Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

330 reviews

sonovahades's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective 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

5.0

This was great. so intense, but in a great way, tho not sure that sounds right. at first, i didn't like chiamaka. she knew what she wanted, sure, but she still acted very naive and very mean. but she got there in the end, so i liked her also. devon was my favourite since the beginning. he was a little pessimistic, but at least more realistic than Chiamaka xd also i love his mom so much... honestly, i figured this book will have a strong theme of racism (which is why i picked it up) i did not expect this. this was so much more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, and Racism

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Racial slurs

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

jayanna's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I don’t even know where to begin… I loved this book and am totally looking forward to reading more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Racism

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Drug use

matmatmatty's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Would recommend this one for sure. It's very Gossip Girl-esque - secrets at a private school, lots of rich kids doing bad things, but with an anti-racism message underneath.

I think at times the villain was a bit cartoonish but for this genre, it makes sense.

The point is that so many people and so many people with power are in on it, with this level  of "who can you trust" going on. It makes sense that the teachers did nothing (even though, I know for a fact if a school found out that their Head Prefect was accused of stealing and murder and had inappropriate pictures shared everywhere, they would SHUT THAT DOWN - my source : I went to a posh private school)

Questions I still have that weren't completely answered:

1. Who stopped Devon's suicide attempt? Like I don't think they actually said
2. What happened with the original headmaster? Like was he in on it, or was he against it so they got rid of him?
3. Chi should have just gone to the police straight after the accident. Like I get that it would have been implicating her friend and everything but I feel like the smart thing is to tell the police and if it was real, get leniency for age. Kids, if this happens to you, tell the police straight away because hiding a crime is way worse than the actual crime.
4. It was implied that Chi was assaulted but then it feels like it was kind of dropped? Like what happened with that?
5. Not a question but I think it would have been good if the revelation of previous victims had been teased a bit more. Like when Terrell first mentioned that they the only black kids, he could start looking into if they're the first and maybe find some names but they lose the trail and then they can find the yearbooks and know they disappeared. Feel like that would have felt more like a conspiracy that way.

But honestly, really loved it. Not perfect but did what it was doing really well. Snaps all round.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Outing, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug use

Minor: Suicide attempt and Sexual assault

micaulkislarg's review

dark informative sad tense slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Racial slurs

beilerlena's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Car accident, Classism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Xenophobia

lostgwennel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

and everyone clapped

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Car accident, and Racism

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Drug use

dhutton1997's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

HOLY CRAP THIS IS SO GOOD. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Mental illness, Outing, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Car accident, Classism, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Abandonment, Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Torture

mafelrs's review against another edition

dark 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Hate crime, Racism, Physical abuse, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking

Minor: Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Sexual assault, Classism, Death, and Drug use

valeriezharick's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

this book is a masterpiece omg.!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Bullying, Hate crime, and Racism

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Outing, Stalking, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Suicide attempt, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Classism, and Gaslighting

evelynyle_88's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

WHAT A HELLA RIDE.... 5⭐

First, I wanna say thank you to Miss Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé for creating the world about Niveus Private Academy. This book is beyond perfect! Well, at the start... it feels usual, but after you read about 40 pages of the story, the chills started. I can imagine myself; there... being Chiamaka Adebayo. I positioned myself as her as I read the whole story.

Ace of Spades simply stole my heart! This book is a brilliant book. Disturbing, giving so many chills, brutally-emotional, scary at some points.. but this book is brilliant. Even scarier even there's no ghosts in this story. 

This book is the one to read and I hella can't put the book down even for only five minutes. The story, the characters, the settings, the plots... are perfect and sickeningly good! 

I never find the thriller-mystery book that left chills so much; even now.. when I write this review and finished reading this already. This book leaves a gasp for me and makes me smirk at the end; the epilogue.

What a perfect of twisted 'oh' ending. All hail, Ace of Spades! ♠️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Car accident, Blood, Racism, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Alcohol, and Stalking

Moderate: Vomit, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, and Murder

Minor: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault