It is only February but I think I have found what is going to be my favourite book of the year. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé has written a truly stunning debut novel with 'Ace of Spades'. I cannot remember the last time I had such a physical reaction to a book, actual goosebumps and chills as the plot unravelled. It is thrilling, unexpected and absolutely terrifying.

Chiamaka and Devon are high-flying students at Niveus Academy, destined for Yale and Julliard in this a private school dominated by white students. However, everything starts falling apart in their senior year as a mysterious figure called 'Aces' starts sending blasts to the whole school, revealing Chiamaka and Devon's darkest secrets. These two are far from innocent but it alarms them to realise they are being relentlessly targeted... the only two black students in their year group.

At first, 'Aces' seemed like a slightly sinister Gossip Girl, leaking secrets, bullying their targets and threatening futures with the truths which are uncovered. The reality is so much more than this - both unexpected and deeply disturbing. Àbíké-Íyímídé has depicted a chilling tale of white supremacy and darkness ingrained in society. This is a dystopian vision of race relations in educational settings yet is harrowingly truthful in its key messages.

Overall, this novel is fantastic. I will be buying copies for every teacher I know - let's get this in the hands of every teenager stat! 5 (million) stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4 STARS

I loved how fast paced this was and the amazing representation!
I really liked Devon, the bits of romance in this and how much it touched on racism.

It wasn’t massively my kind of book but I think a lot of people will like it.

Overall a powerful read and very good debut!

What a wonderful and amazing read!

Very well written, the characters jump at you from the pages and I could not put this away.

When I finished reading Ace of Spades, I was overcome with a very unfamiliar feeling: I wanted to go back to the very first page and read it cover to cover again. I wanted to relive the descension of horror this book takes you through. I wanted to experience the terror and fear that this book instils with its incredible twist and turns. And, knowing what I know now, I wanted to feel that absolute dread of knowing what was coming, because how this story devolves and leads to was thrilling and so satisfyingly brilliant. I am in awe of Ace of Spades, and it is one of the most phenomenal debuts that I have ever read.

Set in an elite private school and told in alternating perspectives, we follow two Black teens: Chiamaka, a biracual Italian-Nigerian-American teen who is Head Girl, popular, and isn’t afraid to get what she wants to stay in power; and Devon, a Black Amerian teen and talented musician who just wants to keep his head down, focus on his music, and protect his secret. When an anonymous texter named Aces begins bringing Chiamaka and Devon’s secrets to light, Chiamaka and Devon reluctantly team up together to take the anonymous texter down.

Ace of Spades is nothing short of incredible and will - and I'm calling it - one of my top ten books that I read this year. The book begins with a few perfectly tame first chapters. Readers will be pulled into Devon and Chiamaka's two entirely different worlds. Whilst Devon's desire is to just stay low-key and get into a university that offers a music scholarship, Chiamaka is bold and popular, unapologetic in what she wants and to stay in power. But when Aces enters the picture, texting humiliating secret to terrifying secret, I felt transfixed to the story, unable to pull away from each shocking revelation, wanting to know what happened next as the floor beneath Chiamaka and Devon’s feet begins to crumble. Ace of Spades is immediately compelling and just when you think things could not get worse, they absolutely do - with a vengeance.

The story is excellently paced, the mystery dark and delicious and addictive. Faridah plays with our emotions, dropping hints here and there, expertly instilling a growing sense of dread and horror that I really enjoyed. Yet, when I think about Ace of Spades, its brilliance isn’t just because it is mind-blowing and terrifying. Rather, the genius in the mystery is its thoughtfulness and that is speaks to real experiences that will resonate with readers - and I wish I could elaborate on this, because if this book wasn't spoiler-free, this review would be twice as long with my thoughts on how I thought the reveal was brilliant.

As well as its fantastic mystery, Ace of Spades boasts brilliantly fleshed out characters that you will enjoy scrutinising and learning more about and an eerie and tense atmosphere where you will feel too scared to let your guard down. However, what stood out to me about Ace of Spades was how it balances being this incredible action-packed mystery that never has a dull moment to this incredibly thematic story as well.

For instance, the incisive discourse of how race often intersects with class and, in extension, academia was excellent. I enjoyed how this is explored in the story and how this intertwines with Chiamaka’s character development; that Black people in white spaces have to curtail their authentic selves and tailor their image in ways that conform with white arbitrary standards of beauty, ‘professionalism’, and being. How this is explored in Ace of Spades is subtly and excellently done. Moreover, I also liked how the story explores how class adds another layer of privilege, and this is exemplified in how Chiamaka, who grew up and lives in a rich neighbourhood and how it insulates her, versus Devon, from a poorer neighbourhood, differently navigate and perceive society and the spaces that they occupy.

