amanda foody « neverimitate

‘Ace of Shades’ is the first book in the Shadow Game trilogy, a YA urban fantasy set in the fictional gambling town of New Reynes. It’s a brilliantly fast-paced read, packed with likeable characters and intricate worldbuilding – very easy to sit down and devour in one sitting. It’s also beautifully written, and generally one of the strongest additions I’ve read to the YA fantasy genre.

Enne Salta is a proper young lady, about to start her final year of finishing school – not the sort who would ever visit the famed City of Sin. However, when her mother goes missing on a visit to the city, Enne must leave her reputation behind in search of answers. Her only lead is a name, Levi Glaisyer – but Levi is not the sort of gentleman Enne is used to. He’s a street lord and conman, and one who doesn’t have time for Enne’s problems. However, he does need money. Spurred on by Enne’s offer of payment, the unlikely pair start an investigation that will take them into the criminal heart of New Reynes – something neither of them can escape unscathed.

Enne starts the novel naive, entitled, and petulant. She hates New Reynes, finding it horribly uncouth compared to the finishing school she’s used to – but her character development is brilliant, and as the story progresses she becomes more and more likeable. Her best attribute is a determined streak a mile wide – one which regularly gets her into trouble, but that more often than not gets her out of it too.

Levi is one of my all-time favourite characters. He’s a conman and runs a gang in the City of Sin, but he has a heart of gold and really cares about everyone in his crew. He’s also flamboyantly and unapologetically bisexual, leading to some hilarious moments. Levi’s strong, tough, and smart, but his big heart will always be a weakness – not that he’ll ever let that change.

The worldbuilding is simple but exceptionally effective. Each character inherits two gifts – one from each parent, with one always stronger than the other. These blood talents are brilliantly utilised, never making a character over-powered but adding an extra dynamic to an already fascinating story. The talents can be absolutely anything, from better dancing ability to the ability to physically enslave another person to your will – and the way these influence the politics of the city is fascinating.

Overall, this is a strong and immensely readable YA fantasy with gorgeous writing and a simple yet creative world. Recommended for all fans of YA fantasy.

My review of the final book in the trilogy, Queen of Volts, can be found here.

Published by HQ
Paperback: May 17th 2018

‘Queen of Volts’ is the final book in the Shadow Game trilogy, a YA urban fantasy trilogy set in the fictional city of New Reynes – the city of sin. It’s a taut, high-stakes, fast-paced conclusion to an action-packed trilogy, filled with unpredictable twists and heartbreaking losses. The ending fits the trilogy perfectly and, despite the tragedies, made me grin with delight. The Shadow Game trilogy is horrendously underrated – hopefully with this book it’ll finally get the attention it deserves.

‘Queen of Volts’ has five main point-of-view characters – Enne, Levi, Sophia, Lola, and Harvey – and alternates between them in chapters grouped by tarot cards (or shadow cards), a lovely touch. Initially, I cared about some perspectives more than others – but by the end, I appreciated them all and the different angles they offered. Harvey especially is a peripheral character in previous books but adds a different flavour here, complementing the others perfectly. His relationship with Bryce is brilliantly depicted and dissected, and his character arc is probably the strongest. Lola also has an exceptional arc – very different to the arc I expected, but cleverly done.

The fictional setting of New Reynes – likely inspired by Las Vegas – is a town of street lords and casinos, conmen and gangs. Everything is a game, and everyone a player. Enne and Levi have come a long way from who they were in Ace of Shades – the uptight girl from finishing school and the egoistical crime lord packed away like ill-fitting suits – but they remain compelling, intriguing characters. The moves that they’ve made have given them powerful allies and even more powerful enemies – but figuring out which is which is more difficult than it might first seem.

It’s hard to discuss the plot without spoiling Ace of Shades or King of Fools, but the stakes have definitely been raised. Courtesy of King of Fools, no character feels safe, so the entire book is fraught with tension. It’s entirely implausible, but this is YA fantasy – plausibility isn’t the point.

The biggest strengths of this series have always been the creativity of the worldbuilding and the relationships between the characters. By the third book in the trilogy, the worldbuilding is established – but ‘Queen of Volts’ goes further than its predecessors in testing those relationships and really shines for it. As the characters are tested, their relationships entangle and fray in complex ways, and Foody absolutely nails the feelings and changes. While the plot might be farfetched, the relationships aren’t, and that makes the entire book relatable. I especially liked the family dynamics (although I won’t spoil the story by revealing whose).

Overall, this is a brilliant conclusion to a solid YA fantasy trilogy. I don’t understand why this series isn’t shouted about more – with a finale as good as this, I hope it gains its place on people’s shelves. Recommended for all fans of YA fantasy, urban fantasy, morally grey characters, and complex character dynamics.

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Stories for providing an eARC – this in no way affects the content of this review

Published by HQ
eBook: 1st September 2020 / Paperback: 1st October 2020