Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

As de picas by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

319 reviews

ratnix's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Rape, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Drug use

dangselena's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

5.0

Insane. Very Jordan Peele-esque. Slow start but picks up around 40 pages in and keeps the pace from there. So hard to put down! Hard to put into words but as a White passing Latina, this book quickly put me in my place in the best way possible. The author places the reader directly into the shoes of two Black teenagers and really envelopes you in their state of hypervigilance and terror. The story reveals very quickly how easy it is for any small misstep to ruin their lives instantly. I thought having the dual narration was particularly interesting because of the different experiences of the characters. While both characters are Black,

Chiamaka is half Italian and comes from a wealthy background while Devon is dark skinned and living in poverty. The author really managed to show how their backgrounds give them very different views of how to solve their problems. While they’re both experiencing anti-black racism, the characters are treated very differently by their aggresors because of their upbringing and even their gender and sexuality.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

emily_mh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.5

I don’t want to write too much about this read, because I fear I would spoil something by accident, and I truly think the best way to experience this book is to go in not knowing much about the plot, so that you’re as confused as the MCs and disocvering the trurth right alongside them. The only reason I’m giving this less than five stars is because of some pacing issues. The first half could have been tightened up more, and more time needed to be spent on the climax. There was also an aspect of one MC that felt a bit shoehorned in and underdeveloped. But other than that, this was a truly phenomenal read, both insightful and harrowing. There were so many layers to the plot and characters that Àbíké-Íyímídé artfully constructed and peeled back for the reader. I can see why everyone raves about this work, and I’m really looking forward to reading Àbíké-Íyímídé’s 2024 release.

Rep: gay Black MC, sapphic biracial Black/white Italian/Nigerian-American MC, bi SC, Black Achillean SC

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Outing, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Major: three uses of the n-slur, eugenics Moderate: imprisoned loved one, capital punishment Minor: disownment, toxic masculinity, texturism, sick loved one, suicidal ideation, disordered eating

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

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

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

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

voidature's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

ceruleanshelves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? No

4.0

gossip girl meets get out in a dark academia setting.

while it was mostly predictable for me, it was nonetheless enjoyable. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé does an excellent job of examining institutional racism with a frank eye. i felt a bit more connected to devon than chiamaka, but they were both likable. it was mostly fast-paced and quick to read, i didn't feel like it dragged at any parts.

i think this would make an excellent film adaptation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Car accident, and Murder

Moderate: Death and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Homophobia, Blood, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

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

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

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

alexthegoat's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious 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? N/A

4.0

Couldn’t put it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment