Ace of Shades

Written By: Amanda Foody

Publication Date:  April 10th 2018, by Harlequin Teen

Date Read: January 28, 2018

Would Recommend To: dark fantasy fans, lovers of plot twists EVERYWHERE, and many many more!

Rating: 4.5/5

4.5 stars

OMG guuuuuuyyyysss! What a pleasant surprise - no, a FREAKING GREAT SURPRISE! Ace of Shades, written by the incredible Amanda Foody, is amazing! If you're easy to persuade or have read my recommendations already and fall in line with at least one of them, then just be ready for this book when it comes... because it's coming all right! But if you're a little more stubborn ;), then continue reading because I have a lot to tell you about this roller-coaster ride.

First, I'm going to give a tiny synopsis. Then, I'm going to get into the nitty-gritty stuff.

So, Ace of Shades follows our two main protagonists, Enne Salta and Levi Glaisyer. Enne is a border-line snobbish but kinda funny young lady from a posh city called Bellamy, and she is raised by her secretive adoptive mother Lourdes Alfero, who takes frequent business trips to the City of Sin - New Reynes. However, when Lourdes doesn't come back from one of these business trips, Enne decides to take matters in her own hands and travel to the City of Sin herself. The only lead she has is a name - Mr. Levi Glaisyer. Levi is not quite the guy Enne was expecting - he's a con man, close to finishing off an important scam for his boss, Vianca Augustine, and he's leader of the Irons, one of the three gangs of the North Side of New Reynes. However reluctant they are to work together, they both have what the other needs to survive. Plus, when plans go incredibly awry, they have to learn to trust each other more than they've ever trusted anyone before.

If that sounds sappy at all to you, don't give up. That's just what's on the surface. Now, I'm going to get into that nitty-gritty stuff I was talking about earlier.

First, I'm going to address the reason my review was not a 5-star: the first 50-or-so pages. They're a little slow; they lack tension or any build of suspense; and it feels as though there's a spotlight on solely our two main characters, and beyond that, nothing is quite important. What I'm trying to say is that the book doesn't quite encompass the world and the other characters as a whole until about page 70. The characters are a little annoying as well; both their relationships and personalities in general just rub the wrong way.

Now, I'm going to address why you SHOULD STILL READ IT. The lack of speed just allows for exposition. The lack of tension and suspense leads to slaps-in-the-face of it later on. The annoying characters just leave room for astounding character development. All-in-all, if all you did was read the first chapter and the last chapter, you would be absolutely clueless how Amandy Foody got from Point A to Point B. But she did. And it's freaking fantastic. The plot twists catch you EVERY SINGLE TIME, and the story gets so dark!

I honestly can't express how much this book impressed me. I had such high expectations for this book, so reading the first 50 pages normally would have been fine, but it felt like such a let-down. Then, BAM. There's the first of many slaps-in-the-face. And I don't regret a thing.

If I were you, I'd go get this book the day it comes out. April 10. Don't wait around!
Au revoir, my book-peeps.

ARC from Goodreads Giveaways, listed by Harlequin Books. Thanks, guys!