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A review by hummingbird_
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
Let me start by saying: Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé had me clutching my pearls, throwing side-eye and staying up at ungodly hours to constantly saying: “This book is WILD!” And if a book can make me do all that? It’s worth every minute—well, almost every minute. We’ll get to that.
You know that uneasy feeling you get in your gut when you sense something isn’t right but you just can’t put your finger on it? That’s Ace of Spades—for about 80% of the novel. The book is set in an elite private school where two Black students, Devon and Chiamaka, suddenly become the targets of an anonymous bully named “Aces” who’s spilling all their tea, airing out their messiest secrets. Think Gossip Girl, but with much higher stakes and none of the cute little “xoxo” at the end.
Àbíké-Íyímídé wastes no time throwing you headfirst into the drama. By the time I realized this wasn’t your typical high school gossip fest but something far more sinister, I was hooked like a fish on a line. You go from “Oh, high schoolers being high schoolers” to “Wait a minute, this is dangerous,” real quick. One minute, you’re reading about a bad haircut, and the next, you’re fearing for the characters’ lives. That’s range.
But—and here’s the thing—it did drag a bit in the middle. I mean, I’m here for the tension, but at one point I started questioning if we were ever going to get to the point. I caught myself zoning out a couple of times, mentally screaming, “Can we get on with it already?” There’s only so much cryptic bullying and side-eyeing I can take before I need some answers, you know? It felt like that scene in a horror movie where you know something’s about to jump out, but the music just keeps building and building… and building… until you’re like, “I’ve been ready, where’s the jump scare?”
Luckily, just when my patience was thinning, Àbíké-Íyímídé reeled me back in. The plot twists hit hard and fast, and by the end, I was convinced I could trust no one—not even my own reflection in the mirror. The tension builds so much that I swear my Apple Watch logged it as a workout.
Devon and Chiamaka are the epitome of “unwilling allies,” but their dynamic is juicy. Devon’s the quiet, talented musician with a few too many skeletons in his closet, while Chiamaka is the queen bee everyone secretly hates. It’s like watching two people from entirely different planets try to solve a conspiracy. It’s equal parts hilarious and nail-biting. I lost count of how many times I screamed at these kids through the pages, telling them to wake up and smell the conspiracy.
And let’s not even start on the themes. Racism, privilege, systemic oppression, survival—it’s all in there, but it’s woven so tightly into the story that you don’t even notice how deep it’s getting until you’re already knee-deep in the truth. This book is like a velvet-covered hammer—it hits hard, but you almost don’t feel it until you’re lying flat on the floor wondering what just happened.
So yes, it dragged a little in the middle, but it’s worth pushing through for the jaw-dropping twists. Ace of Spades is an electrifying mix of high school drama and social commentary, wrapped in a mystery that’ll have you questioning everything and everyone. If you like your thrillers dark and twisty with a side of WTF moments, this is for you. Just don’t blame me when you lose sleep.
P.S. Trust no one. Seriously.
You know that uneasy feeling you get in your gut when you sense something isn’t right but you just can’t put your finger on it? That’s Ace of Spades—for about 80% of the novel. The book is set in an elite private school where two Black students, Devon and Chiamaka, suddenly become the targets of an anonymous bully named “Aces” who’s spilling all their tea, airing out their messiest secrets. Think Gossip Girl, but with much higher stakes and none of the cute little “xoxo” at the end.
Àbíké-Íyímídé wastes no time throwing you headfirst into the drama. By the time I realized this wasn’t your typical high school gossip fest but something far more sinister, I was hooked like a fish on a line. You go from “Oh, high schoolers being high schoolers” to “Wait a minute, this is dangerous,” real quick. One minute, you’re reading about a bad haircut, and the next, you’re fearing for the characters’ lives. That’s range.
But—and here’s the thing—it did drag a bit in the middle. I mean, I’m here for the tension, but at one point I started questioning if we were ever going to get to the point. I caught myself zoning out a couple of times, mentally screaming, “Can we get on with it already?” There’s only so much cryptic bullying and side-eyeing I can take before I need some answers, you know? It felt like that scene in a horror movie where you know something’s about to jump out, but the music just keeps building and building… and building… until you’re like, “I’ve been ready, where’s the jump scare?”
Luckily, just when my patience was thinning, Àbíké-Íyímídé reeled me back in. The plot twists hit hard and fast, and by the end, I was convinced I could trust no one—not even my own reflection in the mirror. The tension builds so much that I swear my Apple Watch logged it as a workout.
Devon and Chiamaka are the epitome of “unwilling allies,” but their dynamic is juicy. Devon’s the quiet, talented musician with a few too many skeletons in his closet, while Chiamaka is the queen bee everyone secretly hates. It’s like watching two people from entirely different planets try to solve a conspiracy. It’s equal parts hilarious and nail-biting. I lost count of how many times I screamed at these kids through the pages, telling them to wake up and smell the conspiracy.
And let’s not even start on the themes. Racism, privilege, systemic oppression, survival—it’s all in there, but it’s woven so tightly into the story that you don’t even notice how deep it’s getting until you’re already knee-deep in the truth. This book is like a velvet-covered hammer—it hits hard, but you almost don’t feel it until you’re lying flat on the floor wondering what just happened.
So yes, it dragged a little in the middle, but it’s worth pushing through for the jaw-dropping twists. Ace of Spades is an electrifying mix of high school drama and social commentary, wrapped in a mystery that’ll have you questioning everything and everyone. If you like your thrillers dark and twisty with a side of WTF moments, this is for you. Just don’t blame me when you lose sleep.
P.S. Trust no one. Seriously.