Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Pik-Ass by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

41 reviews

megmccreery's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective 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

I've truly never read anything like this before, and I was actually scared and had my jaw on the floor several times! Great social commentary with a plot that keeps you hooked. I would recommend reading the TWs since there are several social issues addressed that could be hard for some to read. Read this!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Car accident, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Outing, and Abandonment

katieandkiri's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense fast-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

4.25

This was such a captivating read. I think it’s also worth checking out the Author’s Note at the end. Really e joyed reading this! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

dhutton1997's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

HOLY CRAP THIS IS SO GOOD. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

dangselena's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

5.0

Insane. Very Jordan Peele-esque. Slow start but picks up around 40 pages in and keeps the pace from there. So hard to put down! Hard to put into words but as a White passing Latina, this book quickly put me in my place in the best way possible. The author places the reader directly into the shoes of two Black teenagers and really envelopes you in their state of hypervigilance and terror. The story reveals very quickly how easy it is for any small misstep to ruin their lives instantly. I thought having the dual narration was particularly interesting because of the different experiences of the characters. While both characters are Black,

Chiamaka is half Italian and comes from a wealthy background while Devon is dark skinned and living in poverty. The author really managed to show how their backgrounds give them very different views of how to solve their problems. While they’re both experiencing anti-black racism, the characters are treated very differently by their aggresors because of their upbringing and even their gender and sexuality.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

dalek_caan's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I feel like there is no feedback I can provide that can do this book the justice that it deserves other than to say go read it. I was on the edge of my seat the whole book through, and was really emotionally invested in the characters, the plot, and the overall messages of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Homophobia and Suicide attempt

katelynprice's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

I loved the premise of this book, but it was a bit too long. It was a slow burn and took a long time to build up to the action and resolution. I was also frustrated and yelling at the characters in my mind because I thought they would make smarter decisions at times. However, the overall plot was really good, and it was a gut-punch of a book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Outing

Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content

Minor: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

aurora4847's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Stalking, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

This book is about systemic racism and eugenics. The main characters are the victims of harassment that grows to assault, hate crimes, stalking, and abuse. They are repeatedly betrayed by trusted individuals.

jaduhluhdabooks's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

alexthegoat's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious 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? N/A

4.0

Couldn’t put it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

the_true_monroe's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

4.25

When I started the audio book, I did not expect it to go the way it did. Although as I went through, I knew what was coming but not to the degree that it came. Wow.

Definitely a psychological thriller, with similar vibes to ‘Get Out’ (although both are completely different stories focusing on different aspects of horrors related to racism). 

4 stars because there was a lot I wish was expanded upon, like a follow-up on characters such a Belle, Scotty, Andre and Jack.

Also, I absolutely love how on the author’s websites there is art depicting the major characters. I have a hard time visualizing things based on descriptions and that really helped! I only found it writing this review since I went searching for one of the character’s names. 

I really enjoyed the author’s note, which mentions how the book was written over the course of her college career which is very symbolic to the course of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury