“Ace of Shades has it all …an utter delight.”–Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn “A rich, satisfying, complicated story. One of the best fantasy series I’ve read in years.”–Christine Lynn Herman, author of The Devouring Gray The stunning sequel to ACE OF SHADES, the first book in Amanda Foody’s SHADOW GAME series. Indulge your vices in the City of Sin, where a … of Sin, where a sinister street war is brewing and fame is the deadliest killer of them all…
Prim and proper Enne Salta never expected to team up with Levi Glaiyser, the City of Sin’s most famous con man. But winning the Shadow Game was not the victory they imagined, as now the duo are wanted for murder and Enne is forced to live in disguise as Séance, a mysterious figure of the underworld.
Thirsting for freedom and the chance to build his empire, Levi makes a deal with the estranged son of Mafia donna Vianca Augustine, while Enna remains trapped by Vianca’s binding oath, unsure which of which role to truly embrace: refined lady or cunning street lord?
As Enne and Levi walk a path of unimaginable wealth and opportunity, a dangerous game of crime and politics swirls around them. And when unforeseen players enter, they must each make an impossible choice: sacrifice everything they’ve earned in order to survive…
Or die as legends.
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If you’re a regular at this blog, you know the first book in this series, Ace of Shades, was one of my top reads last year – so I’ve waited what seems like a lifetime (I may be exaggerating just a bit) to find out the fates of these characters. I was kind of nervous – occasionally second books are ‘fillers’, or a let down after an explosive first novel. But King of Fools is everything I hoped it would be.
New Reynes is still the City of Sin, and the dangers haven’t lessened. With a street war on the verge of erupting, and Enne’s and Levi’s faces plastered on wanted posters, they’re constantly on guard, and always about five minutes away from being caught. The character development continues to be outstanding, and the author puts both Enne and Levi in tense, impossible situations, where any decision they make hurts themselves or someone they care about. Several new characters are introduced, and really add to the story – especially Tock and Grace.
As much as I love Levi and Enne, Jac is my heart in this book. His POV is added this time around, and with his tragic past, his loyalty to Levi, and determination to write his own story, Jac’s character arc is incredible.
King of Fools is full of political intrigue, manipulation, backstabbing, and twists, and it left rips in my soul that won’t heal until the last book of the series is in my hands. It also features a quirky girl gang and memorable characters that will stay with you long after finishing the book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
*needs paper bag to breathe into*
Man alive that was stressful.
With Ace of Shades< being in my top 10 favourite reads in 2018, I was pumped for King of Fools. Did I enjoy King of Fools as much as Ace of Shades? ...it’s pretty darned close. I think I liked Ace of Shades just a touch more because it was more (for lack of a better term) fun. King of Fools is basically stress from page one onwards. I was just white knuckles and wide-eyes throughout around 600 pages. Whew it really was intense. Whereas book one focused a lot on world-building and character development, book two has a lot to do with politics. I actually really enjoyed this aspect of Foody’s world. Learning so much about the powers and the families in Ace of Shades, I was curious to know how she could hook us in King of Fools. Turns out she’s fantastic at writing about the political intrigue of New Reynes. There’s backstabbing, bribery, plotting, and all sorts of other deliciously devious deeds going on. I also really liked how Foody handled the different timeline in this one. Ace of Shades takes place during a 10 day period, but King of Fools takes place over several months. She did a really good job with the pacing. I never felt lost or confused. There were two major highlights in this book for me. The first being Enne and her Girl Gang. I loved that there was no cattiness within the gang. They’re all individual and support each other. Sure there’s sisterly teasing, but that’s all in good fun. The second being Jac’s story. It’s hard to get into it without possibly giving away spoilers. So I’ll just leave it at that, and know that his was my favourite narrative in the book. And one final note of warning in this review, because I was not at all prepared: This book will rip your heart out and stomp on it. Amanda... HOW. DARE. YOU! *curls into fetal position for 27 years* I’m just going to go build my time machine so I can speed through to the future so I can get my mitts on the final book in this trilogy.