Queen of Volts

The Shadow Game #3

by Amanda Foody

Return to the City of Sin, where the final game is about to begin… and winning will demand the ultimate sacrifice.

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, Audiobook, Mystery

632 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2020

About the author

Amanda Foody is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of All of Us Villains, the Wilderlore series, the Shadow Game series, and more. Her work has appeared in publications including Buzzfeed, Popsugar, Culturess, and Amazon selected All of Us Villains as the Best Young Adult Book of 2021. Originally from Pennsylvania, she lives in Boston, MA with her partner and their orange tabby, Jelly Bean. When not writing, she unironically loves to cook.

All of Our Demise, the sequel to All of Us Villains, will release on August 30, 2022. The third book in the Wilderlore series, The Ever Storms, will follow on February 7, 2023.

Reviews

[megs_bookrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Welcome back to New Reynes. It's the self-proclaimed City of Sin, and in my opinion, one of the most interesting and underrated worlds in YA literature.



Queen of Volts is the final installment of The Shadow Game trilogy and therefore, was destined to break my heart.

I dragged out my time reading this. Literally, trying to make it last as long as possible.



Picking up where King of Fools left off, this third book finds Levi and Enne forced to play the most dangerous game yet.

Levi, who is being drawn into the straight life of politics, and Enne, who must figure out how to navigate with her true nature exposed, grapple with their feelings for one another.

Should they play the game as allies or enemies?



I mean, that was my vote.

If you know nothing about this series, I urge you to go read about Ace of Shades. These books are full of intrigue, plotting, scheming, backstabbing and compelling ambitions.



There are street gangs, crime lords, corrupt politicians, gambling dens and magic.

Legends come to life. It's a dangerous, seedy world and I loved every minute of it. Such a vibe.



I could go on and on about the many things I loved about this series, but honestly, you just need to try it for yourself.

I will say the story truly matured along the way, so perhaps if you picked up Ace of Shades and it was just okay for you, I would urge you to give the second book a shot.



This is one of my favorite YA trilogies of all time. I love the low key MacBeth vibes that I picked up throughout.

It's just everything. I love it. Amazing job, Amanda Foody. I can't wait to binge read the series in its entirety someday.



Thank you so much to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review.

This was absolutely one of my most anticipated books of the year, so I truly appreciate it!

[Kimberly (Deity of Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ (↠ For a more mobile-friendly reading experience ↠) Review is also posted on my blog ✨

Is it a surprise that I gave this five stars?

I guess it could be because only 10% of the books I've read are rated 5 stars.

The Shadow Game series is one of the best series I have ever read and Queen of Volts is one of the best conclusions to a series I have ever read.

I'll stop rambling on and on about how much I love this series so I can get to the review.

Actually, before I get to the review, I have so many emotions running through me because of this book (even though it's been more than 24 hours since I finished it), so sorry if this review really bad and all over the place. I'll be rereading this book soon and write a better review.

Okay, review time.

I definitely teared up during the first couple chapters. That one character...

Speaking of characters, there are 5 POVs in this book. They are Harvey, Lola, Enne, Levi, and Sophia. Enne and Levi have been the main characters for the last two books, so obviously I love them and their POVs. After finishing King of Fools, I really wanted Sophia to have a POV and my wish was granted. Harvey... I was curious about his character, but never want a POV for him or thought he would get a POV. After reading his excerpt, I was super interested in him. Lastly, Lola. I'll be honest—I like her but wasn't that interested in her. In the beginning, I thought her POVs were kind of boring. After a few of her chapters, I became very intrigued to see what role she would have in the Shadow Game. So, to sum everything up in this paragraph, I love all the characters and their POVs.

In Queen of Volts, we only get introduced to a couple new characters and explore the existing characters further. All of the characters, old and new, are pertinent and super interesting.

I probably should have put this at the beginning of my review, but whatever. So what is the Shadow Game? Yes, it the name of the series. It's also the game that is played in this book. You've heard of the Shadow Game in the previous books, but this one is different. This Shadow Game, created by Bryce Balfour, is a spinoff and it's more deadly. The players in this game are the twenty-two most powerful and notorious people in New Reynes. Each player has a card of their own and a card they must collect, called their target. For the game to end, one player must collect a string of 5 cards. If a player does not have his/her target's card by the time the game ends, he/she dies. If a player gives his/her card away, then he/she places his/her fate in the person that has the card. I love that we got a chart (it's around page 350) of the Shadow Game players and cards. Amanda Foody, thank you so much. It made everything less confusing and I didn't have to take any more notes.

There were still so many shocking and unpredictable things that happened in this book. I had to stop reading so many times because of how shocked I was. The moment I thought I knew what was going to happen next—I didn't.

The pacing is perfect. It's not too slow, too fast, and doesn't drag. I guess I never realized it until now, but all the books in this series have the perfect pacing for me. This is probably one of the hardest aspects of a book to get right.

That's my review for now. I'll probably rewrite this when I reread Queen of Volts.

ARC received via Edelweiss. All opinions are my own. Thank you so much to Inkyard Press for providing me with this ARC.
————————————————————————
8 June 2020:

If you haven't read this series, please do. I know I've said this a lot of times already.

I'm screaming internally; I can barely contain my excitement. I got approved for this ARC!!!
This is one of my most anticipated releases of 2020. Sigh...the ending of King of Fools. I'm so excited and nervous for the conclusion to this amazing series.

Blog | Instagram

[✨ Helena ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

"It didn't matter what cards you were dealt. The City of Sin was a game, and the only way to win was to stack the cards in your favour."

This was a BRILLIANT finale!!!

For the first half, I was rather upset because all of my babies were grieving, in pain and lashing out at each other as they struggled to deal with everything thrown their way...but then, I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing them slowly make their way back to each other and win the Shadow Game as a team. Found families work best when they function as a unit, rather than going off on their own.

If I had one complaint, it would be Lola's arc. Her friendship with Enne was one of my favourite parts of the series, so the direction that she went in really broke my heart. :( Everyone was really judgemental and condemning of Enne, but - as I've said in other book reviews - it's easy to judge when you aren't faced with making the difficult choices. Anyone can form an opinion from the sidelines, when they have nothing invested in the outcome. It's especially hard when you're stuck choosing between two terrible choices.

Moving on from Lola though, I did love Enne and Levi's journeys the most. They were absolutely horrible to each other in the beginning, but when they finally COMMUNICATED (communication is KEY, people!), they were the team that we'd recognise from the first two books. Such a lovely couple to ship, as well!!! <3

This book was a thrilling ride of twists and turns! Every time you thought they'd won the Shadow Game, another curveball was thrown their way and I LOVED IT. I won't say that I didn't predict any of the twists - because I did (several of them, in fact) - but it didn't make it any less of an enjoyable experience for me.

I treasure this series so much. From the cutthroat gangs to the magical games, the Shadow Game is a glorious ride! I wouldn't compare this to Six of Crows as many people have, but if you do love the vibe that Caraval has, I'd definitely recommend it. This series is so very underrated, which is is frustrating because you're all missing out on something truly unique that deserves WAY MORE love than it gets.

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 for me, but I am rounding up to a 4, as I do believe that reviewing the final book in a series needs to take in consideration of the spirit of the series as a whole.

TLDR Tropes-

- Morally grey protagonists
- Enemies to lovers to enemies +
- Slow burn romance
- ensemble story
- Gangsters
- retro futurists settings
- LGBT rep
- Black Bi MC
- Multi POV

The Shadow Games is one of my favorite YA series and easily one of the most underrated i've come across. I have complicated feelings about this final installment.

Starting off with a bang, Amanda Foody laces recap into a forward moving plot following the betrayals and drama of the last book. I liked the recap bits even when they were a little obvious, because King of Fools was VERY dense. As with her other booking, the writing and politics were absolutely top notch.

Just going over some other things I loved before coming to the issues I had:

The pacing of this book was very good. TSG is a slow moving political retro futurist thriller, but the even pacing makes that slow experience much more fun. The characters are always up to something interesting and interacting in meaningful ways with each other.

This installment did an amazing justice to Enne and Levi as a "relationship, building on a foundation of two books of hate to love to partners to friends to rivals. I thought it was handled brilliantly.

The Multi POV was a lot of fun and gave insight into characters new and old, and this also allowed Foody to wrap up characters other than Enne and Levi to competition.

Like the other books, the magic system is superb and the world building is absolutely incredible for a teen story.


THAT BEING SAID.

For a last book, this felt so much like a middle installment. Introducing new POVs in the last book was an odd choice, and while it was fun, it also felt like she had to have ever POV within the book act like an absolutely shithead, making middle of the book mistakes, breaking alliances- stuff id honestly expect to happen NOT at the end of the book. Characters like Lola and Harvey were frustrating me more than I had fun with them. I found myself rooting against them rather than enjoying and empathizing with them.

The final plot revolved around a large scale murder game. I appreciated in books 1-2 how brutal they were for a YA, and I felt like the maturity in Queen of Volts was scaled back significantly to the books detriment. Much less murder, mayhem, and morally grey choices. Enne was easily the books best character, but even she was flattered a bit, save one scene where she makes some deliciously bad choices. It just really felt like a kids book, which would have been fine if King of Fools didn't establish the series as "anyone can die, anyone can betray, everyone is an asshole". We have a murder game where nobody is really in danger. The two big bads, Bryce and the bargainer, are toothless and boring. I just couldn't get hyped.

I sadly felt myself rushing the last 200 pages of this 600 page book, which is heartbreaking for one of my most anticipated releases of the year.

I absolutely still recommend this trilogy. It's charming, smart, fun as hell, and one of the more mature YA fantasies out there- however Queen of Fools is easily the weakest of the three books. I may not have rated it so low if it didn't disappoint me and fail to meet the impossibly high expectations King of Fools left me with.

[Shannon]

Amanda Foody, at the end of King of Fools:



Me, a desperate fool who loves her gang family way too much:



I'm just a traumatized reader, standing in front of Shadow Game book #3, asking Amanda Foody to PLEASE FIX EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN KING OF FOOLS

[solanne]

if anything bad happens to my kids I WILL be throwing hands

[Amelie · Rating 4 out of 5]

**This review contains some spoilers from the previous books in the series.**

“The only winner in history is the one who gets to tell the story, once the story is finished.”

Queen of Volts is the final instalment in The Shadow Game series, which picks up right where the previous book ended. The characters are forced to participate in a new Shadow Game with the players being 22 of the most notorious people in the city. Each player receives a card of their own which includes the name of their target’s card which they need to collect before the game ends, as failure to do so results in death. They can collect their target’s card either by killing their target, or convincing them to surrender their card which will result in that player’s survival being tied to whoever they surrendered their card to. The game ends when a player collects a string of 5 cards.

I highly enjoyed this book, and it’s probably my favourite in the series. I loved the dark atmosphere of the book, and how it includes a world of magic, shady politics, casinos, street gangs, criminals, and morally-grey and diverse characters. There were some absolutely mind-blowing plot twists where every time I thought the game was over or a problem was solved, a new problem would unexpectedly arise. I was so glad we finally got to learn about Enne’s family history and the identity of her father, Sophia’s split talent and past, the meaning of the hallway dream Levi and Enne had, and so many more unresolved matters. This book was full of action and incredibly suspenseful. The author also did an amazing job at creating such a wide cast of diverse, layered characters, especially with the inclusion of multiple queer relationships. This book expands to a five-way POV narration, between Enne, Levi, Lola, Harvey and Sophia.

“She was still the girl who’d broken the Shadow Game, who’d slain the wolf, who’d survived the witch. She’d seen the city hate her, she’d seen the city love her. She was the daughter of Lourdes Alfero, the bravest person she’d ever known.”

Enne will always remain as one of my favourite characters in this series. I love how much she has grown throughout the series, and how she’s adapted to her harsh surroundings. After her Mizer identity is revealed to the world, she is forced to remake herself and fight for her survival in a city that rejects her. Her PTSD and anxiety was depicted incredibly well, where it was shown how much pressure and responsibility she was under when she was overcome by her fears and regret over her past actions. It was unfair how she was constantly being judged for her actions despite her difficult situation, but I loved how she gradually came to terms with her actions, and accepted that it wasn’t her Mizer powers that truly defined her, but her own power to define herself and adapt in the city.

Levi as usual was up to some clever schemes and making his moves to ensure the safety of his gang. He struggled with his identity as a orb-maker which he felt defined himself more than anything else because of the historical connections between the Mizers and orb-makers who previously rose to power. His relationship with Enne was incredibly complicated, especially when he was furious with her for her actions in the previous book, though they are left with no choice but to work together. While there was lots of chemistry between them, the angst was so intense and frustrating, and they really needed to stop lashing out at each other. The fake dating trope, and forbidden love trope come into play and spice things up, and I was mostly satisfied with the outcome of their relationship in the end.

Lola was an interesting character to read about even though her chapters were incredibly frustrating at times. Her desperation for answers led to her making some poor decisions where she becomes the worst version of herself after being overcome by her own anger at Enne and letting this cloud her judgement. I did like how she eventually came to understand how it was unfair to judge Enne based on when she was overcome by her fears. It was really cool reading about her interactions with the Bargainer, who could understand Lola’s anger, and I liked how the Bargainer’s past was revealed. There were also times when I felt bad for Lola for her complex relationship with her cold brother, and how she and Tock faced a lot of challenges in their relationship, which I’m glad they eventually overcame.

Harvey was a character I was not expecting to like, but I couldn’t help sympathising with him and enjoying his chapters. I liked how he was an ambiguous character with questionable loyalties, who was always uncertain of who he should be supporting in the game. Throughout the book, it is shown how he can’t help having feelings for Bryce, and keeps coming back to him even though their relationship is clearly toxic. I liked how he came to realise he was being used by Bryce and how he mastered the courage to eventually acknowledge and end their relationship. A highlight for me was seeing the romance develop between Harvey and Narinder, and I loved how supportive Narinder was of Harvey, and how he helped Harvey realise how he was being used, and encouraged him to change for the better and become more independent instead of relying on others. I loved how well they complemented each other, and how they brought out the best in each other.

Sophia is a character I absolutely loved, and it was enjoyable reading about her resilience, and her goals to regain the part of herself she gave away. Even after the devastating loss she faced at the conclusion of the previous book, she kept fighting and never gave up, and I admired her strength and courage. I really liked the fatherly relationship Harrison had with her, and how they confided their vulnerabilities and internal conflicts, and gradually bonded. I also really liked reading about her friendships with Poppy and Delaney, and how she opened up to them. I was satisfied with the ending of her arc and I was so glad she was one of the main narrators in this book.

“The City of Sin was a game, and the only way to win was to stack the cards in your favor.”

Queen of Volts did not disappoint, and I loved the dark atmosphere of the book, and the wide range of diverse, layered characters included in the story. I would highly recommend this series, it’s an underrated series that deserves so much more attention. I would highly recommend reading this book to anyone who enjoyed the previous two in the series and haven’t yet read this one, it’s definetely worth it and it is an amazing conclusion to this series!

4.5/5 stars

[menna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first maybe 20% were so ??? for me, it felt like all the characters did was betray each other and it was so angsty for so long i grew tired of it after a while. I understood why these things were done but they kinda felt a little repetitive. It picked up after that so much that i had trouble stopping!! It was one plot point after plot point and i loved that pacing of it!

Things i loved:
-Levi and Enne’s relationship obviously. Again in the beginning of the book, their relationship was so rocky after what happened at the end of king of fools, but they slowly start to get back to each other and learn to trust each other again and i just love them so muchh
-Grace and Enne’s friendship. They’re always there for each other, and grace never abandons Enne even after she messes up multiple times
-That scene when Poppy tells Enne “she knew she had a north side boy” just because i’ve been waiting for it since forever.
-Every time Levi called Harrison Pop ssdgjkdsl
-The plot twist at the end was so heartbreaking but so brilliant at the same time???
-The relationship faking scenes even though they were so angsty.
-Grace and Roy’s relationship. Im going to be forever bitter about this
-Lola’s brother development!! I was ready to throw hands with justin at the beginning but i really loved how his character came to be and when he and lola actually talked!!
-Lola’s character arc was not one i enjoyed but i really understand her reasons for everything so i couldn’t bring myself to hate her. I loved how she realized she cannot judge people based on their worst version when they’re reduced to fear and anger, and i loved her understanding how looking at things from outside she can never understand people’s decisions.
-Lola and Tock!!! Even after everything they went through they’re the bestttt

Im probably forgetting lots of stuff because this was so fun to read and i really enjoyed how everything wrapped up at the end!!

[booksneedcaffeinetoo]

Amanda has released the cover AND A SNIPPET from the book here!!!! She also reveals who the FIVE POVs will be.

Will Enne and Levi survive everything Amanda puts them through?!?! 🤔

And let’s all take a moment and mourn that one death at the end of KING OF FOOLS that has destroyed my soul to the point I don’t think I will ever recover...😭

Content Warnings and Trigger Warnings: (taken from Amanda's site and will be updated when I read the book) extreme violence, death, grief, attempted suicide/suicidal ideation, PTSD, toxic and abusive relationships (particularly regarding a parent and romantic partner), addiction

[Roobie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4 stars⭐️

It didn't matter what cards you were dealt.
The City of Sin was a game, and the only way to win was to stack the cards in your favor.

