Thank you to Usborne and Bookishfirst for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is like a blend of Pretty Little Liars and Dear White People, which are two of my absolute favorite TV shows. The author admits as much in the afterword of this book, stating that she loved watching Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, but wished that there were more black people. As a PoC myself, I totally support the author in doing this! So many of the shows that I love don't have enough PoC in them. It sucks when your favorite TV show characters are all white.
Unfortunately, the end result of this book just didn't "click" for me. The two main characters, Devon and Chiamika, are prefects at Niveus Private Academy, an elite high school that sends many students to Ivy League universities. However, they both have secrets, and an anonymous person is sending text messages and threatening to reveal those secrets to the whole school. I have read several 2021 YA thrillers in this vein, such as How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao and The Ivies by Alexa Donne. I really enjoyed The Ivies, so I was expecting something similar from Ace of Spades. It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. That's why it's so devastating for me to rate it just 3 stars.
Here is an amazing excerpt from Chapter 2, from Chiamika's point of view:
"High school is like a kingdom, only instead of temperamental royals,
golden thrones, and designer outfits flown in from Europe, the hallways are filled with loud postpubescent teens, the classrooms with
rows of wooden desks, and students dressed in ugly plaid skirts, navycolored slacks, and stiff blue blazers.
In this kingdom, the queen doesn’t inherit the crown. To get to
the top, she destroys whoever she needs to. Here, every moment is
crucial; there are no do-overs. One mistake can have you sent to the
bottom of the food chain with the girls that have imaginary boyfriends and wear polyester unironically. It sounds dramatic, but this
is the way things are and the way they will always be.'
Based on this excerpt, I was expecting Gossip-Girl level antics and commentary, and I was looking forward to reading a YA thriller starring PoC.
- SPOILER ALERT: SPOILERS WILL BE BELOW THIS LINE -
The reveal of the anonymous people trying to ruin the two main character's lives was way too unrealistic. I was expecting the racism that they face to be realistic and reflect actual real-world racism, and there was definitely some of that in the book. But the idea that so many people were out to get them requires suspension of disbelief that is beyond my limits. I get that the author was trying to write something allegorical, but it's just too unbelievable. I would have preferred a reveal and ending with just 1-2 culprits.
Overall, Ace of Spades is an enjoyable YA thriller that has black students in starring roles. I liked the concept more than the actual execution. I think it will appeal to fans of Pretty Little Liars, Dear White People, as well as upcoming thrillers like The Other Black Girl, How We Fall Apart, and The Ivies. Unfortunately, I just enjoyed all of the previously mentioned works more than I enjoyed this one. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of the YA thriller genre, I highly recommend that you check out Ace of Spades when it comes out in June!
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is like a blend of Pretty Little Liars and Dear White People, which are two of my absolute favorite TV shows. The author admits as much in the afterword of this book, stating that she loved watching Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, but wished that there were more black people. As a PoC myself, I totally support the author in doing this! So many of the shows that I love don't have enough PoC in them. It sucks when your favorite TV show characters are all white.
Unfortunately, the end result of this book just didn't "click" for me. The two main characters, Devon and Chiamika, are prefects at Niveus Private Academy, an elite high school that sends many students to Ivy League universities. However, they both have secrets, and an anonymous person is sending text messages and threatening to reveal those secrets to the whole school. I have read several 2021 YA thrillers in this vein, such as How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao and The Ivies by Alexa Donne. I really enjoyed The Ivies, so I was expecting something similar from Ace of Spades. It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. That's why it's so devastating for me to rate it just 3 stars.
Here is an amazing excerpt from Chapter 2, from Chiamika's point of view:
"High school is like a kingdom, only instead of temperamental royals,
golden thrones, and designer outfits flown in from Europe, the hallways are filled with loud postpubescent teens, the classrooms with
rows of wooden desks, and students dressed in ugly plaid skirts, navycolored slacks, and stiff blue blazers.
In this kingdom, the queen doesn’t inherit the crown. To get to
the top, she destroys whoever she needs to. Here, every moment is
crucial; there are no do-overs. One mistake can have you sent to the
bottom of the food chain with the girls that have imaginary boyfriends and wear polyester unironically. It sounds dramatic, but this
is the way things are and the way they will always be.'
Based on this excerpt, I was expecting Gossip-Girl level antics and commentary, and I was looking forward to reading a YA thriller starring PoC.
- SPOILER ALERT: SPOILERS WILL BE BELOW THIS LINE -
The reveal of the anonymous people trying to ruin the two main character's lives was way too unrealistic. I was expecting the racism that they face to be realistic and reflect actual real-world racism, and there was definitely some of that in the book. But the idea that so many people were out to get them requires suspension of disbelief that is beyond my limits. I get that the author was trying to write something allegorical, but it's just too unbelievable. I would have preferred a reveal and ending with just 1-2 culprits.
Overall, Ace of Spades is an enjoyable YA thriller that has black students in starring roles. I liked the concept more than the actual execution. I think it will appeal to fans of Pretty Little Liars, Dear White People, as well as upcoming thrillers like The Other Black Girl, How We Fall Apart, and The Ivies. Unfortunately, I just enjoyed all of the previously mentioned works more than I enjoyed this one. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of the YA thriller genre, I highly recommend that you check out Ace of Spades when it comes out in June!