Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

92 reviews

soniaiscool's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5


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dhutton1997's review against another edition

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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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meganders22's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.5


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emily_mh's review against another edition

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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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katelynprice's review against another edition

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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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mamatrauma's review against another edition

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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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camrich's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5


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theuncannydani's review against another edition

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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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mir_frog73's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional 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

5.0

Holy shit…. That was so crazy. I don’t really read mystery/thrillers but that was so incredible. Every time I thought it would let up it just got worse.
hot take but I’m happy the Jamie died and I hope chi killed headmaster ward 🤷🏼‍♂️ what can I say they are the worst </spoiler >

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bookobsessedmommy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

3.5

I have mixed feelings about this book, but I'll start with a more technical review which is how I chose to rate it. Check the content warnings! Chiamaka and Devon are compelling characters and the whole vibe of the book keeps you on edge. Its like Get Out, but make it high school. I think it's well written overall, but too long. There are whole scenes, like the situation with Devon's dad for example, that could have been cut with little to no change to the actual plot. The beginning drags and so do various parts of the book, which again I attribute to it being too long. The resolution is a bit abrupt, but the epilogue is a welcome addition. (I am a sucker for a wrap up)  As for my personal feelings, I never would have picked this up if I knew how much trauma there was. I read primarily for enjoyment and escape, so this thriller/horror depiction of life in brown skin is a little too real and too scary for me. I was really into the strange mystery of it all for a while, but there are times when it feels like every painful stereotype has been thrown in here to tick things off like a depressing bingo card. Homophobia, racism (blatant and systemic), police brutality, mass incarceration, slut shaming, gang violence. I could go on, but you get the idea. I nearly DNFd multiple times, but I wanted to know what happened. The ending was both surprising and underwhelming, but I'm here for what it represents. Even with my mixed feelings, I would still give this author another shot after checking content warnings.

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