Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Recommended: YUP
For a high school drama that turns into a mystery that turns into an actual oh-sh*t situation, for a story of friendship and identity and isolation and trust and race, for a story where you get halfway through and wonder how it could get any more intense

Thoughts:
YEAH y'all, my overall advice is that if you read the blurb and think you might be interested? Just read it -- it will probably go well. I don't see how this could disappoint. The twists are many, and the level of show more mystery and secrets and intrigue is like Agatha Christia / Hercule Poirot level. I felt like a detective, trying to isolate all the clues and variables and figure out the who-dunnit mystery of it all. The story evolves into way more than that, though.

Devon and Chiamaka are both pretty comfortable with their sexuality, even as they learn more about themselves and what they like, want, need. It's obviously a large part of the impact on Devon, as he's forcibly outed in the first chapter and fears the repercussions from his homophobic neighborhood if the news spreads. Taking a turn into darker waters, though, both Chiamaka and Devon have much heavier events hidden in their past.

Race, trust, sexual identity.... this book is full of topics, but it's also couched in this drama and mystery that realy sucked me in. I loved both aspects of it, and devoured this book in two days. It was that whole thing where you stay up super late because you're so close and you just have to finish it! Any time my S.O. interrupted to ask a question, or we needed to do some chores, I was heaving a big sigh and very reluctantly putting it down.

Read the book. show less

This book well exceeded any expectations I had. Take a splash of Pretty Little Liars high school drama and mix it with all of the unsettling tension of Get Out.

We meet our two main characters, Devon and Chiamaka, at the start of their last year at a prestigious high school. They come from completely different backgrounds and have wildly different life goals ahead of them. Devon is quiet and reserved, trying to stay under the radar. Chiamaka is used to running the school without having to show more break a sweat. They both become targets of a mysterious entity trying to spill the darkest secrets of both students, as well as anyone attached to them.

I’m not always a fan of stories that flip point of view between characters, but this author handled it effortlessly. The characters have to make the choice to sit by and watch their life be destroyed or try to risk it all to fight back. The moments Chiamaka had with her parents, particularly her mom, felt so vulnerable and real.

The last third of this book had me losing sleep trying to figure out who or what was behind the secret persona spilling the secrets. The payoff at the end was well worth the build up. I’ll absolutely be on the lookout for more from this author! show less

“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"

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s debut novel ACE OF SPADES has been billed as “Gossip Girl” meets “Get Out” — and for good reason — but I am here to tell you that it is SO much more than that. A binge-worthy contemporary YA thriller, ACE OF SPADES is a timely and thought-provoking exploration of classism, homophobia, show more and the pervasiveness of institutional racism.

Told in alternating first-person narration, ACE OF SPADES follows Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo as they navigate the halls of Niveus Private Academy. Despite being the only two black students at Niveus, their paths have seldom crossed. While Queen bee Chiamaka has spent the past three years clawing her way to the top of the social ladder in her golden Jimmy Choos, scholarship student Devon’s only goal has been to keep his head down until graduation and land a place at Julliard.

But the two are thrown onto a collision course when someone going only by “Aces” begins sending anonymous text messages to the student body revealing their deepest, darkest secrets. As the texting escalates into more dangerous attacks, Devon and Chiamaka realize that someone is out to get them — and they show no signs of stopping. But who is Aces? And why are they only targeting Devon and Chiamaka?

Despite being deeply suspicious of literally every single character in this book, ACE OF SPADES still managed to have me gasping aloud at plot twists I didn’t see coming. A heart-pounding social commentary that re-writes the dark academia script to its benefit, ACE OF SPADES is a necessary and page-turning indictment of systems of institutionalized racism. But even more than that, it is a love letter to the strength and resilience of Black individuals attempting to navigate within those systems.


CW: gaslighting, racism, homophobia, beating, car accident, racist slurs, blood, stalking, outing of a queer character, panic disorder, attempted suicide, incarceration, death of a parent show less

This story ruined me but in the best way. It was so incredible and so complex, and there were quite a few times where I just had to set down the book to process what had happened.
It's a great mix between mystery and showcasing life amongst diverse identities. I think that this will definitely continue to be an influential read for my life, and I'm not sure I will ever stop thinking about it.
It's just one of those stories, you know? The first time I read this, I hadn't seen many books that show more really made me connect deeply with the main characters. Sure I was a little younger, so I didn't have as many novels to compare that to, but it still holds up right now to me.

Overall, if it wasn't obvious by now, I would 100% recommend reading this, and I think it's suitable for quite a large range of ages. While the message is also important for children to understand, I think it's best if read by young adults and above because of some of the darker or "more adult" themes. show less