A review by lily1304
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

3.5

Good page-turner allegorical YA thriller - I loved the extreme differences between the two main characters, that collapse as the story progresses and they find themselves as a team against the world. I found myself googling
social eugenics
to find out if that's real! I could see some of the twists coming, but it felt like yelling at a character in a horror movie - still mesmerizing and believable that the characters would act the way they do.

The one thing that was so glaring and distracting: the story takes place in the US, but the author is not American. At first I assumed she was either a first- or second-generation Nigerian immigrant to the US, but it became obvious quickly that she is actually from the UK. She stated in the author's note that she didn't set the story in a particular region or city intentionally, to make the story more universal I guess, but it was distracting! The homophobia,
state execution
, and references to the Confederacy point to the South, but the British-style school being founded in 1717 points to New England. And there are absolutely no references to Christianity, which feels immediately out of place in a conservative private school. It would definitely be either Catholic or evangelical - it's honestly unbelievable that Christianity plays no role in the story.
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