The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 7 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on April 2, 2021.
By Lauren Gantt ’21
A&E Editor
Ace of Shades is Amanda Foody’s second young adult novel and the first in the completed Shadow Game trilogy. Set in the city of New Reynes, appropriately nicknamed the City of Sin, this novel follows two main protagonists: Enne and Levi.
Enne, raised as a proper young lady via a finishing school, arrives in the city on the hunt for her missing mother with only one lead: Levi, a street lord and con man with secrets and problems of his own. Their hunt takes them through glamorous casinos, boozy cabarets, secret underground markets, and into precarious games with dangerous players. No one who enters the City of Sin remains uncorrupted…if they survive at all.
For the past few years, I’ve heard nothing but interesting things about this novel. Reputable reviewers have enjoyed it (and it gets recommended here and there) but it also largely flies under the radar in the online book community. I’ve been intrigued by it the entire time it’s been published and, now that I’ve read it, I can say that it was amazing and completely lived up to the hype.
Amanda Foody has crafted an intricate yet understandable story with compelling characters, an engrossing plot, a vivid world, and an intriguing magic system.
There are two main plotlines in this story that weave together; yet there are also smaller, less noticeable storylines threaded throughout. Foody did a fantastic job at writing all of these to complement each other and forward the overarching story. With a story set in such a corrupt city, the author did a great job of creating a balance between the filth and glamor, the high stakes and quiet moments, the humor, and the hatred.
The world itself was tied heavily with the magic system to where both were dependent on the other. In this world, magic is currency and your magic comes from what bloodline you’re born into. This balance has created a fascinating setting for the story and adds another layer of tension to an already high-stakes novel.
The characters were diverse and phenomenally written. They’re morally gray characters. They make mistakes, they are flawed, and they struggle. Apart from our two main characters, there is a fascinating cast of side characters and antagonists that bring an added depth to our main protagonists’ stories.
Overall, I really enjoyed Ace of Shades. It was intriguing, magical, and overall a fascinating read. I am eager to continue with the rest of the trilogy in the near future and see what happens next after the events of this novel.
Additionally, this is a young adult book but does have some trigger warnings that I’ve listed below.
Trigger and Content Warnings: violence, death/murder, addiction and drug use, torture, gambling, pedophilia (it is completely condemned in the novel but there are mentions of it occurring off-page).
