Amanda Foody

"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 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.

King of Fools

Indulge your vices in the City of Sin, where a sinister street war is brewing and fame is the deadliest killer of them all... On the quest to find her missing mother, prim and proper Enne Salta became reluctant allies with Levi Glaisyer, the city's most famous con man. Saving his life in the Shadow Game forced Enne to assume the identity of Seance, a mysterious underworld figure. Now, with the Chancellor of the Republic dead and bounties on both their heads, she and Levi must play a dangerous game of crime and politics...with the very fate of New Reynes at stake. Thirsting for his freedom and the chance to build an empire, Levi enters an unlikely partnership with the estranged son of mafia donna Vianca Augustine. Meanwhile, Enne remains trapped by Vianca's binding oath, playing the roles of both darling lady and cunning street lord, unsure which side of herself reflects the truth. As Enne and Levi walk a path of unimaginable wealth and opportunity, new relationships and deadly secrets could quickly lead them into ruin. And when unforeseen players enter the game, they must each make an impossible choice: To sacrifice everything they've earned in order to survive... Or die as legends.

Eslie

Maybe your soul didn’t break like a bone. Maybe it broke like a promise.

Sara Vasilescu

I don't know what to say. I am just shocked about everything that happend. I don't know how the heck they will recover in the next book. My heart broke for Levi, Jac and Enne. Even Sophia

menna

what, and i cannot stress this enough the fuck

Sampurna Saha 

** spoiler alert **
           this book was so much more dark and gritty than the first one and the stakes in this one was so much more higher and made it more enjoyable than the first one.


there were some things which made no sense to me such as why some of the characters somehow weren't captured despite the high bounties on them and some certain details which seemed slightly off to me . But overall this was a really fun and intense rollercoaster ride and which certainly tug at my heart due to certain events and decisions made throughout the book.
Very excited for the final installment.

Kelsey Joëlle

took me ages to finish this one, didnt like it as much as the first book. kinda meh

Definitely better than the first book but i am so frustrated by the ending!

Anna Süsserová

Maegan Kennedy

It was a really good continuation of the series. Enne’s a fierce and strong woman who knows how to get what she wants. I really liked watching her relationship with Levi grow. I wasn’t expecting Levi to be Bisexual but it worked within the book. It was a little long and I felt it could’ve been cut by a hundred pages or so. But it was still entertaining and I’m looking forward to seeing how the series plays out in book 3.

Hannah Wall

OH MY GOD THIS WAS AMAZING! I can’t handle the ending! Amazing writing and such an amazing and intricate plot! There were twists and turn no one would be able to see! Hopefully I can get my handles on the third book soon!

“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 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.

Victoria Justice

Following directly after the events of the first book, we continue following Enne and Levi. New players enter, making it an interesting ride. Plot thickens and twist unexpectedly with a devastate ending and more questions than answers.

Casey Stevens

I cried when Jac died. HE WAS MY FAVORITE W H Y.

Lu Kluck

(This is a review for the second novel of a trilogy, so it will contain spoilers for the first one)

The day after Levi and Enne cheated their way out of The Shadow Game, the Augustine crime family came to deliver the consequences. For Levi, that meant a deal with Harrison Augustine that would solve all of his problems, and ultimately sounds too good to be true. And for Enne, it means a nearly impossible assignment from the donna herself.

The pacing in this second novel is starkly different from the first one, as the plot is spaced over several weeks instead of in only a matter of days. Because of this, the first half of the book felt sluggish and was just generally harder to get through. And unlike Ace of Shades, which centered upon basic world-building and an action-packed plot, King of Fools focuses on character development and introducing a new cast and plotlines leading into Queen of Volts. This novel delves into the self-centered and egoistical minds of the main characters to amplify the shocking effect of the plot twist, and even though this tool is applied frequently in novels, King of Fools uses it exceptionally well.

By having the characters at the center of the plot, their development was very personal and distinguished. Each character had their stories, ambitions, and emotions thoroughly explored, from their relationships with other characters to their innermost struggles. And even though they fought, lied, and kept secrets, they had heartfelt and profound dialogues. The ending of this novel was satisfying for its ambiguity, where the reader was left without answers when it came to the overall plot, but a sense of certainty when it came to the characters and their emotions. 

••••••••••••••••••••••••📜••••••••••••••••••••••••
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 - 9.5/10📕
𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 4.5/5
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 - 5/5
𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭 - 5/5

𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Addiction, High Violence, Mild Profanity, Alluded Parental Abuse, Torture, Sadism.

Jennifer

This book is a thrilling and exciting trip to the casino. It’s past paced, unpredictable, and packed with a diverse cast of characters. I found the beginning quite a lot to take in partially because it’s been more than 2 years since I’ve read Ace of Shades and partially because of the deceit that laced throughout the novel. The worldbuilding is lush and improved upon the 1st book. But what really got me into the novel is Enne’s & Levi’s character development as well as all of the betrayals & manipulations they had been through, which leads to a cliffhanger. So I’m highly anticipating to read the the final book of the trilogy because of the surprising ending.

For people who want to be aware of the triggering content: there’s a bit of violence and death - but overall I’m able to manage and they don’t overshadow the plot / central themes of the novel.

mary

well i’m gonna need book 3 asap. what a book.

Juliette Raven 

Well well well... I enjoy this book and this series so much: Gangs, Gambling, Politics, and love stories are subjects I really enjoyed. 

So much happened in this book it was great to see how the character grew.
 Enne and her own gang and their way of making business in a new way were really enjoyable for me.
Levi took a lot of bad decisions in this book but he's still a great character to follow.
I kind of dislike Jac in the first book but it definitely changes in this one. It was great that we had his POV and his own storyline. I really enjoyed his strange friendship with Lola 
even though the end broke me...

I grew really fond of the new characters really rapidly I think my new favorite his Grace! 

With the way, this book ended I can't wait for the last one to be published! 

Definitely one of my favorite book series!

Megan

Excellent book! Kept me interested the entire time and I enjoyed seeing the characters adapt and evolve throughout the book. I'm immediately starting book 3!

Alice

Alexis 

* I was given this Advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for my Honest review* 

4/5 stars 

I'll admit the first part of the book is a little slow, that being said the second half...OMG!!! It seems to be a common writing style as the first book was built the same way. I have to say that I'm really enjoying this series. The plot and characters really grab my attention, I'm not a major fan of the writing but I still found myself flying through the book because I desperately needed to know what was going to happen. I can honestly say I cannot wait until I get my hands on the next book!

Carly Boyer

3.5* This book was SOOOO slow until about 60% in, and then I finished it in under 12 hours but before that it just felt like a chore to pick up. Loved the last half of it though!!

Lovisa

Alejandra Bran

This boko has me distraught 😩 I can’t talk about it.

Dana Musser

Shirley Krijnen

Not going to finish this one. I got like 39% read, but just ugh. I kinda liked the first one but I just don't care for the second book. There are a lot of things in it I don't like at ALL. Some of those things were in the first book too but not enough that it bothered me as it did in the second book. I just don't care about any of it.

vera

Everything hurts. I am in pain. I am in tears. Why why why why why why why why why. THAT ENDING

Émilie 

J'ai lu le premier tome Ace of Shades il y a à peu près un an et c'était un vrai coup de cœur. J'avais trouvé que l'histoire était un peu lente (avec ses 400 pages) mais les rebondissements et l'univers magique compensaient largement. 

Ce second volet est bien de dessous. Avec pas moins de 600 pages le rythme est encore plus lent et j'ai eu beaucoup de mal à dépasser toutes les longueurs. La chronologie se déroule sur plusieurs mois avec de nombreux personnages et évènements. On ne peut pas dire qu'il ne se passe rien, je pense qu'en fait il se passe beaucoup trop de choses. Les évènements ne sont traités qu'en surface, mentionnés, et manquent d'émotion. Les actions ainsi que les relations auraient mérité plus de profondeur. La romance principale n'est pas intéressante non plus, on ne comprends même plus pourquoi elle existe.
La seule action qui m'ai un peu touchée c'est la mort d'un des personnages. Donc pour faire simple : je me suis ennuyée, et 600 pages d'ennui c'est très long !

Concernant les personnages, ils sont beaucoup plus nombreux et variés que dans le premier tome. J'en suis venue à détester Levi mais j'ai trouvé de nouveaux petits chouchou : Grace, Lola et Jonas
La lenteur du livre aura au moins permis de les découvrir plus en détail.

Pourquoi je n'ai pas abandonné ? Comme pour le premier tome je trouve que l'univers et le système magique sont originaux et intéressants. J'aurais aimé davantage d'explications à ce sujet. 
Cette partie de l'histoire traite principalement de manœuvres politiques et bien que j'apprécie d'ordinaire cette intrigue ça n'était pas fait de manière très recherchée ici. Quel dommage, ce livre avait pourtant tellement de potentiel.


  “It didn't matter whether she decked herself in knives or pearls. The world would always demand that a girl apologize for herself, but she would apologize for nothing.”

Aubrey Erskine

To read my full review visit my blog: https://theshelflifechronicles.home.b...

Thank you to Harlequin TEEN and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel!

I started writing my review around 30% into the book because I believed that for the first time in my life I was going to DNF a book. It started off so slow and Levi was driving me insane with how selfish he was being. I pushed through and I'm actually glad I did. Like Ace of Shades this book really picked up the last 30%-40% of the book and I couldn't put it down!

That being said though, I do not believe a trilogy should have to use its second book to set up the world-building. After reading King of Fools I now know more about the talent system in play, the currency of volts, what a Miza talent is, the political system and more about the street war/revolution that left New Reynes and the rest of the empire like it is today. This honestly felt more like a new first book and the actual beginning of the series. Ace of Shades left some holes and came across like a prequel after reading King of Fools.

King of Fools

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