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!

I went into this with mixed feelings, as I had a lot of issues with Diamond City. And... a lot of those issues remain. Some minor characters get shoved into relationships with some of Aina's .... suitors? friends? and so she doesn't spend the whole book in love with four people but... I don't know. She doesn't have to make any real choices.

The entire city is destroyed basically. There was a ridiculous amount of bombings and killings. Like. I know she's an assassin but it gets ridiculous. There's also a bit of a cop-out at the end which annoyed me and lessened the impact of Aina's choices.

Aina also spends a lot of the book alone as her group of friends sort of splinters to focus on different things. so it's mostly just her and Kohl - and at least she sorts out how she feels about him.

Mostly there's no depth to anything. There's running and exploding and blood and more blood and killing and blood and poisons and antidotes and fire and blood and that's.... it, really.

Overall it was meh and I probably wouldn't have continued (or even started really) if I didn't have an arc to review.

“Just because you’ve been hurt doesn’t mean you’re broken or have to punish yourself somehow. You deserve love like anyone else.”

Ah, man, I can’t believe this is the end of the line here! Shadow City is the end of the duology, The City of Diamond and Steel and it held the same appeal for me that Diamond City did. The action is harrowing and bloody with a no rest for the wicked intensity. The world-building, once again, is phenomenal and vivid. Shadow City picks up right where Diamond City left off, with Aina taking over Kohl’s Trading Houses with Tannis. General Bautix is on the rampage, bringing war and looking to amp up his plans now that Aina’s exposed his dastardly plans. When Kohl approaches Aina, once again, to join as allies against Bautix, she has no choice but to join him. Sigh, and this is where things start to get good!

In a nutshell this is the synopsis but there’s so much more going on in this story. Magic, love, heartbreak and war. There’s friendship and found family, toxic love and soulmates ... This has such a satisfying conclusion and I’m still processing what I’ve read. I’d recommend this to any fan of the fantasy genre but definitely read Diamond City first!

I was very surprised that this book managed to do what the first one did not: make me actually not hate Aina as a character. I guess she grew on me along the way in this series. It also continues the fast pace and surprising plot twists of the first book. I love a novel that always keeps me guessing!

Have you ever bought a book and then realized that it is actually the second or third book of a series? That has happened to me twice. Once with Hunger Games, and once with Shadow City, the second book of a duology: The City of Diamond and Steel.

However, this book was written so well, with such proper explanations of the events that occurred in the last book, that it took me no time at all to get into the universe and root for the characters.

After exposing the plans of her former boss, Kohl, and a member of the Sentinel, Bautix to murder a foreign princess, Aina is the head of the criminal tradehouses part of the Dom in her city, Kosin. She rules the Dom alongside her partner, Tannis.

However, she is constantly haunted by the fact that both Kohl and Bautix are still alive and are probably planning to take back what was previously theirs. Unfortunately, she does not know where they are hiding.

That is, until Kohl appears and asks her to join him in defeating Bautix. He assures her that after they succeed, they can go back to fighting each other. Wanting the chance to kill him slowly, and seizing the opportunity to manipulate him until she can kill him, Aina agrees.

The only problem is that she has not told Tannis or her other friends – Teo, Ryuu, Raurie, and Lill – that she is working with Kohl. She struggles to keep their deal a secret, all the while scheming about defeating both Bautix and Kohl for good.

Kohl and Aina work together, just like old times. They share information, kill people, and make plans, all the while knowing that once this is over, they will fight each other for the tradehouses.

I haven’t reviewed many assassin stories on this blog, but you should know: I am obsessed with them. My love for women with swords coupled with reading stories from the perspective of the supposed villains made me fall in love with this book.

The story had unique plotlines and ideas, such as blood magic performed using diamonds, rendering me gripped and immensely interested. The fictional city, the leadership, and the names used in the book were creative and exciting.

The author never failed to shock me with her sudden reveals and plot twists. As someone who is usually good at predicting what will happen in books, being proven wrong was both infuriating and exciting.

