tl;dr action! ps i'm in love with levi glaisyer
Premise
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. Saving his life in the Shadow Game forced Enne to assume the identity of Seance, a mysterious underworld figure. Now, with the Chancellor of the Republic dead and bounties on both their heads, she and Levi must play a dangerous game of crime and politics…with the very fate of New Reynes at stake.
Thirsting for his freedom and the chance to build an empire, Levi enters an unlikely partnership with Vianca Augustine’s estranged son. Meanwhile, Enne remains trapped by the mafia donna’s 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. And when unforeseen players enter the game, they must each make an impossible choice: To sacrifice everything they’ve earned in order to survive...
Or die as legends.
Rating
4.5/5 stars
Review
4.5 stars, rounded up
It's currently 1 am and my jaw is on the floor. I'm speechless. I do not know what I just experienced; all I know is that I'm completely shocked and need to start the next book immediately.
But, let's chat about this book. WOW. It was very different from the first book because the main characters' motivations were different, and it tended to focus more on the gang dynamics and political intrigue. I also loved the character development in this book and the addition of Jac's POV: it added a lot more insight to him as a character and helped him become more complex and more than just the funny, supportive side character. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions for sure because the relationship dynamics between characters (specifically Enne+Levi and Levi+Jac) were continually evolving and changing, which I found very interesting to see because it revealed more about the characters themselves. This book took a turn character-wise that I was not at all expecting; Enne's character development during the first book was more predictable and standard for a YA protagonist, but I think during this book, Amanda Foody shone more light on their flaws/ambitions and how Enne and Levi both developed more of a morally-grey personality. However, I do think both main characters have the potential to be good in the end, so I'm really interested to see if that happens in book 3 and whether Levi will finally embrace the idea that he is a good man.
Also, can we just talk about the plot for a second? I will admit, the majority of the book seemed a bit slower because (as mentioned above) it focused more on politics, bargains, and deals rather than big-time battles. There were a lot of different schemes going on at once, especially since there were three completely different POVs, which got slightly difficult to keep track of and made some plot lines easily lost. However, the end of this book completely swept me off my feet. I loved the continuity by returning to a game like the first book did, and I was hit with plot twist after plot twist that completely shocked me. I LOVED the ending of this book.
And of course, the writing in this book was beautiful, and I loved seeing more of New Reynes. I would definitely recommend this book/series, and I'm very excited to read the third book!
Other Info
Book 2 of the Shadow Game trilogy (sequel to Ace of Shades)
14+
CW: addiction, death, gun violence, physical violence, public hanging, substance abuse, torture
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/King-Fools-Shadow-Amanda-Foody/dp/1335661344
Would I Recommend?
Yes!
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