Scan barcode
A review by ramunepocky
Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So we pretend that I haven’t owned this book for literally years and never read it because reading it now, I wish I had been motivated to read it sooner. It was really incredible, enthralling and interesting!! I absolutely adored the world building and the magic system.; it was so unique and I loved learning about every aspect of it. The City of Sin is no beautiful place, truly living up to it’s name, with gangs and danger around every corner, esp for our protagonists, but I loved every part of it.
The magic system was absolutely my favourite part!!! I loved the concept of having blood talents that come from your parents and that they can be split, either equally or not so much, and how they can range from the mundane to truly horrifying talents that can bind and force others to do your bidding. I’m intrigued to learn more about the misers and what particularly made them so dangerous that the Phoenix Club felt the need to wipe them all out and everyone else was glad of it, considering the extent of what we know right now is that they have purple eyes and can make volts.
I am also fascinated by the Shadow Game and cannot wait to learn more about it !!! The concept of betting with your life energy and what you have to do to win/how no one has ever won is so interesting !!!
Character-wise, I rlly truly loved Lola, she was my absolute favourite !!! I love that she armed herself with knives, and I was saddened to learn of her backstory with her family/brother, and I liked watching her reluctant friendship with Enne blossom as she realised the person Enne actually was. I also think her talent of being able to read other people’s talents through their blood and reading their history was so damn interesting!!!
Levi was my second favourite and it pained me to see all the shit he lost through Vianca’s schemes, including being the Lord of the gang he’d built himself, in his desperate attempts to stay alive after she’d put him at risk and continued to take advantage of him. I loved his sarcasm and wit; he’d often make me laugh with the off handed things he’d say and I loved his friendship with Jac b/c they were both just so funny. I think it was sweet that after considering robbing her and sending her away from the get-go, and then only helping her to pay off his own debts, he became quickly protective of Enne and willing to go to any length to help her. Also the fact that he’d built up his gang by rescuing kids and saving their lives, after Raymond had done the same for him!!! It pained me as much as it pained him when Raymond was killed and he lost someone so important to him, and almost lost the same with Jac too.
I’m not currently sure where I stand with Enne; I hated her to begin with and she rlly grinded my gears, but as she built up her confidence and adjusted to the city of sin and relaxed into being ruthless, I enjoyed that side of her a lot more, like when she poisoned and later killed Sedric, and when she fought Lola for her life. She still winds me up fairly often and there’s certain aspects of the way she thinks/speaks that I just don’t get along with, but I’m excited to see her grow more in the following books and see who she becomes. I also don’t rlly understand why she was so surprised when she learned that Lourdes was dead after she’d literally told her if I don’t come back by this many days, I’m probably dead like ??? She legit told you she’d be dead, why are you shocked???? *doesn’t understand* I am intrigued to learn more about Enne and her backstory tho.\
I also loved Jac so much!!! He made me laugh so often and I adored his friendship with Levi and how they cared for one another.
All in all, a great book and I’m very excited to read the rest of the series and see where it goes and learn more about these characters that I’m already so fond of and learn more about such an interesting world and magic system !!!!
The magic system was absolutely my favourite part!!! I loved the concept of having blood talents that come from your parents and that they can be split, either equally or not so much, and how they can range from the mundane to truly horrifying talents that can bind and force others to do your bidding. I’m intrigued to learn more about the misers and what particularly made them so dangerous that the Phoenix Club felt the need to wipe them all out and everyone else was glad of it, considering the extent of what we know right now is that they have purple eyes and can make volts.
I am also fascinated by the Shadow Game and cannot wait to learn more about it !!! The concept of betting with your life energy and what you have to do to win/how no one has ever won is so interesting !!!
Character-wise, I rlly truly loved Lola, she was my absolute favourite !!! I love that she armed herself with knives, and I was saddened to learn of her backstory with her family/brother, and I liked watching her reluctant friendship with Enne blossom as she realised the person Enne actually was. I also think her talent of being able to read other people’s talents through their blood and reading their history was so damn interesting!!!
Levi was my second favourite and it pained me to see all the shit he lost through Vianca’s schemes, including being the Lord of the gang he’d built himself, in his desperate attempts to stay alive after she’d put him at risk and continued to take advantage of him. I loved his sarcasm and wit; he’d often make me laugh with the off handed things he’d say and I loved his friendship with Jac b/c they were both just so funny. I think it was sweet that after considering robbing her and sending her away from the get-go, and then only helping her to pay off his own debts, he became quickly protective of Enne and willing to go to any length to help her. Also the fact that he’d built up his gang by rescuing kids and saving their lives, after Raymond had done the same for him!!! It pained me as much as it pained him when Raymond was killed and he lost someone so important to him, and almost lost the same with Jac too.
I’m not currently sure where I stand with Enne; I hated her to begin with and she rlly grinded my gears, but as she built up her confidence and adjusted to the city of sin and relaxed into being ruthless, I enjoyed that side of her a lot more, like when she poisoned and later killed Sedric, and when she fought Lola for her life. She still winds me up fairly often and there’s certain aspects of the way she thinks/speaks that I just don’t get along with, but I’m excited to see her grow more in the following books and see who she becomes. I also don’t rlly understand why she was so surprised when she learned that Lourdes was dead after she’d literally told her if I don’t come back by this many days, I’m probably dead like ??? She legit told you she’d be dead, why are you shocked???? *doesn’t understand* I am intrigued to learn more about Enne and her backstory tho.\
I also loved Jac so much!!! He made me laugh so often and I adored his friendship with Levi and how they cared for one another.
All in all, a great book and I’m very excited to read the rest of the series and see where it goes and learn more about these characters that I’m already so fond of and learn more about such an interesting world and magic system !!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Pedophilia, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury