Reviews - Ace of Spades | The StoryGraph

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16.8k reviews for:

Ace of Spades

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

4.23 AVERAGE

hollyrebeccasmith's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Niveus Private Academy is an elite school. Unfortunately, for the only two black students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, it is becoming increasingly sinister. Yes, they have already had to deal with assumptions about them. Yes, they have already had to deal with people staring or crossing other boundaries like touching their hair. Yes, they have had to deal with being othered. But, it's not until an anonymous gossip, Aces, appears on the scene that they begin to feel as though their futures, and even their lives are at stake.

While Devon and Chiamaka's senior year starts off great--they're both named prefects, Aces quickly starts to ruin their lives. Even though they barely know of each other, Devon and Chiamaka soon team up to uncover who--or what Aces truly is.

Author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé has crafted an engaging, incredible, and poignant thriller. Chiamaka is logical, clever, and, when needed, cut-throat. Devon, while quieter, is strong, creative, and deeply loyal. Together, their stories intertwine to create a compelling thriller. Ace of Spades is immensely well-paced with clues dropped deftly throughout.

It's difficult to write a review without giving too much away, and while Ace of Spades clearly takes influence from Gossip Girl, it is completely its own work. If you are a reader who enjoys YA, thrillers with a touch of horror, as well as an overarching and affecting message, Àbíké-Íyímídé's debut novel is for you.

kyriaki_gkourgkouli's review against another edition

2.0

the plot holes were plenty and the ending pretty rushed... however it kept me hooked somehow

clthompsn's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

a very cool way to reflect the racism white societies are built on. and to whoever annotated this book, please never annotate again.

aaaaalyssia's review against another edition

3.0

Thought the story was great but I'm knocking off a star for the writing style/lack of editing. It felt clunky and awkward at times.

silvioriafoss's review against another edition

5.0

Holy. Shit.

nathaliad11's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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: Yes

ida_reads_77's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Wow, this book was a whirlwind of emotions and tension. I didn't know it was a thriller before I started it, and usually I don't read thriller. But this book was fantastic! I was hooked from the first page to the end, needing to find out where Chiamaka and Devon's story would go. It deals with a lot of complex topics, especially race and white supremacy in the present. An essential read!

It reminds me of R F Kuang's academic thrillers around racism, like Babel and Yellowface, so if you enjoyed those, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

This is one of my top books for 2025.

Content Warnings

tayliee_1234's review against another edition

4.25

emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I expected more sadly

daisy27's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

nfrancisco's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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