Dark academia, touted as Gossip Girl meets Get Out, and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé delivers! Chiamaka Adebayo and Devon Richards are the only two black students in their elite private school. However, they could not be more different from one another. Chiamaka, born in to a life of privilege, has been working hard to reach the top of the social pyramid. Devon on the other hand, comes from the wrong side of town, at school on scholarship, with only one friend, and trying to fly under the radar until he is able to get in to Juilliard. Now, as seniors, the year starts off well, as both are selected as class Prefects. However, then everything starts to fall apart when both are targeted by the mysterious Aces. Chiamaka and Devon are thrown together and need to learn to trust one another when there is no one else they are able to turn to.
The book is suspenseful and exciting, with heart-racing moments. It explores issues of race, homophobia, elitism/classism, and more. I appreciated that even the main characters are flawed and imperfect. However, I do wish that some of the other characters had more of a good/bad balance as well. Overall, this is a great YA contemporary thriller!
The book is suspenseful and exciting, with heart-racing moments. It explores issues of race, homophobia, elitism/classism, and more. I appreciated that even the main characters are flawed and imperfect. However, I do wish that some of the other characters had more of a good/bad balance as well. Overall, this is a great YA contemporary thriller!