ARC received via Edelweiss.

[chloe yeung ♡]

woke up to a review copy of this in my email!!! 🥺 **screams in excitement**

[akacya ❦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the third book in the shadow game trilogy.

one last game has begun in the midst of a corrupt election and street war, and enne and levi have no choice but to play. to do so, they must find allies, bargain for their safety, and decide once and for all whether they want to be partners or enemies.

first of all, can i just say i think amanda foody has a thing for couples brought together by a deadly competition who wind up in the media at some point…and i’m not complaining. enne and levi destroyed me and i really wish we could get bonus content of them honestly.

i can definitely see myself revisiting this trilogy at some point and i can’t wait to get to the rest of the author’s backlist!

[Becca (Horners_book_corner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This final installment in The Shadow Game trilogy did not disappoint. It was fast paced, moody, dark and humourous in equal measure. The characters continue their journey in the City of Sin armed only with the (questionable) ability to make morally grey decisions and poor relationship choices (sometimes at the same time) and yet, they emerge on the other side like a moth after a close encounter with a flame. A bit singed around the edges and feeling sorry for themselves but just about alive, and not likely to play with fire again. Unless it's really bright and glowy ...ooh look at that flame....

[Elle❤&#x1f5a4; · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Thank you to the author and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

2 sad stars

Oh my god...

What happened to this series??? Or to me??

How could I go from rating Ace of Shades 5 stars because I freaking loved it, to 3 stars for the sequel, down to 2 stars for Queen of Volts. What the hell happened... was it me? Or the book? It all just went downhill after the first book for me and I really don't know why. I'm so sad about this.

So, Ace of Shades. The stakes were high. The chemistry was palpable. The book was going somewhere. King of Fools, much less thrilling, less action, the chemistry between Enne and Levi? Vanished. It felt like their new roles in the book weren't enforced enough, if that makes sense? Like yeah she's a street lord now and he's partnered up with their enemies son... but for me this wasn't made enough of a turning point, I couldn't feel the stakes rising like I was supposed to. It didn't feel like there was anything at stake.
Now onto Queen of Volts. I feel like this was just a filler book. I was reading it thinking, why are we doing this? For what purpose? I was so bored. Nothing felt thrilling or exciting. I didn't buy into Enne being this feared street lord. The sequence of events felt kinda random. Like, oh! Were gonna do this now, okay! I really didn't like the multiple povs, I could've done without them. I don't like when a book suddenly adds extra povs. I just came here for some Enne and Levi action.

I should have gone on an emotional rollercoaster with these characters and their story. But I didn't, so... there's that.

[Yeganeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I don’t believe in happy endings. Whoever is peddling them is a crook. Whoever trusts them is a fool.”

Well, that was quite the ride, and it was certainly a lot to wrap my head around! I have absolutely loved getting to know all of these characters and their completely troubled, messed up selves as they navigate the chaos of living in The City of Sin and learning both who and not to trust. I really think The Shadow Game series is one those critically underrated series that has so much depth and intrigue, yet I just don't see as many people talking about this series as I would expect.

You’re gonna get literal MAJOR spoilers for book 2, I’m literally about to jump into it, cause the last book left off with a bang…

…a LITERAL BANG cause Enne killed Jac right in front of Levi and how dare? 🙃💀💀 may be dead, but there’s this wild game that may have started that’s outside of the shadow game with gold cards and somehow the bargainer is involved and yah.



──•~❉᯽❉~•──

They’re opposites in a way. I feel like Enne is almost like an anti-hero; good girl turned really bad. Levi, on the other hand, is trying so hard to make up for past mistakes and be better. No wonder their relationship is so complex! I love them as individuals as well. They’re both strong-minded with their own opinions on what’s good and what’s not, which creates an interesting dynamic.

I gotta admit, Enne and Levi continue being their extremely frustrating selves in this book, They don’t really work through any of their issues really and it’s hard to believe they’ll ever be completely happy together when they spend a decent proportion of this book barely trusting each other. Honestly my feelings on them haven’t really changed from the last book, they have great chemistry but the angst makes them hard to root for as a couple.

Two things I really wanted to see did happen in this book however: the mystery of Enne’s past was revealed, including who her father was and how she came to be in Lourdes’ care, and Enne finally using her Mizer power to create volts (which I’ve been so curious about ever since the first book) – and neither scene disappointed.



I also really appreciated that Foody showed her characters struggling to deal with the trauma that they’d faced in the previous books. A certain death in King of Fools has a big impact on all of the main characters and I’m glad she didn’t just brush past it and actually explored the fallout from it because so often books don’t. Enne’s PTSD and her issues with guns after the last book was particularly well done.



──•~❉᯽❉~•──

Lola unexpectedly takes center stage for a large part of this book, but I really didn’t like her arc. While her attitude is understandable considering the deal she made, it still felt rather extreme, and her actions were extremely selfish and stupid. but also because I simply despised some of the choices she made!

Harvey was yet another character stepping into prominence, and for most of the book I was struggling with whether to be mad at him or pity him for his obviously toxic friendship/relationship with Bryce, who is the one orchestrating this latest bout of chaos. All in all though, hats off to Amanda Foody for developing his character in this direction, since I never expected to find a new favourite so late in the series.

“Forgiveness is not sought—it’s built, stone by stone, over whatever it is you’ve broken.”

──•~❉᯽❉~•──

The Bargainer is a big part of this final book and she was definitely very interesting, though I kind of wish we’d learned more about the awful things she’d done in the past!

I really liked Sophia’s arc, a lot of her arc in this book is about uncovering her lost memories and finding out about her past and that definitely had a really satisfying conclusion.

I will be honest, there were a few players, like Delaney , who I’d actually forgotten who they were because there are SO MANY CHARACTERS IN THIS SERIES.

──•~❉᯽❉~•──

Don’t even ask me to summarize Queen Of Volts‘ plot because there’s simply so. much. happening.. I’m so obsessed with this game because it’s such a clever invention! Amanda, if you read this: YOU’RE A GENIUS. I’m not even going to attempt to explain because we’ll be here till tomorrow, no joke. There’s also still so much mystery to be uncovered. And, oh boy, when it does..!



I’m a little disappointed though, to not be able to rate this a full 5 stars.The pacing remained an issue once again, the languid narration early in the book sharply contrasting with the chaos that was the last 30% or so.

I love the chapter separators in this book, it’s split into twenty two parts, and each one is named after a card in Bryce’s game, that little attention detail is great. The little quotes from New Reynes’ papers as well were a lovely touch. It also has a map (and I do love a map!).

──•~❉᯽❉~•──

“All the best stories have happy endings, you know. You should really keep that in mind when you’re writing it. Otherwise, who will want to read it?”

The ending was very full circle, I thought Foody did a pretty good job of concluding everyone’s story and I loved how everything in the end circled back to the first book, it felt like a very completed arc (though obviously I hope that Amanda Foody does more books in this world at some point!).

I’m not really sure how many of them are buying into the whole reformed lifestyle either, seeing as it just doesn’t fit their characters, and I just expected an ending that was more exciting than that for all of them. Overall, Queen of Volts was a seriously intense read – painful, angsty, yet satisfying, and a marvellous conclusion to the series. Highly recommended!

“It didn’t matter what cards you were dealt. The City of Sin was a game, and the only way to win was to stack the cards in your favour.”

[Kal ★ Reader Voracious · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a long time to get over the events of King of Fools so I could read the finale of the Shadow Game Trilogy. This series has been a huge part of my personality for almost 4 years and it's weird my journey with these characters is over. Powerful call to arms against the unjust and a satisfying end to the trilogy. While this review is spoiler-free for Queen of Volts, please tread lightly if you haven't read the first 2 books.

"Twenty-six years after the tyrannical ruling class had been slaughtered, a Mizer had been discovered alive. A Mizer in known partnership with an orb-maker, both of whose ancestors had governed the world side by side. Partners who'd assassinated the man who'd started the Revolution."

The City of Sin is built on its legends, and Queen of Volts is where they come out to play. We've heard the legends of the Mizers, the Revolution, the street war: and now new information will come to light that changes everything.

Largely about the consequences of the generations before and their earlier choices. Enne and Levi have been cast into dangerous roles based on their lineage. Plotted intricately well, small details from the first book are brought back and explained in a series of revelations that brings everything together. There's a new game for the City of Sin, but it is all connected... and I love how everything comes together.

"His desire and pain and grief were so intertwined that his heart could no longer tell them apart."

