Ace of Spades

by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

A compelling, incendiary, and unputdownable thriller with a shocking twist, Faridah Abike-Iyimide delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism with this compulsive debut. 

Hello, Niveus High. It's me. Who am I? That's not important. All you need to know is...I'm here to divide and conquer. - Aces

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light.

Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public.

Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power.

Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...

• ISBN13: 9781250808332
• Publish Date: 1 June 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Macmillan Young Listeners
• Format: Audiobook
• Duration: 11 hours and 30 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[lisbethwhite]

I loved how the thriller/suspense aspects of this book revealed themselves slowly. I've been avoiding reading summaries or many details about titles lately, so while I knew this a was a prep school story, I wasn't expecting the dive into individual and systemic racism that is beautifully brought to life in this story. I loved it and can't wait to connect this title to my HS readers.

[lessthelonely]

Well, this is awkward, ain't it?

I guess I was bound to come face-to-face with a BookTok praised book that didn't Wow me, and so, to whoever reads this review, I'd like to give a little warning that I might spoil some things in this book. I'll try to keep it minor - if you've heard of this book from BookTok, chances are you already know what I'm going to be talking about in terms of spoiling it.

I think this book has been mismarketed. It has been marketed as a Thriller... sorry to say it isn't one. It really isn't one. This isn't to say it's uneventful: quite a few things happen, but this book doesn't really offer any real thrills, in my opinion, let alone twists. I don't want to take away from some of the reveals, as some were really good. The problem I found with this book is that because of how this book has been praised online, I fully expected most of the twists.

Some things seemingly came out of nowhere, namely, the Martha thing (not her identity reveal, but a part of Chiamaka's character that's suddenly a big part of her- I liked it! It just... appeared) and Devon's dad reveal - it didn't feel like they came naturally or even in a shocking way. It felt a little like filler, though I'd say that the second one was very much more believable. 

OK, time for the minor spoilers: I was expecting this book to be something like a whodunnit, which it was - the problem comes from the fact that the twist didn't feel like a twist - this book has been marketed as dealing with racism and how it's deeply embedded everywhere! How was I supposed to believe any single white person in this book? There were 2 characters I did believe, but one them, which I'd say is a heavy-hitter in the twists department was definitely underwhelming. I LOVED THE FINAL CONFRONTATION WITH THAT CHARACTER THOUGH - you'll know what I'm referring to once you read it.

The way the author went about setting up this twist is making the main characters believe what was happening to them wasn't racially motivated... and I don't know if it's because it was poor writing, my own privilege, or the fact that I easily saw through most of the characters: friends? Teachers? I truly trusted no one. I felt annoyed that the characters basically had to convince themselves that Oh, no, this isn't about me being black, I've had a good run here at school! I 100% understand coming from a place of assuming the best, but it felt quite unbelievable because most of the characters did bad things and it either was forgotten immediately or forgiven in the next chapter - and by bad things, I mean HUGE red flags.

This, however, isn't to say the main characters were dumb - I'm saying they felt a little too stiff in this regard. The cards were stacked against them.

Other than that, this book really doesn't feature fast-pacing. I'm really sorry, but this book is just Gossip Girl, except it isn't trashy - each new reveal done by Aces never took my breath away, it just got progressively worse and worse. None of them really wowed or shocked me outside of one of the later ones, regarding some posters, probably because of the very vivid description. I felt very tense reading this book, which is something I definitely think is in its favor: this is a mystery/drama, just like Gossip Girl. As new offenses took place, it felt like it was definitely getting worse and worse, but it all felt very, very linear. A crescendo, yes, but still linear. And the weight of some of the things that happened felt a bit downplayed.

There were some moments that I thought the book was going to go other places, like a traditional thriller with some stalking scenes, but nope. And this isn't to say it wasn't tense and suspenseful to read those or that I wanted the characters to suffer... I just wanted to feel scared for them, because I was 100% sure from the reviews this book has and its marketing that this wasn't going to end on a somber note - can't say if I would like it less or more in that case.

