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oddduck's review
funny
fast-paced
4.5
This book was literally tailor made for me. A HEIST pulled off by a friend group of aces? How have I been living without this book??
While I did end up adoring this book, I do have some thoughts on it. But first, let's look at what I loved.
I'm a big character person, and I loved these characters. The Shannon family is such a mess, but they still care about each other. Jack's friends strike a nice balance between "Are we sure this is a good idea?" and ride-or-die. And they're all so distinct from each other! It was a delight to meet them all and watch Jack bond with all of them. I especially love Lucky, but I've got a major soft spot for small, cute characters who will not hesitate to rip a grown man to shreds (literally or metaphorically). Beth and Kerry were also super interesting to me. Seeing how their personalities struggled to mesh for so long felt very realistic, as did Jack's realizations about why Beth and Kerry are who they are. When he finally got there and was willing to make an effort with them was a great moment.
The villain was pretty solid. I won't say that he's interesting, because I don't think he is, but I do think he's realistic, and in this book I'd actually say that's more important. He's very wealth and power driven, which makes sense for his goal, and is one of the things that make the twist at the end work. Not really much else to say about him, other than it was satisfying when he lost.
Speaking of the twist, I liked that quite a bit. I was expecting a different twist from very early on, but once the clues for the actual twist started to add up, I figured them out pretty quick. I think it worked well and definitely made sense with Carlevaro's motives, though I am still a bit disappointed that what I thought was coming did not end up being the plot (but more on that shortly).
Now obviously we've got to talk ace rep. As an ace starved for some good fictional representation, I'll freely admit that this was 50% of the sell for me (the other 50% was, naturally, the heist aspect). I was promised not just a main character who's ace, but a whole team of ace characters, and boy howdy did this book deliver. And it was good!! They weren't all the same and they interacted with their ace identity differently! We got conversations on what having a romantic relationship can mean/look like as an ace person. We got "hey they're cute - wait what?". We got "Hard pass, get that away from me please and thank you". We got "I'm out and proud" and "I don't really feel the need/want to tell people that I'm ace" and had those coexist without pressure or judgement! And!!! Jack describes learning about asexuality as feeling like a missing piece has clicked into place. Yes!!! That was the feeling!!! It was the "Oh, that's a thing?" moment! I nearly cried when I read that. Absolutely incredible.
Related, there's another scene that I really liked that centers on asexuality that I want to discuss. Summary behind the spoiler bar. After finding out how old Lucky is, Gabe asks how she can be sure. How maybe she'll change her mind when she gets older. He gets called on this immediately by the rest of their friends, and he apologizes to Lucky. This scene is so interesting to me for several reasons. First, because it shows how acephobia is so ingrained in our culture and how internalized these beliefs are for so many, without them ever realizing it. Second, because this is a conversation I see every once in a while in online spaces. In the part of the community I hang out in, the overwhelming attitude when faced with this is "So what?" So what if someone ID'd as ace before realizing there was another label that they like better? So what if they did get older and realized they aren't actually ace? At least they had something that felt right, for however long they needed it. They had access to a community that could support them. I personally find that attitude to be much more useful than any kind of gatekeeping nonsense. It was nice to see that reflected in this book. Third, it was nice to see that even though they're friends who have just met in person for the first time, they're still willing to call each other out when they say stupid shit. This was the scene that made me say, "Oh, this book is about being ace." And I loved that.
The heist aspect was fun, but, as is usually the case for non-Leverage media, not particularly elaborate. I liked the way blackjack was a recurring topic, especially for a character named Jack, and when Kerry showed up to distract Carlevaro with Texas Hold 'em I was so excited. Jack also really feels like he's grown up in this world, which is very important for me in terms of believability. In YA media, there's usually the question of "How did a bunch of kids pull this off?" which is fair, and I kind of like that the answer in this book is mostly "They didn't". Like, Carlevaro knew from the beginning what Jack was doing and what his goal was. He wanted Jack to do this. So at any point where we think the team should have been caught, or that it was too easy for them, and we wonder why things still turned out okay-ish, the answer is that Carlevaro wants Jack to come after him, so he's probably doing something behind the scenes to make that happen. We even see it overtly, when he sends Morgan to steal the chips. And this is what makes Carlevaro's arrest so satisfying. Because when Jack wins, he does it by actually out playing Carlevaro, and he does it in kind of a dumb way, which is totally believable for a teenager.
Now let's talk about the two things I wish would have been done just a little differently.
First, while I liked that Kerry is hard of hearing, I wish we would have known this sooner. I love that Kerry's not The Deaf Character, but the way we find out that she uses a hearing aid makes it feel like this was a decision that was made late in the game, and thus only for the specific reason of making people view Kerry differently/seriously underestimate her. Even just mentioning it when we first meet her - maybe she needs to replace her hearing aid soon and is wondering how she's going to pay for it or is just generally worried about access to healthcare, alongside her college tuition - would have eliminated this. I love how casual it is, and I do like the idea that Kerry knows people underestimate her capabilities because she's disabled and uses that to her advantage, I just don't like how it feels like this was solely done to make the Plan work. Like, it's already established that Carlevaro is sexist. The Plan totally could have hinged on that and it still would have worked with Kerry.
Second, while I did end up liking the twist, it was not what I thought was coming. On the one hand, this is good. It's a subversion of expectations, which are usually interesting. On the other hand, I feel a little dissatisfied. My prediction, from very early on, was that Carlevaro was not going to be the one who sent Jack's mom to prison. There was going to be someone else pulling the strings, and perhaps even controlling Carlevaro, or maybe they were working together. Either way, oftentimes, when a character becomes so hyper-focused on an idea, they fall into a pit of confirmation bias, and then are totally blindsided when their idea is wrong. Looking back at the clues though, we see how they were actually building to something else. I love this structure, so seeing Jack immediately pick out Carlevaro as the culprit made me think that this was the road we were heading down. And again, I'm not disappointed with the real twist. I just did not have my expectations met on this specific thing and I'm still trying to adjust from that. This might be rectified with a reread, but for now, I'm just a little dissatisfied, which is mostly on me.
Overall, I loved this book. I was eagerly anticipating its release, and was so utterly thrilled to find it while browsing the "new" shelf at my local library. And I really wasn't disappointed. This was such a fun read and a fantastic way to start off the year.
While I did end up adoring this book, I do have some thoughts on it. But first, let's look at what I loved.
I'm a big character person, and I loved these characters. The Shannon family is such a mess, but they still care about each other. Jack's friends strike a nice balance between "Are we sure this is a good idea?" and ride-or-die. And they're all so distinct from each other! It was a delight to meet them all and watch Jack bond with all of them. I especially love Lucky, but I've got a major soft spot for small, cute characters who will not hesitate to rip a grown man to shreds (literally or metaphorically). Beth and Kerry were also super interesting to me. Seeing how their personalities struggled to mesh for so long felt very realistic, as did Jack's realizations about why Beth and Kerry are who they are. When he finally got there and was willing to make an effort with them was a great moment.
The villain was pretty solid. I won't say that he's interesting, because I don't think he is, but I do think he's realistic, and in this book I'd actually say that's more important. He's very wealth and power driven, which makes sense for his goal, and is one of the things that make the twist at the end work. Not really much else to say about him, other than it was satisfying when he lost.
Speaking of the twist, I liked that quite a bit. I was expecting a different twist from very early on, but once the clues for the actual twist started to add up, I figured them out pretty quick. I think it worked well and definitely made sense with Carlevaro's motives, though I am still a bit disappointed that what I thought was coming did not end up being the plot (but more on that shortly).
Now obviously we've got to talk ace rep. As an ace starved for some good fictional representation, I'll freely admit that this was 50% of the sell for me (the other 50% was, naturally, the heist aspect). I was promised not just a main character who's ace, but a whole team of ace characters, and boy howdy did this book deliver. And it was good!! They weren't all the same and they interacted with their ace identity differently! We got conversations on what having a romantic relationship can mean/look like as an ace person. We got "hey they're cute - wait what?". We got "Hard pass, get that away from me please and thank you". We got "I'm out and proud" and "I don't really feel the need/want to tell people that I'm ace" and had those coexist without pressure or judgement! And!!! Jack describes learning about asexuality as feeling like a missing piece has clicked into place. Yes!!! That was the feeling!!! It was the "Oh, that's a thing?" moment! I nearly cried when I read that. Absolutely incredible.
