Ace of Spades
Author: Faridah Àbíké-íyímidé
Published by: Usborne Publishing
Pages: 475
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★1/2
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…
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…
My thoughts:
Ace of Spades is the compelling young adult thriller described as Gossip Girl meets Get Out, by debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
In this tense mystery thriller, two black teens become the targets of an anonymous texter, and they must work together to take them down.
Chiamaka has one aim, to be at the top. She has succeeded in becoming head girl at Niveus Private Academy, doing whatever it took to get there. Devon, a younger student at Niveus, is just happy to be able to work on his music but coming from the "wrong side" of town, he too has things he'd rather keep secret.
On the face of it, Chiamaka and Devon have nothing in common - except that they are the only black students in an otherwise white school. When an anonymous texter starts revealing secrets about both students, their lives start to unravel.
The novel is binge-worthy, timely and twisty. There is a lot going on and the plot moves very fast, dealing with racism in academia and how whitewashed the system can be. I can certainly see why people will love this book. I enjoyed reading the thriller, it was fast-paced and kept me guessing. The main characters were likeable. Chiamaka is strong-willed and stops at nothing to get what she wants. While Devon is sensitive, caring and kind.
The book features great representation, interesting characters, and really is a very suspenseful read. It kept me engaged and initially I found it hard to tear myself away from reading. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out the truth behind the mystery. It’s an ideal choice for fans of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, plus there’s a whole lot of mystery throughout.
Àbíké-Íyímídé is clearly a new exciting voice in YA fiction, especially because she’s already shown her talents in pushing at boundaries, engaging in uncomfortable realities, and forcing a conversation with her work.
Ace of Spades had some great ideas and the first half of the story seemed to be building really well. The twists and turns kept me guessing whilst also tackling difficult topics like institutional racism and homophobia. No matter how you feel about Ace of Spades, it provokes a reaction and a need to talk about the various issues brought up and explored in the book. However, I did not like one of the plot twists. It’s very difficult to say much about this without risking spoilers, but my main issue was with some of the revelations that came to light towards the end of the book. The very ending wraps things up nicely though, and I. enjoyed the final scene more so.
A big thank you to Usborne Publishing for kindly gifting me a copy of the paperback in return for an honest review. This was a really enjoyable read.
Overall reaction:
Ace of Spades is the compelling young adult thriller described as Gossip Girl meets Get Out, by debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
In this tense mystery thriller, two black teens become the targets of an anonymous texter, and they must work together to take them down.
Chiamaka has one aim, to be at the top. She has succeeded in becoming head girl at Niveus Private Academy, doing whatever it took to get there. Devon, a younger student at Niveus, is just happy to be able to work on his music but coming from the "wrong side" of town, he too has things he'd rather keep secret.
On the face of it, Chiamaka and Devon have nothing in common - except that they are the only black students in an otherwise white school. When an anonymous texter starts revealing secrets about both students, their lives start to unravel.
The novel is binge-worthy, timely and twisty. There is a lot going on and the plot moves very fast, dealing with racism in academia and how whitewashed the system can be. I can certainly see why people will love this book. I enjoyed reading the thriller, it was fast-paced and kept me guessing. The main characters were likeable. Chiamaka is strong-willed and stops at nothing to get what she wants. While Devon is sensitive, caring and kind.
The book features great representation, interesting characters, and really is a very suspenseful read. It kept me engaged and initially I found it hard to tear myself away from reading. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out the truth behind the mystery. It’s an ideal choice for fans of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, plus there’s a whole lot of mystery throughout.
Àbíké-Íyímídé is clearly a new exciting voice in YA fiction, especially because she’s already shown her talents in pushing at boundaries, engaging in uncomfortable realities, and forcing a conversation with her work.
Ace of Spades had some great ideas and the first half of the story seemed to be building really well. The twists and turns kept me guessing whilst also tackling difficult topics like institutional racism and homophobia. No matter how you feel about Ace of Spades, it provokes a reaction and a need to talk about the various issues brought up and explored in the book. However, I did not like one of the plot twists. It’s very difficult to say much about this without risking spoilers, but my main issue was with some of the revelations that came to light towards the end of the book. The very ending wraps things up nicely though, and I. enjoyed the final scene more so.
A big thank you to Usborne Publishing for kindly gifting me a copy of the paperback in return for an honest review. This was a really enjoyable read.
Overall reaction:
