Queen of Volts
Author: Amanda Foody
Published: September 1, 2020
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Format: eBook
Source: Edelweiss+
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.
I went out of my way to read the preceding two books in the series because I’d heard marvelous things about them. Of course, I was hooked from the first few pages of book one when Enne is trying to find her way through this incredibly seedy underworld place with casinos and dancers and so many other things. In a world of talents and favors and debts and crime, it seemed like the perfect blend of magic, mobster gangs, and overthrown royalty to quench my thirst!
I loved both books 1 and 2, so picking up Queen of Volts has honestly been satisfying. This book came out last month and I’m just getting to writing a review, but I did enjoy this book. The characters continue to develop, to learn about themselves, to see the future they can possibly make for themselves as well. I really want to avoid spoilers, so this is more a plug for the entire series.
The high stakes world of New Reynes is incredibly interesting and captivating! I’d say this is firmly upper YA, just due to the content – lots of gambling, drinking, drugs, maybe a splash of prostitution. These things can be appropriate for younger YA audiences, but I felt like they belonged in the upper range for this series.
My only complaint with this book is that the plot has gotten so incredibly detailed and convoluted – there are three times as many characters as the first novel and I can’t keep them straight sometimes. I still really liked it, it just became hard to remember what I was reading at some points or to track what stage of whoever’s plan it was and who they were double crossing to get to whatever end they wanted. Also, the POV switching just kept happening and suddenly I had 6 or more different POVs to read, which made it even more difficult.
Overall, I loved this book and I would recommend that fans of upper-YA literature with complicated worlds, magic systems, technology (because guns do exist here), crime, and a distinct 20s gangster meets Victorian morals vibe would really enjoy this book! It’s out now, so get a copy!
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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