Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadowEnne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school–and her reputation–behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives … where no one survives uncorrupted.Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected–he’s a street lord and con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn’t have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne’s offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems. Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…And she’ll need to play.
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Immersive world-building, mesmerizing, flawed, diverse characters, life or death stakes – all done masterfully.
This book was amazing! I’m so glad I stumbled over this series and I already started book two.
I don’t think there is anything I didn’t like in this book. I loved the characters, I loved the world, I loved the writing and the pace. Just simple stunning.
The world gave me an old Hollywood/ Vegas vibe which I enjoyed so much more than I thought I would.
The characters are so real, so flawed and so enjoyable. It was easy to get lost in the world along with them. Plus, they had some amazing, character development along the way.
Enne… OMG. I loved her… I loved seeing her transformed from this good school girl to kick ass heroine in one book and I suspect it will just get better from here on.
Levi, complete opposite … in character but still amazing growth in his own way. Seeing the soft side in the street lord he is and how much he cared for those around him.
But not only the main characters were awesome but the supporting cast was great as well.
I loved the slow romance … okay the book takes place only over a span of a two weeks or so. BUT it felt much slower than that, not slow as in boring but slow in pace if that makes sense. It felt like we know these people forever and a day.
The romance felt slower as well and very sweet and natural.
The only thing I had a little problem with was the magic system in this world, it took me a little to understand and get into. I hope be more of an idea of it in next book.
Overall, loved …. I can only recommend this book if you are looking for a book with amazing cast and world.
I rate it 4.5
A lush, immersive world, a mystery of identity and missing persons and secrets! A variety of characters, fun read!
This was such an excellent way to start off a series! It was very entertaining and captivating. And quite frankly, unlike anything I’ve ever read.
I found Foody’s world-building fascinating and so unique. I’ve heard some people had a hard time following her magical aspects at first, but I didn’t. You just have to make sure you give the book your undivided attention and you’ll follow her creative world easily!
Her characters are fantastic! Seeing Enne’s character development happen didn’t feel rushed or unrealistic. It was beautifully handled.
Levi. Just. Levi. The guy leans against stuff. And smirks constantly. And has the coolest hair ever (that was honestly my favourite idea of Foody’s, it was so clever!) He’s a man after my own heart. But in all seriousness, his POVs always left me feeling emotionally ravaged. He’s such a sympathetic soul! My heart cries for Levi. I just want him to have a nice and easy and safe and happy life!
Obviously this being book one, there are a handful of plot points that didn’t get summed up, because the story needs to continue. But I love how this series has started.
This book has definitely left me wanting more! I’m anxiously awaiting book 2!
I was not fully invested in this book until about a third of the way through, but once I got there I was hooked.
The characters are so vivid and unique and play off each other and the world they live in so effortlessly. You think you understand them and how they each operate individually, but as the story progresses, they continue to surprise you.
The setting too is absolutely wonderful and like nothing I’ve ever seen before–it’s dark and corrupting but just so much fun to explore with the characters, and you can tell that in sequels there will be even more of it to see.
For fans of The Night Circus (with a little more crime to spice things up).
Ace of Shades has it all: incredible worldbuilding, cinematic set-pieces, heart-pounding pacing, and unpredictable, deliciously messy characters. Foody’s impressive and ambitious vision for the City of Sin will linger in my senses for a long time. An utter delight.
House of the Rising Sun meets Six of Crows in Ace of Shades. Thieves, rogues, and shady characters have always fascinated me, and so I enjoyed my dive into the morally ambiguous world of New Reynes.
“They say the city is a game, one only the reckless play.”
Friends, this book murdered me; I am a ghost typing up this review. This book has to be one of my biggest surprises of 2018 so far – it touched me deeply from the first sentences and kept me hooked until the end (and beyond, I am already stalking the 2019 sequel King of Fools).
Welcome to New Reynes, the City of Sin where gangs rule the streets and Casino Families rule everything else. Enne Salta’s adoptive mother has failed to return home from a trip to New Reynes, but managed to send a letter home with a name — Levi Glaisyer — so she heads to the City for her summer break to find Lourdes. This city isn’t for the faint of heart, and Enne has to learn to navigate a place of games and secrets — but will she be able to survive?
“If I’m not home in two months, I’m dead.”
This book has a strong start that sucked me in right away and kept me entranced until the last page with excellent pacing and characters with such depth that I felt like I knew them personally. Foody masterfully shares details of the world slowly and succinctly so that it never feels like an info dump and the world itself is described so well that I feel like I could walk the streets myself.
The book is told in the alternating perspectives of Enne Salta and Levi Glaisyer, characters that are as different as night and day but thrust together due because Lourdes wrote his name on a letter.
–> Enne has been thrust into a world and situation that she wasn’t meant for in the search to find her mother. 17 years old, dancer from finishing school looking forward to her debut in society. She has a serious sweet tooth and I love her grit and determination to find her mother as a stranger in a strange land.
–> Levi has been hardened by his years, a master of cards and the head of the Irons. He is almost 18 and has aspirations to make something of himself. Levi is black and bisexual and I adore his compassion.
There is also a cast of secondary characters just as rich, loveable, and flawed. Jac is Levi’s best friend and absolutely a gem, and Lola is the reluctant addition to the trio. I really look forward to seeing more of their backstory in King of Fools.
“All you know is stories, Enne told herself. And not all stories are true.”
The magic system in this world is hereditary, and each person has a main talent and a split talent. The main talent is denoted by a person’s surname and is an easy way to assess a person’s position in society.
Foody created a new fantasy world with a rich and deep history/mythology, and I will admit that at times it was a bit difficult to keep everything straight even though the worldbuilding is done slowly and builds upon nuggets of knowledge introduced earlier.
cw: inferred pedophilia, drug use, gambling, loss of a loved one
I absolutely loved Ace of Shades – it is full of a characteristic that I lived for in fantasy: a vivid world, a complex political history, complex characters. It is a fast-paced story that has everything I love in fantasy executed well… just be sure to take notes so that you can keep everything straight as the worldbuilding is vast! This is a fantastic start to what I am sure will be an amazing trilogy, and I cannot wait to continue the series!
I have a full review up on my website, but to recap quickly: a somewhat gritty, yet thoroughly magical YA fantasy with a POC bisexual protagonist that isn’t invincible. I was hooked from the start and could hardly put it down 🙂
The thing is Ace of shades was/is one of my most anticipated release of 2018. Not because I love the author style since despite owning Daughter of the burning city, but because of the combination of the cover, the synopsis and the phenomenal books aesthetics you can find on the net about it just promises a definitely adventurous ride. Also lately I really love books that utilize the whole casino and gambling scene in a new light. All that aid the story wasn’t exactly like I expected it to be but I still enjoyed it.
If you read the synopsis and pair it with the cover you can create a pretty clear picture about part of the world building. It’s not as dark and doesn’t show the casino world in such a decadent light as I hoped for but I still enjoyed it immensely. I loved how the whole underworld hierarchy in this sinister city is structured and while we see into almost every corner of this maze like place I also feel that the world building is only scratching the surface of a lot of presented element. I mean we hear about the different gangs but don’t interact with them enough to really get to know them or for example the political part, which could also be associated with things happening outside the city, is particularly unexplained when I think a lot of the events are driven by political machinations. Alas the bigger picture is not yet considered in the book. This for me lead to a bit of a confusion especially in the last third of the story, a lot of things just didn’t make sense without the needed background information.
I personally enjoyed the author writing style, it can be called simple because there are no particular flowery twists to it but I think her talent lies in creating her characters and laying down a premise for a promising storyline. However I absolutely loved how she introduced and described place, with associating feelings to them seemingly giving a personality to the different settings. I simply loved this. It is also easy to read and despite the slow beginning it immersed me with the first sentence.
The story has a lot of interesting and unique characters, most of them not at all likeable at the beginning. However there is a lot of character development going on all around and it’s really great to follow along.
The story is narrated by dual POVs, alternating between Enne and Levi. Personally I enjoyed reading part better, his chapters had a better flow but it doesn’t mean I liked him more.
With Enne I had a hard time, I didn’t like her at all in the first 120 or so pages. She is not a character that I usually like, the whole uptight, entitled and naïve streak is just simply not something I enjoy, however she goes through quite a transformation during the story. In the beginning she was like a newborn calf stumbling along the streets of New Reyes and even some really eye-opening events couldn’t make her realize the depth of her situation and steer her in the right direction. It just annoyed me how she made the same mistakes again and again. Don’t even get me started on the constant mentioning how good she is supposed to be in reading people and her rules which she constantly breaks in the first half of the book. However after a while when she starts to forget herself and lets instincts kick in she became a pretty badass and strong girl. In the end I loved her.
Levi I liked from the beginning, he was different, he didn’t have the cocky, overconfident vibe I expected from a gang leader. He is smart and resourceful, but his young age shows in a lot of different moments. He is in a desperate situation but he does his best to solve it with the less possible consequences. He is not ruthless or cold he has a kind heart and his only goal to create a better life for himself and ultimately for his people. The fact that he is not quite successful in this endeavor of is a different topic.
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Levi and Enne, the simmering attraction, the instant trust and the companionship. Personally I would have loved if their relationship progresses on faster tempo.
There are quite a few interesting secondary characters too, not all of them good but while they all show different spectrums of personalities and they help with the progression of the story line I can’t say that either of them detailed enough for me to create a deeper connection with them. I liked Jac and Lola.
The story is a bit more graphic and violent than a typical YA book but not enough to put in a higher category.
I’m hopeful for more character development in the sequel, but I think this was a great start to the series.
It has a very similar world to Six of Crows, but a completely different story line. I loved all of the characters and I couldn’t stop reading this book.
4 – SINFULLY EXCITING AND FUN
Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody was a fascinating and entertaining read. It’s sinfully exciting, quite unique, and wonderfully magical.
I had such a great time reading this book. The world building intrigued me from the very beginning. It was creative, mesmerizing, and whimsical! Although there were a few confusing parts here and there, I really enjoyed reading about the different kingdoms, gangs, talents and basically just everything that existed in the City of Sin. The writing style was descriptive and easy to read which made it so much easier to get lost in the story and I loved that about this book. The plot was interesting, fast-paced, and thrilling. There were a few unexpected twists here and there that caught me off guard so that was definitely fun. I loved the romance — it was one of those slow-burn types and the pining on both sides were so heartfelt, believable, and well-developed. I really rooted for the Enne and Levi and cannot wait to see where their relationship will be in the next installment.
I have to be honest and admit that I had quite a difficult time with one of lead characters. Enne Salta just got under my skin and annoyed me throughout most of the story. She was naive, stubborn, arrogant, and just not someone I would want as a heroine. I thought there was no way I would like her, BUT — towards the end of the story, I did go through of big change of heart. Her character development was not an easy one, but in the end, I definitely thought Enne was one badass heroine. Levi Glaisyer was an interesting character and I liked him a lot from the very beginning. He’s complex and broken, but also very caring, protective and sweet. He’s definitely my favorite and I loved his POV. The other characters and villains were pretty awesome and I enjoyed getting to know them all so I’m really excited to see where everyone will be in the sequel.
All in all, this was an amazing beginning to a thrilling new fantasy series. There were a few things that weren’t explained as clearly as I would want, but that didn’t really affect my reading experience. I still had a great time spending a few hours in the City of Sin and I definitely will be coming back for more.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
“All you know are stories”Enne told herself.”And not all stories are true”
This is the story of Enne Abacus Salta and Levi Glaisyer. Sheltered Enne leaves her home to travel by boat to New Reynes:the “city of sin” determined to find her mother Lourdes, who told her in a note that she could trust Levi. Levi will help her if she can pay him… He brings her to Vianca Alfero’s Casino and that’s where things get complicated….
Populated with characters you aren’t sure whether to trust or not, this dark, steampunkish tale reminds me of both *Tremontaine* by Ellen Kushner and *The Red Dog Conspiracy* series of Patricia Loofburrow, and with well drawn characters like Levi, Enne, and even Vianca, Lola and Jac you are going on the ride of your life! Highly recommended 5/5
[disclaimer: I won the book as part of a Goodreads giveaway and have chosen to voluntarily review it]