This book was not for me. The plot was not my cup of tea. The writing style was too hard to get into. I could not even finish the book.

I passed this title along to our student book club and our group of 20 kids all purchased and read it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Man I finished this in one day! Though it starts slow, once the action picks up it’s hard to not keep reading. Very stressful, very good, very timely. It still had a lot of standard YA thriller tropes, but the twists were good and I was on the edge of my seat. The finale is almost cinematic in its’ composition.

I could hardly put this book down. This was such a gripping story right from the start, but it got even more intense when the characters discover what’s really going on. 
The conflict of the story really highlights the systemic racism that goes on in the world, and makes this such an important book.

Ace of Spades is told from the perspective of Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, the only two black students at the prestigious Niveus Private Academy. They are entering their senior year and have been selected to be senior prefects, the elite student leaders of the academy. This honor puts them in the running for valedictorian and opens doors for admission to, and scholarships from, Ivy League universities.
Soon after the prefect announcement is made, a cyberbully with the handle "Aces" starts sending anonymous text messages which reveal secrets about Devon and Chiamaka. These revelations sabotage their reputations and threaten their personal lives and future prospects.
Aces shows no sign of stopping and as the humiliation and stress escalates, Devon and Chiamaka decide to expose the identity and motivation of Aces. The answer is more chilling than they could have imagined.
Ace of Spades explores important societal issues such as poverty, racism, homophobia and white privilege.
The characters are well developed and their alternating POVs enhance the fast-paced plot. This book resulted in utter sleep deprivation for me. I could not put it down. I really enjoyed this well-written original, twisty YA thriller. Thank you to #FierceReads @FierceReads for an ARC of #AceOfSpades

This book was intense! I honestly could not put it down after getting to the halfway point. The storytelling was phenomenal, and I was so invested in seeing how things were going to end. However, I did want a bit more from the conclusion; it felt a bit rushed.

I really enjoyed this one! Chiamaka is the Bougie Black Mean Girl we all deserve, and Devon's story tore my heart to shreds. The comps for this one were spot on: Gossip Girls meets Get Out for teens. Highly recommend!

What an incredible masterpiece of a book. Absolutely flawless. I cannot wait to hear students gush over this story.

I'm a newbie to the genre of dark academia and thriller, and I'm glad that this was my introduction to it. It's an absolutely sensational story that will stay with me for a long time because of just how good it is. The characters, the plot, the setting - everything is extremely well thought out. It's so evenly paced and had me hooked right from the start to the end. The topics touched upon in the story were handled very well and it was such a treat to read this. 

I will definitely be anticipating the next release by the author!

This was such a great book! A dark academia YA thriller, this book is described as Gossip Girl meets Get Out and I feel like that's totally accurate. Chiamaka and Devon are 2 of the best students in school.... and the only black kids. When everyone at school starts getting mysterious anonymous texts targeting the 2 of them and their secrets, they start to become suspicious of everyone. 

The writing and pacing of this book was really good, I did not want to put it down! It's very fast paced and has some really wild and unexpected twists. I highly recommend reading this if it sounds like something that would interest you!

This was a novel th at focused on racism! It brought up many important issues in today’s society! I also love the characters. They were strong and very relatable! The mystery itself was very compelling! It was filled with suspense. The novel is very well-written and filled with vivid descriptions! Overall, this was a fast-paced page-Turner that focused on important contemporary topics!

I'm a little torn on how I feel about this book. I enjoyed the story, but had a hard time finding it believable. Or maybe I just want it to not be something that could actually happen. Obviously racism exists, but for schools to be able to pull off something like this seems far fetched.

3.5 stars
This was a really solid debut! 

The novel follows two students, Chiamaka and Devon, at the prestigious private school Niveus Academy. The novel begins when they suddenly become the targets of an anonymous texter named Aces who gradually exposes their secrets to the school (a la Pretty Little Liars). For the most part, this book read very similarly to a contemporary novel until the details of people's histories and motivations are slowly revealed, and it becomes quite a thriller.

While the hype really emphasizes the thriller aspect of the story, I think the strength truly lies in the development of our two protagonists.  I really liked them; they come from vastly different socioeconomic backgrounds and yet share in their experiences as the only Black kids at their school.  The way their friendship developed was very interesting to watch as they navigated this dynamic.