In addition, I loved that this story explores how racism is systemic; racism isn’t merely one individual saying anti-Black microaggressions and hating a person. Racism at its most violent and cruel is when it's pervasive and structural. I loved that Ace of Spades delves into this in its dark academia setting; that academia is overwhelmingly white and classist, and this intersection is particularly salient in Devon’s character development - a poor Black boy who gets into the private school by scholarship, and has to grapple with his classmates’s racism and classism, ultimately creating barriers to success in Black students.

Lastly, Ace of Spades delves into the fraught space of being queer and also being a person of colour; how being queer can actually be dangerous because queer acceptance - from others and of yourself - can sometimes be complex and challenging. Both Chiamaka and Devon are queer Black teens (Chiamaka is bisexual and Devon is gay), and I liked how the story showed that they two have different queer experiences. There are anti-gay microaggressions and rhetoric in this book, including Devon being outed by Aces, but there are also glimmers of hope in the story how validating and affirming acceptance can be. Rest assured: Ace of Spades is not a queer pain story; it does, though, honestly and genuinely show that being queer can come with its challenges, but there's joy and love and tenderness too.

Thrilling, shocking, and un-put-downable, Ace of Spades is an explosive debut and will be instant favourites everywhere. Ace of Spades is going to be the next big book, and it absolutely deserves to be. If Ace of Spades, Faridah's published debut, is any indication of her work and what we can expect, call me a fan of her work forever; I'll read anything she writes.

Such an essential read! The descriptor of Gossip Girl meets Get Out perfectly sums it up, as Àbíké-Íyímídé seamlessly blends the social climbing of the former with an horrendously believable depiction of institutionalised racism. Packed full of twists and turns, some of which gave me actual chills and made me feel sick to my stomach (because it's written so fantastically!) we alternate between the stories of social outcast Devon and Head Prefect Chiamaka, the only two black students at their otherwise exclusively white and privileged private school. As a unknown entity starts texting out their secrets to the world, they find themselves forced together - something which they've near-intentionally avoided the previous few years at school. This is such a compelling read, with some extraordinarily important issues being covered extremely carefully. The epitome of unputdownable! A thriller that will keep you up all night., out of intrigue and dread...

This book is marketed as Gossip Girl meets Get Out which feels absolutely spot on. Chiamaka and Devon are the only two black students in a rich, white high school and they become the targets of anonymous texts spreading gossip about them. The novel starts off feeling very much like a YA high school drama, but as it goes on it twists into something darker and more sinister. The atmosphere is chilling and utterly captivating - I devoured this in two sittings and it was all I could think about it when I was supposed to be working!

With commentary on institutionalised racism and homophobia within poor and black communities, this is an incredibly important novel. I also absolutely loved the two protagonists, and seeing how they perceived each other in the dual perspective. Chiamaka has a special place in my heart - I love reading about complicated, messy young women. She is a savage, intelligent, beautiful high school queen bee and I loved reading about her motivations for navigating life in such a calculated way.

Without giving too much away, the only thing I would have liked was more examples of institutionalised racism throughout recent history and the modern day, to contextualise the plot a little more.

Ace of Spades was so much better than all the others Dark Academia books staging rich white priviledged teens' problems. This book tackles real issues such as systemic racism, being a lgbt kid in a POC community, white privilege, etc. This depth makes the book interesting and captiving, but also scary and infuriating. This book has around 500 pages, but it is so fast paced and engrossing that I didn't see the pages go by. I was at the edge of my seat throughout the whole book and the twist... I wasn't expecting it - I felt so bad. The two main characters are very likeable, my favourite being Chiamaka who was really attaching and complex. In a nutshell, it's a great, meaningful and important books with two awesome main characters which is so different from typical ya dark academia books.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the E-ARC!!

Ace of Spades is an inventive, searing and brilliantly paced debut novel, which was genuinely hard to put down. Prior to reading I saw this being pitched as Get Out meets Gossip Girl and it was definitely a clever mix of the two but also thoroughly unique and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé has crafted something truly special with this book. It’s a truly impressive feat and I can see this book being huge on release and deservedly so.

One of the most striking things about this novel has to be the way Íyímídé explores race and the pervasive nature of racism and white supremacy. In many thrillers of this nature set in a high school environment the characters typically have relatively surface level concerns but Íyímídé surpasses any such tired tropes and charges her narrative with social commentary and powerfully so. I also really appreciate how this is Dark Academia which actually examines the white centered nature of much academia in real life as well as the sub genre which has cropped up over the past few years.

