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A review by toadboi
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
1.0
I enjoyed the drama and suspense of this book, but a lot of it fell flat for me. I understand what this book was trying to convey, but it did it with a lack of nuance in a convoluted way with almost cartoonishly evil villains who seemed to have no idea what their goal actually was. Additionally, I feel like the fact that the author trying to mix Gossip Girl and Get Out was part of the problem. Gossip Girl is one of those stupid teen thrillers where you're supposed to suspend your disbelief because all the drama was ridiculous. So, that fake car accident Chiamika was in? Absolutely what I'd expect from Gossip Girl. However, Get Out is a thriller where everyone except Chris and his friend have real, insidious motives bolstered by their racist beliefs. You don't have to suspend your disbelief because everything comes full circle, and you can tell that the story was trying to convey the insidious nature of institutional racism and the eugenics movement through the metaphor of this evil town of white people. So, about that orchestrated car crash: Not what I would expect from Get Out at all, and honestly, if something like that had happened, I might have just exited Netflix and moved on with my day because it would have killed the suspense and immersion I was feeling.
That was my main problem with this book. It felt a bit like trauma porn because it was trying to convey a very serious message with ridiculous plot points, and the characters could never seem to catch a break, especially Devon. The author should have just made this book its own thing and chosen where she really wanted to take it. I feel like this book should have been either a goofy teenage drama with ridiculous plot twists and characters, or it should have been a suspenseful thriller trying to convey an important and nuanced message to its readers through a metaphor that comes full circle at the end. It should not have been both, and that was precisely my problem with this book. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it was trying to be Gossip Girl-esque. The idiocies of all the characters and the villains may have been more enjoyable that way. Unfortunately, it was trying too hard to convey something serious and real, and it failed at doing so, for me, at least. In my opinion, it was trying to be two things that, in this case, were incompatible. Still, I did read the book to completion, which should say something. I didn't feel satisfied, though, only confused and slightly annoyed by the lack of closure. For the entire book, my main thought was, "What in the actual hell is happening?" This book has a lot of good reviews, so I can see that a lot of people liked it, but for me personally, it just wasn't my cup of tea. So, maybe it just didn't sit right with me the same way it did for other people, or it just wasn't for me, but based on my experience, I'd have to give it somewhere between 1 and 2 stars.
That was my main problem with this book. It felt a bit like trauma porn because it was trying to convey a very serious message with ridiculous plot points, and the characters could never seem to catch a break, especially Devon. The author should have just made this book its own thing and chosen where she really wanted to take it. I feel like this book should have been either a goofy teenage drama with ridiculous plot twists and characters, or it should have been a suspenseful thriller trying to convey an important and nuanced message to its readers through a metaphor that comes full circle at the end. It should not have been both, and that was precisely my problem with this book. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it was trying to be Gossip Girl-esque. The idiocies of all the characters and the villains may have been more enjoyable that way. Unfortunately, it was trying too hard to convey something serious and real, and it failed at doing so, for me, at least. In my opinion, it was trying to be two things that, in this case, were incompatible. Still, I did read the book to completion, which should say something. I didn't feel satisfied, though, only confused and slightly annoyed by the lack of closure. For the entire book, my main thought was, "What in the actual hell is happening?" This book has a lot of good reviews, so I can see that a lot of people liked it, but for me personally, it just wasn't my cup of tea. So, maybe it just didn't sit right with me the same way it did for other people, or it just wasn't for me, but based on my experience, I'd have to give it somewhere between 1 and 2 stars.