This is an amazing read. I was gripped from the outset. Set in an exclusive private school, the book starts at the beginning of senior year as the students prepare for the most important year that will set them up for college and the rest of their lives. The story is told by Chiamaka, a Nigerian-Italian girl who has worked hard to become the most popular girl in school, and Devon, the son of a single parent, from the poorer side of town, who is at the school by the grace of a scholarship. They are the only two black students in the year and much is expected of them. Then one day, as the result of a whispering campaign by the anonymous 'Aces' , their respective worlds start to fall apart. This is a compulsive read. I couldn't put it down. I felt so angry whilst reading, at the unfairness of it all, and the ending left me speechless. Brilliant stuff!

This book is just fantastic! Such an interesting story that is reminiscent of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars with a race-related twist.
This book hooked me immediately and kept me intrigued throughout - to the point where I finished it in a matter of hours. I found myself audibly gasping and wide-eyed from start to finish. This is a testament to Faridah's excellent writing which keeps the reader gripped.
The characters were fascinating - not instantly likeable and they're flawed but I do think that over the course of the novel you grow to love them. I thought they were extremely well fleshed out and I enjoyed the diversity and gritty backgrounds for the characters.
I loved this book and would recommend it to everyone, especially if you like a bit of an adrenaline rush!

This was a great read, full of twists and turns that left me gasping. The subject matter discussed was handled with such sharp depth, there was an element of ruthless honesty which I absolutely adored.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé deserves all the DAZZLING stars in the world and for all the right reasons🤝

'Ace of Spades' had me hook, line, and sinker and I am not ashamed to admit it🤠 The PLL fan in me got my 'Spencer' shoes on, but I still couldn't figure 'A' out? 👄 Lmao, Faridah you are wicked 😩

Set in the prestigious Niveus Private Academy, where need to make your own presence known to survive, Ace of Spades is a winding mystery / dark academia that keeps you guessing all throughout.

Devon & Chiamaka, two students of the Niveus are being stalked by an 'A'nonymous entity and they have more in common than we think. Or do they? Apart from the fact that they only want to thrive and are the only Black students in the school.

As 'A'ces starts, to reveal, Devon and Chiamaka's secrets one by one, the two students must team up and unriddle the conspiracy or risk losing everything they have stood up for.

I love a who-dun-it, there is no doubt about it, but what Ace of Spades, promises and delivers is a message about how privilege, racism and white supremacy makes it presence known everywhere we turn our heads to! Our queer characters fight their victory through institutionalised racism and anti- Blackness in a place where they are constantly on vigil and if that doesn't scream 'WE ARE HERE TO STAY' what does?

I completely raced through the book holding my breath🤝 and I somehow knew the big reveal was going to surprise me. But boy did I not expect THAT ENDING! 🙂🤝

Ace of Spades, leaves its mark an impressive debut and a book that deserves all the hype it is getting!!

All the hype about ACE OF SPADES is real. This young adult mystery is a nail biting thriller. You just cannot put it down or stop reading. It follows two Black teens in a prestigious elite school. Chimaka is Italian- Nigerian, head girl and has a few secrets up her sleeve. Devon is a talented musician from a poorer neighbourhood. When an anonymous 'Aces' begin spilling secrets, much is at stake.

Think Gossip Girl with high stakes. That's Ace of Spades in a nutshell. The mystery keeps adding up and the secrets that are revealed get nastier.
- loved the mystery and suspense the best. Things go VERY WRONG all the time
- focusses on bigger themes of racism, social eugenics, white people trying to eliminate black people from the school and secret societies with racist agendas
- shows class struggle and finances
- about friendships, friends with benefits, power imbalances, social dynamics

The book has wonderful queer characters, great mystery and is a definite page turner. I did expect more atmosphere considering how this was labelled dark academia by readers on social media (guess dark academia needn't always be atmospheric?)— but I was disappointed with the lack of atmospheric passages. Also while the mystery and resolution is spot on, the connection between characters was lacking. I would wonder why Chiamaka and Devon join hands, what motivates them to trust one another other than the fact that they are both targeted, but the book falls short in that regard. Such a connection between characters (other than C and D) did make me slightly disappointed esp considering how well the suspense worked out.

Gossip Girl meets Get Out with all kinds of representation? Yes please! This story is fantastically written - pace, character development, the understanding that there’s not just one type of Black experience. I look forward to reading more by this author.

A fearsome and captivating debut that handles both important topics and well-loved tropes with the same deftness and care one would expect from a seasoned author. Truly a story like no other this year, Ace of Spades will keep you reading to the very end and clinging to each and every word.

Overall rating 4.5/5

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is a YA novel that packs a punch, it’s like Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars and Get Out all rolled up in one and I loved it!

The book itself is of the dark academia genre and focuses on the lives of two black teenagers, Devon and Chiamaka, who attend Niveus academy, a prestigious private school. However, they are both suddenly the target of sabotage plot by ‘Aces’ – an anonymous force who is on a mission to destroy them and everything they have achieved.

Wonderfully paced and a joy to read, genuinely could not put it down and finished it over the space of one sitting. The book handles so many heavy topics, such as racism, classism, and homophobia, and I think it does so brilliantly which is a testament to both the authors writing style and understanding of the topics.

The character relationships were very believable and captured teenage life very realistically. I really enjoyed that there were so many dimensions to each character and although not all of them were necessarily likeable, you felt and understood them.

Overall a very enjoyable read and I cannot wait to read more from this author, I can see her being an immensely powerful voice in the YA genre!

Thank you so much to NetGallery and the publisher Usborne Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book.

Publication Date: 10 Jun 2021

Devon and Chiamaka, the only two black kids at their school, are targeted by an anonymous texter revealing their deepest hidden secrets. Figuring out who is doing this and why leads them to bring to life some shocking and racist views.

I don't often like when books are marketed as a mixture of two other books or shows, however, saying that Ace of Shades is Gossip Girl meets Get Out is PERFECT!
But queer too! (yay!)

I was particularly drawn into this story, fully immersed and very worried about what was happening.
Both characters are interesting, though Devon clearly takes the top spot in my heart.
The plot was very well crafted and the mystery elements remained tight.

At times I would have liked more information about how they got to the school, more detail about Aces in the past, or understanding how they felt about how things ended up going, how their relatives felt. But those are just small elements that aren't so important compared to the impact of this story.

My request on NetGalley was approved by the publisher, so thank you Usborne Publishing!

My Rating: 3.25 / 5 🌟

This book took me so long to because life's been getting in the way but I'm finally done!

I had high expectations going into this book, the synopsis sounded fantastic and I was truly intrigued by the story. However, I don't know why I thought this book wouldn't have high school drama when it clearly has Gossip Girl meets Get Out as the pitch.

From the pitch, I would say this book is 70% Gossip Girl and 30% Get Out. How did I get that number? Because the Get Out aspect only started to come out after we reached the 70% mark. 😂

Anyway, I think the characters are great but I feel like Chiamaka felt a bit flat. Out of the two, Chiamaka is definitely in a better financial decision than Devon, but the crap that Devon have to go through for surpasses Chiamaka, so it give this imbalance. While Devon's struggles are more tied to important issues, Chiamaka's struggles are more about high school drama. And as someone who hates reading about high school drama, I wasn't really in Chiamaka's POV than I was with Devon, this making me like Devon more than Chiamaka.

Moving on to the storyline, I think the story is spectacular. The author really did a great job in creating such an addictive and intriguing story. However, I do feel the ending felt rushed. I feel like the high school drama Gossip Girl stuff could be cut off and the Get Out aspect could start earlier to really give the story the the ending that it deserved. The buildup was really good but the ending just felt flat to me.

Overall, I still think Ace of Spades is a fantastic debut and I would recommend to people who loves intrigue, high school drama and a standalone book.

4.5 stars

This book was amazing and that ending was absolutely perfect!
Ace of Spades is a YA thriller where Gossip Girl meets Get Out. Two Black students in an very white private high school become the targets of an anonymous texter, Aces, who's out to reveal their deepest and darkest secrets and ruin their senior year. Who's Aces? Why are they doing this? And how far will it go?
It's full of suspense and twists. I was spending my time trying to figure out the twists, analyzing every conversation, trying to find out who Aces was.
Chiamaka and Devon, the main characters, were so great and well written, both so strong and vulnerable.. I loved them both so much and I loved their reluctant alliance to true friendship relation.

Content wanrings: Racism, Homophobia, Bullying, Blood, Alcohol consumption, Car accident, Racist slurs, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing of queer characters, Suicide ideation, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gun violence, Murder, Toxic Relationship, Sexism, Forced institutionalisation, Drug use

C/W: Racism

"Ace of Spades" is one of those books that lives up to the hype. Faridah is excellent at making me, someone who doesn't care for dark academia, invested in the story. I think while dramatic it does show the lengths that PWI' go through in order to make education less accessible to Black students.

I think that the thriller aspect had me on the edge of my seat and the queer representation was glorious. Personally, this is one of the most perfect YA novels I've read in a while. From story structure to stakes, this is highly recommended to everyone.

What did we do before the YA genre? As readers we are so lucky to have this genre of book that is willing to challenge what is considered normal. These books have become synonymous with stories that twist and redefine genres, that champion gender and sexual equality and that shine a light on race inequality.
Ace of Spades the debut novel from Faridah Abike-Iyimide is no exception to the brilliance of the YA genre and is both a compelling and unmissable high school set thriller. I won’t go into too much detail as any spoilers would ruin this dark and intense story and leave me open to the wrath of the spoiler Gods, but all I will say is you are in for one hell of a twisty ride.
If you loved One of Us Is Lying, Gossip Girl, Riverdale with a flourish of Get Out then look no further than this book. Main protagonists Chi and Devon are beautifully drawn and you will be swept up in each of their story arcs which tackle powerful themes including cyber-bullying, institionalised racism and homophobia. This is a great book to add to your summer reading list – Faridah Abike-Iyimide is a brilliant new voice in YA fiction
Gripping YA debut that has something to say 4 out of 5

"This world isn't ideal.
This world, our world, the one with houses as crooked as the people in them. Broken people, broken by the way the world works. No jobs, no money; sell drugs, get money. That's what this world is, that's how it works."


This book was WILD. I almost stayed up all night to do that but as a burgeoning old woman, I lost the battle to sleep.

The story starts with Devon, a music prodigy and Chiamaka, head girl and queen bitch. The only two black students at Niveus Private Academy. It's their senior year. The year where everything is supposed to come up daisies and get them enrolled into their dream colleges. Devon at Juilliard and Chi at Yale. Unfortunately, someone has it out for them.

In the same vein as Gossip Girl, an anonymous person reveals personal details about Devon and Chi that they'd rather stay hidden. But as the story progresses, Gossip Girl progresses into Uber A levels of malevolence. Trying to get Chi arrested at a candy store, outing Devon when he comes from a neighbourhood that could kill him for being gay, torturing Chi, following Devon. Making them distrust their world. Making them feel alone.

The stakes were high in this story. Eventually it became clear it was less about just messing with Devon and Chi but something more sinister. More insidious that just some sick fuckos out to mess with their rivals.

I can see why the book gets compared to Get Out. The elements of institutionalised racism are undeniable. Going as far as turning into a neoKKK situation that our protagonists find themselves in. But for once, the system didn't beat them down.

There was a lot of heavy subject matter dealt with apart from institutionalised racism. Such as incarceration, death of a parent, police brutality, gay bashing. There's a lot of ugliness, violence in modern day America. The book touches on it in a way suitable for a YA novel. It wasn't as overwhelming as my twitter feed. The book also briefly touches on being a second generation immigrant, and it made me thinks of how much history has been lost to a specific generation of Africans. In my case, it is because of colonialism. As well as a break down in sharing oral history which Chi's mum did. If those who came before us won't tell us, how else will we know? Unlike white families, we can't trace our history going all the way to when Napoleon got his milk teeth pulled.

The characters and the plot are the best thing about this book. I hated the dual 1st POV and the present tense. I will never understand what mandates present tense in YA contemporary novels. The ending also felt a bit rushed but I could forgive a few hastened conclusions and a few frayed incomplete plot threads for that glorious ending.

Abike-Iyimide wrote this because she wished she'd seen the PLLs and Gossip Girls with people who look like us. I'd go as far as saying, she far surpassed them all. Ace of Spades isn't "Get Out meets Gossip Girl", it's its own fucking story. One that will resonate with generations to come.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for a review.

I did not finish this book, through no fault of the author. I want to start off by saying that this book is very well written and the story is weaved together so intricately. The author is a genius, there's no denying that.

Unfortunately the forced public outing of one of the main characters triggered me, and at the moment I am just not in the right headspace to deal with those complex emotions. Most of the bullying in this book done by Aces just reminds me too much of my own high school days, and I am not ready to face that.

I have read plenty of amazing reviews about this book. The characters are well crafted and the author really knows how to pull emotions out of readers. If you like Gossip Girl with a splash of creepy and Get Out, you'll adore this book.

So this is entirely "it's me, not you" with this book. Objectively it is very good, but personally I am unable to finish this due to my own traumas. Please do not let that stop you from reading this brilliant book.

Remember to check the content warnings first and to take care of yourself when reading.

This book is fantastic. I couldn’t put it down. The mix between racism, love, gossip and friendship is awesome. The fight against racism is complicated, they are only two against all. The way friendship help them, and all the support they get at the end makes me cry. Also the lgbt representation is awesome !