Related, there's another scene that I really liked that centers on asexuality that I want to discuss. Summary behind the spoiler bar.
The heist aspect was fun, but, as is usually the case for non-Leverage media, not particularly elaborate. I liked the way blackjack was a recurring topic, especially for a character named Jack, and
Now let's talk about the two things I wish would have been done just a little differently.
First, while I liked that Kerry is hard of hearing, I wish we would have known this sooner. I love that Kerry's not The Deaf Character, but the way we find out that she uses a hearing aid makes it feel like this was a decision that was made late in the game, and thus only for the specific reason of making people view Kerry differently/seriously underestimate her. Even just mentioning it when we first meet her - maybe she needs to replace her hearing aid soon and is wondering how she's going to pay for it or is just generally worried about access to healthcare, alongside her college tuition - would have eliminated this. I love how casual it is, and I do like the idea that Kerry knows people underestimate her capabilities because she's disabled and uses that to her advantage, I just don't like how it feels like this was solely done to make the Plan work. Like, it's already established that Carlevaro is sexist. The Plan totally could have hinged on that and it still would have worked with Kerry.
Second, while I did end up liking the twist, it was not what I thought was coming. On the one hand, this is good. It's a subversion of expectations, which are usually interesting. On the other hand, I feel a little dissatisfied. My prediction, from very early on, was that Carlevaro was not going to be the one who sent Jack's mom to prison. There was going to be someone else pulling the strings, and perhaps even controlling Carlevaro, or maybe they were working together. Either way, oftentimes, when a character becomes so hyper-focused on an idea, they fall into a pit of confirmation bias, and then are totally blindsided when their idea is wrong. Looking back at the clues though, we see how they were actually building to something else. I love this structure, so seeing Jack immediately pick out Carlevaro as the culprit made me think that this was the road we were heading down. And again, I'm not disappointed with the real twist. I just did not have my expectations met on this specific thing and I'm still trying to adjust from that. This might be rectified with a reread, but for now, I'm just a little dissatisfied, which is mostly on me.
Overall, I loved this book. I was eagerly anticipating its release, and was so utterly thrilled to find it while browsing the "new" shelf at my local library. And I really wasn't disappointed. This was such a fun read and a fantastic way to start off the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Abandonment and Sexism
Minor: Blood, Ableism, and Alcohol
patricktreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
While heists and chases are not my typical direction, I was completely enthralled the entire time. I had an inkling to the twists, but Amy still got me. I loved this work. The narrator was a little distracting at first. They sounded a little old, but the more I listened the more I became accustomed to the voice. High recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
looseleafellie's review
When Jack Shannon’s casino-owner mom gets put in prison, Jack vows vengeance on Peter Carlevaro, the rival casino owner who ratted her out. Helped by the friends he met on an online asexual support group, Jack must find Carlevaro’s secrets and take him down.
This book was pitched as “modern asexual Kaz Brekker runs a Las Vegas heist,” and that’s a tough comp to live up to. It’s arguable whether the book actually contains a heist, but there was some fun espionage and gambling shenanigans. It annoyed me that much of the plot was made possible by one character being almost magically good at hacking, but that didn’t ruin the story for me.
Aces Wild has a focus on family and friendship, which was lovely to see! Jack and his friends disagree and make mistakes, but care deeply for each other. Jack also gains a newfound love for his complicated family. And there’s a cute subplot of Jack having a crush on his friend Remy, and having to navigate what that means as an asexual person.
I think it does Jack a disservice to describe him as Kaz Brekker — he has a very different past to Kaz, and more of a moral compass and empathy. I liked his arc, though. If you want to see an analytical, introverted kid struggling with his emotions realistically, this book is great! If you want a ruthless criminal who cares only about profit and one (1) stabby Wraith, that’s not what you’ll get here.
If a YA Ocean’s Eleven with an all-asexual heist crew sounds cool to you, you might want to check out Aces Wild!
In closing, a quote I loved: “Sexuality can be fluid, or at the very least a journey, not to mention personal. If someone said they were ace or gay or whatever, you believed them. Assuming that you were straight until you ‘know for sure’ only implied that it was better to be straight until you had no other choice.”
Thanks to Peachtree Teen for the e-ARC!
CWs: Abandonment, blood, acephobia mention.
This book was pitched as “modern asexual Kaz Brekker runs a Las Vegas heist,” and that’s a tough comp to live up to. It’s arguable whether the book actually contains a heist, but there was some fun espionage and gambling shenanigans. It annoyed me that much of the plot was made possible by one character being almost magically good at hacking, but that didn’t ruin the story for me.
Aces Wild has a focus on family and friendship, which was lovely to see! Jack and his friends disagree and make mistakes, but care deeply for each other. Jack also gains a newfound love for his complicated family. And there’s a cute subplot of Jack having a crush on his friend Remy, and having to navigate what that means as an asexual person.
I think it does Jack a disservice to describe him as Kaz Brekker — he has a very different past to Kaz, and more of a moral compass and empathy. I liked his arc, though. If you want to see an analytical, introverted kid struggling with his emotions realistically, this book is great! If you want a ruthless criminal who cares only about profit and one (1) stabby Wraith, that’s not what you’ll get here.
If a YA Ocean’s Eleven with an all-asexual heist crew sounds cool to you, you might want to check out Aces Wild!
In closing, a quote I loved: “Sexuality can be fluid, or at the very least a journey, not to mention personal. If someone said they were ace or gay or whatever, you believed them. Assuming that you were straight until you ‘know for sure’ only implied that it was better to be straight until you had no other choice.”
Thanks to Peachtree Teen for the e-ARC!
CWs: Abandonment, blood, acephobia mention.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Abandonment
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
melaniereadsbooks's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Thank you to Peach Tree Teen and Netgalley for an arc of this book.
When Jack's mom gets arrested for shady dealings in Las Vegas, he invites his online (and also Aspec) friends to come help him take down the man that he swears got his mother sent to jail.
This book was unfortunately a disappointment. I know a lot of people read and reviewed before me and I was so scared because the concept of this is brilliant and the idea of 5 aspec MCs is a dream. I thought the plot was missing some things and the writing style didn't really grab me the way I wanted it to.
Now, there were some issues in the originally release netgalley arc that I heard have been changed and updated. I thought that the version I downloaded came after these changes and was supposed to be more up to date, but I didn't notice? There were still some problems with it. The whole hearing aid part is uncomfortable and least and ableist at best. There were a few discussions about being asexual which I think was one of the complaints I read about? They weren't super in-depth, which I thought was fine--but it did feel like every one of the friends were sex-repulsed. I would have liked for there to be mention that that is not representative of all ace people. Jack said he looked like "a prisoner of war" at one point after getting hit in the nose and that's..... bad. That is bad. I don't know how else to describe it.
I think without the problematic aspects of this book it would probably be 3 or 3.25 stars for me. The problems did take it down a bit for me. I would love to see more books with multiple aspec characters so one like this doesn't feel so heartbreaking if it ends up falling short.
When Jack's mom gets arrested for shady dealings in Las Vegas, he invites his online (and also Aspec) friends to come help him take down the man that he swears got his mother sent to jail.
This book was unfortunately a disappointment. I know a lot of people read and reviewed before me and I was so scared because the concept of this is brilliant and the idea of 5 aspec MCs is a dream. I thought the plot was missing some things and the writing style didn't really grab me the way I wanted it to.
Now, there were some issues in the originally release netgalley arc that I heard have been changed and updated. I thought that the version I downloaded came after these changes and was supposed to be more up to date, but I didn't notice? There were still some problems with it. The whole hearing aid part is uncomfortable and least and ableist at best. There were a few discussions about being asexual which I think was one of the complaints I read about? They weren't super in-depth, which I thought was fine--but it did feel like every one of the friends were sex-repulsed. I would have liked for there to be mention that that is not representative of all ace people. Jack said he looked like "a prisoner of war" at one point after getting hit in the nose and that's..... bad. That is bad. I don't know how else to describe it.
