King of Fools book review [ARC]

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

King of Fools by Amanda Foody
Series: The Shadow Game #2
Published by Inkyard Press on April 30, 2019
Pages: 602
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads

Indulge your vices in the City of Sin, where a sinister street war is brewing and fame is the deadliest killer of them all...

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.

King of Fools is the second book in The Shadow Game series, and I was so excited to find out what was going to happen especially after reading Ace of Shades. I love the characters and the world that is being built all around them. I also really enjoyed this book more because there was a lot less surrounding card games in this one and I think I understood more about the actual storyline. Plus this book really brought the characters out into their own and you really get to see them evolve and grow as characters all the way through. I got my favourite as well, politics, I just really loved this book I think it might be in my top three for the year.

I think in terms of the characters in King of Fools although they were the same characters as in Ace of Shades there was definitely something better about them all within this story. I think the fact that we learnt more about them each and their back stories, I loved that we got to see more of the secondary characters and that they were given a little more of the limelight. Jac’s story was a real highlight for me, I think the way his and Levi’s relationship developed throughout the story was the highlight. It was really realistic and I would have read so much more about them both.

The best bit of the book was definitely the developing relationships and how all of those ended up by the end of the book. I also really loved the way that King of Fools was working more on the basis of unity and how all the gangs worked within the world and started to thrive. There was a definite feeling of girl power running all the way through the story and the gangs which I really appreciated especially as Ace of Shades seems to be more male oriented.

I have to say that I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance element in this book, I know that the slow-burn romance has been hailed as being a fantastic writing achievement but for me I thought it took away from the actual story. The ending of King of Fools, broke my heart but I did think there was a lack of development, I would have loved for there to be a little more discussion about everything that had happened. Levi and Enne’s relationship was a lot of up and downs and a lot of angst and although it did move the story a long I just wanted something more to come from it.

I definitely recommend King of Fools and Ace of Shades, I loved the characters and the way that this story is being told and where everything seems to be headed. I cannot wait for the third book to come out and I just hope that it hits the same heights as the books before it.

Are you a huge fan of The Shadow Game series? Who is your favourite character? Let me know in the comments!