I really don’t want to spoil the plot for anyone but trust me when I say that you’ll think you have it figured out, but it gets darker and deeper than you could possibly imagine. Íyímídé isn’t afraid to delve deep and reflect the stark realities of institutional racism and how it affects Black people every single day. There is complexity and layers here in abundance, from educational opportunity, the policing of Black hair and bodies and so much more. It makes for an absolutely intense ride and Íyímídé is masterful at developing tension and suspense. I quite literally read this in one day because I couldn’t bear to put it down.

Chiamaka and Devon are the only two Black students at Niveus academy, but their lives could not be any more different – Chiamaka comes from a wealthy family and is at the top of the social hierarchy, and has done everything she can to get there. Devon comes from the less privileged part of town, is at the school on a scholarship and tries his best not to attract attention from his classmates. I enjoyed how the characters eventually banded together to uncover the identity of Aces and figure out why they seem to be the prime targets of these vindictive attacks. It was interesting to see them connect and build a friendship and confide in each other despite their initial disconnect.

The build up of the story is indescribable and I quite honestly can’t express how suspenseful and intense it all is, with the culmination being something beyond what I ever expected. I picked up the breadcrumbs here and there but didn’t pin down the full scope of it all. I realise I’m being vague here but trust me this is a finale you won’t want to see coming, it’s best appreciated with a fresh pair of eyes.

Overall, Ace of Spades is an incredible debut novel and is definitely one of my top reads of 2021 – if you’re into thrillers with high stakes, exploration of real issues and tension which never lets up building up to a killer ending. This is a book you simply have to read!

This book is incredible!!

I love a good thriller that keeps you gripped and guessing, especially on that keeps you guessing until the very end.
A lot of the time, I can guess the twist that is coming, but with this book, I was both right and oh so very wrong at the same time and I loved it!!

An incredible piece of creative and gripping storytelling.

I couldn’t put this book down

Niveus Private Academy is for the rich and powerful, where the students run their own, and anyone less than perfect is destined for nothingness. Head Girl Chiamaka is only a year away from graduating, on the path to the best future she could ever imagine. Devon is months away from making it to Julliard, hoping to support his family. Two different worlds collide when they both become victims to an anonymous texter named Aces, who slowly release their private information, and it becomes a race to discover their identity because they someone gets hurt.

Oh, wow. Okay, Ace of Spades was something else. I had a lot of fun reading this. I laughed, sighed, and gasped at every twist and turn this story took. What I liked about the story is that it gets you feeling anxious. With every new week, something new is released about our main leads, and it haunts you. Suddenly, everyone they meet is a threat, and you quickly begin to question every sudden movement. Àbíké-Íyímídé is extremely good at making you second-guess your own guesses, writing in a way that wants you to keep reading whatever the conditions. I had stayed up until three am wanting to see the ending.

Ace of Spades introduces you to Chiamaka and Devon, young teens nearing the end of their time at school. Both have different plans for their futures, barely knew the other existed until the targeted attacks. This book is a thriller, but it manages to tackle a lot more than you’d expect, without losing the momentum. We see Chiamaka and Devon having to tackle the Aces while also dealing with toxic environments, domestic issues and their own sexualities. They are both such sweet kids that were dealt the worst hand. Chiamaka is headstrong, but she’s still fighting tooth and nail to be given the same respect as her white counterparts. Devon is lowkey, working for a future that his mother works so hard to provide for him. And when the texts hit at them and their classmates, they’re the ones going down hard. Even amongst the dark and gritty scenes, there were light-hearted moments that were a joy to see. You want to keep them in those moments, but alas, Aces strike again.

Gossip Girl meets Get Out in this dangerous debut that highlights everyday and institutional racism. It is intriguing and well written. It takes you on one hell of a ride as it challenges white supremacy embedded in academia. Ace of Spades is one book you’ll definitely want in your hands.

I devoured Ace of Spades in the space of a day. It starts off, as advertised, as a Gossip Girl homage. We meet the fabulous and popular Chiamaka and the loner Devon in amongst a cast of high school jocks, queen bees, musicians and scholarship kids. But it soon morphs into something else entirely. The plot moves apace with plenty of twists and turns and the characterisation becomes stronger as the narrative unfolds. Ace of Spades in a dark and incisive commentary on racism as well as an unputdownable thriller. It is also refreshing in its foregrounding of queerness. A dazzling new perspective and new voice.

Ace of Spades was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and a 5 star prediction that ended up being correct. This book was tense and unsettling from the get-go, but things especially got intense in the second half, and I could not put it down. This is what dark academia should be - challenging systemic oppression and the white supremacy embedded in academia.

Devon and Chi are complete opposites, yet have more similarities than either would think. They both attend Niveus, and expensive fee paying school, educating to gain entry into the elite universities. Chi because her family can afford to pay and have the lifestyle, Devon because of a scholarship and a Mother who is determined her son will move out of his deprived neighbourhood. They both do well through hard work until their last year when suddenly their secrets are being spilled by anonymous messages to the whole student body threatening to endanger everything they have worked for. And there are a lot of secrets. The story just keeps in unleashing more and more secrets and people plotting against the pair. The feeling of being totally overwhelmed hit me as a reader so living through it would have been a nightmare.
This is institutional and systematic racism at its worst where no one can be trusted and it’s difficult to see a way out. The ending is a race to discover if it is resolved or not.

Is this one of the most hyped books ever? I think so. I first read an interview with Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé way back in September 2020, nearly a year before her debut novel is actually published. But this clever, shocking and scary book definitely lived up to the hype for me. Devon and Chiamaka are both students at an exclusive private school in America, where they are the only two black students. And they are both targeted by an anonymous Gossip Girl who blasts their darkest secrets to everyone.

This ended up being something so unexpected, I could not put it down - a true page turner. What is most interesting (and depressing) is that it is in part inspired by the author's own experience when she moved to Aberdeen from London for university and was suddenly one of the only black faces in the room. Though I was glad to see in the foreword of the book that having graduated uni she now has a love for Scotland! An important debut by an author who is definitely one to watch. Oh, and did I mention she's still only 21?! Excuse me while I cry in a corner.

(Thanks to the publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

all I can say is this book is guaranteed to be loved by so many. this has so many twists and turns that lead to you devouring the book all at once. it's queer, it's unapologetically black and I adore it.

Faridah take a bow because you are a force to be reckoned with.

Devon and Chi are at two different ends of the social hierarchy; Devon is from a completely different background where his Mom is working multiple jobs to make ends meet but that's still not enough. Whereas Chi has money and relishes fancy things.

Chi is determined to get into Yale and will do anything to make that happen whereas Devon just wants to make it.

Soon a mysterious texter called 'Aces' is spilling both Chi and Devons' deepest darkest secrets jeopardizing everything they have both worked hard for.

Whether they like it or not they've just become targets and together they set about uncovering who this mysterious person is

I think my mind has never been so shocked by reading a book. The amount of times I felt full rage going through every single one of my veins is...a lot. ACE OF SPADES instantly jumped on my favorite books of life list.
It explores institutional racism, which is something im constantly fighting againsnt in my masters degree by calling out extremely white curriculums. It also navigates being black and queer and how these two intersect. What a brilliant story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Usborne Publishing for providing me with this book.

Ace of spades was wild. What happens in this book is just insane, so scary and revolting.

It’s been a while since I read a book set in high school with drama, toxic relationships, and so on. In Ace of Spades, you get a lot of that but there is depth to the story, it’s not just to entertain the readers. Here we are shown the impact of racism and what white supremacy and white privilege are.

As for the characters, reading from Devon’s and Chiamaka’s perspectives was enriching and I cared so much for them. They come from different backgrounds and conditions of life which I appreciated as it served the story well.

It’s so hard to trust anyone while reading. Even when you want to so deeply and when you think that you can, there’s a little voice inside your head telling you ‘Do not, it might be a trap’. I loved this sense of doubt and confusion. It also got scary at times, I was like ‘omg, it’s going too far’ and I put the blanket around my shoulders.

My only complain with this book is that the ending wrapped up too quickly and too well. Also, throughout the whole novel, a couple of things were left unsaid or not enough developed. There is one specific thing that didn’t happen and I’m sad. This part was closed way too soon for my taste but I understand why as it made complete sense, I just hoped till the end 🙈

If you’re in the mood for a gripping thought-provoking page-turner, read this novel!

Ps: the end of the epilogue 👌🏼

Ace of Spades is one of my most anticipated 2021 releases and dear I was not disappointed by it. To be quite honest I'm not the biggest fan of Gossip Girl but I was quite interested by the book once I heard it was pitched as Get Out meets Gossip Girl -- because it just sounds so interesting right? Let me tell you: it does more than just sound interesting. It is interesting. I'm not a huge thriller reader but the author managed to pull me in the story. I don't know if it's because I'm a POC or not but once I truly put into my mind that Chiamaka and Devon were the only two Black students in Niveus, my brain started to raise all the red flags. I don't know how the author did it but while reading the book you can't help but think something bad is going to happen. Imagine: you're walking alone in a really dark forest in the middle of the night and because you're scared you can't help but looking behind you every seconds. Ace of Spades feels like that. The more you're reading, the more you think that something bad is going to happen to the main characters. And it's truly amazing how the author manages to create this heavy and stuffy atmosphere, it literally feels like someone or something is pressing on your own chest while reading -- especially starting from the middle of the book.

