Wow! What an epic ending to an absolutely amazing series that has so much magic, diversity and feminism in it that it's such a book hangover. The writing is super immersive and descriptive. New Reynes feels like it could leap off the page and suck you into the city of sin.

Enne and Levi along with Grace, Lola, Roy, Harrisson and the whole cast stepped up in this last book. There were some astonishing reveals but in the end, Levi, Enne and Grace did what they do best: they gambled with everything they had. Whether or not they won, that's a matter of opinion but they did the best they could and are living the best life they can. Not everyone had a happy ending or even a happy middle.

The character improvement was off the charts as a result of that. Enne especially.

If you've never heard of Amanda Foody or the Shadow Game trilogy, consider this your formal invitation to step in to the City of Sin and let it consume you.

Just days after the events of the election in King of Fools, a new shadow game has begun. Each player was given a card with a character on it. Now, the card has another name listed, which is the person’s target. The only way to win the game is to kill your target and take their card. Meanwhile, Levi is struggling with the loss of his friend, while Enne is figuring out her new identity. It doesn’t seem like there will be any way to survive this game.

There was a bit of a recap as the characters were introduced in this story. I was glad, because it has been a while since I read King of Fools. I think this series could be reread multiple times, with the reader noticing more clues each time. Since the events of the books take place over a few months, it would be much easier to keep track of the plot if they were read all at once.

The stakes were the highest yet in this book. The shadow game was literally life or death. It was quite intense, with everyone being a target. Each character’s story was so detailed and carefully plotted. The characters could almost have had a book of their own because there was so much that happened in this story.

This was a great ending to The Shadow Game trilogy!

Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

this was a really good read, I enjoyed the series and the characters. I look forward to more from the author.

Queen of Volts picks up shortly after King of Fools, and unlike my struggle with the second book, it was so much easier to be back in the setting of Queen of Volts and remember the plot, characters, and context.

There are five POVs present in Queen of Volts, which is more than the previous books. However, each POV had a distinct voice and were of importance to the story. With so many POVs, sometimes one or two character voices seem unnecessary, but I can assure you that each POV added to the story and I was equally intrigued by all.

The stakes are definitely raised in Queen of Volts with the new Shadow Game. All of the major players and characters of New Reynes have been invited to play–some we love, some we hate–and their fates are all dependent on each other. A few new characters are introduced as well and I really enjoyed what they brought to the story. The writing and pacing of the book were perfect. A lot of times with the third book in a series, all of the major reveals have happened and the story is centered around the culmination of plotlines and resolving conflict. And while that does happen (quite beautifully, too) here, there are still more plot twists and unpredictable things that occur that added even more intrigue and excitement while reading.

Queen of Volts is the perfect conclusion to the Shadow Game trilogy. If you haven’t yet read Ace of Shades, I really encourage you to! And if you’re a fan of the previous books in this series, I guarantee you will find Queen of Volts to be the perfect series ender. Amanda Foody is a talented, wonderful writer who has not disappointed me yet. I am looking forward to whatever is next!

I did enjoy this book and think it wrapped up the series nicely. I do think that at times it was lengthier and drawn out more than it needed to be but overall a good conclusion to the series.

This is a great conculsion for this series. More twists and bluffs than a game of poker. Such a unique world and magic system. This is a must not miss series

Queen of Volts was a truly brilliant and epic finale that I am more than satisfied with--but I'm also so upset to be done with this world and these characters!

This is one of those reviews that's almost hard to write in a way because how do you adequately and succinctly review a trilogy finale that has meant so much to you and was just as good as--if not better--than the rest of the series? I'll do my best, but no promises!

I have absolutely loved getting to know all of these characters and their completely troubled, messed up selves as they navigate the chaos of living in The City of Sin and learning both who and not to trust. I really think The Shadow Game series is one those critically underrated series that has so much depth and intrigue, yet I just don't see as many people talking about this series as I would expect. This is a story that has been so carefully plotted and contains so many different mysteries, plot lines, character relationships, and more that it's hard not to become fully immersed int his world--and to be extraordinarily sad to leave it.

Although the plot and action in Queen of Volts are compelling and well-written, the characters are what really make this book--and the entire series--something truly special for me. Not only is there a rather large array of characters, but the diversity, authenticity, and sheer growth and development of each one make them shine and truly make this book impossible to put down. There are some unbelievably difficult decisions that must be made in this book that I could even begin to imagine making, and seeing how Foody writes these situations creates a rather remarkable experience.

Levi and Enne remain what I'd call the centerfold of this story and remain so in Queen of Volts, but it's the rest of the characters--Lola, Grace, Harvey, Roy, Harrison, Sophie, etc.--that fill the story with even more life and excitement. Watching all of them interact in different ways and with relationships that are ever-dynamic and always unpredictable adds a strong level of intrigue and even anxiety because you truly never know what's going to happen next, this entire series has felt incredibly unpredictable throughout. It's also a pretty brutal book, all things considered, and I have enjoyed how the different dark places that Foody chose to explore in such careful ways. There are some unforgivable things that occur, along with difficult things that are possible forgivable, but still immensely difficult to get through, and I think Foody handled these well. The POVs we follow in this book are that of Levi, Enne, Harvey, Sophia, and Lola, a group of characters that I think were the perfect choices for this particular book. Each POV felt unique and separate from one another, so I never had any issues figuring out what perspective I was following, and I love that we've gotten to explore so many different characters' perspectives over the duration of the trilogy.

Even though this is a nearly 600 page book, it flows incredibly well and I flew threw it without even noticing. The pacing is almost effortlessly wonderful (although I have no doubt that Amanda Foody worked extremely hard on it because she is an incredibly dedicated and diligent author) and never feels too slow or too fast--there was almost always a nearly perfect balance to me.

Overall, I've given Queen of Volts five stars! I have enjoyed this series so much and it has only grown in it's quality, depth, charm, and maturity as the trilogy progressed. If you haven't read this trilogy, I highly commend you do so--and if you have but haven't yet picked up this final installment--do it!

Where should I start? I honestly can’t stop thinking about Queen of Volts. We start a week after the ending of King of Fools and oh boy the feels came up right after the first sentence. I honestly thought that I would cry because the end of the second book broke my bookworm heart. I’m still not over it. Amanda Foody why did you have to shatter it in a million pieces? Even though I read the first books a while ago I had no troubles getting sucked in by the story and I strangely remembered every single thing. So just for saying how much this series is affecting me.

I loved her writing style, the way she described our favourite characters, the gang and of course the descriptions. Everything felt on point and I found it to be perfect. Sometimes I had some troubles keeping up but life is hell right now, so I’m putting that on me.

I also loved to see the evolution of the friendships. Life is definitely not easy on all the characters and especially after King of Fools their lives are a huge mess and so are the friendships. Queen of Volts shows the reality and hard parts of friendships, love and family. Not everything is easy and therefore I appreciate that part of reality even though I couldn’t relate with the main part of the story as I was never in a situation like Enne, Levi and the gang.

Overall, if you love a good book about games, mysteries, gambles and many more things, then the Shadow Game series is a must-read for you.

I can't not believe the last book in The Shadow Game series is here. I remember just the other day how much I was raving about the series and how I couldn't wait for the next book to come out. Now here we are with the final installment. All good things must come to an end right?

Right of the bat when you start this book off you are introduced to the pov of new characters. I like how as the series went on you got to know side characters better by having them get a pov. I am always a big fan of multiple povs so that really made me excited right off the bat. Here are some characters we don't know much about and even if we can trust them and we get a look inside there head. I did have to I was a bit disappointed with Lola's pov. I know some things happen to her character. I think maybe Amanda wanted us to experience what she did and how it effects her. Sorry I can't really say too much about this because I don't want to spoil anything that happens in this book.

I do have to say for a final book that this book brought it. Man I was never bored when reading this book. So much just kept happening and I really enjoyed it. I like a lot of the time the ending of a series ends up being weak or disappointing. I never felt that way with this book. You get a lot of things answered that have been brought up but you don't know much about. You also learn things about the side characters which I really enjoyed. I'm not going to say what happened but I did enjoy Sophia's subplot. I think that was my favorite subplot that happened in the story. I do have to say that I did feel at times too much was going on. Yes I enjoyed it but at times it ended up feeling like too much. I did find myself rereading a couple of times. I wanted to make sure I understood or had some idea of what I was reading. This is a book I feel I would need to read again. I feel I need to take more time to fully register everything that happened. I did rush reading this a little because of this Blog tour. I can see myself coming back to this story at some point. It is a story I really enjoyed.

Overall I really did enjoy this story a lot. I feel so much happens in this book which I enjoyed. I know I said that it ends up being a lot at times. I do like that Amanda didn't rush this story. So many times you read a book and it just feels rushed. Things happened and you move on. I feel she takes her time with having things play out in this story. I am so sad to see this story go. I can't wait to see what Amanda comes out with next.

Queen of Volts is the exciting finale of The Shadow Game and Amanda Foody does well at giving readers an appropriate and fleshed out ending.
After the death of Jac, each player must pick up the pieces. Levi, Enne, members of their crews and other citizen of the City of Sin have been bestowed a golden Shadow Card. This isn't like regular Shadow Game Levi and Enne escaped in the debut novel; each player had a target they had to get the card from and many of them put lovers and friends at odds. Levi and Enne must partner with Harrison to get try and win the game while dealing with the legendary Bargainer who bargained for powers and memories and left a huge death toll in her wake.

The book begins on a sad note with the burial of Jac. I haven't been this upset about a death since Gabrielle in the Half Bad Series. This somber beginning gives each character a new out look grieving their friend. The death isn't just a few pages and then means nothing; instead, Foody shows you the side affects of grief and how that grief can harm more than the person grieving.

In fact, Queen of Volts never shies away from the emotional. Foody takes on toxic relationships, friendship and betrayal and identity with a delicate but purposeful hand. No one magically healed from their emotional issues' they had to work through them as part of the plot.

But no worries, there is a lot of excitement in this novel. This game has upped all the odds as the players are fighting against their own death. Who can they trust? Is Harrison really on their side? Would one of them kill one of their own? The tension is evident and propels the story lifting the story away from begin a melodrama.

On a side note, Foody's Acknowledgments gives me great respect for the author. She thanks the readers but then offers an apology for any broken hearts. She then assures the reader that she cried at those loses too. So many authors just kill off people and it's another day. This acknowledgment helped me connect with the author on a personal level and gave me much respect for her.

Overall, this is a great conclusion to a series that I loved. I am grateful to have come to New Reynes and met the people there.

Queen of Volts takes place after the bloody ending of King of Fools. We follow Sophia, Lola, Enne, Levi, and Harvey as they try to beat a dangerous game.
First of all, I didn’t like Ace of Shades, but I LOVED King of Fools and now Queen of Volts. Queen of Volts is super dark and gritty. There is a lot of blood shed and deception going on. There is romance, but not a lot. Each character is connected to one another and there is a lot of character development since book one. I really enjoyed all the characters and the darkness of the book. The ending was a very satisfying ending and wrapped up wonderfully.

Queen of Volts is the third and final novel in The Shadow Game trilogy by Amanda Foody. It's a tale of luck, legends, and sacrifice.

We're once again diving back into the City of Sin, though the world is rapidly changing all around. The stakes are about to become higher than ever for Levi, Enne, and all of their allies. Once again they are about to be thrown into The Shadow Game.

A game not designed for a high survival rate. Levi and Enne survived once, and only by breaking the rules. Now they must find a way to bring all of their allies and friends through, as they are not the only ones playing this deadly game.

“There were warning signs now, too, but her friends romanticized the city's tragic legends too much to understand where their story was truly heading.”

Warnings: There are several warnings that go with Queen of Volts, all of which are actually listed on Amanda Foody's site. I absolutely adore that she took the time to warn her fans, and I respect it as well. Her warnings include: extreme violence, death, grief, attempted suicide/ideation, PTSD, toxic and abusive relationships, and addiction. I would also like to add in kidnapping and memory loss to that warning list.

I can't believe it. I can't believe that this is the finale of The Shadow Game. This is a series that I only recently dove into, and yet I really wasn't prepared for the conclusion that Queen of Volts brought with it.

Mostly I'm saying that because of the level of trauma both of the previous two novels left me with. Especially King of Fools, which simultaneously broke my heart and left me terrified about the fate of other favorite characters.

What can I say about the finale? It was everything the fans deserved. In many ways, it was also the ending that the characters themselves deserved, though perhaps not in the ways they would have guessed or picked for themselves.

“A reckoning was coming for the City of Sin – and if not revolution, if not war, then it would bring violence all the same.”

There were times when I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved that we weren't forced to move past the trauma that characters (and readers) received in the last couple of books. But I also hated the way some of the characters were reacting to it all. I loved seeing them forge forward, while I hated seeing the stakes go up again. That sort of thing.

It was all worth it in the end. That emotional rollercoaster I was forced onto paid off, and with gusto. This is every bit the ending I would have asked for, if I had thought to do so. Yet Amanda Foody still had a few surprises in store, and that came with a few more emotional gut-punches. So consider yourself warned, and get ready for that ride.

I have to admit it took me a while to get into this book and I did find it quite slow and perhaps unnecessarily complicated/convoluted but I was overall happy with the ending and am very glad I read it. I do like Amanda Foody's books and the characters are very endearing. I care about all of them.

As I’m quite unobservant I didn’t notice that this was the last book in a series when I requested this ARC. It could have been a serious problem as there’s a lot of character development and world building but I must thank the author because the references to the backstory were well explained and I had no big problems in understanding the characters or the setting.
I can say I loved this story that mixes grimdark/urban fantasy and steampunk elements and making the mix work well.
The characters are well thought and interesting and I appreciated how most of them are morally grey, even Enne or Levi. Even when we are reading about the “bad guys” there’s always something that makes them interesting.
It’s not a fast paced story and the different POV helps you to understand the different side of the story and getting more involved in what you are reading.
It’s a gripping and highly entertaining story, a YA that can be appreciated by people of all ages and I think that the reading experience will be different for different ages.
I loved the character development, the world building and the political games that drives the story.
It was an excellent read that I strongly recommend. Now I have to read the other books and I’m surely it will improve my experience.
Many thanks to Inkyard Press for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

The end of a series that I’ve been reading from the beginning is always bitter sweet. I picked up Ace of Shades immediately upon release, devoured it and then not so patiently waited for King of Fools. Naturally, I also devoured King of Fools as I have little to no self control when it comes to books. The wait for Queen of Volts was painful, but so so worth it. While I have enjoyed every installment in this story, the third and final book was by far my favorite.

It seemed to me that each book in this series escalated. And when I say escalated…I MEAN it. The stakes in each novel are exponentially higher, with some new game being introduced each time. I loved the way Amanda Foody fleshed out the world, creating drinks and games to go with this incredibly unique premise.

Every single character is well developed and shows clear growth over the course of the series as they face hardships, some of which broke my heart. Trust me, this is not a series with a perfect happy ending. It is, however, a series with a more realistic ending that I as a reader and reviewer can appreciate even as I cry inwardly over the injustice of it all.

These books mark the first of Amanda Foody’s that I have read, but they will most certainly not be the last. I do wish that we could’ve gotten a little bit of a longer ending, but realistically, who doesn’t wish for that. I think, if given the choice, we would all beg Authors for more time with our favorite characters. I know that I personally would love to spend some more time with Levi and Enne.

There were aspects I adored, such as the friendships, drama, betrayal. All of that made the book JUICY and IRRESISTIBLE. I liked how thought-provoking Queen of Volts was when it came to questioning the ties we have with others--and where loyalty truly lies. Can there be forgiveness? Do we even want it?

In the end, though, I found myself feeling rather meh. I expected to love Queen of Volts. Honestly, I wanted to love this book. After all, I loved the first one! I pushed myself through it, even as the plot tapered out to nothing short of predictable, the characters lost their shine, the ending left me feeling....unsatisfied. Still, I desperately tried to love it. So I pushed myself to finish it. I think if the plot was deeper, maybe I could have felt more satisfied at the end, but there's definitely some magic missing.

I received this book as part of a promotional tour.

Return to the City of Sin, where the final game is about to begin…and winning will demand the ultimate sacrifice.

Only days after a corrupt election and brutal street war, one last bloodthirsty game has begun. The players? The twenty-two most powerful, notorious people in New Reynes.

After realizing they have no choice but to play, Enne Scordata and Levi Glaisyer are desperate to forge new alliances and bargain for their safety. But while Levi offers false smiles and an even falser peace to the city’s politicians, Enne must face a world where her true Mizer identity has been revealed…and any misstep could turn deadly.

Meanwhile, a far more dangerous opponent has appeared on the board, one plucked right from the most gruesome legends of New Reynes. As the game takes its final, vicious turn, Levi and Enne must decide once and for all whether to be partners or enemies.


This is the third book in this series, and I have the first two waiting from my library. And let me tell you, i really enjoyed this book but since I haven't read the first two, I am sure that after that, i could like it more. I mean it's a great story and now I need to go back to the beginning, for sure!

Raw thoughts:

I feel like this ending was.. ok. The first book was incredible, the second was fine, and this one was somewhere in between. I liked the exploration of betrayal and friendships. If you take the drama and life-or-death situations out of it, our friends "betray" us a lot, and this book helps us think about what to consider in the forgiveness track.

Spoiler for book 2:
When we left Levi and Enne, she had literally just killed his best friend right in front of his face. She did it because Vianca made her, but it doesn't change anything. Can you imagine if your significant other shot your best friend? How could you look at them the same ever again.

Anyway, we get fake dating in this which is always a gas. We get a lot of perspectives from most of the characters too, which can sometimes flop, this one didn't.

I will say the plot was... nothing special. This was more about the giant group of people and their relationships and how to deal with that. Not mad though, I'm glad I read it and would happily read more in this world.