I think without the problematic aspects of this book it would probably be 3 or 3.25 stars for me. The problems did take it down a bit for me. I would love to see more books with multiple aspec characters so one like this doesn't feel so heartbreaking if it ends up falling short.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Infidelity
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, and Blood
nobeliumreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
4.0
Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.
When Jack Shannon’s mum gets sent to jail, he knows the one to blame is Peter Carlevaro; crime boss and rival casino owner on the Las Vegas Strip. Determined to take him down, he recruits his best friends, a group he met on an online asexual support forum, on a heist. Together, this group of asexuals work on finding the key to sending Carlevaro to jail too.
--
A book I’ve been dying to read since I first heard about it and one I found myself enjoying.
The writing is relatively good, and there were a lot of funny moments that I laughed at, especially between or about Jack and his friends, and Jack’s narration is quite amusing. I loved their friend group and their dynamic, and though I would have loved more about each friend individually, I thought they were pretty fun! There were lots of moments between them that I thoroughly enjoyed, like Gabe and Jack’s ‘guy talk’, and I really liked how Jack made an effort to get closer with Georgia when he felt he wasn’t as close to her as the others. The plot is fairly simple and though the plans did seem slightly juvenile (especially when you consider they’re going up against a crime boss), I didn’t mind it too much. Jack’s crush on one of his friends was also adorable to read.
I did have some issues with the book. One, I personally wish that we’d seen the discussion between Gabe and Lucky about what he said to her, which was disappointing, rather than just being told they were all fine and had resolved it later on. And, I do think there wasn’t as much heisting as I would have liked; it’s not as tense or suspenseful as I would have expected from a book about a heist and it felt as though a lot of the actual important action was done off-page and just mentioned later. As I said earlier, considering they were going up against a crime boss, you would expect a more complex plan than what was presented.
Despite those issues though, I did enjoy the book a lot! I will admit it’s particularly because it’s about a group of a-spec friends heisting together and until I have that myself, I will live vicariously through this book. However, I do think it’s still a fun and amusing read with great asexual reputation as long as you temper your expectations about the actual heisting!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Ableism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Cursing
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Sexism
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
True to his family history, Jack Shannon runs a blackjack ring at the private school he goes to. After all, none of the other clubs really grabbed his interest. However, when his mother is arrested for her ties to organized crime, Jack is forced to go back to Las Vegas. Where his sister thinks it’s time for their family to get straight, Jack has other plans.
Jack knows that his mom was sold out by none other than Peter Carlevaro, a rival casino owner and his mom’s past lover. So, Jack hatches a plan to figure out what’s really going on. To do so, he recruits the asexual support group he’s become friends with online over the past few years. Nothing like a little high stakes heist to really cement a friendship.
Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for an advanced copy of Aces Wild to review! A group of asexual teens going on a Las Vegas heist together? Sign me up! Sounds like something right up my alley.
The upfront nature of asexuality is probably the best thing about this book. Jack and his friends are unapologetically asexual, and I am here for it. Let’s bring more characters like this to YA! Jack also has a romantic love interest, and I love that they make the distinction between sexual attraction and romantic attraction. They’re different, people! And a lot of people don’t seem to understand that.
Unfortunately, for a book that’s advertised as a heist, the heist part is lacking. Jack’s heist doesn’t happen until the last quarter of the book. There’s a lot of build up to it, which is fine! I just wanted more heist when the book has it in the title. I went in expecting something like Oceans 11, but got something different.
Some other reviewers have also pointed out aspects of the story that are ableist. Specifically the fact that they use a hearing aide as part of their heist, for Jack’s sister whose deafness isn’t mentioned until it’s convenient. I recommend checking out some of those reviews (you can find one here) to learn more.
Here for the asexual representation, but not at the detriment of other kinds of representation. Let’s keep that in mind for the future!
All in all, if you’re looking for a heist book, maybe go in another direction.
-------
We definitely wanted more heist in a book promising heists. And it had so much potential! But there are other issues with it, too; stay tuned for a full review to come!
Jack knows that his mom was sold out by none other than Peter Carlevaro, a rival casino owner and his mom’s past lover. So, Jack hatches a plan to figure out what’s really going on. To do so, he recruits the asexual support group he’s become friends with online over the past few years. Nothing like a little high stakes heist to really cement a friendship.
Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for an advanced copy of Aces Wild to review! A group of asexual teens going on a Las Vegas heist together? Sign me up! Sounds like something right up my alley.
The upfront nature of asexuality is probably the best thing about this book. Jack and his friends are unapologetically asexual, and I am here for it. Let’s bring more characters like this to YA! Jack also has a romantic love interest, and I love that they make the distinction between sexual attraction and romantic attraction. They’re different, people! And a lot of people don’t seem to understand that.
Unfortunately, for a book that’s advertised as a heist, the heist part is lacking. Jack’s heist doesn’t happen until the last quarter of the book. There’s a lot of build up to it, which is fine! I just wanted more heist when the book has it in the title. I went in expecting something like Oceans 11, but got something different.
Some other reviewers have also pointed out aspects of the story that are ableist. Specifically the fact that they use a hearing aide as part of their heist, for Jack’s sister whose deafness isn’t mentioned until it’s convenient. I recommend checking out some of those reviews (you can find one here) to learn more.
Here for the asexual representation, but not at the detriment of other kinds of representation. Let’s keep that in mind for the future!
All in all, if you’re looking for a heist book, maybe go in another direction.
-------
We definitely wanted more heist in a book promising heists. And it had so much potential! But there are other issues with it, too; stay tuned for a full review to come!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Sexism
bookishflower's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.0
- Aroace, ace, demiromantic, and non-binary rep
- Unreliable narrator
- Chaotic schemes
- Coming of age
Thank you Peachtree Teen, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
‘Jack Shannon runs an underground blackjack club at his private school, but when his casino mogul mother is arrested, he knows exactly who’s to blame: rival casino owner, Peter Carlevaro. Determined to get his own back, Jack and his online best friends also known as the asexual support group are plotting the revenge of a lifetime. Who needs luck when you have five aces up your sleeve?’
Imagine Kaz Brekker had a modern, snarky, ace and chaotic son and you’ve got Jack Shannon. This was a wild ride and had good ace representation, but I feel like this wasn’t technically a heist book and upon reflection, wasn’t as good as I initially thought.
The found family, ace representation, and storytelling was fun but this unfortunately had a passing joke about police brutality that felt wrong to me, and a deaf reviewer has pointed out that one of the characters is deaf, but their hearing aid is used by a hearing person as a plot device. (However, as a disclaimer, always look at what BIPOC and deaf reviewers are saying as I am white and not hard of hearing).
This was unfortunately disappointing as I was very excited about the all ace cast :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Child abuse, Classism, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia and Cursing
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
pagesofnay's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
While this book took a little while for me to get into it, it was definitely worth it in the end. I really loved the entire friendship aspect throughout the book. This was a very fast and super fun read.
Moving on, the heist wasn’t this ‘omg super awesome adventure’ type of heist. This was a group of like modern day teenagers trying to potentially pull of a “heist”, which I felt this book captured very well.
The characters were all super great. My favorite was either Lucky or Remy. They are all asexual, hence the title name (along with the whole blackjack thing).. Remy is non-binary and they’re able to read Jack like a book. Gabe is the oldest (18) and constantly teased for being ancient. Georgia is the mediator and very good at handling feelings. Lucky had the most personality and I loved it. Jack needs therapy and maybe some more group hugs.
Overall, I loved this book. It made me laugh and while it was somewhat predictable, it was still enjoyable and amazing to see more asexual representation in such a fun book.
Thank you NetGalley and PeachTree Teen for the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Thank you NetGalley and PeachTree Teen for the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Infidelity
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
arthur_ant18's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? It's complicated
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Ace Wilds: A Heist is an ebullient romp that thrives on its central crew's contagious charisma. From the start, Jack is an engaging and messy protagonist who has a habit of thinking he's smooth enough to wrangle together schemes, then tripping over his own chaotic energy. His first-person POV does a good job of bringing you into his teenage head and rooting for him as he introduces you to his underground gambling club, the shady layers of his family, and his support group buddies. Once those buddies make their debut, the fun only heightens with their uproarious banter—mainly the in-person kind, but we get to see a bit of it on Hullabaloo as well.
