Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

56 reviews

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

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

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

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

honeywisteria's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Grief, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Toxic relationship

katelynprice's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

I loved the premise of this book, but it was a bit too long. It was a slow burn and took a long time to build up to the action and resolution. I was also frustrated and yelling at the characters in my mind because I thought they would make smarter decisions at times. However, the overall plot was really good, and it was a gut-punch of a book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Homophobia, Bullying, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content

Minor: Death, Drug abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, and Addiction

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.

theuncannydani's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Racism, Child abuse, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Stalking, Classism, Death, Car accident, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual harassment, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Confinement, Alcohol, Suicide, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual violence

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Cursing, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug abuse

sofiarodriguez's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I feel like the ending was a bit rushed but overall a great read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Homophobia, Death, Racism, Murder, Gun violence, Colonisation, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, and Addiction

airr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Drug use, Racism, Homophobia, and Addiction

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Grief, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Blood, Car accident, Murder, Stalking, Death, Death of parent, and Violence

living_for_the_hope_of_it_all's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

this had me HOOKED literally ate it up, made up theories and speculated about everything
justice for my boy von he did nothing wrong!!!!
also Dre. i fucking love dre come home babe the kids miss you
3* because a few characters were left which i would have loved to see more of

belle, dre, jack, even ruby like cmon where did they gooo

got a few good laughs out of it, almost made me cry once 

that reveal about von's dad being on death roll the last time von ever saw him??? like stfu i was gonna THROW. UP.

overall i enjoyed it thoroughly, got my mind moving and all that, very quick to read and the writing was pretty easy to read too so!
great one!!

~a month later~
taking the rating down a notch bcz not that in hindsight i think the book is bad, it's just that i always forget i even read it😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Outing, and Blood

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Misogyny, and Murder

Minor: Suicide attempt, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders

elfyn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

Fucking fantastic. Challenging in all the right ways. I finished it in one sitting.

I literally cried at reading dr and professor in the epilogue.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Drug use, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Stalking, Addiction, Death, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Grief, Bullying, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment

lesego_mashego's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, and Homophobia

Minor: Addiction