Shadow City was just as fun, unique, and action-packed as Diamond City was. Aina Solis has wrested control of the criminal empire started by her old mentor Kohl. She should have nothing to fear, but she cannot escape the shadow of the man who plucked her out of obscurity and made her the assassin she is. She also can't escape a vengeful general hell-bent on destroying Aina and her friends, and bringing on a new civil war. As Aina sets out to destroy her enemies, she finds that the only way to protect her home and the people important to her is to align herself with the one person with the power to destroy her--Kohl himself. Filled with high stakes and lots of betrayal, Shadow City is the stunning conclusion to Aina's story began in Diamond City, and the question becomes whether Aina can save her city without becoming everything she fears.
This duology truly doesn't get enough hype. I love it. It has everything. All of the characters are morally grey in the best of ways, forced to do things for the good of their city and those they love even though it may not be considered "right." I loved getting deeper into the complex nature of Aina's relationship with Kohl, and watching her wrestle with feelings for a toxic and controlling person. Relationships are messy and tangled things, and no more so than an emotionally abusive relationship, and Flores does a really good job navigating her main character through all of that. I really loved seeing Aina and her friends work together to stop Beautix and Kohl. And Teo. His journey made me want to cry, and then I was happy again. I did feel a little unclear on the magic in this one, although I think that has a lot to do with how much time has passed since I read the first book. But pacing, world-building, and compelling characters made this a really strong follow up to Diamond City. Shadow City is a story about learning to live with every part of yourself--both good and the bad--and differentiating between true love and affection, and control.

Spoiler free review! This book is simply amazing. I enjoyed the suspense throughout the book and the way the author really brings out the characters. If you like thrillers, I would definitely recommend this book!

Ok I’m not going to send a review Of this book because I haven’t read the first book and didn’t realize it was a series when I requested. I just loved the look of the cover and the blurb sounded amazing - assassins and hijinks. I am now planning to seek out the first book and hope to revisit this book soon

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy!

First, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book.

Shadow City is the second book in the duology of The City of Steel and Diamond by Francesca Flores.

Aina as fough hard and is now to the top of of criminal ranks in the city of Kosín. But Kohl, the man who try to ruin her life, her old boss, will do anything to claim his empire back. She will need to kill him, before he kill her. But another person is set to get revenge on her and will destroy everything in his way to get powers back after Aina have revealed is corruption and made him losing his seat in the government. With a civil war coming their way, Aina will have no other choice to join with Kohl if they want to stop Bautix before its to late.

I have really loves this serie.

To start off, I read a manuscript of Diamond City on August 6, 2019 after winning an advance copy from Goodreads back in April 2019... so it's been a while since I read the first book. And, since it was a manuscript, there might have been a lot of changes between that draft and the final version.

With that thought in mind, I loved this sequel. Flores takes us back to Kosín after Aina has managed to steal the Dom out from under Kohl's nose and Bautix is fighting for control. I have always loved Aina as a character and loved the premise of a guild of assassins working together to take over the city. It's just such a cool premise. Mix that with some blood magic and I'm sold!

As we move along with the story, I had to remember who certain characters were. We have Teo and Tannis - friends of Aina who followed her when she took over the Dom. Ryuu, who's brother was the catalyst for the action-packed events that lead to Aina's showdown with Kohl. And of course, Beautix - a Steel politician working to take over control of the city. 

I think I got the main cast there! After strolling down memory lane (which did take me a few chapters to catch up), I could focus on the main plot. While I was screaming at the book for Aina not to trust Kohl and work with him, unfortunately the characters couldn't hear me. I had to watch Aina make all the classic mistakes and just suffer through it. I was not happy. 

But along with this suffering came romance that I was not expecting, but loved nonetheless! I really liked how Flores set up Aina's love life and gave her some decent options. In between the romance and the deception, was all of the action. I love the way Flores writes her fight scenes. They feel so intense and I catch myself holding my breath as Aina fights her way through every situation. 

Overall, I really loved this sequel and I was happy with almost everything that happened in the book! I can't wait to read more from her and while I'm sad that Aina's story is over, I thought it ended in a blaze of glory, fit for our assassin queen!

Shadow City (The City of Diamond and Steel, #2)
by Francesca Flores
I only wish i had read the first one, since there is references to a lot of prior events. The book does not lose the new reader because of this but it just hints at things that happened before that the active mind of this reader would like to have seen. The book is very very dark, and has many many violent altercations i would only recommend for 8th grade and up. The story is remarkable in its own right. The struggles and triumphs of the characters pulls the reader in, and causes you to accept the need for the violence. This is a story of an Apocalyptic literature, just warning.

