Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I loved this!! It’s such a unique world, the characters are really unique and the story is so easy to follow.

I can’t wait for the next book 🤍

Unfortunately I no longer wish to review this book as the first few chapters did not reel me in. Thank you for the opportunity.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series so I had high hopes for the second book and it didn't disappoint! I loved the character progression of Levi and Enne and their developing relationship. The stakes felt higher in this book and the tone was suitably darker to match that. The writing style matched the action-packed scenes really well and I can't wait to see where the third book goes.

King of Fools is the second instalment in Amanda Foody's incredible Shadow Game series. The story follows a group of characters living in the City of Sins, attempting to navigate the world of crime, magic and excess. After surviving the Shadow Game in book one, Enne and Levi now have bounties on their heads and must do everything they can to survive in this cut-throat city.

Ace of Shades was one of my favourite books of 2018. I loved every second of it and I'm absolutely kicking myself that it took me so long to pick up King of Fools. This time the stakes are even higher, the story more intense, and I honestly did not want this book to end. Despite it being over six hundred pages, I raced through it at a ridiculous pace. King of Fools is a roller coaster ride of a read and it doesn't let you go till the very last page.

Foody has created a vibrant and exciting world in this series. I loved getting the chance to learn more of the history of the city in this instalment and explore more of the talents that people possess. Foody has done an excellent job with the world building, it feels so detailed and full of life. The story is told in alternating chapters between Levi, Enne and Jac and I loved seeing each of the characters grow as they ventured out on their own.

King of Fools is a heart pounding read and one you definitely don't want to miss. There are a few heart breaking moments and if this is how Foody ends book two, I'm equal parts excited and terrified to see what's coming in Queen of Volts.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

Content warnings: violence, guns, major character death.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Ace of Shades, and King of Fools provides exactly the same kind of twisty, dark reading experience. The combination of gangster politics and magic is a really interesting one, and the Roaring-Twenties-ish world of New Reynes is very atmospheric. I did think this book was a little too long - I had some issues working out the time frame for the events depicted as it all seemed a bit relentless. Perhaps if it were slightly tighter, it would have been easier to follow the intricacies of the gangs. But all of the politics really serves to develop the characters, and Enne and Levi remain really interesting to watch. Plus, I love that Levi’s bisexuality is still prominently on page, and we get even more queer characters introduced too. I’m intrigued to see where things go in the final book! Four stars.

Amanda Foody does a phenomenal job at continuing her story from 'Ace of Shades'. The plot is enticing, the world-building continues to thrill, and Levi and Enne make your heart ache in a hundred different ways. I can't wait for Queen of Volts and to see how Amanda Foody develops this journey!

Enne Salta is on a mission to find her mother and along the way becomes friends with an unlikely ally, Levi Glaisyer who is one of the most famous and most wanted con man in the city. After the events of Ace of Shades, Enne is forced to assume the identity of Séance, a devilish figure in her world, and because of this they must continue playing the game that was set out before them. Enne must play two roles in her life now, one of the charming lady and the other of a crime lord and she is unsure of which side of her will win.

In this climatic follow up, as the reader you go through a multitude of emotions. The whole world is much more complicated than in the first and the relationships grow stronger and evolve. The relationship between Levi and Enne is so much more, they entangle themselves together even when they don’t mean to. Their bond is powerful and such an unlikely pair to get on. The kind that I like in YA books.

This book fortunately does not fall into the second book syndrome where the second book doesn’t do as well plot wise and all. This was a riveting sequel full of action packed moments and the occasional romance plot. Both books compliment each other, as sequels should do. In addition to this, we follow different point of views. Theses POVS are from Enne, Levi and Jac. All of these characters enrich the story in different ways.

Overall, this book was an excellent follow up to Ace of Shades.

4 out of 5 Stars.

I am really enjoying this series so far; it’s a lot of fun. I’m getting very invested in the characters and never have I felt so many different reactions reading a slow-burn romance before. The ending of this absolutely destroyed me. I need more. I need to see the aftermath of all this very soon. Queen of Volts can’t come soon enough.

I really enjoyed it. Picking up almost exactly where the last book leaves off, these poor characters do not get a break. There’s so much going on, and I was on the edge of my seat for much of the book. Needless to say, I’m now very much looking forward to the conclusion of the series.

Second book syndrome anyone? It just didn't excite or grip me as much. All the elements where there but they didn't do anything to wow me.

Hoping the next one is better!

A really good follow up novel. I loved the plot and the character development. I liked stories that were told and how they were built up and finally connected together.

-DNF at 72% -

Enne Salta's life changed forever when she arrived in New Reynes searching for her mother.
Enne took a life in order to save con-man Levi Glaisyer, and now she dons the name of Seance.
Enne and Levi both have bounties on their heads, which isn't good when they must follow mafia donna Vianca's orders because of a binding oath to do whatever she wants.
With a chance to regain their freedom appears, Levi grabs it.
Can Enne become a Street Lord?
Will they escape from Vianca's grasp?

I enjoyed the first book in the series, Ace of Shades, so I was excited to see what happened in King of Fools.
There were new characters introduced in this book and Grace was probably my favourite of them.
Lola was my favourite character overall and I would have liked to have seen more of her.
I liked Enne, Levi and Jac less in King of Fools compared to the first book.
The plot was interesting in the beginning, but after a while I found myself losing interest and it got to the point where I didn't care about what was happening and I couldn't bring myself to read any more.
The setting was interesting and we did get to see a little more of New Reynes.
I liked that there was a girl gang, but I felt that one of them gave her oath too easily.
I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

Unfortunately, this wasn't for me.