Do you like idiots in love who can't seem to trust one another enough to share their feelings? If so, this book is for you! Enne and Levi have been locked in this will-they-won't-they dance since book one with a variety of obstacles keeping them apart. But somehow in this one it's their inability to communicate and share their feelings. Sure, they each betrayed the other on more than one occasion... but still! I spent a lot of my time hoping they would hate kiss hahaha.

"Her entire story, her entire identity seemed to slip from her grasp as her memories were cast in a harsher, grimmer perspective."

King of Fools was largely centered on Levi's goal of becoming a legend and putting (insufferably) everything at risk to achieve that aim. It's Enne's turn to act a fool in Queen of Volts : her inability to accept ownership over her actions and constantly looking to others to assign blame is insufferable. "It was the Omerta." "It was bad information." Enne's very much having a bit of an identity crisis as she tries to cope with the consequences of her choices but it only leads to more and more bad decision making (girl, stop listening to your gut - you weren't born in this world), isolating herself more and more from those who care about her. A central developmental theme is about choices and owning them instead of blaming others. Her journey in this book is a painful one to read but her development out the other side is fantastic.

"'It doesn't feel good to question who you are."

Lola is still my absolute favorite, a traffic-law abiding knife collector with a gruff personality and a heart of gold for those she loves. And my poor girl goes through it in this book. Lola's POV and storyline is by far my favorite in Queen of Volts.

"Turns out tragedy is always tragic."

The truth is despite enjoying the book and reveling in all the loose threads being tied up in a bow, I kind of struggled with the book and didn't enjoy it as the prior two books. It's hard to put my finger on but I think I narrowed it down to 2 key things: 1) there are five (5!) perspectives in this finale and 2) I lowkey found the characters insufferable. While the Harvey, Lola, and Sophia POVs provide some necessary revelations and welcome breaks from Levi and Enne being idiots, I always struggle with multiple POVs (it's definitely a me thing).

When I first read Ace of Shades in 2018, I hadn't really seen any buzz or hype about the book. Little did I know that this trilogy would become my personality and I'd recommend the book to anyone who'd listen. It's one of the first YA fantasy books I read after starting my book blog earlier in the year and this series will always hold a special place in my heart. But I can't help but wonder if I'd have the same reading experience if I were to pick it up now. (Probably, because I re-read King of Fools *sobbs*.)

This trilogy shows we are all capable of being the villain with the right circumstances and it is about the choices you make. The book casts no aspersions and bad choices don't forever cast you the villain: atonement and being better than you were yesterday. Beautiful end to a fantastic fantasy trilogy and Foody remains on my auto-buy list!

January 6, 2020:
That cover.
That synopsis.
That excerpt.

eARC provided by the publisher for my honest review. This has not affected my opinions for the book nor the contents of my review. Quotations have been compared against my finished copy.

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[Mila · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really sad that my enjoyment of this series went downhill with every book. At this point, I'm not sure if it's the book or me who is at fault but I found this final installation to be very underwhelming and it also had way too many POVs, the plot was already confusing enough without them.

[Lauren Lanz]

Still feeling violated because Jac deserved better but here we are I guess.

(I'M SO EXCITED!!!)

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this whole series so much, it’s honestly brilliantly done and this last book was no exception. The characters, the plot, the lore, just everything about it is incredibly complex and well executed. One of my all time favourite series 100%. More people need to read it!!!!!

[Zoë ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.75🌟

That was pretty damn complicated but I enjoyed it nonetheless! 😂 RTC

[Tib · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
TW: (from Amanda's site) extreme violence, death, grief, attempted suicide/suicidal ideation, PTSD, toxic and abusive relationships (particularly regarding a parent and a romantic partner), addiction, emetophobia

Okay, now that was a great ending to a great series. Amanda mentioned that it was bittersweet, but I feel like it was more sweet than bitter, which I like in my endings. Sweetness with a hint of that dark chocolate flavor underneath.

Through most of the story, Enne and Levi were their frustrating selves, constantly hurting each other by doing things to "save" each other without talking to one another and therefore making everything worse and hurting each other more. For me, that kind of behavior is super tiring, but I'm glad that there were conversations about how unhealthy that is. I loved, loved, loved Levi and Tock's conversation about his relationship with Enne. It was actually refreshing to see that realization of "maybe I shouldn't be with her because we are kind of toxic for each other and just because we have shared trauma doesn't mean we have to be together" moment in YA. I also really loved the discussion of Henry and Bryce's relationship and watching Henry come to terms with how abusive their relationship was and learn to be his own person by the end. I'm so glad he's getting a fresh start with this life. The boy deserves it.

There were so many great conversations in this one book that YA in general needs to be addressing more often. Those bad relationships and how you don't have to stay in them, taking hold of your own destiny, being complacent in something doesn't make you an innocent player, taking responsibility for your actions. There are more, but I let my friend borrow the copy I tabbed and no longer have it with me, so I'll have to update this review once I have my notes in my hands, because there was a lot I loved about this final book that I just don't have words for. Y'all. You need to read this series.

[sage (semi-hiatus)]

.5) Vianca Augustine ★★★★
1.) Ace of Shades ★★★★★
2.) King of Fools ★★★★★
-
I'm ready to drop everything for this book.

[sam]

hi can i get a blurb for this like asap cause that'll be the only thing preventing me from going insane ok thanks bye

[Clara (The Bookworm of Notre-Dame) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, it's not a surprise that I loved this book this much.

[onthebooksel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t expecting the ending we got but I’m happy nonetheless. This series is one of my favourites and Amanda Foody really did THAT.

Queen of Volts is a satisfying ending to the absolute anxiety-inducing ride that the Shadow Game series was for me. I made the decision to reread Ace of Shades and King of Fools before diving into Queen of Volts because we got a POV from Harvey and for the life of me I couldn't remember who he was amidst the chaos that was the heart-wrenching ending of King of Fools.

The plot was fast-paced, characters were in danger like 100% of the time. I keep forgetting that Sophia is only 19 as well, I originally read her as like 25 something and I was mad uncomfortable with who she was with, but getting her POV in this book actually really helped and cemented the hurt of the ending from King of Fools even more.

Enne and Levi are faced with impossible decisions, and all they want to do is be safe and ok enough where they can be with the other and the angst and suffering and absolute denial both of them go through is wild. I wasn't just invested in Enne and Levi either, I wanted all the details on Tock and Lola, those girls were HURTING this book and I just wanted to hug both of them.

If you enjoy a series that is fast-paced, lots of doing less thinking, high-risk high reward and an absolute fight for your life then you'll love the Shadow Game series. There's LBGTQIA rep, there's POC, there are a relatively happy ending and a grim understanding of death.

[♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

“It didn’t matter what cards you were dealt. The City of Sin was a game, and the only way to win was to stack the cards in your favor.”

The third book in The Shadow Games series did not disappoint!

This book is written in the perspective of five different characters - Levi, Enne, Lola, Sophia, and Harvey. This was my first time reading a book that involved more than three perspectives. At times, I found this to be a bit off-putting - but overall I enjoyed seeing how the different characters felt about the particular issues.

After Enne shot Jac in the previous book and everything else that happened at St. Morse Casino, Levi finds it difficult to forgive her.

Now, Bryce has come up with his own version of the Shadow Games, where many will die and only few will survive to the end. As such, Levi has to put his pride aside and partner up with Enne once again.

Now that the entire city knows the truth about Enne’s identity - she has to be extra careful in disguising herself.

While playing the Shadow Game, new truths are uncovered and people split apart. Amidst the chaos, the Bargainer, a New Reynes legend, has come to visit.

While each individual fights for their survival, the group must decide whether they want to work as allies or play as enemies.

I’ll be the first to admit: this is actually the first “official” fantasy series I’ve read. I try to steer clear from these types of books, but considering I really enjoyed it, I’m sure others would also enjoy this if they’re interested in books with casino settings, street gangs, and crime lords! x

[Sammm · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. I cried at the end so that's a 5.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult / Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5 - 4

*Thoughts*

Queen of Volts, the third and final installment in author Amanda Foody's The Shadow Game, is set in the tantalizing and mysterious City of Sin, full of casinos and magic, street gangs and Ponzi schemes, and a mire of dangerous politics. The story picks up one week after the ending of King of Fools. Only days after a corrupt election and brutal street war, a real Shadow Game has been kicked off. The players? The twenty-two of the most powerful, & notorious people in New Reynes. But, for the sake of this story, the main narrators are Lola Sanguick, Enne Scordata, Sophia Toren, Harvey Gabbiano, and Levi Glaisyer.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Anna, Review Junkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polityczne zagrywki, genialni bohaterowie, romantyczne relacje i sam koncept był dobrze wykonany. Dobre zakończenie trylogii.

[Grace (BURTSBOOKS) · Rating 5 out of 5]

AHHH I read this shit so fast I don’t even know what just happened ?!?