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A review by queer_bookwyrm
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, bullying, racism, classism, racial slurs, suicide attempt mention
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is a stand alone YA thriller that is like Gossip Girl meets Get Out. If I hadn't seen such great reviews of this one, I probably wouldn't have picked it up since it's not the kind of thing I usually read, but it kept me on my toes the entire time! The suspense and tension just kept coming.
We follow two povs from Chiamaka Adebayo, a privileged Black girl intent on her Queen Bee status at the hard to get into Niveus Academy, and Devon Richards, the scholarship Black kid that just wants to get into Julliard and make all his mom's hard work worth it. Chi and Devon are the only two Black students at Niveus, and have done well for themselves up until their Senior year. The two aren't connected in any way, Chi is the popular Head Girl who wants to become a doctor, and Devon is intent on music and feels invisible, but suddenly they are both the target of an anonymous bully called Aces that is outing their secrets and telling lies.
Both Devon and Chi are worried about their future plans being ruined by Aces, and set out to find out who they are and why they are doing this. When Chi and Devon uncover a plot way deeper than they thought possible, things get scary fast. This was wild. I had a feeling I knew what was going on, but I never expected it to turn out the way it did.
This book is really about the insidiousness of systematic racism pervasive in our institutions that make Black people feel like someone is out to get us. It's about how Black people have to work twice as hard to get the same opportunities as white kids, and still have to deal with the bullshit on top of it all. Plus, we get some great gay and bi representation. This was such a visceral story, and I couldn't help but feel tense the whole way through. What a great contemporary read with many twists.
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is a stand alone YA thriller that is like Gossip Girl meets Get Out. If I hadn't seen such great reviews of this one, I probably wouldn't have picked it up since it's not the kind of thing I usually read, but it kept me on my toes the entire time! The suspense and tension just kept coming.
We follow two povs from Chiamaka Adebayo, a privileged Black girl intent on her Queen Bee status at the hard to get into Niveus Academy, and Devon Richards, the scholarship Black kid that just wants to get into Julliard and make all his mom's hard work worth it. Chi and Devon are the only two Black students at Niveus, and have done well for themselves up until their Senior year. The two aren't connected in any way, Chi is the popular Head Girl who wants to become a doctor, and Devon is intent on music and feels invisible, but suddenly they are both the target of an anonymous bully called Aces that is outing their secrets and telling lies.
Both Devon and Chi are worried about their future plans being ruined by Aces, and set out to find out who they are and why they are doing this. When Chi and Devon uncover a plot way deeper than they thought possible, things get scary fast. This was wild. I had a feeling I knew what was going on, but I never expected it to turn out the way it did.
This book is really about the insidiousness of systematic racism pervasive in our institutions that make Black people feel like someone is out to get us. It's about how Black people have to work twice as hard to get the same opportunities as white kids, and still have to deal with the bullshit on top of it all. Plus, we get some great gay and bi representation. This was such a visceral story, and I couldn't help but feel tense the whole way through. What a great contemporary read with many twists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Bullying, Classism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Suicide attempt