Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

As de picas by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

402 reviews

sinceraly's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

I wanted so badly to like this book, and I always feel weird trying to rate a book about a Black experience of racism, or at least a representation of that, when I am not Black myself, but critiquing this as fairly and honestly as I can, I don't think it's entirely well written. I understand the fact that racism can come from anywhere and anyone, and that no white person is not at least complicit in systemic racism, but some of the complete and sudden heel turns made by characters in this book for the sake of making them racist was sloppy, the plot didn't really make sense when you consider that the main idea of an evil school set out to ruin Black lives and practice social eugenics relies on said evil school bringing in Black students it otherwise did not need to, and plot points were regularly brought up and then completely left unanswered, like Devon finding out his father died as a death row I made and Dre being arrested on drug dealing charges.

The writer is very talented at prose, but unfortunately, this book did not have the consistency and skill to tell the story in a way that felt realistic enough. Racism does exist in both violent and sneaky ways, and both threaten lives, but Ace of Spades, to me, does not do a great job of selling the message. The evil you know is always scarier than the evil you do, and the book really would have been more successful if it had made and kept the villains as more of an intimate set of people - like Get Out did by having the villains be the main character's girlfriend's family - rather than a handful of them and also the whole school.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Violence, Outing, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Classism and Injury/Injury detail

denee16's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was intense and heartwrenchin. Hopeful and challenging.  It follows Devon and Chiamaka as they navigate their senior year while their lives are quite literally blowing up in front of them. It covers the systemic racism that traces throughout generations and holding those perpetrating it accountable. 
While I may never personally feel these struggles, walking through these characters fights for justice and pain caused by rigged systems and a society working to keep them oppressed.
The constant questions of who Aces was only for the reveal to be absolutely horrifying and yet so real was exactly what kept this book moving so fast. 

This book was fantastic and I can't recommend it enough!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Bullying, Death, Stalking, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Classism, Outing, Racial slurs, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Gun violence

dalek_caan's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I feel like there is no feedback I can provide that can do this book the justice that it deserves other than to say go read it. I was on the edge of my seat the whole book through, and was really emotionally invested in the characters, the plot, and the overall messages of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Racism, Hate crime, Stalking, Death of parent, Child death, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Homophobia

alreadsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

this book is like if pretty little liars was way gayer and way more rooted in real world issues and it was so good

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Classism, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Racism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Death of parent, Drug use, Death, Grief, and Stalking

Minor: Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Police brutality

sashweana's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Car accident, Racism, Homophobia, Bullying, Stalking, Blood, and Alcoholism

se_wigget's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Highlight, copy, paste--you know, like a phone that isn't a piece of shit. Stop proving that you're garbage, stupidphone.

Paste, paste, paste, paste, paste, paste 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Stalking, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

mamatrauma's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Outing, Violence, Stalking, Sexism, Murder, Drug use, Death, Cursing, and Classism

voidature's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Homophobia, Hate crime, Stalking, Racial slurs, Racism, and Torture

Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Grief, and Outing

Minor: Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, and Gun violence

aurora4847's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Ace of Spades was such a good read, especially for a white college graduate during Black History Month. While the stakes seem so low in the beginning, the tension and mystery keep ramping up the further in you get. It feels almost like a paranormal thriller, but with the monster being systemic racism instead of a demon. The ordeals Chiamaka and Devon have to survive are truly horrifying, and terrifyingly realistic. While it may seem exaggerated for the sake of the story, it really isn't too far off what black students actually have to deal with in academia. Chiamaka and Devon's differing socioeconomic statuses adds another layer of complexity in how they handle and think about what they're enduring. Ace of Spades is practically required reading for any white person who's benefited from access to higher education, especially more elite private schools and universities, and actually gives a damn about how POC are treated in those spaces.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Outing, Homophobia, Classism, Stalking, and Racism

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Police brutality

This book is about systemic racism and eugenics. The main characters are the victims of harassment that grows to assault, hate crimes, stalking, and abuse. They are repeatedly betrayed by trusted individuals.

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Stalking, Violence, Blood, Outing, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Car accident, Grief, Racial slurs, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Alcohol, Drug use, Infidelity, and Sexual content