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abby_ace_of_books
Imagine your magical power being the ability to do math...
Ace of Shades takes place in what is apparently one of my favorite fantasy settings: gambling dens. The magic system, too, is quite interesting, as children inherit magic from their parents in both a stronger blood ability and a weaker split ability, and they can play off of each other too. It reminded me of a mix of Six of Crows and Caraval.
The story follows Enne, your typical out-of-touch wealthy girl, as she searches for her mother in a city built on crimes. She meets Levi, a gang-lord, and together they're thrown into political turmoil as Enne discovers that her mother isn't who she thought she was. It's quite fast-paced, with the whole book taking only ten days, and there's plenty of action and danger. This was a reread, so I remembered most of the plot twists from last time, but I'm pretty sure I didn't call any the first time. While the plot is reminiscent of many other YA books, it's still a fun read.
The book mostly focuses on Enne and Levi, and while there's not a ton of romance (yet), there's plenty of chemistry. I didn't love Enne at first, but she has a nice corruption arc set up for book two. Levi had cool character design and I liked him, but he wasn't my favorite. There weren't a ton of side characters, but the notable two were Jac (my favorite, probably) and Lola (who I hated my first read-through but didn't mind this time). There's also Vianca, and I hope she steps up her villain game in book two because although she's insidious from the beginning, she doesn't really act on it.
If you're looking for a fantasy story filled with corruption and urban settings, Ace of Shades is a fast-paced, easy read.
4/5
Ace of Shades takes place in what is apparently one of my favorite fantasy settings: gambling dens. The magic system, too, is quite interesting, as children inherit magic from their parents in both a stronger blood ability and a weaker split ability, and they can play off of each other too. It reminded me of a mix of Six of Crows and Caraval.
The story follows Enne, your typical out-of-touch wealthy girl, as she searches for her mother in a city built on crimes. She meets Levi, a gang-lord, and together they're thrown into political turmoil as Enne discovers that her mother isn't who she thought she was. It's quite fast-paced, with the whole book taking only ten days, and there's plenty of action and danger. This was a reread, so I remembered most of the plot twists from last time, but I'm pretty sure I didn't call any the first time. While the plot is reminiscent of many other YA books, it's still a fun read.
The book mostly focuses on Enne and Levi, and while there's not a ton of romance (yet), there's plenty of chemistry. I didn't love Enne at first, but she has a nice corruption arc set up for book two. Levi had cool character design and I liked him, but he wasn't my favorite. There weren't a ton of side characters, but the notable two were Jac (my favorite, probably) and Lola (who I hated my first read-through but didn't mind this time). There's also Vianca, and I hope she steps up her villain game in book two because although she's insidious from the beginning, she doesn't really act on it.
If you're looking for a fantasy story filled with corruption and urban settings, Ace of Shades is a fast-paced, easy read.
4/5
Apparently, it doesn't take much to convince me to want to read Shakespeare...
In true Abby fashion, the first time I read These Violent Delights, I read the sequel series first. Now I'm rereading both series in order, and it makes a lot more sense... In my defense, I still loved this book the first time, and it's made me want to reread Romeo and Juliet again (I'm holding off because I'll have to read it for class next year). Also, I forgot most of the plot twists, so it was fun to relive them.
This book takes inspiration from Romeo and Juliet but sticks them in 1920s Shanghai filled with gangs and monsters. Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, sworn enemies, must work together to discover what - or who - is behind the madness that has struck both their gangs. The story is a decent mix of action, drama, romance, and mystery. As with every Chloe Gong book, there's always one action scene that sticks in my mind, and the romance almost always has me super excited. The action and the mystery elements mixed together well to keep me interested, although sometimes the pacing felt a bit slow to me. I didn't enjoy this as much as I did the first time, and I think it's either a reading slump or the fact that I remembered the biggest plot twist. Regardless, it was still an enjoyable read (and it's worth a read for the sequel series alone).
Another thing I love about Chloe Gong books is the character dynamics. I absolutely love Juliette - she's a strong female character, and I really like how she's the main fighter between her and Roma. Roma, too, is so fun to read about; he cares deeply for his family and friends, but he isn't afraid to protect them. Their enemies(ish)-to-lovers dynamics are well-done and not overly instalovey, which I appreciate. I thought Benedikt and Marshall played a bigger role in this book (I misremembered), but I like how their dynamics mesh together, and I also appreciated our introduction to Alisa. I actually liked Kathleen a lot more on this read-through, so I'm glad she's in the sequel series more.
Chloe Gong excels at Shakespeare retellings, and These Violent Delights is the perfect introduction into her writing with a mix of action, intrigue, and mystery.
4.25/5
In true Abby fashion, the first time I read These Violent Delights, I read the sequel series first. Now I'm rereading both series in order, and it makes a lot more sense... In my defense, I still loved this book the first time, and it's made me want to reread Romeo and Juliet again (I'm holding off because I'll have to read it for class next year). Also, I forgot most of the plot twists, so it was fun to relive them.
This book takes inspiration from Romeo and Juliet but sticks them in 1920s Shanghai filled with gangs and monsters. Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, sworn enemies, must work together to discover what - or who - is behind the madness that has struck both their gangs. The story is a decent mix of action, drama, romance, and mystery. As with every Chloe Gong book, there's always one action scene that sticks in my mind, and the romance almost always has me super excited. The action and the mystery elements mixed together well to keep me interested, although sometimes the pacing felt a bit slow to me. I didn't enjoy this as much as I did the first time, and I think it's either a reading slump or the fact that I remembered the biggest plot twist. Regardless, it was still an enjoyable read (and it's worth a read for the sequel series alone).
Another thing I love about Chloe Gong books is the character dynamics. I absolutely love Juliette - she's a strong female character, and I really like how she's the main fighter between her and Roma. Roma, too, is so fun to read about; he cares deeply for his family and friends, but he isn't afraid to protect them. Their enemies(ish)-to-lovers dynamics are well-done and not overly instalovey, which I appreciate. I thought Benedikt and Marshall played a bigger role in this book (I misremembered), but I like how their dynamics mesh together, and I also appreciated our introduction to Alisa. I actually liked Kathleen a lot more on this read-through, so I'm glad she's in the sequel series more.
Chloe Gong excels at Shakespeare retellings, and These Violent Delights is the perfect introduction into her writing with a mix of action, intrigue, and mystery.
4.25/5
