This is one I’ve been looking forward to reading. Story builds quickly introducing the two main characters, Levi the con man iron lord with a heart of gold and Enne on a hunt for her adopted mother. It has that Victorian/ Oliver Twist feeling with a supernatural twist. I like how the talents are linked to their names and the mystery element. Story was smooth flowing from beginning to end. Plenty of character growth. My favourite part was the relationship between Levi and Jac. An enjoyable read. Looking forward to the second one.

This review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon and my blog, Foxes and Fairy Tales, on Sat 19 May.

I really enjoyed Amanda Foody’s debut Daughter of a Burning City so I had high hopes for Ace of Shades. I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint.

Atmosphere and Writing.
Something I remember from Daughter of a Burning City, and which Foody has been able to recreate in Ace of Shades, is a real talent for conveying an aesthetic within her writing. Now, the two are totally different, don’t get me wrong, but both have visuals and atmosphere so well-crafted you want to reach out and touch them. I loved the gamblers den city of New Reynes – from the grimy, closing-in slums to the glitzy casinos. I loved the drama and the anticipation of waiting for a show to begin that seemed to permeate the writing. The world-building and magic (or talent, I guess) system just added to that and I loved the idea of split and dominant skills, and family hierarchies within each skill, and how all that would affect you. A lot of potential to be explored there, I think.

Characters.
The characters were a little bit harder for me to connect to. Levi fell a little flat as a character (although I adore the fact that there was a bisexual Black man in the lead). Although I really loved how dedicated and loyal he was, I think it was partly the fact that he just felt too young and too nice to be the gang leader he’s supposed to be… Enna was sort of the opposite at first. If Levi had too little character, Enna had too much. She was whiney and pompous and drove me mad. But I absolutely loved the character she grew into once she stopped worrying about being ‘corrupted’ by the city.

Plot.
I really like the plotline for the most part. I felt a bit more drawn to Enna’s investigation than Levi’s con game and leadership dilemma. I was expecting the con aspect to be a bigger part but this was because I’d seen so many comparisons to Six of Crows, and not at all the fault of Ace of Shades. I was a little disappointed in how easily (or I guess ‘by magical means’) the unbeatable Shadow Game was beaten and the ending left me a little bit confused as to where things are headed but ultimately I enjoyed the action and fast-pace of the story.

Overall, Ace of Shades was a really good story, oozing atmosphere. Enna’s character development was beautiful to watch and (together) she and Levi are definitely on my list of favourite characters. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley for my e-book ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Okay, just wow.

I’m sitting here, currently trying to remember how to breathe. It’s about three hours since I finished Ace of Shades and I just can’t get it out of my head. For some reason, I never got around to reading her debut novel, Daughter of the Burning City, but as of right now I am bumping it up my tbr list ASAP. Because Foody’s writing is JUST. SO. GOOD.

The whole world she’s created here is fascinating. Everything felt intricate and detailed and gorgeous, like layers of silk draped over one another in an elaborate painting. Although I didn’t understand all the stuff with the magic-system and volts and the mysterious game that plays a pivotal role in the plot, it didn’t feel like it mattered one jot. Seeing the devious and delicious City of Sin through Enna’s naive eyes was enough for me. I wanted to bask in it, like a cat sitting in a pool of sunlight. The casinos, the burlesque clubs. There were very grotty and disturbing settings in the novel, but even those were painted in brilliant detail so I felt as though I was actually there, standing by Enna’s side.

The characters are nothing short of magnificent too. Enna is so fiesty, and I love that she managed to be a bad-ass female character without being too vicious or terrifying. She did what she had to do, but I loved seeing how in touch she was with her emotions too. Foody did a brilliant job of showing her soft side too. And then there is Levi, who is now going on my list of book boyfriends. He was so swoon-worthy. My kryptonite is anti-hero, sassy badboys and booooy, I was not disappointed here. Levi is the Iron Lord, leader of the Iron gang, and he’s a terrible conman who will seduce and steal and lie to get what he wants. And yet… And yet, he also seemed very human. He’s not entirely corrupted by his circumstances, and it was delightful to see how his behaviour and thoughts reflected that. It’s not very often that I find a book written in third person that can achieve such a clear insight into the characters, and I’m even more impressed that we somehow come away with two perspectives like this.

And then there’s the plot too. There are lots of twists and turns, and it’s definitely something of a rollercoaster book. If you’re anything like me, the ending is definitely going to leave you feeling horribly frustrated at the huge swathe of unanswered questions and all the other unresolved things going on, but I can’t help but applaud the genius of it too. This is a book which does not pull its punches, and it will leave you a heartbroken wreck on the floor if you dare to pick it up.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I’m awarding Ace of Shades a full 10/10 stars. If I was being super picky, I’d say there were times when it could have been a bit less info-dumpy, but I get that the whole world-building thing needs to be explained to make sense of the plot.