Author: Amanda Foody
Genre: High Fantasy
Source: Harlequin
Goodreads
Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…Review by Nara
and secrets hide in every shadow.
Enne 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 uncorrupted.
Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a 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.
Ace of Shades was exactly the type of novel I expected from Amanda Foody following up from Daughter of the Burning City. Enne Salta is looking for her lost mother, and the only lead she has is a name: Levi Glaisyer, who lives in New Reynes, the City of Sin. The novel follows Enne through her struggle to find her mother, and in the process she may end up finding out more about herself than she ever thought she would.
I see a lot of comparisons of this novel to Six of Crows, and it is somewhat similar in that it has gangs and heists. However, I would say that it's much more focused on a single character (Enne) and the discovery of who she really is. I liked Enne as a character- she was pretty naive at first, but it seemed like the longer the novel went on, the more she became comfortable with navigating the dangers of New Reynes. I will certainly be very interested to see how she evolves as the series goes on.
Levi was also a sympathetic character, but was a bit more standard as the stereotypical street lord with a soft heart. That's not to say he was badly characterised, but I did often enjoy Enne's point of view sections more than his. I felt the romance was not too badly paced, with only the high stakes making it relatively quick.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Ace of Shades. I will certainly be reading the sequel.
Really liked it
RatingsOverall: 8/10
Plot: 4/5
Romance: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