This book is stunning. I read it in one sitting, I simply could not put it down - I had to keep reading, and it left me speechless.
The writing is phenomenal.
It made me angry at times, but to me, it was a very eye-opening book.
I can see Ace of Spades going far.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé was one helluva ride.
An Anonymous texter known as Aces ruining the lives of two Black teens in an elite private academy that gives you ‘Gossip Girl- Pretty Little Liars- I know what you did last summer’ vibes but scarier. (I haven’t watched Get Out so these are the 3 comparisons I can make).
That’s the one line plot summary I can think of but the book offers so much more!! One of the best books I read this year and to think it’s a debut, well done👏🏻👏🏻
Also +1 for the author to include trigger warnings at the beginning of the book.
Even if you read the synopsis and go in with some knowledge of what the book is about, you will still not be prepared for it, I say!
Not sure how to be not-spoilery, but the horrifying things the main characters Chiamaka and Devon go through in the name of racism makes your blood boil and lose your faith in people. How hard is it to be just kind 😭

I hate that these systems, all this institutional shit, can get to me. I hate how they have the 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.

I liked the contrast between the two main characters and also the fact that they weren’t unnecessarily romantically involved just for the sake of the plot. Chiamaka is a complete badass and full of spirit, she knows what she wants and is willing to achieve it whatever it takes, even though she is rich she has to struggle her way through the top because of her skin color. Devon is an introvert with hardly any friends and a scholarship student who likes his invisibility. And when they are forced to join hands together to fight Aces, there evolves this beautiful friendship.
The book also talks how being queer in a BIPOC community is like and the homophobia that exists.

Totally recommended and I’m really looking forward to Faridah’s upcoming books.
So so grateful to the publishers and Netgalley for the E-ARC. Also I’m very happy about the attention this book is getting and the publishers taking equal effort with the marketing as compared to a white author’s book. I hope more BIPOC authors get this deserving treatment.

The first thing I think it’s important to acknowledge before I write my review is that I’m reading and reviewing this as a white woman. I have things that hold me back as far as privilege goes being disabled, gay and poor, but I’m white, and I know that gives me far more privilege than a disabled, gay, poor person of colour. Because I’m white, I understand there are things I simply cannot understand, but I do want to do my very best to do so, and I know that reading books like this are only just one thing I can do as an ally.

Ace of Spades is one of the most compelling and cleverly constructed books I have read throughout all my obsessive time reading young adult thrillers. Starting off as what appears to be ‘light’ bullying and slipping into outright criminal behaviour, gradually increasing throughout the pages, it was horrifying to read but so brilliant it was impossible to look away.

The characters of Devon and Chiamaka are so well rounded, and jump from the pages. Their interactions change throughout the course of the book and their relationship development – especially Devon’s “God give me strength” attitude with her – gave some light relief at moments that were really tense and difficult. It helped to remind the reader that while Aces was a sinister force they were up against, these were just two teenagers, trying to make sense of what was happening to them and why.

Both characters wonder at points what it is that unites them in Aces relentless attacks, and both think, then hope, then wish to not be correct in what seems like the only thing they have in common: their skin colour. As I was reading, I was sucked along for the ride, hoping beyond hope it went deeper than that, connected to these two teenagers who are just trying to survive high school the only way they can. When it becomes obvious the full extent of what is going on, I audibly gasped outloud. It chilled me to my core.

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé has written a beautiful, terrible book about how the world still is. The fact this is a fictional book and yet the plot is so plausibly constructed makes it wonderful and horrendous in equal measure. This will be a book that stays with me a for a long, long time, if it ever leaves me at all.

Along with tackling race discrimination, the book also looks strongly at bullying in general, and how to cope with your sexuality, both when you first start questioning it, and further down the road, when you start talking to your parents, as a teen. Having been on that journey, I wanted to lean in and hold both of their hands as these gay and queer (as the author has described them) teenagers learn how to love themselves for who they are, and not the boxes people have wanted to put them in.

It’s a stunning debut, and I cannot wait for what the author does next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Ace of Spades" was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and i am very glad to say it has not disappointed. Whilst it was more suspenseful and darker than I anticipated, I was completely immersed in the story, I distrusted every character and questioned their decisions because. of the feeling of unease the book generated. It must also be noted that "Ace of Spades" includes controversial issues such as abuse, racism or attempted suicide.

I found the main characters, Devon and Chiamaka, to be very well developed. Since the story is told from a dual point of view, the reader gets to know both of them and witness their emotions directly, as well as follow their thought during decision making moments.

Of course, there are the usual YA tropes, but they are welcome additions to the storyline and do not impact negatively in the suspense. All in all, a thrilling foray into dark academia with some very powerful. messages.