Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

329 reviews

aklovekorn's review against another edition

dark reflective 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Cursing, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Sexual harassment

peachythi_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

Ace of Spades absolutely blew me away. The plot twist. THE PLOT TWIST?!? I’m not talking just one but multiple. I was genuinely shocked by the events in the book. Like I was flabbergasted, befuddled, completely turned around. I developed trust issues in the best ways because of this book. 

This book also discusses micro-agressions and the systemic racism black people have to go through in the systems set up by white supremacy. This book is also so deeply disturbing I cried multiple times. Because everyone is fucked up and I need people to read it.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Murder, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Outing

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts

capitaens's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

The last time I finished a book this quickly was probably 12 years ago. It's not an easy read in the sense that the content is hard to stomach, but it is so well written, the characters are incredible, and I simply couldn't put this book down. Highly recommend it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Hate crime, and Racism

Minor: Alcohol, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Murder, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Medical content, Police brutality, and Toxic friendship

thekiwibibliophile's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I have had this book on my TBR for a while now & I’m so glad I picked it up! It was a slow start & I almost put it down but ended up reading 350 pages in 3 hours because I just couldn’t put it down! Such an important read that sheds light on eugenics & systemic racism. I enjoyed the main characters and there were a few I would have liked to have seen get their comeuppance.. overall a great read & I think I’m going to buy myself a copy! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Homophobia, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Bullying, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts

banusha's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

I JUST FINISHED THIS. HOLY SHIT. 
The intent behind this book is relevant and important. I cared about the characters (even annoying Chiamaka), gasped in shock and clapped of joy. Read the content warnings! Gosh, my mind is racing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Murder, Bullying, Racism, Violence, Sexual harassment, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Suicide attempt

jareadforfilth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.25

The Gossip Girl and Get Out quotes at the beginning are a perfect representation for what this book feels like because this is a WILD RIDE. What an incredible debut, and the fact that this book was written while the author was in college?! Gagged. 

The complexities here are profound and this is a wonderful but horrifying representation of how I’m sure it can feel to live as a black person in a white patriarchal culture. I love the queer black Rep here, it’s so important to have more and more representation of non-white queerness and to have the intersectionality of homophobia and racism that bleeds through. 

This book becomes so much more than I was expecting and I was gripped and so terrified for Chi and Devon the entire time! There was just so much each of them had to endure coming on them from all directions and it was horrifying and soooo stressful, like they really only have each other and they’re not even friends which I think is profound in itself—they’re forced to have each others backs even though they don’t particularly like each other all because of the color of their skin, but NO ONE ELSE can be trusted. It’s unfair but such an impactful message by the author. 

I did wish we saw more of the takedown of Niveus coming from Devon and Chi instead of a random unexplained fire that I’m pretty sure was Jamie somehow, but I did love the symbolism of that hellhole going down in flames. Also, seeing them work through what’s happened to them and making the moves to show how they got to the epilogue instead of just showing them successful and empowered could have been a really incredible detail I wish we’d gotten. Lastly, I wish there’d been some resolution regarding Devon’s dad. The hurt and loss he must have felt at being deceived by his parents must have been equally profound to what he was experiencing (though less vindictive of course) and I wish we could have gotten to see Devon put himself first and get the conversation he deserved

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Homophobia, Stalking, Murder, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Confinement, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Hate crime, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

staronsaturn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

damn what a good ass book. it just barely started to drag out at the end which was annoying so knocked .25 off but everything else? 🤌🤌 love love love. two gay relationships. the drama. the comedy. the characters. the background context. everything A1<333 would read again 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Blood, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Car accident, Classism, Murder, Bullying, Hate crime, and Death

Moderate: Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Drug use and Suicide attempt

leahkarge's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Outing, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Misogyny, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Infidelity, Blood, Car accident, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Biphobia, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Drug use

gabyleyendo's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Classism, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Homophobia

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Cursing, Drug use, Misogyny, Blood, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Suicide attempt, Outing, Police brutality, and Self harm

allisonbrooke's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Murder, Terminal illness, Torture, Death, Bullying, Car accident, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury