Series: The Shadow Game #1
Release Date: 17th May 2018
Publisher: HQ Stories
Pages: 459
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review

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.

Review

I must admit that I bought a copy of Daughter of the Burning City (Amanda Foody’s debut novel) last year and I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. I’ve heard amazing things and after reading the blurb for her newest book I knew it would be right up my alley.

Ace of Shades follows Enne Salta as she travels to the famous City of Sin in search of her mother. Enne is a proper young lady, well trained in etiquette and manners, but as she delves deeper into the underworld of New Reynes, she’s not sure how much of herself she’s willing to lose.

I absolutely loved this book. I thought the world building was really solid, the story started a little slowly but it really ramped up until I was racing through the final few chapters. I really appreciated the originality of this book, the City of Sin has the different mafia groups and dodgy dealings, but also magical talents, acrobatics and plenty of secrets.

I think part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much was the really terrific characters. I loved Enne, she has a tremendous amount of character development as she goes from polite lady to a strong and determined heroine. Likewise I loved Levi, who on the surface seems like any other gang lord and conman but is so much more.

The book definitely throws you right into the action and there’s plenty of big shock reveals and action packed scenes. This book was one of my most anticipated releases of 2018, and I’m so glad that it lived up to the hype. I’m now off to read Daughter of the Burning City and lament that King of Fools will not be released until 2019.