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé manages to create a story which becomes darker and darker the more you're reading it -- and I find it particularly cool because it makes you feel how it's going to worsen before she shows it to you. And it's truly amazing because at first I was thinking stuff like "okay Niveus sucks but they're going to make it" and then "fuck no don't go back to that school." I believe this is what the author was going for while writing her story. It shows how well the story is crafted and how well it is done.

More than the atmosphere, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé tackles important topics as the homophobia in the Black community and the systemic racism in private school and more generally racism. In an author's note, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé explains that her story is inspired by her own experience: not seeing someone who looks like her on her own campus and this is something I truly relate to. I come from a small town and in middle school, besides my brother, I was the only Asian kid around. It kinda "got better" in high school: besides my brother, there was another girl. That's it. And I believe white people don't truly understand how impactful that can be; how it's hard when you can't find somebody who looks like you -- who can understand you even if you don't really know each other. Sometimes it feels like even if something happens to you -- something racist -- nobody is going to take your side because everybody around you is freaking white. And I believe this is what the author was going for while writing Ace of Spades. She shows how everything is against you when you're a POC and especially if you're Black. More than that, she shows how it doesn't matter if you're rich or not: Devon is poor and is the victim of racist attacks while Chiamaka is rich af but is the victim of racist attacks. By showing two types of characters -- one rich and one poor -- the author shows how it doesn't matter in the eyes of white supremacists: you're Black before you're rich or poor. With that Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé says: race before class.

Ace of Spades shows that it is always more than racism between classmates. White people tend to think that racism in school is always "jokes between friends" but we know it's not that. We know racism is everywhere and it's not going anywhere. Ace of Spades shows how racism is systemic, how it's deeply ingrained in institutions who should normally be neutral. In an ideal world, you'd think that school is a place which should push forward its students, no matter their skin color, but in reality, we know it's not the case and Ace of Spades reminds us of that. The book reminds us that not only the students but also the teachers, the administration, the school system as a whole is the perpetrator.

While reading Ace of Spades, I was thinking stuff like "how can Devon and Chiamaka have a happy ending? Especially when I know that systemic racism is still a thing in 2021?" and you know, I don't know if Ace of Spades' ending can be considered a happy one. More than that I believe it'd be more accurate to say it's the one which make the more sense -- systemic racism is a plague around the world but you can fight back because you have people who will believe your story, because it's something than happened to them too.

Ace of Spades is a haunting thriller that had me on edge the whole time I read it. This is dark academia with a twist, and one that’s desperately needed. The way Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé portrayed the cruelness and injustice Black people have to face in a society that was built on institutionalised racism and still exists within it, to this day, was incredibly chilling. She has truly mastered the art of creating an atmosphere that makes you want to look over your shoulder, skin prickling, feeling watched the whole time. This is a story that will make you doubt everything you know, it will make you furious and desperate for change—but it will leave you with a hopeful ending, one that promises a better future, at last.

(A full review will be posted closer to the release date.)

This YA is so, so powerful! It’s Black, it’s queer, it’s uncomfortable, it’s dark, it’s twisted and so fucked up until the very end. There are so many secrets. Terrifying incomplete memories. Nasty messages that put Devon and Chiamaka in the spotlights and make them spiraling out of control.

This story is a real gem, messages sent by Aces, first ugly but then getting more and more dangerous. Devon and Chiamaka are the only Black students at Niveus. Devon is gay and doesn’t want to stand out, but he does as he gets outed by Aces' text. Chiamaka is at the top of the hierarchy as Head Prefect. And she will do anything to stay there. But then Aces put her in other spotlights, and her world is spiraling out of control. And this is only the beginning. Aces are getting into people’s minds; it’s creepy and terrifying. And Devon and Chiamaka don’t know how to stop it ...

Devon is such a sweet and caring guy, trying to survive in the harsh world he’s living in, doing things he shouldn’t, to help his mom. Chiamaka seems arrogant, but all she does is survive; because she doesn’t want to be the other, not good enough. She wants to find her way into the world, to become a doctor.

Faridah’s writing is outstanding. She pulls the reader into the story and doesn’t let go. The story is captivating and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It doesn’t show which POV is talking; you just know. So well done! And she wrote this story at a very young age, she’s only 22, and Usborne Publishing pre-empted the story in 2018! I can only say: WOW, such a fantastic debut!