Rating: 4.5 Stars
Publication: April 30th, 2019
Shadow Game (Ace of Shades) #2
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Egalley
Diversity: LGBT+ & PoC MC
Quick Summary:
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. With bounties on both their heads, she and Levi must play a dangerous game of crime and politics. Thirsting for his freedom and the chance to build an empire, Levi enters an unlikely partnership. Meanwhile, Enne remains trapped by a 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. When unforeseen players enter the game, they must each make the impossible choice of either sacrificing everything they’ve earned in order to survive, or dying as legends.
My Thoughts:
The characters werent as morally grey as I was expecting from gangsters, but I love them all so much I ended up not caring. I was thrilled to see Enne become a famous Lord in her own right with an awesome girl gang at her side. Out of all the girls she hires the knife wielding, stock market dealing, romance reading, assassin Grace was my favorite. I loved all the female friendships and solidarity. I also really enjoyed the slow burn romance between Enne and Levi. The first book showed them getting to know each other and by the start of this sequel they're aware that theres an attraction there, but they cant really act on it with all the danger they are in. Levis a little full of himself, but he usually means well. I really loved how the new Iron member, Tock, kept checking his ego and how she finds herself dating another one of my favorite female characters.
I was delighted to see chapters from Jacs point of view. His story was gripping and intense. He got the most dangerous mission out of all of them and gets tested in ways he wasnt sure he'd be able to survive. For the most part, I thought the addiction recovery representation was done with care, but it was a little weird that people could tell he was a recovering addict just by looking at him. I loved all the new female characters in this sequel and Sophia was no exception. She's full of secrets, but understands Jac better than anyone else. I liked the relationship that develops between them when they decide to team up to take down a crime family. I also thought Vianca was a fascinating and complexe antagonist. I wish we got some chapters from her perspective. I had no idea she couldnt remove the bond between her and her victims without one of them dying. I couldnt wait to find out who her third was.
I really enjoyed the gritty sin city setting with its 1920s mafia feel. I was happy to see Ennes guidebook make an appearance since it had such funny advice in the first book. I also like that we got some North Side legends in between chapters. The magic system was fascinating with the different types of abilities. Theres all kinds of talents people can be extraordinarily good at like dancing, counting, charm and even strength, but the talents that are really interesting are the ability to see auras, bonding people to your will through omertas, and blood gazing to figure out someones lineage. From what I understand a person gets each parent strongest talent passed down to them and the one that becomes their strongest between the two is totally up to chance. I do wonder though if each parent has the same weaker talent could that be passed down and maybe even become the childs strongest talent.
The stakes and the danger is amped up even higher than the first book since we have the war breaking out on the North Side. Theres also more focus on the shady politics and the upcoming election that might change the city forever. All the duplicity and schemes were very entertaining. Enne and Levi dreaming of the same hallway kept me guessing, but I did predict Viancas intentions for them from the beginning. I do wonder how one character in particular was able to break the oath by just walking away. As for the writing, I thought it was compelling and easy to get immersed in. I could read for hours without getting pulled out of the story or distracted. The pace was a little slow in some places, but I liked the characters and the setting so much that I was able to stay engaged. These fantasy books with queer main characters mean a lot to me. Im already excited for the third and final book.
Are Amazing Sequels As Rare For You As They Are For Me?
*This book was received for an honest review
*My summaries are often a shortened version of the goodreads summary
#curatorreview
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