to be or how she planned to be. She is a realistic character, she doesn't have these unbelievable skills, bravery or anything along those lines. She has insecurities, fears, and she makes mistakes but that doesn't stop her, she learns from her mistakes and overcomes her fears, she is brave when she has to, to save herself or others, and I just found her a joy to read from. 

Next, we have Levi, who is the other MC we follow. He is made out to be dark, dangerous and devilish and he plays those rolls when he has to. However, we see him open up as he comes to trust Enne and he is so much more than just a street lord. He is such a warm and amazing character. He is always trying to help out rather than actually start trouble, whether that be saving himself, trying to look after the Irons, trying to save a friend or helping out Enne. He is such a caring person and I love him for it. He is one of those people that you could always rely on if you were friends with him. 

There are a couple side characters that we meet that were also really interesting. First, we have Jac. His friendship with Levi is amazing. He is always there when Levi needs him and he trusts him completely, but he also questions Levi if he thinks Levi is doing the wrong thing and calls him out on stuff. Which is how a real friendship should be. Jac also has a dark past but he and Levi will always have each other's backs. He also learns to trust and open up to Enne as Levi begins to trust her more. 
Next, is slightly a spoiler I guess, it isn't a full-on spoiler but this character isn't how they first are shown, so if you want to know nothing then maybe skip this paragraph. I'm talking about Lola. At first, she does not get along with our other characters but she develops over time and becomes an awesome side character. She is another one with a dark past and is just trying to survive and help the people she cares about. Her friendship with Enne is quite amusing throughout most of the book but she turned out to be a reliable friend in the end. 

Well, those are the main characters I want to talk about as the others had a smaller roll. Most were still well developed for a character that didn't get a tonne of page time, but they are still smaller rolls. All the characters were so well done though! 

Overall:
I love this book so much! The world is amazing and unique and the characters are complex and well rounded. The book rounded off amazingly to lead up to the sequel. The epilogue is a direct lead up to the events in book 2 and its mystery makes me so keen for book 2 to come out!! 

"She had entered New Reynes as delicate as glass. She had even shattered. But as it turned out, beneath the dust and shards, something stronger lay within her, a substance less easily broken."

Ace of Shades was exactly the type of novel I expected from Amanda Foody following up from Daughter of the Burning City. Enne Salta is looking for her lost mother, and the only lead she has is a name: Levi Glaisyer, who lives in New Reynes, the City of Sin. The novel follows Enne through her struggle to find her mother, and in the process she may end up finding out more about herself than she ever thought she would.

I see a lot of comparisons of this novel to Six of Crows, and it is somewhat similar in that it has gangs and heists. However, I would say that it's much more focused on a single character (Enne) and the discovery of who she really is. I liked Enne as a character- she was pretty naive at first, but it seemed like the longer the novel went on, the more she became comfortable with navigating the dangers of New Reynes. I will certainly be very interested to see how she evolves as the series goes on.

Levi was also a sympathetic character, but was a bit more standard as the stereotypical street lord with a soft heart. That's not to say he was badly characterised, but I did often enjoy Enne's point of view sections more than his. I felt the romance was not too badly paced, with only the high stakes making it relatively quick.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Ace of Shades. I will certainly be reading the sequel.

Ratings
Overall: 8/10
Plot: 4/5
Romance: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 4/5

Unfortunately this book just wasnt for me, I didn't particularly enjoy it, I didn't have any motivation to continue reading it & struggled to get into the story..

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

This was a tough book to read, especially as I adored the author's other book, Daughter of a Burning City. I went into this expecting toomuch maybe, expecting it to be like that. While the writing was similar, this book seemed like a much more subtle story with the action all concentrated at the end. The characters had that trademark 'brokenness' that I think of with this author, and everything is so damn emotional. This is coming from someone who eats angst for breakfast, so I didn't really mind.

Like I said, it was a slow start, but once I was hooked I was in hook, line and sinker. I knew it was a series too, and to not know what happens next is terrible. Approve me for the next book on Netgalley too and I'll be your best friend? D: D: D:

Anyway, this is a superb gritty YA with plenty more to give, four stars!

The first 50% of this book was such a drag. I found the info-dumps to be just a bit too much. The world was explained so quickly, and I didn't properly understand what was going on. The Mizers, the talents and split talents, the cards that they have tattoos of. It didn't make sense. But the last 50% was so good! Fast-paced, shit got real, they all seemed to come into their personalities, and I felt like I properly uncovered the depths of these characters.
The whole world was very unique. I'd never read anything like it before. I kind of thought it would have a different plot to what it actually had, but it was still very intriguing! So many plot twists.
I'm very happy I didn't DNF this 2 months back when I thought I would. I'd like to pick up the second one (if I can remember this one by the time that one comes out).

If you enjoyed either Caraval by Stephanie Garber or Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, then Amanda Foody’s new young adult novel Ace of Shades is for you!

You may know Amanda Foody as the author of Daughter of the Burning City, which was her debut novel in 2017. In her new novel, this book focuses a lot on crime and its crime lords and mafia families in comparison to debut which centered on the circus.

Ace of Shades takes place in New Reynes, where we see a combination of modern elements, such as cars, showers, and electricity, alongside traditional clothing and history. The story primarily is set in the North Side of New Reynes where crime is very common and the mafia and crime families reign supreme. The town is unstable as there has been a revolution recently where the monarchy was overturned, the royal family killed and a Republic took its place. After the fall of the monarchy, there were still many supporters that had to conceal their true identity and live in secrecy. The North Side is divided into three gangs—the Irons, the Scarhands and the Doves and then there are also the two casino and mafia families—the Augustines and the Torrens.

There is also a magic system where everyone is born with talents that can either be split or ‘pure’. Your last name(s) are an indication of which one you have, for example, if your last name is Salta, one of your talents is dancing. Some families talents are stronger than others or could be magical.

Enne Abacus Salta is our main character who is introduced to us when she comes to New Reynes in order to find her adoptive mother, Lourdes, who has been missing for several months. She only has a handful of volts (currency) and a name to look for: Levi Glaisyer. Lourdes informed her to find him as he will help her, but instead of the kind man she pictured, she finds he’s the Iron Lord and a criminal. Enne’s character was very likeable and goes through great character development. When she initially arrives in New Reynes as a snobbish, naive and proper lady, she completely changes to who she needs to be in order to survive.

Our other main character is Levi, who is the Iron Lord and he has an alternating perspective with Enne. He is compared often to Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows by others in the book community and he really is quite similar. He cares for the kids in his gang and wants to pay them and treat them the best he can. He is a very ambitious character and knows he can always do better, but he isn’t sure how. He is also a diverse character seeing as he’s both black and bisexual, although it’s not cannonly stated, he clearly has an attraction to boys and girls.

There is romance in this book, but it is not the instantaneous love and attraction we come to expect from young adult novels, so it comes across as very believable and well written. The chemistry is quite a slow burn and we get time to see the deep connection that the two develop for each other.

Although there are books that have some of these aspects in them already, I felt like Ace of Shades had an originality to it. It has an intriguing plot line, the world-building is fantastic and the characters are developed and believable. The story did not completely wrap up and left there plenty to tell in the form of a sequel, especially since the series will be a trilogy! If you like any of this, then pick Ace of Shades up!

Frankly, I didn't love Ace of Shades and no matter how much focus I put into it I just couldn't get into it. There was nothing wrong with the story and nothing I didn't like but it didn't interest me. Nothing was wrong with the book and I didn't have a problem with it but we just didn't click. It's disappointing when that happens, especially when you liked the previous book from the author, but when you read so many books you're bound to find books that aren't on your wavelength. 

What I did love was the exciting setup to this dangerous city Enne is travelling into. The City of Sin was full of casinos and cons with dark characters and poisonous trades. She also meets Levi quick into her journey and he's not the hero but he's loveable all the same. If you liked Six of Crows you'll probably enjoy this book too because it has the same sort of feel that's also mixed in with a magical component and a dangerous game where people die in the process like another great book, Caraval. 

Another interesting thing about this book is the talents and traits each person is born with. Enne's dominant trait is dancing while her secondary trait is arithmetic but it's weaker. Some people are incredibly talented with traits that can hurt others, take their breath away and make unbreakable bonds, but not everyone is so blessed and there's a whole interesting history based on this that I did really want to know more about. 

The story didn't connect with me while I was reading it but recapping it now is actually igniting a passion for this book because it is a really cool idea. I loved the setting and the traits where such a great idea with a lot of thought put into it so I wonder how that will continue in the second book. There was also plenty of wide representation of gender and sexuality of the main and secondary characters that was great to read. I definitely recommend you try this book yourself and see how your journey into the City of Sin goes and let me know what you think!

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.

Ace of Shades was a relatively easy read. I enjoyed the book overall and based on the cover and synopsis, I would have bought it in a bookstore had I not received this copy. That being said, I am not sure I would recommend this book to everyone, despite the fact that I finished it and enjoyed most of it.

Amanda Foody came up with some really interesting concepts for this book and I really loved the plot. At times this book really did remind me of a (less successful) version of Six of Crows, and sadly the characters were not as likeable. The plot was relatively fast paced and I wanted to find out who Enne was and what happened to her mother. I thought Levi was particularly weak, he wavered too much and his character seemed to change from chapter to chapter. I really disliked the way things were not explained well, such as the concept of volts and orbs. It was introduced as a concept but not explored. I also disliked that "mucking" was one of the swear words in the book, it seemed a little childish and the fact that "white cats are considered bad luck". I feel that a few things in this book were made to seem unique but the execution fell very short and just made me roll my eyes on more than one occasion.

I enjoyed the way were saw Enne grow over the course of the book, seeing her character develop over the course of the book really was the highlight, and I loved that she found herself. I liked that certain things, like death and violence, were not overlooked or poorly described to protect the reader. Things in the book were mostly realistically described (in the most realistic way fiction can) and it was refreshing to read a book that didn't shy away from human suffering.

I enjoyed the book enough to finish it, and sadly it really only got interesting around the 80% mark. It held my interest until the very end, but I do not think I personally will read the next book. It was a good, but not fantastic read, which is slightly disappointing as I was very much looking forward to this book as one of my most anticipated 2018 reads.

If you love magic, slightly immoral characters, plot twists, rebellion and finding oneself, then this book is for you.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Harlequin Australia and NetGalley for allowing me to read Ace of Shades. All opinions and thoughts are my own and do not represent the publisher or author.

I didn't know much about this book going in, in fact I didn't even read the synopsis, I had just heard vaguely through booktube that it was about a proper young lady who goes to the city of sin to track down her missing mother with the help of a con man and it sounded like a lot of fun! I didn't even realise that this book was sci-fi and fantasy until I had picked it up!

Honestly this book was hard to get into. I had to force myself to pick it up at times to read it and forcing yourself to read a book is never any fun. At first I thought I was having such a hard time to get into it mainly because like I said I had not expected this book to be sci-fi or fantasy and was finding it hard to wrap my mind around it but honestly the story wasn't really going anywhere until almost half-way through the novel.

I understand the first book in a series is usually not as good as the others will be/are as there is a lot of world building so not much happens but there is still so much about this world that I do not understand and a few things I found confusing.

The second half of the book is definitely where the story picked up and where things got really interesting. I flew through it and really do want to continue on with the series to see where it will go.

The cast of characters is very interesting and Amanda Foody does a wonderful job fleshing out the characters in 400 pages. You see the different sides to most of them and even get a little background information to some of them which I think is wonderful. Most authors focus mainly on the main character and the other characters are usually one dimensional but that is not the case here. I think there will be more of that in book two as like I said most of this book was world building.

While this book wasn't a favourite read for me and I honestly think it was just an average book, I think I will be picking up book two to see where the story line goes.