Shadow city picks up right after the 1st novel full of angst andaction everywhere. Alina fought hard to take control of her home from her enemy and now as things progress it leads to a unwanted alliance.

I am sad to see this series go but the ending is more than what I could of asked for. In terms of wrapping up Aina's story the book did her justice. Things to love about this book were that it was action packed. incredibly bloody and a strong female lead.

Summary:
The stunning action-packed conclusion to The City of Diamond and Steel duology.

Aina Solís has fought her way to the top of criminal ranks in the city of Kosín by wresting control of an assassin empire owned by her old boss, Kohl. She never has to fear losing her home and returning to life on the streets again—except Kohl, the man who tried to ruin her life, will do anything to get his empire back. Aina sets out to kill him before he can kill her.

But Alsane Bautix, the old army general who was banned from his seat in the government after Aina revealed his corruption, is working to take back power by destroying anyone who stands in his way. With a new civil war on the horizon and all their lives at risk, the only way for Aina to protect her home is to join up with the only other criminal more notorious than her: Kohl himself.

As Bautix’s attacks increase, Aina and Kohl work together to stop his incoming weapons shipments and his plans to take back the Tower of Steel. To defeat them both, Aina will resort to betrayal, poison, and a deadly type of magic that hasn’t been used in years.

Through narrow alleys, across train rooftops, and deep in the city’s tunnels, Aina and Kohl will test each other’s strengths and limits, each of them knowing that once Bautix is dead, they’ll still have to face each other. If she manages to kill him, she’ll finally have the freedom she wants—but it might forever mark her as his shadow in a city where only the strongest survive.

Honest Review:
Flores is the author I wish had been around when I was a teen. Her voice and style are a much-needed breath of fresh air in the genre.
Her characters are morally ambiguous and every bit intriguing, the plot moves accordingly while having unpredictable turns along the way, and the dialogue is pretty exceptional.
I found this conclusion to be epic, action-packed, emotionally gutting and gut-churning. My favorite books are the ones that explore the shades of gray between self-righteousness and evil. I also super enjoy themes of betrayal, specifically when it is those closest to the protagonist that are twisting the knife of betrayal.
While this duology is complete, I cannot wait to read the next stories Flores has planned.

Truly sad to see this duology go but I couldn't image it ending any other way. Even though I enjoyed the first book a bit more this was still everything I could have hoped for in terms of wrapping up Aina's story.

Things to love about this:

-action packed
-so incredibly bloody
-filled with lots of tension
-badass females
-found family trope
-did i mention so incredibly bloody?

I'm genuinely curious to know what the final death count in this series is because I have NEVER encountered a book with so much murder....and I'm not mad about it either.

I thought this book was amazing! The plot, the characters, the action. Everything. We're introduced to some new characters and the previous characters just get more fleshed out and the relationship between them all is amazing. The main character Aina is bi and there is a f/f relationship in this book! I really enjoyed where the story went after the events of the first one! Aina is such an intricate and complex character who questions what she has been taught and whether its the right thing to do or not, and I enjoyed getting to see her growth in this book. This series is really underrated and I would really recommend checking it out!

I kind of backed myself into a corner with this one. I didn't much enjoy the first book, but had already committed myself to reading this one, I read it anyway, with very low expectations. Those expectations were pretty much on par.

I'm not sure what it is really about these books, or this author, for me. I can definitely understand the appeal for other people. The plots are intriguing enough, but the characters and the world-building don't really do it for me.

In this book, Aina and the gang have to join up with bad-guy Kohl to overthrow worse bad-guy Bautix. They turn to forbidden magic and some other hair-brained ideas to do so. So, it's not surprising when things go south.

I did think showing more of the magic in this one was pretty interesting, even if I was still a little lost in the world. Two books later and I still don't fully understand the class systems and religions and whatever else there was.

Aina and Kohl's relationship was honestly one of the most interesting in Diamond City and that continued in this one. Although I have to say, it kind of got icky for me. Since the beginning, I was picturing Kohl as several years older than he actually is, even after I realized he wasn't. But whatevs.

Overall, I think if you really enjoyed Diamond City (and didn't so much mind the confusing world and magic system and characters that you don't always care deeply about), then you'd enjoy this one, too.

Since I had read the first one why not finish this. This one is filled with alot of action that keeps the pages turning. This will also have magic in it that will have it popping. The two that do team up have you watching them closely to see how they survive. The one though for the reason you really read this is true grit. Interesting too since this is usually not the type of story I do read much anymore.

* I was provided an arc by NetGalley in exchange for a review*

I loved the first book in this duology and have to say the final book was great too! . It picks up almost immediately after the first book ended and drag you right back into the chaos and madness that is this city. Aina is faced with immense betrayal and with war blooming, the politics in this book are perhaps more prevalent than in the first. There is still a lot of action and then there’s The Twist and oh it is a good one! Ultimately, this book is a great conclusion to the story.

Shadow City is the second and final installment in author Francesca Flores The City of Diamond and Steel duology. The story picks up where Diamond City left off. Aina Solis is our main character for this series. She's a former top level assassin who has wrestled control of a criminal empire from her former boss, Kohl. The man who turned her world upside down, and then rebuilt her in what he thought an assassin should be. Aina, Teo, Raurie, Tannis, Ryuu, Hirai, and Lill are trying to keep Alsane Bautix, the old army general who was banned from his seat in the government, from taking back his power by force and destroying everyone who stands in his way.

14 years after the first Civil War ended, another one is brewing on the horizon. Because of everything that could go wrong, Aina decides to once again align herself with Kohl to protect her home. Regardless of the fact she defeated him and the two always had a legitimately toxic connection, she has trouble shaking feelings for him. He found her when she was on the street's high on glue. He was the one who gave her a fresh new pair of shoes. He was the one who offered her a chance at becoming leader of her own tradehouse.

Even though she believes one of them will eventually end up killing the other, she ends up working with him against Bautix, who Aina ousted by revealing his corruption. Aina, though, isn't safe. There are plenty of people who would love to kill her and take the power she has fairly won. Aina and her allies have to deal with Diamond Guards who are sweeping the country looking for magic users called Inosen. Half the people in the country believe Bautix is a hero for wanting to eliminate the Inosen.

Aina's parents were Inosen. They were healers before they were murdered. Aina should have the same healing ability, but her emotions allow for something a bit more dangerous. Blood magic. The only problem is the more you use the distorted magic, the less you are able to heal yourself. But Aina first needs to defeat Bautix and others who have allied with him. She has to protect her own people now that she's in charge of new recruits. She has to deal with her emotions with Tannis, as well as Teo. Tannis and Aina are a good team, but Aina's secrets may shattered everything they've worked so hard to gain.

There's barely any downtime in the book, as most of the time someone is either fighting for their life. Aina and Kohl’s relationship is worrisome at times. It’s that relationship that is so toxic that you wonder why in the hell you are actually thinking they would make a pretty decent couple except for all the past baggage they carry. I think the only troubling thing about this story is the lack of Aina using her blood magic that she wanted so badly. At any point, Aina could have been the deadliest person in this entire world. She could have easily done what needed to be done.

Was there a cost associated from using so much power? Absolutely. But I don't think we would have had the heart breaking losses. Aina is still a flawed character but her abilities with a blade make her a badass. We really get to know Aina through her mental and emotional and physical turmoil over the course of this story. I don't think the magical system this world was used to it's fullest. As I said, Aina learns how to use blood magic, but fails to use it at key moments.

A story of revenge. In the first book of this series, Aina Solis becomes an orphan, when her parents are murdered in front of her. She survives on the street until a man named Kohl takes her in and teaches her to be an assassin. She later defeats Kohl and takes over his trade house.

In this installment, Kohl wants his trade house back and will do anything. Aina teams up with another ex-member of Kohl's crew to defend the house and bring in new recruits. However, there is a bigger threat in that the old army general, Bautix, wants to rule the land. Kohl and Aina team up to defeat Bautix, while Aina also plans to murder Kohl after Bautix is defeated. This is a fast-paced story with a couple of twists. A very enjoyable end to the series. Although I read Diamond City and then this book, I think someone could read this as a stand-alone.

Shadow City continues where Diamond City left off. A duology revolving around a network of thieves and assassins all fighting to be the King of the Shadow City. The original battle between the competing criminal groups has fallen but a new threat has been added when the corrupt general exposed by our group decides he will take the city for himself.
Francesca Flores has done an excellent job of building and maintaining a credible community of criminals dedicated to protecting each other, sort of. After all, who wouldn't want to be King? The world building she accomplished in the first book is built upon in this second book. All the visuals we had in the first book return with more detail and the tension built when former enemies must join together to defeat the worst of them all. An excellent tale you will be thinking and talking about long after the story ends.

Interesting premise. Likable/hated characters. Cool plot. I would recommend this story to others. Some spots I found that didn't hold my attention, but overall, I still liked it.

I still find myself wondering why no one talks about this hidden gem, like it’s literally a Diamond in the rough.

Shadow City was the epic and fast paced conclusion to The City of Diamond and Steel conclusion and I enjoyed this one even more then the first book, Diamond City.

Once again it was hard to trust almost any one in this story, expect a few of our main favorites, like Teo, who is a precious cinnamon roll and needs protection at all costs. Shadow City was full of twists and turns and betrayal and left my jaw on the floor a few times.

The fact that this book picks up exactly where Diamond City ended really helped to keep the story fresh in my mind and I didn’t find myself trying to figure out where I’m at while picking this story back up. The world of Diamond City felt very unique and fresh to me and I loved all of the different kinds of characters that had very different backgrounds.

The only thing I will say, is the magic system could have been used much more and built up a bit more but it really didn’t take away from the story for me.

The City of Diamond and Steel duology was FULL of epic battle scenes, betrayal, cunning and wit and I ate up every scene of this amazing story!

After the events of Diamond City, Aina has made it to the top. She did it by taking control from her boss, Kohl, and she is now leading his empire of assassins. Life is good, so long as she can keep Kohl from flipping the tables on her takeover. She plans to kill him to make her takeover permanent, but Alsane Bautix is determined to get in the way after Aina got him thrown out of the government, even if it means civil war. To fight off Bautix's fiendish plot, Aina partners with Kohl to grind Bautix's supplies and plans to a halt. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, but when my enemy is dead, do my old enemies return? Aina battles with this reality as she and Kohl struggle with Bautix, but in this city, the only winners are those who resort to any measures to stay alive and on top.

I thought the closing tale of The City of Diamond and Steel was pretty great! Aina remains strong and scary, and she puts some new tools into her belt. Kohl is as untrustworthy as ever, but we can't always pick our allies, can we? The relationship these two characters share is complex and unhealthy, but I suppose for assassins this may be normal? In any case, Bautix made for a good antagonist, and I thought it was realistic (and scary!) that somebody who'd been thrown out of office might seek populist support to take back power, no matter the cost. I thought the magic that Aina ends up using felt like a bit of a tack-on, but I do like assassins with magic, so I don't mind too much. Shadow City is a strong conclusion to this duology, and I thought it was better than Diamond City. This and its predecessor are recommended if you like strong women rising to the top in unlikely places while dealing with demons they never knew they'd have to fight.

'Shadow City' by Francesca Flores is the second book in The City of Diamond and Steel duology. As is becoming a habit for me, I actually haven't yet gotten to read Diamond City.. the first of the pair, but that never really stops me from hitting the ground running with a read.

Aina Solis is our proverbial eyes and ears for this journey. A former assassin, she's wrested control of a criminal empire from her former boss, Kohl.. and she and her friends have been running it ever since. Regardless of the fact she defeated him and the two always had a legitimately toxic connection, she has trouble shaking feelings for him.

Even though she believes one of them will eventually end up killing the other, she ends up working with him against a mutual enemy known as Bautix, an old army general ousted when Aina revealed his corruption.

There are so many players in the game, many of whom have their own agendas, even if you think you have a good grasp on their true intentions.. you find yourself questioning those beliefs. Interestingly enough, that puts you on the same level as those aforementioned players because they too are constantly questioning the intentions of those around them. It's one big chess match.

The diamond-blood magic system is limited in scope, but very creative and I'm curious to go back and see if it's more or less diverse in the debut. While the author doesn't weigh us down with the assassin's poison tactics, she does play with the concoctions enough to make them interesting as well and between those abilities and her hand-to-hand combat, Aina is a well-rounded.. strong.. female lead.

Action sequences are well-written, featuring cohesive streamlined battles that include multiple characters without feeling like a laundry list of names and events. There's barely any downtime in the book, as most of the time someone is either fighting for their life.. someone else's.. or there's some kind of emotional upheaval happening. Sometimes more than one of the above at a time.

I found the tense pseudo-triangle between Aina, Kohl, and Teo to be fascinating. Not only was I not sure for awhile who.. if anyone.. she would end up with, I couldn't even decide who I'd like to see her choose. And frankly, after all was decided.. I still questioned whether or not I was pleased with the results.

Flores did make me tear up a bit.. just once.. and I'm pretty sure she'll get most of us in the same spot. I was terribly invested at that point and my heart was absolutely shattered.. but for the most part, it's just a fast-moving story with a lot riding on the line for everyone.

Well worth the read!