Review: Aces Wilde by Jenn Stark (Immortal Vegas #5)

Aces Wilde (Immortal Vegas #5)
Jenn Stark
Published: Aug. 29, 2016 (Elewyn Publishing)
Purchase: Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free it will reference previous books. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Getting Wilde.

At the end of Wicked and Wilde Sara Wilde is named as the successor to lead the House of Swords after the previous leader is killed by Dark Practitioner Gamon. As a requirement, to prove herself worthy of the title, Sara must compete against the House generals, but it soon becomes apparent that she’ll not only have to fight those within the House of Swords but also those who will try to usurp from the outside.

Aces Wilde starts a couple of weeks after the above events and, besides not knowing what she is going to do about being head of a House, Sara is still reeling emotionally from what she went through in Hell, specifically with The Magician. Remember, in one of the many illusions while in Hell, Sara and Armaeus were living the idyllic life, love and happiness and all that. But the catch is, Sara is the only one to remember this blissful time, and she can’t help but feel a sense of loss and anger. Her avoidance of the issue only intrigues The Magician that much more.

Luckily, I guess, for Sara she’s got other things to deal with. She is still trying to save all the Connected children she can from Dark Practitioners, but Father Jerome is almost at capacity and the more safe houses the more chance for discovery. Also there’s the fact that Sara’s powers are growing at an exponential rate, something that shouldn’t be possible in a mortal. Just another day in the life of Sara Wilde.

This series has been a solid read for me since the first book came out. I’ve eagerly anticipated each one, and that’s unchanged with Aces Wilde although we get a slightly different direction in this one, but it’s a direction I loved. Being focused on the House system and the children Sara saves, there’s a major human component to the story that has previously been overshadowed by the more immortal/magical aspect. Showing how the building conflict is not just insular, but encompasses such a broad range, rounds things out nicely within the series. There’s still plenty to explore, however, and I hope we see more in future books.

Of course, there’s also Sara and The Magician. I think that theirs is one of the most complicated relationships out of any of the books or series I’ve read recently. Normally, the irresolution would start to irk me quite a bit at this point, but I think that’s also where the change in direction for this book helps out. Armaeus takes a step back from always watching out for Sara while he tries to puzzle out what’s happening to her. But I do hope that we get some real growth and resolution in their circumstances sooner rather than later.

Once again, Jenn Stark, along her trusty tarot deck, seamlessly navigates her way through Sara’s crazy world and, as usual, she leaves things off with a bang, therefore ensuring I’m hooked for reading the next book. Of course this isn’t a hardship in the slightest because this series has delivered time and time again, and it keeps getting better.

Sexual content: kissing