Oh wow, where to begin? We left King of Fools with the world knowing Enne’s identity as the last living Mizer, creators of volts that everybody fears. She destroyed her relationship with Levi after killing his best friend Jac under influence from the Omerta cast upon her by Vianca. But now, Levi and Enne are free of Vianca’s influence once and for all, but the other, Bryce Balfour, is their new problem. And there’s a new game to play, and not everyone can be a winner. This is a fantastic, twisty end to The Shadow Game trilogy, with more characters and more points of view than before.
Star rating: 5 stars
This is a book with many points of view – Enne, Levi, Sophia, Lola and Harvey all get their own time with the reader now. The gang are more divided than ever thanks to previous events, but they’ll have to work together to overcome the new threats. A new game of cards has pitted them against each other, and it makes for a wonderfully written plot where the reader is never quite sure what these morally grey characters are going to do.
Enne is a great character – but she’s no longer the innocent, sheltered kid from Bellamy. Killing Jac has scarred her, and she’s jumpy and quick to fight. Levi is mourning the death of his best friend but he still has the Irons to handle. Both of them need to decide what to do with the Scarhands and the Doves, both leaderless and either an asset or a threat. Sophia’s parentage is still a big mystery – as is her split talent that she gave to The Bargainer. She is also mourning Jac, and has found herself bound to Vianca’s son, Harrison, through Omerta. Lola is Enne’s second but her friend does something she can’t forgive. Leaving the Spirits, she is now with The Bargainer, who has taken something she didn’t know she was giving up. Finally, Harvey is a confusing character. In love with Bryce, he gave up his freedom to Harrison to save him. The story of where his loyalties lie and the character growth was immense.
I love the diversity in this book – a world where same sex relationships are not treated any differently. There are some really cute romances, which brought some light to a very dark plot. Amanda did a great job and drawing the loose ends to closures, with the book solving mystery after mystery from Enne and Sophia’s parentage to the loyalties of the characters.
Honestly, I really love the concept of this series – especially the family talents, the card games (this final book definitely has the best, most complex game out there). There are many characters to keep track of, but this isn’t made particularly difficult. I’m amazed Amanda managed to fit all of their stories in so few pages (which is probably why it reads so fast).
Are you looking forward to Queen of Volts? It’s published on 1st September 2020 so not long to wait! Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the eARC.
Toastie Books 
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