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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Ace of Spades
by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Ace of Spades
Author: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Book Series: Standalone
Diversity: Black main characters, one is gay and the other is at least bisexual. F/f and m/m romances
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: Ya readers, mystery, secret society, thriller, racism
Genre: YA Thriller/Mystery
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 480
Recommended Age: 16+ (Murder, Sexual content, Getting outed, Homophobia, Racism, Mention of teacher/student affair/statutory rape mention, Blackmail, Language, Suicide mention, Death, Violence)
Synopsis: An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism, from an exceptional new YA voice. 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...
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Going into the story, I felt like the book would be a lot like One of Us is Lying but then about 50% in it took a hard left and I absolutely love the twist on this. I loved our two main characters, they did well working off of each other even though they were the complete opposites of one another. I also enjoyed the character development of some of the other side characters in this book and the world building was very well done. I do have to say if you are really interested in thriller/secret society books I am highly recommending this one and I'm going as far as to say I think this should be required reading because of the topics that the book touches on such as racism in education and eugenics and its racist roots.
The only real criticism I have about the book is that the epilogue is a little short, I wish I got to see a little bit more but I'm hoping that there is a sequel to this book in the future because I would still be interested in seeing Devon and Chiamaka's journey in doing what they're doing in the future. I also hope that in the final book that the ending chapters are a little bit elongated as I felt like they were a little bit too fast-paced for the rest of the book and that there was too much happening for what short passages the arc had.
Verdict: Highly recommend and recommended reading
Book: Ace of Spades
Author: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Book Series: Standalone
Diversity: Black main characters, one is gay and the other is at least bisexual. F/f and m/m romances
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: Ya readers, mystery, secret society, thriller, racism
Genre: YA Thriller/Mystery
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 480
Recommended Age: 16+ (Murder, Sexual content, Getting outed, Homophobia, Racism, Mention of teacher/student affair/statutory rape mention, Blackmail, Language, Suicide mention, Death, Violence)
Synopsis: An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism, from an exceptional new YA voice. 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...
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Going into the story, I felt like the book would be a lot like One of Us is Lying but then about 50% in it took a hard left and I absolutely love the twist on this. I loved our two main characters, they did well working off of each other even though they were the complete opposites of one another. I also enjoyed the character development of some of the other side characters in this book and the world building was very well done. I do have to say if you are really interested in thriller/secret society books I am highly recommending this one and I'm going as far as to say I think this should be required reading because of the topics that the book touches on such as racism in education and eugenics and its racist roots.
The only real criticism I have about the book is that the epilogue is a little short, I wish I got to see a little bit more but I'm hoping that there is a sequel to this book in the future because I would still be interested in seeing Devon and Chiamaka's journey in doing what they're doing in the future. I also hope that in the final book that the ending chapters are a little bit elongated as I felt like they were a little bit too fast-paced for the rest of the book and that there was too much happening for what short passages the arc had.
Verdict: Highly recommend and recommended reading