I will say it is best to read this book not expecting a hyperrealistic narrative; much of the book is based in allegory and I think its strength lies in that. Not say it is not realistic at all—it is achingly so at times (especially with what Devon has to go through). There is substantial commentary on the insidious of systemic racism and the ways it is propagated within institutions. While many of the actual events in the plot required suspension of disbelief, the story was rooted in this commentary.

I was on pins and needles through this whole audiobook- what a stellar debut! One of the only things that irked me was the end but overall, this was incredible and I highly recommend.

I could not put this book down! Sex, lies, and fighting back against racism - this book is a wild ride, with an incredibly powerful message. A heart-racing and twisty thriller that grapples so much more than a simple mystery; ACE OF SPADES explores being both queer and Black, and the sinister, destructive nature of white supremacy and racism.

This book was a ride of horror, thriller, and mystery! I loved the LGBTQ representation, particularly how it was represented in a variety of ways. This book also had me OMGing throughout reading it. A lot of "I didn't expect [person] to [do that]!" This book will keep you guessing who is at the heart of the secret notes and the actions of the antagonist. I didn't 100% connect with the writing, but I will absolutely be picking up this author's next book. I do highly suggest this one, and I knwo that a lot of readers who pick it up love it. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a rollercoaster! I could not put Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s Ace of Spades down once I started––I felt a strong need to unravel the mystery, every answer only bringing up more questions. While the mystery aspect of he story took a bit to hook me, I was irreversibly hooked once it did. And prior to that, there were other things in the book to hold my attention.

I felt for the main characters from the very beginning, even when things were going relatively well for them. By the time things started going awry, I was already invested in their wellbeing and very emotional about the things they were put through. Having been a hardworking high school and university myself, I clicked with Chiamaka and Devon in that regard and felt utter rage when events in the book kept trying to get in the way of their focus on school work.

I know that Ace of Spades was published as a work of fiction, but systemic and institutionalized racism are real, and I could very easily see what happened in the book happening in reality (in fact, they probably are actually happening as we speak). With this in the back of my mind, the emotions I felt while reading Ace of Spades were all the more pronounced.

Overall, Àbíké-Íyímídé wove together a plot that kept my brain busy throughout––I was trying to figure out who the villain was while trusting nothing and no one, questioning every word, every action. Ace of Spades also effectively made me feel unsettled, and that something was not quite right, really pulling me into the story (as if the emotional rollercoaster hadn’t been enough to do so). All in all, this was an excellent thriller and mystery, while also very eye-opening. I highly recommend.

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for a chance to read to & review an ARC of this book!**

Please find my extended feedback below...along with some spoilers (beware). 
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Things I Liked: 
-This novel covered such important topics & did so in a way that does not detract from the importance of these discussions, but in a way that it almost seems implausible that these things could be occurring...but it's not implausible...it happens frequently. As a Caucasian female reader, I found myself thinking "these are fantasy elements"...but as the author continued to tell this story...I realized that those elements (like the main characters [who are people of color] being targeted by an anonymous person) only appeared "fantasy" to me. These are real experiences that POC face. The fact that this was so well woven into the story, it sent a really important message.

Things That Didn't Sit Quite Right With Me: 
-I honestly can't think of anything that I did not like (other than the racism & discrimination itself). This novel was well written & told important truths that are not highlighted often enough. 

Overall, I gave this book 5 stars. In my opinion, it is an important & NEEDED read that cover such important topics (racism, discrimination, systemic oppression, LGBTQIA+ representation, people of color MAIN characters).

While I love thrillers, there are few that have made me actually feel chilled to the bone. And sure, maybe I’m not reading the right thrillers, but Ace of Spades is disturbing not (only) in the characters’ growing suspicion that something is wrong, or the discovery of more and more darker things—but in the gradual understanding that racism is deeply entrenched in our systems.

I sped through this book almost entirely in one day. Àbíké-Íyímídé's pacing and writing are incredibly gripping, and though dread only grows in the pit of your stomach as you turn each page, you can't put it down. It is deeply unsettling to discover alongside Devon and Chiamaka how truly sinister structural racism is, but also heartbreaking. Though I loved the thrill of the mystery unfolding, I also appreciated how Àbíké-Íyímídé didn't leave Devon and Chiamaka isolated or too traumatized to continue their lives. That being said, the ending of this story is powerful, as well as the accurate implication that racism is a cycle and history, unfortunately, repeats itself.