Okay, wow. That was quite a finale to this epic trilogy.

This book was four stars for me, but I'd like to point out that it's a more solid four stars than King of Fools. King of Fools blew me away in the last 20%, which is pretty much the only reason it wasn't rated lower. Queen of Volts was pretty much four stars the whole way.

Some good things:

A (most of the time) fast-paced, exciting f0llow-up to King of Fools. From the very beginning, this book punches you in the gut and you just have to accept it. This was, I'll also mention, was a lot easier to digest than KOF. Though, of course, still not as thrilling as AOS—I don't think anything will ever live up to that book for me.

The POV's. I was really intrigued by all of these characters we get to see through the additional POV's. AOS only had Enne and Levi. KOF added Jac. But this one had Enne, Levi, Lola, Sophia, and Harvey. There are some downsides to this that I'll mention in a minute, but in general I enjoyed each of them and the stories they told. After the end of KOF, I expected Sophia to go a certain way, but her story included quite a few surprises. And I never would have guessed we'd get Harvey's perspective, but that, too, was really interesting. Particularly because of his very messy relationship with Bryce. On that note, though, I love that through Harvey we get Narinder back and he's not just Levi's boy toy.

The world and magic is still one of the very best things about this series. Foody just does an amazing job with both of them. Plus, we finally get to see Enne and Levi make volts and orbs together. It's not much, but it was still an interesting scene.

The plot of this one was also pretty solid. The idea of the game was at times confusing because there was just so much going on and so many people involved, but it ended up being fun to watch unfold. The characters, too, were great, as per usual. I enjoyed being able to see the Bargainer, even if her character was also a bit confusing. Oh, plus we finally get to see what really was going on with Lordes and Enne's family!

The end was solid. I can't really complain much. It seemed to be wrapped up with a nice, tidy bow. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, I guess, but I enjoyed it. I'm imagining everyone living happily (mostly) ever after.

Good things I liked in KOF compared to QOV:

- Girl Gang: I still love all the Spirits and they stand out a bit in the beginning, but the "girl gang" aspect really isn't in the forefront of this story.
- Enne's characters arc: With so many main POV's it was hard to get immersed in our two main ones (Enne and Levi) but I still love Enne. She's probably become one of my favorite heroines ever.
- Lola: Lola got her own POV here! Which was really interesting, but this story was kind of frustrating on her part and I didn't love her POV as much as I could have. Although, I was particularly interested in her strange friendship with Arabella. I wish that could have had a little bit more before the end.
- Grace: I love Grace. She was great in KOF and she was great here. Wish I could have had more of her, honestly.
- Roy. I had a feeling about him before and this was almost hit the mark. He was definitely there and definitely important, but again, I could have used more.

Some not so great things:

For much of this book, the pacing was solid (especially compared to KOF), but it still wasn't perfect. There were a few times the story lagged or felt cloudy. Particularly when it came to the POV's. While I really enjoyed each POV most of the time, there's no denying that Foody liked to switch them up. There were a few times when the POV would switch unnecessarily or too soon and I would get thrown around a bit. Plus, not every POV seemed crucial 100% of the time. Sophia, for instance, had a really interesting story, but a lot of the time, her part was just kind of there. Levi and Enne would be off on some adventure and Sophia would just be hanging out with Delaney and Poppy or whatever. So, while the POV's were fun, they also weren't perfect.

Along with that, Enne and Levi also didn't feel as central to the story as before. I can understand that to a point, but I'm really here for their stories. Watching their messy relationship in this one was pretty fun, though. As frustrating as it was at times, if they'd just been together after AOS, it wouldn't have been that great of a series. Things always get boring once the love interests get together haha.

Anyway, the reason this was four instead of five stars for me was mostly what I said about the plot and POV's, as well as the fact that this still just doesn't live up to AOS in my mind. Overall, I still really enjoyed this conclusion and will recommend it always.

I was excited to read this book especially since I loved the Ace of Shadows and King of Fools was good. But this book is so confusing and at times I had no clue what was going on. This book seemed to drag on to me and it got to the point where I just wanted to give up on it but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. I do think that both Enne and Levi got shafted during the middle of the book and especially at the end. You know I know why Bryce started another Shadow Game but it was not necessary. You know I'm sure there was another way to save Rebecca's life but in the end, it didn't even matter since she died anyways.

I did end up not really liking the majority of the book because it was so slow and only really ended up liking it towards the end when all the action happened. This book was so confusing and I ended up not really understanding what was going on other than the Bargainer must die. Which she did and that still didn't end the game. This series was good but I would have been happy if it had ended with Ace of Shades.