Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

49 reviews

emsavors's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

buttermellow's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Death of parent

3arth2kaye's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Stalking, Outing, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Pregnancy

mafelrs's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Classism

directorpurry's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Medical content

emily_mh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I don’t want to write too much about this read, because I fear I would spoil something by accident, and I truly think the best way to experience this book is to go in not knowing much about the plot, so that you’re as confused as the MCs and disocvering the trurth right alongside them. The only reason I’m giving this less than five stars is because of some pacing issues. The first half could have been tightened up more, and more time needed to be spent on the climax. There was also an aspect of one MC that felt a bit shoehorned in and underdeveloped. But other than that, this was a truly phenomenal read, both insightful and harrowing. There were so many layers to the plot and characters that Àbíké-Íyímídé artfully constructed and peeled back for the reader. I can see why everyone raves about this work, and I’m really looking forward to reading Àbíké-Íyímídé’s 2024 release.

Rep: gay Black MC, sapphic biracial Black/white Italian/Nigerian-American MC, bi SC, Black Achillean SC

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Outing, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Major: three uses of the n-slur, eugenics Moderate: imprisoned loved one, capital punishment Minor: disownment, toxic masculinity, texturism, sick loved one, suicidal ideation, disordered eating

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Outing, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Grief, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol

chris_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Stalking, Outing, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Car accident, and Classism

Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

deepcurvesahead's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Car accident, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Blood, and Outing

Minor: Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? No

3.75

Review:

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé has been widely praised ever since it came out, so I had high expectations going into it. Although it looks like a rather thick book, the text is not very dense, and it is immensely readable; I read the entire thing in an afternoon. Àbíké-Íyímídé has a talent for sweeping the reader into her story and keeping them hooked. 

 

According to the author’s note, Àbíké-Íyímídé wrote Ace of Spades as a way to capture the alienating, terrifying, and disempowering feelings brought about by living in a society constructed around institutional racism, and in that respect the book succeeds spectacularly. The targeted attacks by Aces are creepy enough on their own, and even more horrifying when their motivation is racism rather than the typical motivations for thriller villains. I appreciate how the story showcases how the feeling that “you can’t trust anyone” takes on another dimension when it comes to living in a white supremacist society as a Black person. 

 

As much as I found to like about Ace of Spades, the book failed to avoid some of the trappings I associate with young adult literature. The two main characters are interesting (I found Devon to be more well-developed in his backstory than Chiamaka) but lack a certain amount of depth. The plot is predictable if you’ve been exposed to a good amount of books and movies, and the logistical requirements of the twist require a hefty amount of suspended disbelief. Additionally, I found the conclusion to be rather rushed and underwhelming; it fails to give the main characters agency in their ending, and then tries to make up for this with an epilogue. 

 

I think that Ace of Spades is terrific for a YA novel (and a debut, which the author started when she was eighteen!). It has undeniable storytelling and thematic strengths but can never quite transcend the limits of the YA genre.  

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like Ace of Spades if . . .

·      You like YA thrillers 

·      You like Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl, but wish they had more diverse representation

 

You might not like Ace of Spades if . . . 

·      You dislike YA books

·      You want to read an original plot 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Infidelity and Abandonment

Minor: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol