Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - As de picas

Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

As de picas by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

141 reviews

luckyonesoph's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Complicated, conflicting feelings about this one. On one hand, critically important message and a fascinating premise that was mostly really well-written. On the other hand, some of the characters felt really under-developed, and some of the twists were so extreme, they were just unbelievable. Loved Devon, could never get myself to root for Chiamaka.

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chrisb913's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Please check the TWs.

This book was absolutely incredible. A thrilling story about two high school students on the verge of having a very successful senior year before hell breaks loose. I was on the edge of my seat throughout waiting for the next shoe to drop. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé's debut was such an incredible show of talent and I cannot wait to see what is next from this author. I don't want to say too much to avoid any type of spoiler but seriously do yourself a favor and read this book.

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se_wigget's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Highlight, copy, paste--you know, like a phone that isn't a piece of shit. Stop proving that you're garbage, stupidphone.

Paste, paste, paste, paste, paste, paste

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mamatrauma's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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aurora4847's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Ace of Spades was such a good read, especially for a white college graduate during Black History Month. While the stakes seem so low in the beginning, the tension and mystery keep ramping up the further in you get. It feels almost like a paranormal thriller, but with the monster being systemic racism instead of a demon. The ordeals Chiamaka and Devon have to survive are truly horrifying, and terrifyingly realistic. While it may seem exaggerated for the sake of the story, it really isn't too far off what black students actually have to deal with in academia. Chiamaka and Devon's differing socioeconomic statuses adds another layer of complexity in how they handle and think about what they're enduring. Ace of Spades is practically required reading for any white person who's benefited from access to higher education, especially more elite private schools and universities, and actually gives a damn about how POC are treated in those spaces.

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jaduhluhdabooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Whew. This is America. The suspension and the expanse of this book is deep and felt. I don’t think Faridah is necessarily trying to hide this thriller is racialized and there’s an agenda of recognizing that race plays a pivotal role in survival, self preservation, and academia. The psychological expanse for Ya novel is surprising and something I hadn’t expected to see in this book. But I am happy to be surprised. The intersection of sexuality and race is real and the dimension of power is something I appreciated about the explicitly of this book. Some many times, people conflate Crenshaw’s definition of intersectionality to the limit of holding multiple identities. But it’s the power those intersecting identities enhance or diminish. We see this in the juxtaposition of Devon and Chiamaka’s characters. Devon is a low income, gay, Black boy, whereas, Chiamaka’s an upper class, educationally privileged, queer, biracial Black woman. While they both face the racial terrors of their academic environments, Chi has money, wealth, confidence that she bounces back from, while Von seeks suppression in alternative ways, struggles to provide for both himself and his family, battles homophobic beatings and commentary from the gangs in his neighborhood, and often goes without meals and moments. This is the most powerful thing about this book, it’s the demonstration of intersectionality, its power, and how even when a powerful Black person has capital, social and cultural, monetarily… anti-Blackness will always overpower. It’s raw. It’s timely. It’s STILL so relevant, if not more so now as we back trap in this currently society. Definitely recommend and I feel seen reading it and knowing works like this exist. While fictional, so allegorically current.

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emilyreads15's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is POWERFUL. I’ve truly never read anything like this before and I’m super thankful that my book club chose this as one of our reads. Not only was it deeply emotional but it was also very enlightening and inspiring. Ace of Spades was not only an interesting read with an interesting plot but it also discussed real world stereotypes and issues that I think more people should be aware of. This book and these characters allowed me to see our world from a completely different perspective. I was aware that racism is very much still a thing to this day but never to this extent. I’m thankful to the author for writing this book to allow readers, like myself, to learn more about topics that may have never been exposed to me before.

On top of the meaningful message, the story was also beautifully written with lots of diversity and fast paced chapters that always kept my attention. I’ve given it 4.5 only because it’s not an all time favorite but it is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. So much happened throughout the book, it was never boring and I’m very happy with the ending.

Overall this book was so beautiful and emotional. I 100% recommend this not just to readers but to everyone. I think every person should read this book at least once in their life. I’m looking forward to reading more by Faridah Àbíké-íyímídé in the future.

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