Review: Ace Of Spades, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Ace of Spades was a stunning, breathtaking young adult thriller I devoured and 200% recommend EVERYONE reads. Read my review below to find out why!

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Published by Feiwel & Friends on June 1, 2021
Genres: thriller, young adult
Format: ARC
Source: Edelweiss, Macmillan INTL
Buy on Amazon, Book Depository, Wordery, Barnes & Noble, Publisher, Bookshop, Blackwell's
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Gossip Girl meets Get Out in Ace of Spades, a YA contemporary thriller by debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé about two students, Devon & Chiamaka, and their struggles against an anonymous bully.
When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too.
Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures.
As Aces shows no sign of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly?
With heart-pounding suspense and relevant social commentary comes a high-octane thriller from debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

I received this book for free from Edelweiss, Macmillan INTL in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:

bullying, outing of queer characters, car accident (in the past), death, murder, blackmailing, mentions of blood, stalking, drugs, alcohol consumption, physical violence, anti-gay microaggressions.

☂️ DIVERSITY:Black main characters: queer and Nigerian-Italian and Black American and gay main character.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

• It’s been weeks since I read Ace of Spades and I still can’t get over it. Honestly, it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.
• The story follows the only two Black students at Niveus Private Academy as they suddenly face an anonymous texter, bringing all of their deepest, darkest secrets to light. Despite being on opposite ends of the popularity spectrum at school, they decide to unite their forces to face this stranger.
• The main characters, oh I loved them so much. Let’s start with Chiamaka. She’s popular, she’s powerful, she’s smart and she knows what she wants and what she has to do to get there. Yet, she’s also vulnerable and all she really want is to be good enough. I immediately grew fond of her, of her Queen Bee attitude and the dark secret it hides.
• Our second main character is Devon. Growing in the poor side of town, he dreams of music and Julliard and, unlike Chiamaka, he’s invisible at school and would rather stay that way. From the very first pages from his POV, I loved Devon so much as well. Both main characters were compelling, flawed, with their own secrets and their own desires and I immediately rooted for them both SO much, I love them okay.
• As they try to see who’s behind the messages targeted at them, Chiamaka and Devon form an unlikely alliance, slowly turning into a friendship. Despite their differences, I found myself loving this little friendship and how they balanced each other out.
• When it comes to tension rising, this book is a freaking masterpiece. Honestly, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages, compelled to read on to see what would happen next. I felt like I was holding my breath, getting ready for what would come next… only to be gasping out loud when I realized what was actually happening. The twists and turns are absolutely incredibly well-done, the mystery of it all keeping you reading on and on.

• Not only is Ace of Spades an excellent thriller with incredible characters, it also discusses so many important issues, too. It’s a story about racism, white supremacy, power, being Black and Queer, toxic relationships and more. Seriously. It’s a must read.

OVERALL

☂️

I honestly don’t know what to say, except from this. Ace of Spades is an excellent book I think EVERYONE should read. I was hooked from page one and I’ll be recommending that one to everyone for a long, long time.

FINAL RATING : It’s a hurricane!

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Did you read Ace of Spades or do you want to? What’s the latest YA book with excellent twists and turns you read and enjoyed? Let me know in comments!

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