Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1) by Amanda Foody
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: April 10, 2018
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Synopsis: Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…
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.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda Foody has always considered imagination to be our best attempt at magic. After spending her childhood longing to attend Hogwarts, she now loves to write about immersive settings and characters grappling with insurmountable destinies. She holds a Masters in Accountancy from Villanova University, and a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from the College of William and Mary. Currently, she works as a tax accountant in Philadelphia, PA, surrounded by her many siblings and many books.
DAUGHTER OF THE BURNING CITY is her first novel. Her second, ACE OF SHADES, will follow in April 2018.
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My Review: So as you guys know I am part of the street team for Ace of Shades. When I saw there was a Blog Tour for the book I jumped at the opportunity. I have been dying to read this book from the moment I read it. Well did I end up enjoying it as much as I’d like? Let’s find out.
This book ended up being super enjoyable. So enjoyable I found myself getting so upset at the times when I’d have to put it down. There were even times when I was reading another book but I couldn’t put this one down.
The story is about Enne, who travels to New Reynes to find her missing mother. Once she gets there the truth begins to unravel. Enne begins to discover secrets about her life. Enne learns she needs to be careful about what she does and who she trusts because there’s a game that’s about to begin.
Right away I was blown away by the descriptions of New Reynes. Even though it’s the city of sin and you need always have your wits about you I really wanted to go there. There is something so enchanting about it. Amanda does a create job with descriptions and imagery. I could picture everything that was going on. I also felt like there were never any dull moments in the book. I felt each scene kept me engaged and I never felt like I was bored. This is a very action packed book.
Another thing I really enjoyed were the two different perspectives. You get the perspective of Enne and Levi. They both are very different characters. Enne is a proper young lady who just stepped foot into New Reynes. Her mother told her if she needed to go to New Reynes she should ask for the help of Levi. Levi is the leader of the Irons. The Irons are one of the three gangs of New Reynes. It was interesting seeing their perspectives. I liked how one minute you were getting a look into Enne’s day and the next you were getting a look into Levi’s day. For some of the situations they weren’t too far from which I really enjoyed. There are also a lot of side characters that you meet that are very unique. They all are different from each other. I loved getting to know each of them as the story progressed.
Another thing that was very interesting was that each person had two different talents. These are talents that inherited from their parents at birth. The strong one was the blood talent and the weaker one of the split talent. Enne’s blood talent was dancing and her split talent was arithmetic. Every time a new character was introduced I always hoped we found out about their blood talents. It was fun seeing what talents you could have inherited during birth.
There was only one thing I didn’t end up liking about this book was how they didn’t curse. The characters would always say the word muck instead of fuck and that really irked me. I understand not wanting to curse but it ended up happening a good amount of times I just replaced it myself. I just felt since the book takes place in The City of Sin cursing is expected. This ended up being a minor thing I disliked about the book.
Overall I thought this was a super fun and enjoyable read. I loved the story, the world, and the characters. The ending had me dying for more. I don’t know what I’m going to do while I wait for the second book to come out. I do know I already want to reread this book. I hopefully will be able to on audio when that comes out.
*I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my hontest opinion.
Quotes
“That’s the smell of opportunity. And maybe a little piss.”
“He didn’t like it when people didn’t talk about themselves. In his experience, that usually meant they had something to hide.
“He was a beast wearing a man’s skin.”
“The worst hurt in the world is the kind you grew to accept.”
“Sometimes we’re not who we want to be because we’re supposed to be something else.”
GIVEAWAY
- Prize: 5 copies of ACE OF SHADES (The Shadow Game #1) by Amanda Foody (US/Canda Only)
- Starts: 3/26
- Ends: 4/19
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86291/?
CHECK OUT THE OTHER STOPS ON THE TOUR HERE
Bookish In Bed 
Awesome job Reg! So excited to read this
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Thanks! It’s so good. I can’t wait for you to read it. It’s such an exciting book. Need book 2 now.
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