Another thing I really need to express: this book's romance is... extremely bland. To be fair, this book isn't marketed as a romance, nor do I see any mention of romance in the synopsis. I got a bit excited when Devon started having a romantic arc, but most if not all romance in this book is either established or gets set up really quickly: Devon has an "ex" for whom I felt nothing. I felt for him, not for them, you feel? Chiamaka has a crush and then a romantic interest: the first one is established and it feels like everything is going to go well, thus you know it isn't actually going to all go well. The second one is like Devon's new romantic interest: they meet, they have banter, they get together - which is signaled by kissing. I didn't have time to want these characters to get together, let alone feel for the endings all these had. It was way too quick.

I will give Miss Faridah this: she is great at creating a visualization of emotion. You could feel for these characters because their emotions were described in a grandiose way, which makes you feel for them deeply. The main characters and some side characters are either really likable (Devon, Chiamaka, Devon's Mom, Terrell, Andre) or simply highly realistic (Jamie, Scotty, Belle, Headmaster Ward, Devon's Teacher). There are some great moments in this book ("smell of bitch-ass liar" lives in my head rent-free), some amazing interactions. I kind of wish Chiamaka and Devon started interacting a bit sooner, too.

However, these complaints and compliments are on writing, because outside of that, this book deals with racism in a way that I found very serious but also very enticing to read: I felt called out at times and this book originated some reflection on some thoughts I had while reading it. It takes the idea that racism is a part of everyone who has been neutered into it and manifests it in a very realistic and rage-inducing manner: sexual harassment, rumor-spreading, all these very bad things that range from absolutely awful to what one could consider minor. Minor in a way that you realize that small things can be signs of terrifying bigotry, sometimes even in an unconscious manner.

For that alone, I commend the author and I really like this book for it; I will check out future releases by this author without even blinking. I'd say to give it a try.

[Quirky Cat]

Ace of Spades is the debut novel of Faridah Abike-Iyimide, and holy cow! This novel is amazing! I never in a million years would have guessed that this was a debut, if you had simply handed it to me and provided no context. Faridah Abike-Iyimide's voice is so strong and so powerful already, and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Devon and Chiamaka have practically nothing in common. Other than that they attend the same high school (Niveus Private Academy), and they happen to be the only two kids targeted by a strange series of attacks.

All Devon wanted to do was focus on his music, but some random texter keeps bringing his secrets into the light. Meanwhile, it seems like suddenly the whole world is turning on Chiamaka, as the power she had worked so hard to build slips from her fingers.

There is somebody in this school who doesn't want them there, and they will stop at nothing to finish their goal.

"Hello Niveus High. It's me. Who am I? That's not important. All you need to know is... I'm here to divide and conquer. Like all great tyrants do. -Aces"

Holy cow. I'm not even sure that I have the words to express how Ace of Spades made me feel. It's brilliant and intense, terrifying and beautiful. The characters are so strong, showing the best and worst that humanity has to offer.

It's those contrasting sides that frequently made me want to put the book down and scream. Literally, Faridah Abike-Iyimide's words burrowed under my skin, forcing me to care about these two very different characters and the struggles they face.

“I stop myself from apologizing-because what would I even be sorry for? Existing too loud?”

I adored how different both characters were – their perspectives allowed for a completely different take on the same situation. One that got terrifyingly dark, especially towards the end. I'll admit that Devon created a special little soft spot in my heart, one that will probably never go away.

There are so many great things working together to make this novel what it is. Fantastic writing. Intense plot. Brilliant representation. The works. It's all there, and it made me fall in love with every little piece of it.

Frankly, I can see why people have been gushing about this novel SO much. I am officially on that train as well – so go out and read Ace of Spades! It's worth it. Plus, once you do, we can sit down and talk about it.

Thanks to Feiwel & Friends and #BookishFirst for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks