TW: Racism/ Violent Racism, Homophobia/Violent Homophobia, Classism/Elitism, Drug Abuse, Sexual Assault (mentioned).

I was really excited to read this book, especially for Gothtober and the Dark Academia vibes. I loved Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl as a teen, and was really looking forward to a more inclusive version of that. This was not it. *Spoilers Ahead*

I've read through a few of the other reviews, and most of the negative ones comment on how slow the pacing of the novel is. I didn't find that as such, more that the author has worked really hard to cram a lot of important topics into two characters. Devon and Chiamaka are two of three Black kids at Niveus High, dealing with intersectional issues such as homophobia, classism, sexism etc. They're also not good people. Devon is a part-time drug dealer, and Chiamaka was involved in a hit and run that she then helped her friend cover up for. And I just didn't believe it. I didn't believe that in their final year of school, the whole school and local media turned against these students in this way. The author's intentions of commenting on the current political climate RE: Racism and Racial violence is important, discussing the systematic way White Privilege develops into rage and into violence in an accessible way is vital. But I have to believe it. And I can't believe that after four years of being at the top of her class, the whole school would finally turn on Chiamaka in this way. She's been top of the class, head prefect, science monitor, she's got her references for Yale and for what? So the school could take it away from her at the last moment? It's not that I don't believe this happens; that students of colour have to work twice as hard to get half as much as their white peers. But if a narrative is going to comment on the systematic nature of that inequality, it needs to feel systematic. This narrative spent a lot of time developing the theory that the attacks on Devon and Chiamaka are personal. It feels personal.

Belle was a great suspect, she's just nice enough not to be suspicious - and if it had just been her, or Scotty or Jeremy, I'd have been more engaged.

Something I don't usually say in negative reviews is: I wanted more of it. If this had been a series of shorter books, looking at individual characters with their individual issues, rather than one book about two characters, I think the pacing and tension would have been more evenly distributed.
And if there were individual antagonists for each book, and then a secret network at the end: that would have been powerful.

I am interested in reading more books by Àbíké-Íyímídé - as this concept has great potential, as does their writing style.

A stunning YA thriller that kept me gripped from the first page to the last. It's strikingly different from any other school based mystery I've read.

..."I hate that these systems, all this institutional shit, can get to me. I hate how they have power to kill my future, kill me. They treat my Black skin like a gun or grenade or a knife, that is dangerous and lethal, when really it's them. The guys at the top powering everything"...

This one scene from Ace of Spades was heart-wrenching, it took me back to so many incidents and deaths that have happened over time.

If there's one thing Ace of Spades was, it was unapologetically written to face racism head on, no words minced, no gentle delivery, no sparing of feelings just plain unapologetic showcase of how deeply ingrained in society racism is.

Chiamaka and Devon are star students at Niveus Academy while been the only black students in the academy, they were so different in many ways, and wouldn't have even crossed paths with each other if not for Aces.

But as their "relationship" progressed, I saw the beauty that is found when one finds their kinfolk, I saw the strength and courage they drew from each other when faced with all the nastiness that Aces threw at them and I saw that in the unlikeliest of places, you can actually find comfort.

There was also the case of homophobia and the violence attached to it and I kept hoping that Devon would end up happy and safe. I hoped that he would find love again because if anyone deserved it, it was him.

I love Ace of Spades so damn much that if it comes out in any and every edition, I'd fight tooth and nail to get them.

I loved and I mean to say loved this book. Ace of Spades is one of the best YA thrillers I have read in a very long time. I could not put it down at all and I would highly recommend this book to people of all ages. Captivating, thrilling, on the edge of your seat, unputdownable book!!!!!

This gripping YA thriller follows Chiamaka and Devon - both queer and Black - as being students at a private school suddenly becomes very dangerous for them when an anonymous texter starts sharing their deepest secrets. It really surprised me with its dark twists and unexpected turns. A brilliant debut that’s worth checking out!

It took me way longer than expected to read this as my e-arc was formatted badly and halfway through started to just keep jumping back and forth between different scenes. BUT it absolutely gripped me enough that I knew I needed to buy a copy so I could finish it! This was engaging and infuriating and the only "fault" I could give it is that there wasn't enough sleuthing/clue gathering - that all happened in the last hundred or so pages, but that said, it absolutely works the way it was done. I loved the writing - normally dual/multi povs are not my thing but, once I picked up the finished copy and it was made clear who's perspective it was, I appreciated having both. I can't wait for more from this author and if they ever write a full on mystery I will be right in there!!