Ace Wilds: A Heist is an ebullient romp that thrives on its central crew's contagious charisma. From the start, Jack is an engaging and messy protagonist who has a habit of thinking he's smooth enough to wrangle together schemes, then tripping over his own chaotic energy. His first-person POV does a good job of bringing you into his teenage head and rooting for him as he introduces you to his underground gambling club, the shady layers of his family, and his support group buddies. Once those buddies make their debut, the fun only heightens with their uproarious banter—mainly the in-person kind, but we get to see a bit of it on Hullabaloo as well.
This isn't an original opinion, since it seems to be shared by virtually everyone who's had the chance to read Aces Wild, but Lucky is my personal favorite in the group. The moment when she threatens "I'll eat your kneecaps" is a splendid encapsulation of her feisty and biting attitude. Remy, who is both ace and nonbinary, is amusing as the target of the adorable crush that Jack ends up growing on them. Admittedly, I do wish the last two members, Gabe and Georgia, had more distinctive personalities. I liked the interactions they had as a pair, but I didn't really get much of a sense for who they are as separate people.
The ace and aromantic representation in this circle is an extra plus, although it wasn't as fleshed-out as I would have wanted. Jack's narration mentions on several occasions that asexuality is a spectrum, but there's never a point where the concept is truly dissected to display the experiences of ace people. Granted, I don't think it's the book's intention to teach readers all the ins and outs of the spectrum, but some additional nuance would have been preferable.
As for the plot device of Jack's sister Kerry's hearing aid being turned into an earpiece for the heist, it definitely leaves me feeling uncomfortable. This flippant inclusion of hearing aids, which play vital parts in the lives of the deaf people who use them, is unnecessary. Aside from a brief reference to Kerry having had a cochlear implant installed in her ear, there's nothing in the writing for her character to realistically designate her deafness and the challenges that come with using cochlear implants.
My biggest problem, intriguingly enough, isn't with the book itself, but rather the misleading marketing. When you promote something as "Six of Crows goes to Las Vegas," you better damn well deliver an intricate, extensive, and electrifying heist that measures up to the Six of Crows themselves and Ocean's 11. The thing is, Aces Wild's heist is very much a background element despite the book's subtitle being A Heist. Sure, Jack and his pals partake in a bit of pre-heisting in preparation for the main heist, but the interrelationships that comprise their found family is what really drives the book. The main heist doesn't even happen until the tail-end of the story. Thankfully, I'd heard this criticism ahead of reading the eARC, so I was able to set my expectations. Again, this isn't an issue in the book itself. If it wants to concentrate on the characters' repartee and emotional growth, that's laudable. It's the PR that requires revision so it can authentically advertise the product and avoid the pitfall of disappointing consumers purely because of erroneous publicity.
Overall, Aces Wild: A Heist is saddled with some flaws, but it’s worth picking up if you’re in search of an ace-representing YA book with loads of hilarious chemistry thrumming amongst its leads.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
chippyreads's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
Jack's mother owns a casino in Vegas and gets busted for.... money laundering? I can't remember, we just know she wasn't entirely on the right side of the law regardless of how she ended up being taken away in cuffs. Jack, who runs an underground blackjack club at his posh school is flown to Vegas to be with his family (it's also very conveniently Summer holidays). He quickly decides his mum was framed (even though we KNOW she was dodgy anyway) by his 'uncle', so he goes snooping and fails. After his sister hands him a secret credit card he flies in his online ace friends to help him uncover the truth. For a (former) rich kid, Jack doesn’t come across as too entitled. He definitely needs some life lessons but it wasn’t on an annoying level.
Jack's online ace friends are all aspec. I myself am ace, so I loved that someone wrote a whole book about a GROUP of aspec people. They're all young, bright eyed and willing to sneak into secret casino clubs. I had to keep reminding myself that not everyone experiences their sexuality the same as everyone else. A few comments pulled my from the narrative because I personally felt differently about what they were talking about, so it's a good book if you are curious about asexuality without the whole book being about their sexuality.
I found the book really enjoyable. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a low stakes casino heist or a book with good aspec rep. Definitely adding this to my aspec book list.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
FYI, there is NO acephobia in this book. It was refreshing to read about teens being who they are without anyone questioning their label/sexuality
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood
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