Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - Ace of Spades

The last time I finished a book this quickly was probably 12 years ago. It's not an easy read in the sense that the content is hard to stomach, but it is so well written, the characters are incredible, and I simply couldn't put this book down. Highly recommend it!

Content Warnings

thekiwibibliophile's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I have had this book on my TBR for a while now & I’m so glad I picked it up! It was a slow start & I almost put it down but ended up reading 350 pages in 3 hours because I just couldn’t put it down! Such an important read that sheds light on eugenics & systemic racism. I enjoyed the main characters and there were a few I would have liked to have seen get their comeuppance.. overall a great read & I think I’m going to buy myself a copy!

Content Warnings

jareadforfilth's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

The Gossip Girl and Get Out quotes at the beginning are a perfect representation for what this book feels like because this is a WILD RIDE. What an incredible debut, and the fact that this book was written while the author was in college?! Gagged.

The complexities here are profound and this is a wonderful but horrifying representation of how I’m sure it can feel to live as a black person in a white patriarchal culture. I love the queer black Rep here, it’s so important to have more and more representation of non-white queerness and to have the intersectionality of homophobia and racism that bleeds through.

This book becomes so much more than I was expecting and I was gripped and so terrified for Chi and Devon the entire time! There was just so much each of them had to endure coming on them from all directions and it was horrifying and soooo stressful, like they really only have each other and they’re not even friends which I think is profound in itself—they’re forced to have each others backs even though they don’t particularly like each other all because of the color of their skin, but NO ONE ELSE can be trusted. It’s unfair but such an impactful message by the author.

I did wish we saw more of the takedown of Niveus coming from Devon and Chi instead of a random unexplained fire that I’m pretty sure was Jamie somehow, but I did love the symbolism of that hellhole going down in flames. Also, seeing them work through what’s happened to them and making the moves to show how they got to the epilogue instead of just showing them successful and empowered could have been a really incredible detail I wish we’d gotten. Lastly, I wish there’d been some resolution regarding Devon’s dad. The hurt and loss he must have felt at being deceived by his parents must have been equally profound to what he was experiencing (though less vindictive of course) and I wish we could have gotten to see Devon put himself first and get the conversation he deserved

Content Warnings