Item: Ace of Shades
Rating: 3.00
Author: msbarham3

by Amanda Foody

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.

This is one that I really just don't know how to review. I wanted to love it - all the hype made me believe I would. But, it weirdly fell flat. For the first 100 pages or so, I really just didn't care. I thought I may actually DNF it. Then I decided to give it a few more chapters and got hooked. However, it was also this weird feeling of being hooked while I was reading, but as soon as I put it down I didn't really have a desire to pick it back up. by the last 100 pages or so, I was hooked, but once it was done it left a feeling of....excitement and meh. I know, an incredibly odd combination.

I honestly can't 100% pinpoint what made me feel this way. In some ways I liked the characters, and in others I felt totally indifferent. It was a complex world that was explained, but also not explained at all. Also, the description makes it sound as if this book is all about the Shadow Game, but really it's not. That plays a small role. A lot of buildup was done for it, but even that fell flat - and in a way, too easy. I just....I honestly don't know. I think I'm interested enough to read the sequel, moreso because I'm more interested in the world's backstory than the plot/characters itself, but not sure I'm gonna be chomping at the bit to get it either.

Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game, #1)

by Amanda Foody

Reviewed by Mackenzie on Jul 9, 2018

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