Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Genre: YA Thriller/Mystery
Pages: 432
Dates Read: July 11-12, 2021
Format: Hardcover and Audiobook
GoodReads Synopsis
Gossip Girl meets Get Out in Ace of Spades, a YA contemporary thriller by debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé about two students, Devon & Chiamaka, and their struggles against an anonymous bully.
When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too.
Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures.
As Aces shows no sign of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly?
With heart-pounding suspense and relevant social commentary comes a high-octane thriller from debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
My Review
4 STARS
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was a whole lot more than I was expecting. This one is truly dark and twisty. They compared this to Gossip Girl, but this is a much darker story than I was expecting, but I did really enjoyed it.
This was a true thriller. The author kept you guessing almost the entire book as to who it was. I really liked our main characters, and I enjoyed reading their different POV’s. They each had their own struggles and secrets.
As much as this was a Mystery/Thriller, it was also a book that focuses on race and racism. The social issues that were discussed were great, and I appreciated the commentary. The only thing about it was that it felt like at a certain point in the story, it messed with the pacing. I felt that this Thriller was a slow-build, but this specific social commentary seemed to break the slow-build and the book lost momentum. From that point on, it felt that the book seemed almost predictable and wrapped up a little too fast. This is the main reason why I took off a star.
As well as reading the book, I also listened to the audiobook at the same time, and I really enjoyed it. I did not want to turn it off. The narrators were really great, and I was completely immersed.
Overall, I truly liked this book, and it was a great debut from Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, and a very immersive thriller. I definitely recommend if you love YA Thrillers, Books that tackle social issues, and if you enjoy reading LGBTQ+ rep.
About the Author
FARIDAH ÀBÍKÉ-ÍYÍMÍDÉ is the instant New York Times and IndieBound bestselling author of ACE OF SPADES. She is an avid tea drinker, a collector of strange mugs and a recent graduate from a university in the Scottish Highlands where she studied English Literature. When she isn’t spinning dark tales, Faridah can be found examining the deeper meanings in Disney channel original movies. She is represented by Zoë Plant at The Bent Agency.
Alicia Reads It 