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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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
When I was in college, I remember having a conversation with a white professor who was something of a mentor for me. I told him that I wasn't sure I could finish my degree. To my great surprise, he spoke to me about how it was okay if I didn't, that this wasn't for everyone, and that I should take care of myself first. I was surprised because I was one of the star students at the time: I had excellent grades, had done well in various competitions, and was heavily involved in the theater/opera programs. There was only one year left in my degree plan, and what I was looking for was a pep talk not an "it's okay to fail."
This is the kind of thing that sounds innocuous enough, but when your skin is the wrong shade, you can't help but wonder. If I were his star student, had only a year left in my degree plan, had accomplished everything I had, but I were white... would he be telling me to push through, I'm so close and I clearly have the skills and abilities to succeed, and that this was a pathway to greater things? I don't know and I can't know, but as a person of color you always wonder.
Ace of Spades is frightening. Not because of it's over-the-top paranoia, but because what should be over-the-top heightened reality hits so close to home. It's frightening to see how ridiculous and ludicrous the story is in the third act while simultaneously realize that you've seen, heard, or spoken to people about your own very similar experiences or theirs. Very nearly everything Chiamaka and Devon think or experience - even the absolutely ridiculous things - are relatable and grounded in lived experience and it shows.
Some minor quibbles: as I've already spoiled at this point, race figures prominently in the story as the only two black kids in school are the target of an anonymous cyber bully. While I can appreciate that the author is trying to show that the two black students don't immediately assume it's a racial thing, it's FAR too obvious. The characters DO think it could be racial briefly in moments and try to suppress that idea with whatabouts, but ultimately, we don't do that nearly enough and it causes our protagonists to look painfully naive. Thankfully, the author walks the line of preaching at the reader and simply presenting the protagonists inner monologue regarding the story successfully far more often than not. Enough to notice I'm being told what's happening and what this is an allegory for without taking me out of the experience.
Ultimately, it's the heightened reality of the novel that causes it to excel in its narrative. So much so that the epilogue (MINOR Spoiler) had me breathing a sigh of relief and had me briefly well up with tears. In their story as in mine, we persevere regardless of the obstacles in our way and achieve our goals. This story will stick with me for a long time.
This is the kind of thing that sounds innocuous enough, but when your skin is the wrong shade, you can't help but wonder. If I were his star student, had only a year left in my degree plan, had accomplished everything I had, but I were white... would he be telling me to push through, I'm so close and I clearly have the skills and abilities to succeed, and that this was a pathway to greater things? I don't know and I can't know, but as a person of color you always wonder.
Ace of Spades is frightening. Not because of it's over-the-top paranoia, but because what should be over-the-top heightened reality hits so close to home. It's frightening to see how ridiculous and ludicrous the story is in the third act while simultaneously realize that you've seen, heard, or spoken to people about your own very similar experiences or theirs. Very nearly everything Chiamaka and Devon think or experience - even the absolutely ridiculous things - are relatable and grounded in lived experience and it shows.
Some minor quibbles: as I've already spoiled at this point, race figures prominently in the story as the only two black kids in school are the target of an anonymous cyber bully. While I can appreciate that the author is trying to show that the two black students don't immediately assume it's a racial thing, it's FAR too obvious. The characters DO think it could be racial briefly in moments and try to suppress that idea with whatabouts, but ultimately, we don't do that nearly enough and it causes our protagonists to look painfully naive. Thankfully, the author walks the line of preaching at the reader and simply presenting the protagonists inner monologue regarding the story successfully far more often than not. Enough to notice I'm being told what's happening and what this is an allegory for without taking me out of the experience.
Ultimately, it's the heightened reality of the novel that causes it to excel in its narrative. So much so that the epilogue (MINOR Spoiler) had me breathing a sigh of relief and had me briefly well up with tears. In their story as in mine, we persevere regardless of the obstacles in our way and achieve our goals. This story will stick with me for a long time.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book. I thought oh no it's really for teenager on the first few chapters but the plot rapidly caught on (and me) and changed that. The mystery is well built, I felt it becoming bigger and bigger to the point you realise there is no escape. I felt so angry and frustrated for the Chiamaka and Devon's fate, how everything is against them all the time (the parallel to real life is clear but you don't feel like the story forces it down your throat). The ending is so satisfactory. I loved it.
This book blew my mind. From start to finish, it was absolutely amazing. The themes it covered? Whew—so necessary and so real. The way it tackled racism, privilege, and identity in such a raw and layered way… this stuff really happens in real life, and the author did not hold back.
I literally didn’t want to stop reading. It lives up to the Pretty Little Liars/Gossip Girl comparisons, but honestly? It’s better. That twist? Had me GAGGED. This is one of those stories that sticks with you long after the last page.
I literally didn’t want to stop reading. It lives up to the Pretty Little Liars/Gossip Girl comparisons, but honestly? It’s better. That twist? Had me GAGGED. This is one of those stories that sticks with you long after the last page.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
medium-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
⭐5 + ❤️
ainda não sei o que dizer sobre esse livro. ele não seria um livro 5 estrelas até ler a nota da autora. pessoas negras merecem finais felizes, é isso.
ainda não sei o que dizer sobre esse livro. ele não seria um livro 5 estrelas até ler a nota da autora. pessoas negras merecem finais felizes, é isso.
LOVED IT SM!!!!!!! it started to drag on for a bit at the end but anyways faridah you've done it again!