This book was pitched as Get Out meets Gossip Girl, and those comps are entirely accurate. The Gossip Girl vibes jump out right away, with the anonymous text message blasts, while the Get Out elements seep in more slowly, becoming increasingly apparent as the novel makes its twists and turns.
Some reviewers have criticized Ace of Spades for taking the twists too far, making the conspiracy too big, which is a criticism I've seen levied against similar books by Black authors such as Alyssa Cole's When No One Is Watching. Like that book, Get Out, and others, I think Ace of Spades does a powerful job of magnifying racist behaviors for dramatic, thrilling effect.
I did find the pace a little slow in the beginning; it took me a while to become invested in the story and characters, and I wish the suspense had begun sooner. Once it did, however, I was gripped, particularly by how the events unfolded in the last act.
Some reviewers have criticized Ace of Spades for taking the twists too far, making the conspiracy too big, which is a criticism I've seen levied against similar books by Black authors such as Alyssa Cole's When No One Is Watching. Like that book, Get Out, and others, I think Ace of Spades does a powerful job of magnifying racist behaviors for dramatic, thrilling effect.
I did find the pace a little slow in the beginning; it took me a while to become invested in the story and characters, and I wish the suspense had begun sooner. Once it did, however, I was gripped, particularly by how the events unfolded in the last act.