"She was a blade disguised as a girl.”
Synopsis:
Enne has one more year left at finishing school before her debut into society. There’s just one problem, her mother has gone missing. On her search to find her mother, Lourdes, Enne travels to The City of Sin, falling into a world of crime families, street lords and a game of life or death where everything can be altered by the flip of a card.
Review:
Ace of Shades By Amanda Foody, the book that might just be tied with Queen of Air and Darkness for my favourite book I’ve read this year.
Amanda Foody creates a world that seems palpable, that mirrors Vegas casinos and London street politics with loyalty at its core. It’s a story with grit, placed in the city of New Reynes that combines the picturesque with a gaudy attempt at elegance, the true manifestation of the cut throat wish for riches, no matter the cost.
The plot line worked well, and I enjoyed the split perspective that we are given between Enne and Levi. I think this is what made me enjoy the chemistry between these two characters so much. By stretching the plot over ten days, we receive enough information about the events of each day to be engaged with the story line, while keeping the fast pace which was a well placed parallel of both Levi and Enne’s desperation.
I found it thoroughly interesting that the characters names denote to their blood and split talents. Also, the magic system and how it wove into the oaths and relationships of control intrinsically in the society of the City of Sin was a fresh take, rather than incorporating a system like we’ve seen so many times involving purely elemental magic, or magic only being wielded by individuals rather than incorporated into the foundations of society.
When looking at characters, I liked Enne for her growth and resilience. Although she’s always had strength within her, watching her realise this and push herself further than she thought possible was entertaining and inspiring. She is the depiction of being scared shitless but doing it anyway. Furthermore, Levi stole a part of my heart. Not only is he a street lord, but a street lord with morality and who cares deeply for those who have helped him, as well as who trust him to help them. As much as he pretends he does not wish to help Enne in the beginning, his loyalty and sincerity to his word is what binds him to helping her. I’m always going to love characters who embody anarchy, but embody anarchy on their own terms and following their own code rather than just for the sake of it.
While it took me some time to warm to the use of words such as ‘mucking’ rather than outright swearing, I do think it added to the charm of the book, especially as this - at one point - was established to be a feature of New Reynes slang. The only things missing from this book for me was more interaction between characters such as Jac and Enne, and I would of also liked to find out more about the different street gangs. However, this is something that may be further explored in the rest of the series.
This was an amazing start to a series, and I can’t wait to pick up the sequel, King of Fools.
Rating:
5/5 stars
Your stage is waiting
Hollie x
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