The element of surprise and anticipation was present throughout, discouraging me from putting the book down. Each time I would think that one element of the plot is over and that I should continue the book after a break, something shocking would happen at the end of a chapter, forcing me to keep reading.

I usually prefer characters over plot, and this book had both. The characters were all different, fascinating, and impressive. They were morally grey and there were several redemption arcs present in the story, which made me feel as if I was a part of Aina’s group, and could understand how each character felt and functioned.

This is probably my favorite ARC to date. The multidimensional characters, coupled with the excellent plot, alongside the wonderful writing made the book a masterpiece. I even downloaded the first book of the duology (Diamond City) and cannot wait to read it!

Conclusion to Diamond City, Shadow City follows the story about a month after DC ends. The gang is still trying to stop Kohl and Bautrix from taking the city over, and Aina is working with Tannis to run the tradehouses.

For the most part, I enjoyed reading the conclusion to this duology and seeing where the gang ends up. I wasn't as invested in this book as the first, and it's hard to put down reasons for why. I appreciate that there is little to no romance in this duology. If you're here for the romance, this wouldn't necessarily be the series for you. There are some couples by the end, but it's the slowest of all slow burns and starts off with Aina having 3 potential partners - which was a little weird. This piece confused me throughout the book, which might have been why I had a harder time getting into it.

There are some big twists in this book, and it wraps up fairly nicely. I would've enjoyed more world-building and explanations around the magic system, as magic played a much larger role in this book than the first. It ended exactly they way I think it needed to, so that worked for me. It was just about the same length as the first, and it was an easy read.

**Thank you to Wednesday books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Book Info
Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: January 26th 2021 by Wednesday Books
ISBN 1250220483 (ISBN13: 9781250220486)
Edition Language English
Series The City of Diamond and Steel #2
Other Editions (2)
Source:Netgalley EARC
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BOOK BLURB
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.
My Thoughts

Kosin City citizens live in a world of violence and power struggles between different factions who want total control over them.

Magic users are still persecuted and yet their powers used correctly could be what turns a defeat into victory for Aina when she learns the secret of how to harness them.

Forced into making decisions she and her companions never wished to Aina Solis braves death again and again to save those she cares about while they fight together with the goal of defeating both Bautix and Kohl thus ensuring Kosin City survives the fallout of war in the end.

Filled with action that is almost mind bogglingly non-stop this follow-up has everything going for it with only one short coming, it read too fast and was over too soon!

Book 2 is an excellent continuation of the duology.

Not only that but the new direction it takes the reader in is one I would love to be able to follow further as for me ending was not a total resolution for Aina and her companions.

[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Aina and Tannis have now taken over Kohl’s tradehouses, but Kosin is far from peaceful. The corrupt general Alsane Bautix who was ousted after Aina revealed his corruption is already making moves to take back his power with no care for anyone who stands in his way. When Kohl returns and asks Aina to join him in taking down Bautix, she is reluctant, but seeing no other option to protect her home, agrees. But their alliance is an uneasy one, knowing that once they’ve achieved their goal, it will be time to face each other once again.

I like the world-building in this duology, and along with all the history into the Inosen religion and the civil war, it makes for a very unique setting. But Shadow City was entirely focused on what was more or less the 3-way conflict between Aina, Kohl and Bautix that all of that background kind of felt pointless. There was a lot of action, and quite a bit of political scheming which was about the only thing that kept this story together in my opinion, since the pacing was slow as well. There were times at which it felt like way too much was happening to keep everything straight to the point that I started to lose interest.

I cannot believe Aina actually let herself trust Kohl again after everything she has been through, and that was about the point when I threw up my hands, sat back and waited for the backstabbing to happen. Aina’s complicated past with Kohl takes centre stage in this book at the times there’s no fighting going on, and while it’s a very complex and twisted one that was wonderfully portrayed, it does come at the expense of page time for the other characters. While I love the secondary characters, Ryuu and Teo in particular, they didn’t feel as central to the plot in this book as they did in the last, and it would have been nice to see more of them. I do appreciate however, how well the romantic relationships were handled in this sequel, as an important part of the characters’ arcs, but never an overarching focus to the plot, which is, I think something that more fantasy novels ought to adapt because I could honestly use a few more straightforward plotlines like this.

Magic was probably the one aspect I was most excited to see in this book – and it was the biggest disappointment. When Aina added magic to her already extensive arsenal, I thought the story would finally take a more exciting turn, but it was almost superfluous. She barely uses it, and when she does, it’s completely anticlimactic and was little better than a convenience rather than a weapon. The other thing I didn’t like was the excessive violence – it was to the point that as a reader, I was nearly desensitized to it by the end. Characters get injured left and right, yet seem to be able to run around astonishingly soon after, which is simply not realistic.

Overall, while this was an acceptable conclusion to the story, and things were tied up rather neatly, it was a letdown and it simply didn’t hold my attention the way Diamond City did. I would probably read another book by the same author since I like the writing style, but this series was not for me.

"Shadow City" is the exciting follow up to Francesca Flores' "Diamond City". We continue to follow Aina Solis, a young woman who has had to pull herself out of the dredges of society to survive. In "Diamond City" she was able to take over her old bosses (Kohl) criminal empire. In "Shadow City" she works hard to maintain that control while fighting to save her life against Kohl; he is intent on getting back what was once his as well as revenge against Aina.

Flores has built an interesting world with a unique perspective. The main character, and others, are in reality criminals fighting worse criminals. We cheer on the lesser criminals because they had to do what they had to do to survive. Aina and company are also attempting to right a powerful and corrupt government by using a religion/weapon that is now banned.

Like it's predecessor, "Shadow City" is an exciting story with strong female characters. I strongly recommend.

Aina Solís wrested control of Kosín's assassin empire from her old boss, Kohl, and no longer had to fear homelessness. She revealed the corruption of General Alsane Beautix, who now is trying to regain his former power within the city. Civil war erupted, and the only way to stop Beautix is to team up with Kohl. Once the two of them defeat Beautix, however, the two will have to face each other to determine the true leader of the assassins.

Francesca's anticipated sequel to the amazing Diamond City wraps up the duology. Shadow City starts up soon after the end of Diamond City, so you really should read that one first. It's amazing, I promise, and this will make so much more sense even though there are some brief references to events in that book. Aina is trying to hold onto the Dom and her former colleagues, but can't admit to any of them that she's willing to work with Kohl to get to Beautix. Each step of the way, whether trying to find the weapons that he's importing into the city or trying to keep the Inosen safe, Aina is at a disadvantage. She has limited information and only a handful of allies; she doesn't really know how far ahead Beautix is, but he's there along the way and taunts her. This leads her to learn blood magic, but the spells she has the most affinity for are the most dangerous and harmful ones, which most Inosen frown upon. Magic of this type had generally been used to heal, and Aina really isn't a healer by any stretch of the imagination.

There is an utterly heartbreaking scene that made me want to yell in frustration right along with Aina. Well, actually, there are a lot of those, but one, in particular, is especially painful to read. Things hadn't turned out the way she had hoped they would, and the loss is devastating on so many levels. My heart broke right along with hers, but Aina is good at compartmentalizing. She can shove it aside for revenge, and there is a considerable amount of murder and mayhem along the way. The final sequences in the novel are amazing and cinematic, until we get to the culmination that they had all worked for. It's not a happily ever after for everyone, but there is such hope for the future. This book closes with a neat enough ending that I'm pleased with it and can't wait to reread the entire duology again.

Diamond City and Shadow City are an intense, action-packed fantasy duology that enthralled me and horrified me as I rooted for the characters to be clear of the shadows so that they can truly live.
What I Loved
I loved the intensity that kept me captivated with the story through every page. A civil war is in the works, and the tone and pace reflect such a tragic event. This intensity could be rough in large doses, but it feels utterly genuine to the story.
I also loved the motif of shadows used to enhance the theme of repression and subjugation. This is a society that lives in the shadows and is in dire need to have light thrown on their plight – the light of truth, the light of personal empowerment, and the light of safety, love, and life. The shadows have created a land of chaos where criminal activity means survival. Still, it is also subject to power hungry megalomaniacs who get to their positions by walking on the backs of those they keep in the shadows. It's a tragic world, one that can improve if anyone who takes an interest in it will rule.
Aina Solis, the main character, is the epitome of a survivor. She is never happy with the status quo seeking to push beyond the boundaries and make her own life better and everybody around her. She is smart, deadly, and has a clear moral compass, even if it doesn't look like it on the surface.
Aina's supporting characters are a collection of equally intriguing backstories and connections. All characters display intricate layers and toughness of spirit in a world that seeks to destroy it. I loved everyone, even the bad guys, because they feel as real as the person sitting next to me.
The world-building is exquisite with the detail that makes me easily able to imagine it. I loved the hidden tunnels and system of hideaways throughout the city. I also love the magic system and wish it had been developed even more. It is very intricate magic with two sides – destruction and healing – and I wanted to know more about it and how much could be done with it.
To Read or Not to Read
Diamond City / Shadow City is a fantasy duology that will impact how you look at many things in your own society. It is a must-read for 2021.

Didn’t realize this was a sequel to a book I haven’t read so that is on me! I need to read the first and come back.

I'll admit I struggled with this one. I received an ARC of Diamond City at Yallfest last year and absolutely devoured it, enthralled by the assassins and awesome fight scenes pushing the plot relentlessly forward. In this one, however, we have bombs in the streets and melees and full-fledged battles, blowing the scope of the story wide open and it felt, to me, like it was full of holes.

The addition of magic in Aina's arsenal of weapons had me intrigued. I was ready to see how this would turn the tide. Except, she barely used it. It was more of a convenience than something that required effort and dedication - especially when the magic itself relies so heavily on faith (which Aina doesn't really have). And the tug of war between Aina and Kohl got to be very repetitive. Another issue is that we see very little of our side characters. Mirran is mentioned a few times but she only actually has like two speaking lines. Tannis, Raurie, and Lill seemed to have very little bearing on the actual plot. Ryuu and Teo act as sounding boards to organize Aina's thoughts and emotions. To me, it just felt very surface level.

Character injuries (even major ones like bullet wounds and burns) are negligible after they happened; like the whole book takes place over the course of maybe two weeks, so a bullet wound from day 3 should still be incredibly painful on day 10. Or specify that they healed with magic maybe? These same 6 characters are getting into knife and gun fights that last for like 8 hours almost daily and they're not sore or stiff or in huge amounts of pain? Come on. There was also one huge cop-out near the end that made me groan out loud; because it shouldn't have been possible.

It took me ages to read and I debated DNFing just because it didn't hold my attention. Luckily, I liked Diamond City enough that I didn't want to just give up. I would still give Flores another chance, but this book didn't do it for me.

Picking up where we left off in the first book, the story continues with Aina trying to control the Dom, find Kohl, and protect her friends. This book focuses heavily on the theme of relationships, be it friendships, enemies, or lovers. Aina is still so entangled with Kohl, and between wanting to kill him and examining her feelings, things are complicated. The shining thing in this book for me was the complexity of the relationship (be it toxic) between Kohl and Aina. Their relationship is a power struggle between the two, and one in which Kohl constantly hurts her and she comes back to him. They have this pull where they just can’t seem to stay away from the other, yet they both hate the other and care at the same time. It’s twisted, it’s layered, and it’s enjoyable as hell to read. With the city under attack from Bautix who wants to take over, Aina is forced to team up with Kohl in order to stop him. The issue is that Aina and Kohl both have separate plans and will not only be playing against Bautix, but each other to see who comes out standing at the end of this all. It’s a great read and a nice ending to the duology.

Perfect ending to this 2-part series! This book was jampacked with lots of action, lots of darkness, and a little bit of magic! Great read if you like this genre, but definitely read Diamond City first!

Such a satisfying conclusion to this duology. I loved Aina so much in this book and I really appreciated the fact that she didn't lose herself as a person and what she stood up for! The fight scenes in this were amazing and I appreciated the add on to world building. Definitely recommend to fellow fantasy lovers!