Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

329 reviews

myromantasyempire's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Normally when media is touted as a “this meets that” I am highly sceptical because it rarely lives up to it. But this is legit Gossip Girl meets Get Out and it’s great. And by great I mean it’s rage inducing and heartbreaking, a bit of a thriller, but also heartwarming because despite the shitstorm that is the story, there is some love and joy for the main characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Bullying

Moderate: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Outing

Minor: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts

aurora4847's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.75

Ace of Spades was such a good read, especially for a white college graduate during Black History Month. While the stakes seem so low in the beginning, the tension and mystery keep ramping up the further in you get. It feels almost like a paranormal thriller, but with the monster being systemic racism instead of a demon. The ordeals Chiamaka and Devon have to survive are truly horrifying, and terrifyingly realistic. While it may seem exaggerated for the sake of the story, it really isn't too far off what black students actually have to deal with in academia. Chiamaka and Devon's differing socioeconomic statuses adds another layer of complexity in how they handle and think about what they're enduring. Ace of Spades is practically required reading for any white person who's benefited from access to higher education, especially more elite private schools and universities, and actually gives a damn about how POC are treated in those spaces.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Outing, Homophobia, Classism, Stalking, and Racism

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Police brutality

This book is about systemic racism and eugenics. The main characters are the victims of harassment that grows to assault, hate crimes, stalking, and abuse. They are repeatedly betrayed by trusted individuals.

gussurireads's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Não sou a pessoa mais qualificada para tecer uma opinião sobre a experiência das pessoas negras, no entanto creio que aquilo que Faridah tentou fazer com "Ás de Espadas" foi feito antes e melhor pelo filme "Get Out" de Jordan Peele.

"Ás de Espadas" trata-se de uma estreia de uma autora que escreveu isto com apenas 18 anos, zangada (e com razão) com as questões raciais que continuam a discriminar jovens negros nos acessos às melhores empresas e universidades. A forma como foi abordado, no entanto, carece de subtileza e até um pouco mais de optimismo, pois as experiências de Devon e Chiamaka são tão miseráveis de uma forma exagerada, quase cómica (algumas criticas falam inclusive numa espécie de "trauma p*rn"). Sendo eles adolescentes na era contemporânea, a ausência das redes sociais foi gritante, até à parte final do enredo onde um tweet de Devon acaba por resolver todo o conflito e salvar o dia.

Apesar dos pontos mais fracos, creio que seja uma leitura divertida, com vibes de Gossip Girl misturado com mistério, não sendo particularmente excecional em nenhuma das temáticas ou géneros que tentou explorar.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Car accident and Classism

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Stalking, Violence, Blood, Outing, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Car accident, Grief, Racial slurs, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Alcohol, Drug use, Infidelity, and Sexual content

cassy_smith's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Really enjoyed this book. Really enjoyed the slower start and really getting to know the characters. The two main characters were the best part. They were very really and relatable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Hate crime, Bullying, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent

maresuju's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, and Bullying

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Stalking, Gaslighting, Outing, Classism, and Hate crime

Minor: Murder, Drug use, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, and Misogyny

mxleelah's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Racism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Car accident, Gaslighting, Death, and Outing

theuncannydani's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Racism, Child abuse, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Stalking, Classism, Death, Car accident, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual harassment, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Confinement, Alcohol, Suicide, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual violence

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Cursing, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug abuse

frawst_disasta_reads's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

This book is extremely correct in saying it’s like Gossip Girl meets Get Out.  It’s a psychological thriller for sure.  If you didn’t like Get Out, or found it too much, this might not be the best book for you

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Classism, and Racism

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

ohyeahshebomb's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

3.5

This book unfortunately took 7 months to read due to it starting off as a buddy read, but the first 1/3 of the book just agitated me (as a black woman) and just brought back the horrendous encounters I've had and those I'd heard stories of. The story didn't feel like a story. I'm glad I decided to pick it back up and follow through, I flew through the second half of the book within two days. 

A few things I think detracted from the book was the copious amounts of love interests/connections. Maybe I'm too far removed from high school, but it was just overkill to me. I also felt like the book could have benefited from more explanations. Specifically how we got to the protesters, Belle, Devon's father, and Dre, but I digress. I also wanted more of a climax, the book it's self dragged on for me but there the climax was so rush, you'd miss it if you blinked. 

I hope that the white people that pick this book up see the modern day implications of being Black. 

I look forward to reading Where Sleeping Girls Lie!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Racism, Hate crime, Stalking, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual assault, Violence, Racial slurs, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Bullying