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caseythereader 's review for:
Ace of Spades
by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
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:
No
- ACE OF SPADES is a page-turning YA thriller, with plot twists and revelations unspooling just fast enough to keep you hooked.
- Devon and Chiamaka are such wonderful, layered characters, and I was deeply invested in their stories.
- However, as quickly as I tore through this book, I do think some of it doesn't really hold together (SPOILERS from here on out!) Like, I really didn't buy that it would take 2/3 of the book for the only two Black students in school to realize they were being racially targeted (and they didn't even consider that it might be due to their queerness, either. This book also had the same unclear framing as SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY where fear of homophobic repercussions is held over a character to drive the plot but also no one seems to care? At least not in the white part of town, because for some reason only the poor Black people were homophobic? Pretty sure even given the rigid directions they were following, some of those rich white conservatives would have let that slip through). And I didn't believe that after everything they went through and everything they learned, they would even attempt to trust a white journalist at the end. I dunno, maybe all this is just because I'm an adult reading YA.
- Devon and Chiamaka are such wonderful, layered characters, and I was deeply invested in their stories.
- However, as quickly as I tore through this book, I do think some of it doesn't really hold together (SPOILERS from here on out!) Like, I really didn't buy that it would take 2/3 of the book for the only two Black students in school to realize they were being racially targeted (and they didn't even consider that it might be due to their queerness, either. This book also had the same unclear framing as SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY where fear of homophobic repercussions is held over a character to drive the plot but also no one seems to care? At least not in the white part of town, because for some reason only the poor Black people were homophobic? Pretty sure even given the rigid directions they were following, some of those rich white conservatives would have let that slip through). And I didn't believe that after everything they went through and everything they learned, they would even attempt to trust a white journalist at the end. I dunno, maybe all this is just because I'm an adult reading YA.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail