This is a Review of books 2 and 3 of the Shadow Game Trilogy! There will be NO spoilers in the individual Reviews. However, if you haven’t read past a certain book, better not check out the review of the next installment!
- BOOK 1 ❤️ Review: Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody
CW’s: Death/Murder & Execution, Grief, Violence, Trauma, Torture, Addiction, Suicidal ideation & Attempted Suicide, Mentions of parental abuse and toxic relationship
Representation 🌷 Black Bi MC (Levi), Lesbian MC (Lola), Gay MC (Harvey in book 3) & multiple queer supporting characters
King of Fools
Published: April 30th 2019 by Inkyard Press
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.
“Because the hero of one story is the villain of someone else’s. It’s all just a matter of who wins.”
➽ Now THIS is how you write a compelling sequel! I’m so glad that I finally read King of Fools, as it’s just as good as the first book! Levi and Enne are still reeling from escaping the House of Shadows, not to mention that they remain under Vianca’s thumb. The book deals with the fallout of the Death of Chancellor Semper, as there’s a need for a new election. Vianca’s supporting one of the Monarchist candidates – Mr. Prescott – but her own son Harrison is coming back to run as the opponent. Levi and Enne get drawn into the election by force and the government is determined to wage a war on the street lords. It’s a political powderkeg that pits the South against the North side. Despite setting up things for the last book, King of Fools has its own storyline about the New Reynes’ civil war and keeps things interesting!
➽ There’s finally a girl gang!! Enne is tasked with building a gang and taking on the mantle of being a street lord by Vianca, especially as her Seance character could influence the election. I loved seeing Enne take on Grace, a skilled assassin, and later other girls in her newly founded gang. Lola has already sworn to her and is also getting dragged into the story. I loved the dynamic with Grace, Lola, and Enne, the girls are so different but a great team. I love how Amanda Foody shows strong female friendships and has different types of female characters – some are girly, others are not – that all get their own story and complexity. A great example is Poppy Prescott, daughter of one of the candidates and a talented dancer. She befriends Enne, not knowing who she truly is, and combines elegance with a sharp wit. Another new female character is Tock Ridley, who joins Levi in his own plans. She’s sapphic and loves to blow things up, so a perfect character!
➽ This book was INTENSE. Levi and Enne are having very different assignments from Vianca and it’s breaking them apart. Levi wants to keep his gang and build his empire, as he swore, but it’s going to cost him dearly. Making a deal with the ‘devil’ and involving his best friend Jac means he’s risking everything for his dream. Levi’s definitely more selfish in this book, clinging to his hopes of being a legend, but you can tell where he’s coming from. He’s getting deeper into his web of deals and wagers. Meanwhile, Jac confronts his past of addiction and the Torren empire, which was really well-written. I loved getting his POV! He also meets Sophia, another person entangled with the Torrens who he cannot help but be drawn to. I also liked seeing Lola and his friendship and them trying to support each other, as people on the sidelines who are getting involved. The very end was SO action-packed and the end emotionally destroyed me like everyone had promised 😭
“It didn’t matter whether she decked herself in knives or pearls. The world would always demand that a girl apologize for herself, but she would apologize for nothing.”
Queen of Volts
Published: September 1st 2020 by Inkyard Press
Only days after a corrupt election and brutal street war, one last bloodthirsty game has begun. The players? The twenty-two most powerful, notorious people in New Reynes.
After realizing they have no choice but to play, Enne Scordata and Levi Glaisyer are desperate to forge new alliances and bargain for their safety. But while Levi offers false smiles and an even falser peace to the city’s politicians, Enne must face a world where her true Mizer identity has been revealed… and any misstep could turn deadly.
Meanwhile, a far more dangerous opponent has appeared on the board, one plucked right from the most gruesome legends of New Reynes. As the game takes its final, vicious turn, Levi and Enne must decide once and for all whether to be partners or enemies.
Because in a game for survival, there are only losers…
And monsters.
“Turns out there’s no way of dying that’s romantic. Turns out tragedy is always tragic.”
➽ The structure and execution of this finale were genius!! Bryce Balfour – aka a malison capable of creating Shades – started a new game in the previous book and it’s at the core of Queen of Volts. I LOVE that it’s based on the major Arcana Tarot Cards! Everyone of significance in the city is getting one card and has to get the card of their Target by either killing them or getting it voluntarily. Once someone has 5 cards, they technically win, but everyone who doesn’t have their targets card is going to die. That makes the game high stakes and everyone has to play along, there’s no way to escape. The book is divided into sections focusing on each card and its owner, which was a fantastic way of giving light to some minor characters. I loved uncovering who had which card and what their target is. Bryce is hoping to attract the Bargainer by creating this game. They are a legend on the North Side, capable of making deals with people. I loved the lore of the street lords and finding out more about Enne’s past in this book. The finale reveals some secrets that we hadn’t uncovered yet!
➽ Queen of Volts shows our main characters struggling to adapt to a world on the brink of change. Everyone (including me) is impacted by Jac’s death. Levi has finally realized that giving up everything to become a legend wasn’t worth it, instead, he lost his best friend and is fighting to stay afloat after legislation is trying to erase the gangs from New Reynes. He barely knows how to go on, especially as there’s a chasm between Enne and him. Enne was forced to kill Jac by the omerta and is ridden with guilt, but has no way of undoing her actions. Vianca is gone now, but it was too late. This time around Enne was more unsympathetic, as she spins out of control, threatening and almost killing everyone who gets in her way. She burns a lot of bridges, such as her relationship with Lola. I kind of understood where she’s coming from, as Enne knows she’s never going to be able to be free like the others since she’s a Mizer. Either she’s a threat or she’s showing weakness. Lola’s Arc revolves around getting isolated and questioning her place in the story – she wants to tell the tale, as people like her are always on the outside. Her loneliness really spoke to me and I’m proud of her for persevering. When it comes to Levi and Enne, I have to admit that I’m no longer 100% interested in their romantic dynamic. The whole back and forth between them got a bit much after a while.
➽ There are two more POVs this time: Sophia and Harvey. Sophia is still grieving Jac and has landed in a horrible situation. She’s taken on Harrison’s last omerta with the hope that she’d find out about the deal she made and what her split talent is. Turns out it’s not that easy and she has lost almost everything. Even burning down her family’s empire wasn’t enough. I loved her dynamic with Poppy and Delaney, it was nice seeing her interact with others! I also really grew to like Harvey, he was a new favorite!! We’ve seen him in the previous books and now we get a deeper insight. The story talks about his toxic relationship with Bryce and his own insecurities that have plagued him his entire life. He’s a Chainer who hates using his talent and has left behind his family. After losing everything, he finds himself with Narinder and I LOVED their dynamic. Harvey cannot fathom that someone’s nice to him, especially knowing who he is and it made me feel things 🥺
“If someone is terrible to everyone but you, that doesn’t make them secretly a good person.”
Have you read the Shadow Game books? What is your favorite Fantasy book series? ❤️
The Bookcheshire Cat 
okay, this series sounds amazing!! how have i not heard of it before???
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It’s so good!! I hope you check it out 🥰
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