30 Followers
The subject of street gangs is not quite my thing, but close enough to things I like that I found enough to enjoy in this book. It's set in a fantasy world where everyone has two talents inherited from their parents who give you their names. So the protagonist is Enne Abacus Salta, her mother a counter (Abacus) and her father a dancer (Salta), and Enne's main, better talent is Salta. Or at least she thinks so, because while she's been good enough at dancing that she might belong to one of the lesser dancing families like the Saltas, her mathematical abilities are abysmal. When Enne's adoptive mother disappears, Enne leaves her finishing school to look for her in New Raynes, a city full of crime and gambling, where right from the first word sue speaks, she gets embroiled in the life of street gangs and gambling. There, she discovers all the secrets her mother kept from her, both about her own life, as well as about Enne herself. Following Enne and her friends trying to lift the mysteries of her mother and herself as well as of the Shadow Game, was very interesting, I always love unearthing secrets. As the character dynamics also often make or break a story for me, I was very happy to find Enne and Levi being surrounded by a cast of characters they partly have existing relationships to or develop different relationships to that kept me involved in what they were going through. Throughout the first half of the book I was unsure if I would continue the series once I finished this book, but during the second half was where the magical properties of the world and its characters came more into focus, and that's something that draws me in more than street gangs. I assume that we will get to know more about it during the coming books and so I do want to read the sequels. All in all, I was satisfied with this book and found myself more and more invested, even if it is not a story that I will count among my faves. Despite its good quality, the subject matter made it unlikely for it to be so.
Mar 10, 2026
The subject of street gangs is not quite my thing, but close enough to things I like that I found enough to enjoy in this book. It's set in a fantasy world where everyone has two talents inherited from their parents who give you their names. So the protagonist is Enne Abacus Salta, her mother a counter (Abacus) and her father a dancer (Salta), and Enne's main, better talent is Salta. Or at least she thinks so, because while she's been good enough at dancing that she might belong to one of the lesser dancing families like the Saltas, her mathematical abilities are abysmal. When Enne's adoptive mother disappears, Enne leaves her finishing school to look for her in New Raynes, a city full of crime and gambling, where right from the first word sue speaks, she gets embroiled in the life of street gangs and gambling. There, she discovers all the secrets her mother kept from her, both about her own life, as well as about Enne herself. Following Enne and her friends trying to lift the mysteries of her mother and herself as well as of the Shadow Game, was very interesting, I always love unearthing secrets. As the character dynamics also often make or break a story for me, I was very happy to find Enne and Levi being surrounded by a cast of characters they partly have existing relationships to or develop different relationships to that kept me involved in what they were going through. Throughout the first half of the book I was unsure if I would continue the series once I finished this book, but during the second half was where the magical properties of the world and its characters came more into focus, and that's something that draws me in more than street gangs. I assume that we will get to know more about it during the coming books and so I do want to read the sequels. All in all, I was satisfied with this book and found myself more and more invested, even if it is not a story that I will count among my faves. Despite its good quality, the subject matter made it unlikely for it to be so.
Mar 10, 2026
