Unbelievable Debut!!

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It is a new school year at Niveus Private Academy and it seems like things are off to a good start for the schools only two Black students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo. Both have been selected to act as prefects to represent their senior class, Chiamaka receiving the added honor of being head prefect. With college right around the corner for these two talented and intelligent young adults, they have a lot on their shoulders, but things are made much harder for them when the student body begins to receive text messages from Aces, an anonymous individual determined to reveal all of their secrets, secrets that may put their futures in jeopardy. As Devon and Chiamaka work to unmask Aces they soon find that their secrets aren't the only ones at Niveus Private Academy, and uncovering some of these secrets could be dangerous, maybe even deadly.

WOW!! Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s debut novel may be seriously the best debut I have ever had the pleasure to read. The messages throughout Ace of Spades are so powerful and relevant; messages about racism and the level to which it still exists in the world, along with the devastating effects it has on our youth, our institutions, and our society in general, as well as messages about the effects of incarceration, the realities of poverty, and the stigmas that can be attached to people for living their truth. The narrative itself is deliciously twisted and suspenseful; it is a page-turner that I simply could not put down. I cannot adequately express how much I loved the characters. Not only are they well developed and relatable, but since the events are presented through the eyes of both Devon and Chiamaka the reader is given a complete picture of both of their lives and the events of the novel. I could really feel and experience the strength and perseverance they both possess as they attempt to overcome the obstacles put in their way. They are characters I could really root for as I hoped that they would be victorious by the end of the novel.

Ace of Spades is a novel that I will be recommending for a long time to come. Available June 1st, this is a novel you will not regret reading and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you so much to BookishFirst, Feiwal and Friends, and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé for gifting me a copy of Ace of Spades, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.