Chiamaka and Davon are the only two black students at the Niveus Private Academy. While Chiamaka is the most popular girl in the school, Davon stays in the shadows focusing on his music and keeping good grades. When both of them are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, everything they were working for starts to fall into ruins. The arrival of anonymous bullies exposed their deep hidden secrets that crush their reputations but also a chance to get into a good college. Together, they decided to stand up against the bully and try to find who’s behind all the messages spread around the school. Small pranks turn into a dangerous game without an easy way out.

Book review:

It’s so hard to review this book without giving any spoilers. This story is a mix of the Gossip Girl, and the movie Get Out. It was pretty slow-paced at the beginning, but when the action started it never ended. The author visualized the racism and hate in prestigious American schools perfectly. I wouldn’t be surprised if it would be written based on the actual events. This book shows how wrong and messed up people are if they’re not fitting into their perfect picture.

Chiamaka since the first year at the Niveus Private Academy was climbing in the hierarchy as a smart and popular girl people would die to be friends with. It was a big surprise to her when she became a victim of an anonymous bully who knew about her more than anyone else. When the secrets get out, her status at the academy has been ruined.

Davon is a shy guy, who prefers to stay in shadows and not bring attention to himself. Music was his passion, and he spent most of the time working on his project and application to Julliard, instead of wasting his time on rich kids at his school. When someone anonymously shared with the whole school news about him being gay, his perfect senior year turned to ashes.

The only thing that connected them was the fact that they were the only black students in the school, which led them to suspicions that this is an act of racism.

The ending of the book was much more surprising than I was expecting it to be. I loved that both main characters were so different from each other, that when they started working together, it didn’t work that well because of their different point of view on the whole situation. I don’t read as many books that take place in high school anymore, but I loved this book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading thrillers. It had very good plot twists at the end of the story that made this story even better than it had been in the beginning.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, and Usborne Publishing for providing me with an ARC copy of this book. It was one of my favorite reads of 2021, and I cannot wait to buy myself a copy of this book and read it once again.

Devon and Chiamaka are the only Black students at the prestigious Niveus Private Academy. They don't know each other well--Devon keeps his head down and focuses on his music, and Chiamaka has fought for years to become Head Girl. But in their final year, an anonymous gossip site starts revealing their darkest secrets, threatening everything they've worked for. Together, they start uncovering the truth--but the reality is much darker that they expected...

Wow. This book is incredible: a gripping, diverse YA thriller that discusses institutionalized racism, with characters that feel completely real and a horrifying twist that will leave you sitting with your mouth open. A truly essential book that everyone should read.

Loved this so much and it definitely has become one of my favorite books of the year. Faridah has a way of making you feel just as nervous as both Devon and Chiamaka and the entire time you're wondering what is happening, who is doing this, and most importantly, why. This book has been compared to both Gossip Girl and Get Out, and those are definitely very accurate descriptions!

“𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫? 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝?” ~ Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Ace of Spades

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Ace of Spades
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Ace of Spades is a phenomenal debut. Written in dual POV, we follow two newly nominated prefects, Chiamaka and Devon as they get entangled in a sinister game. But how do you win a game where you're already at default to lose?

𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:
• love the narration, the tension and the suspense! I NEEDED to find the answers and refused to put this book down
• I love the two main characters—Chiamaka and Devon are both strong and endearing characters in their own right. Chiamaka's strong-willed, go-getter attitude is something I admire
• Devon is sweet and caring, but willing to do what it takes for his loved ones
• The ending!

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤:
• A nuanced take on and the exploration of institutional and systematic racism, classism, white supremacy, and sexuality
• A queer black story that shows a peek of living under the gaze of white supremacy

♠️ Ace of Spades is a heart-racing and heart-wrenching story with compelling and endearing characters and haunting social commentary. Real and raw, terrifying and thought-provoking, Ace of Spades is a must-read.

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: everyone, fans of YA thrillers

𝐂𝐖: racism, death, homophobia, gaslighting, abuse (bullying, etc.)

Thank you to @NetGalley and the publisher (@UsborneYA) for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠: 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐣𝐨𝐲.𝐜𝐨𝐦

I couldn’t stop reading this! The things happening in the book are so messed up and i somehow didn’t expect that? I m liked the main characters and the ending was very satisfying!

**I was provided with an ARC through netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

It’s always a shame when a book that you were really anticipating disappoints you and sadly this was one of them for me. I will say though that it was definitely a me thing so don’t let my review stop you from picking up this remarkable debut!

Here’s what I did enjoy about it.

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is a brilliant storyteller, the intense and fast paced narrative of Ace of Spades keeps you hooked and you are instantly immersed into the Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars inspired setting that is promised from the get go.

Now both those shows have never really seemed to be my sort of thing (and I’ll admit that probably didn’t help with my enjoyment of the book) but I do like books with a school setting and I was more so intrigued by the comps to Get Out. And let me just say much of what happened in this book was downright horrifying.
The commentary on elitism and racism, particularly the exploration of institutionalised racism in this book was phenomenal and will stick with you for days.

My problems however, stemmed from the fact that I pretty much spotted most of the twists and reveals before they came.

Furthermore, I was extremely surprised that in a school where Chiamaka and Devon are the only two Black students they didn’t catch onto the fact that they were both being targeted for that particular reason sooner? With both of them in the final year of school and how they were individually characterised it made them both seem too naïve and then add in the fact that both of their parents stayed pretty clueless about it all made everything seem unrealistic to me.

I also thought the way everything wrapped up at Niveus High was way too abrupt and though the letter in the epilogue was clever the rest of the ending felt too good to be true.
Final Rating – 3/5 Stars

Ace of Spades is a stunning and unforgettable debut that in parts chills you to the core and takes your breath away.
It's unputdownable and stays with you long after you've read it.

Wow, what a ride.

The comparisons to Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars are definitely on point. However, my reading coincidented with starting watching Young Royals and I had to put the show on hold because I kept mistaking the characters and plot and getting confused - even if the two aren't that similar, they are just both set at rich, posh, exclusive schools and one of the MCs is gay.

It's the sort of book that will keep you at the edge of the seat. However, what I liked most was how all the insane, sinister things happening to the MCs weren't purely for the reader's schadenfreude/entertainment value but a way of unpacking systemic racism.

There are so many twists and turns, so much intrigue and backstabbing. The character development is AMAZING, they are both far from perfect but you can't not root for them.

I don't want to give too much away but do yourself a favour and read this book.

This is a modern day school story which is full of issues, including bullying and LBTQ+. It is written by a Bristish person in an American setting. This has involved extensive research and one hopes that it is truly fictional, but ...

The characters are well drawn as is the unfolding drama. Loose ends are sewn up at the end. The two main characters acknowledge their mistakes. The white people never do this.

This is also a book which shows how powerful social media can be in a negative way and in a positive way. The idea that a whole school could work in concert as depicted in this book is unbelievable to me but it does emphasize how people will follow the crowd even when they know what they are doing is wrong. There are no good white people in the story. Is this how black people feel about whites? This is frightening if this is the case. As a result this is an uncomfortable read at the same time as being a compulsive read always hoping for something good to happen.

Ace of spades follows two black characters Chiamaka Adebayo and Devon Richards who go to Niveus Academy! They're the only two black people in the whole school! When one day an anonymous messenger-Aces- started revealing their deep dark secrets their lives and career were placed in stack! So,these two start to work together to uncover who is this Aces is and what they want from them!
The writing style and the character development was really nice and it's a neutral paced book as it started a little bit slow then took speed and then slowed and finished in a good pace! Eventhough I felt the ending a little bit meh I really really loved how the author delivered a powerful message #blacklivesmatters and I felt really heartbroken seeing the way people treated the main characters in this book!
Overall,this is a must read as it shows us a glimpse of how the black people are treated and I really appreciate it and I highly highly recommend this one!
🌼What To Expect:
-‌ YA Thriller/Contemporary
- Black Main Characters
- ‌LGBTQ+ Rep
- ‌Lots of suspense
- ‌High school Drama😅
*Thank you To Netgalley and The Publisher for providing me the E-arc for my honest review*

A fiercely powerful voice in YA fiction, this fantastic thriller is Gossip Girl meets Noughts and Crosses.

It's a great book and I think it can be appreciated by adult and teenagers as it talks about some serious issues like racism, homophobia and what means being a minority.
Chiamaka and Devon are two excellent characters, fleshed out and interesting.
The author did an excellent job in describing the atmosphere of the school and the negativity that can pervade a closed environment like a private school.
The plot is gripping, full of twists and turns, and kept me turning pages.
An excellent story, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I enjoyed this book and feel it covers a lot of important issues well. Some elements felt a little far-fetched and Jamie's involvement felt slightly predictable but this didn't take away from the story.

3.5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Usborne publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book was a hell of a ride! Chiamaka and Devon are both great protagonists and carry the book gracefully. The racism and LGBTphobia that they suffer in the story are both horrifying and very close to reality. Even though it's not an easy book, is also a hopeful and resilient one. The secondary characters like Andre and Terrel are a great addition to the story in a very balanced way. So, beware of the triggers and read this amazing book!