I think Foody's books has a very interesting premise and originality to them. I really like the idea and the magic system. Also, the characters are quirky and intriguing.
I actually liked this book even more than the first. There was more depth to it and good representations of LGBTQ+.

Overall, for a YA fantasy choice and good entertainment, I'd recommend them.

Thanks a lot to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this. I really enjoyed this book, I absolutely loved the first and was so happy when I was allowed to read this ARC.
I love the fantasy elements of both books and the magic. I love how this book has a more in-depth look at the characters, and I enjoyed reading and learning about them. I also loved the LGBTQ+ elements of the book to, they really made the book for me. I highly recommend this book. I give this book 4 stars

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for providing me with a copy for review.

The Shadow Game series centres on the characters Enne Salta and Levi Glaisyer who form an unlikely alliance and must work together in order to find Enne's mother, Lordes, who left only the message that Levi would help should she not return. The first novel, Ace of Shades, sends them on many adventures as they navigate the City of Sin and all its dangers, and this sequel delves us even further into the story and the chaos.

I love the fantasy elements and how they easily slot into the story, making it feel as though magic is real and just an ordinary part of everyday life that people are interpreted by and judged on. Different groups have different magical abilities in these books and each of them are treated differently because of this, it establishes a class system within the magic system that makes it feel all the more mundane to this world.

This sequel goes even deeper into the story and gives us more details about the characters, their motives, and their relationships with each other. I love that we get to read from different perspectives because it gives a biased insight into their thoughts and feelings whilst also giving us the same treatment for other characters, making it much easier to understand their actions and their views.

The characters themselves continue to be well-written and I particularly love the LGBT+ aspects of the story, as I always enjoy with any story. It is nice to read books where LGBT+ characters are there and important to the story, even when their sexuality or gender is totally unimportant. It makes people feel seen and present.

‘Ace of Shades’ was possibly my favourite read of this year, so I knew the moment this sequel was released that I’d love it. However, I didn’t quite expect to love it this much.

‘King of Fools’ introduces a new narrative, Levi’s second-in-command Jac, who I immediately fell in love with. His dark history and relationship with Levi was gripping to read, followed by his quick-wittiness and devotion to those around him. The story flows beautifully between the three narratives, bouncing between all areas of New Reynes and exploring the inner politics in detail. Although, a little difficult to follow the time-frame on occasion, ‘King of Fools’ goes deeper into Foody’s world than the first novel to show just what the City of Sin has to offer.

Levi and Enne’s relationship is put to the test in this instalment, with heavy secrets and challenging tasks forcing them apart. However, whenever they were brought together again I felt my heart in my mouth. I adore the couple. Their relationship is expressive (as much as it can be), brutal, and deeply devoted, leaving everyone following the pages to inwardly squeal whenever they were in the others eye lines.

Although, ‘King of Fools’ is a bit of a daunting novel, being nearly six hundred pages, the content within is fast paced and gripping throughout. It makes for a brilliant read, never once having a dull moment and still left me wanting more.

Overall, I loved this book. The characters have special places in my heart and I’m desperate for the next instalment.

King of Fools is the second book in The Shadow Game series, and I was so excited to find out what was going to happen especially after reading Ace of Shades. I love the characters and the world that is being built all around them. I also really enjoyed this book more because there was a lot less surrounding card games in this one and I think I understood more about the actual storyline. Plus this book really brought the characters out into their own and you really get to see them evolve and grow as characters all the way through. I got my favourite as well, politics, I just really loved this book I think it might be in my top three for the year.

I think in terms of the characters in King of Fools although they were the same characters as in Ace of Shades there was definitely something better about them all within this story. I think the fact that we learnt more about them each and their back stories, I loved that we got to see more of the secondary characters and that they were given a little more of the limelight. Jac’s story was a real highlight for me, I think the way his and Levi’s relationship developed throughout the story was the highlight. It was really realistic and I would have read so much more about them both.

The best bit of the book was definitely the developing relationships and how all of those ended up by the end of the book. I also really loved the way that King of Fools was working more on the basis of unity and how all the gangs worked within the world and started to thrive. There was a definite feeling of girl power running all the way through the story and the gangs which I really appreciated especially as Ace of Shades seems to be more male oriented.

I have to say that I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance element in this book, I know that the slow-burn romance has been hailed as being a fantastic writing achievement but for me I thought it took away from the actual story. The ending of King of Fools, broke my heart but I did think there was a lack of development, I would have loved for there to be a little more discussion about everything that had happened. Levi and Enne’s relationship was a lot of up and downs and a lot of angst and although it did move the story a long I just wanted something more to come from it.

I definitely recommend King of Fools and Ace of Shades, I loved the characters and the way that this story is being told and where everything seems to be headed. I cannot wait for the third book to come out and I just hope that it hits the same heights as the books before it.

Despite loving book 1, Ace of Shades, I had to admit defeat and DNF King of Fools. I struggled through to 30% but was not enjoying it, a bit disappointed in the slow pacing. I may try to read it again in the future, but for now it's a DNF for me.