I am so excited for this dark academia YA release and really enjoyed this sneak peek! Told in two perspectives from different ends of the social spectrum, it looks like not only will the book have poverty representation but will also explore the minds of the popular.

"Sometimes, being around all of that makes me feel like my insides are collapsing, cracking and breaking. I know no good comes from comparing what i have to what they have, but seeing all that money and privilege, and having none, hurts. I try to convince myself that being a scholarship kid doesn't matter."

From what I read, it's fast-paced with a conversational narrative voice. I like the mystery of how Devon was chosen as a prefect and if there really is something weird going on that no one else notices. Looking forward to reading the full book when it releases!

Sneak peek provided by netgalley for an honest review

From the sneak peek of Ace of Spades, I am already intrigued. This is a book about Devon, a fairly unknown student who was made senior prefect, and Chiamaka, the popular head girl) two students who have become victims of an anonymous texter and has exposed their dark secrets.

I am really excited to be able to read this book later on and highly anticipate that this will be one of my favourite reads of the year. I would recommend this to fans of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars or anyone interested in thrillers and upperclass high school drama and anonymous exposers.

This sneak peek was intriguing but I'm not sure if its supposed to read as a bunch of run-on sentences. Chi is a character I would love to get to know more of. What makes her tick and why is she such an ugh! Devon has a hard life it seems and secrets to boot. I would definitely read the rest of this story. It seems like it has the drama I crave

I love how the small portion of this book that I've read is told from an own voices point of view. It is hard to find something that feels and reads so authentically and as a person of color myself, it is so refreshing and beautiful to read. I cannot wait to read the rest of this novel once it's published and I am honored to have been able to start it this early. The writing style is addicting and this author has a way of story telling that we need more of in modern publishing. Personally, I believe people of color have some of the best stories to tell and Faridah Abike-Iyimide proves my stance.

Smart, fresh, and mysterious. This book seems like a fast-paced mystery novel that delves deep into institutional racism and the challenges black kids have to face. This sneak peek was amazing! Looking forward to reading more of it.

I got the sample for this and... maybe my taste in YA has changed or maybe this just isn't for me because I found myself bored with the story. It felt too "watching 25 yo people play 16yo kids". Yes, the world building sounds interesting but to a point. Again maybe this it just isn't the book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review is only for the sneak peek of Ace of Spades, but the few chapters I read are so promising and well written. It hooked me immediately! Complex characters, race and power struggles in a rich private school, and some exposed secrets make for an intriguing plot. I will definitely be reading the whole story when it comes out!

This sneak peek was the perfect bait to hook me in!
I have sent in a request but boy I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy, the two characters are already so interesting in how they react and think and I know this game of cat & mouse that they will have to play is going to be amazing!

I was able to read the first three chapters of the book and even though I could tell on the spot I am not the intended audience for this one anymore, I see my preteen-self gaining some interest.

-

The positive:
Not gonna lie, in my teenage and high-school years I read my fair share of YA books surrounding this type of high school drama/mystery, and it was fun, although they always focused on (surprise surprise) mostly white, mostly straight and mostly upper-middle-class students. Reading the sneak peek for this one - which automatically gave me Elite meets Pretty Little Liars vibes - made me think that hey, it is really cool to see representation in this genre (black and queer characters!!).

The negative:
Maybe it's because I'm to old, maybe it's because I have become a fan of very pretty words, maybe because my standards for writing in YA have improved after reading Acevedo or Courtney Summers, but the writing for this one felt to simple and "commercial" sometimes even repetitive.

-

I don't think I might be diving into this one. Like I sad, the plot and writing are not something that attracts me anymore, but I can see it being an exciting read for younger teens discovering the genre!

-

Thanks again to NetGalley and Macmillan for the Sneak Peek!

damn i read the sneak peek and i want the ARC this instant... i just know it's gonna be a wild thrilling ride. black, queer, mysterious and twisted, what more could you want?

The premise of this book sounds really interesting, but I do not like the writing style at all. It seems kind of amateurish and cliche. Maybe it gets better as the book goes on but the sample is not my cup of tea.

I cannot say much since this is only a sneak peak, but I am honestly so excited to read this full novel, it looks so intriguing so far!!

Since it's only a sneak peek, I can't give a full review on the book, but the few chapters featured are promising and well written, with interesting, apparently complex characters, alongside an intriguing plot. I'm very looking forward to reading the whole story!

This was just an excerpt, but it does a good enough job at setting the tone, introducing an element of mystery (what's the deal with the new headmaster, who distributed private photos of Devon), and establishing the two POV characters, Devon and Chiamaka, that it's made me look forward even more than I already was to reading this!

This book is going to be one of my favorites of 2021. I can feel it. So far, I love the characters, the setting, and the writing style. As a high schooler myself, I feel the pressure of needing to do my best everyday. I feel the fear of not being good enough or not having done enough with my life. I wish I had closer friends of my own at my school (most of my friends don't go to my high school), so I can't wait to see Chiamaka and Devon interact together.

I really liked this book and I think it's very interesting the characters were so original and the attention grabbed my attention from the start

This is a promising start and I'm interested in getting to know more about this world. It has all the fun of a high school drama

Okay, this was definitely super intriguing. I'm only giving it three stars because I feel like it was too short to really judge well, but it was long enough for me to get a sense of the characters and I definitely enjoyed this sneak peek. Chiamaka sounds like she's going to be so much fun to love to hate and Devon...well, Devon I'm still learning about. There's more to him than meets the eye and I need to know what happens!

I feel as though it's unfair to judge a book based off of the first three chapters, however, I did enjoy this! It was mysterious and witty, which is the best combination. I cannot wait for Ace Of Spades to come out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Feiwel and Friends for the advance sneak peek at the first few chapters of Ace of Spades in exchange for an honest review.

Each chapter of Ace of Spades is one of the two main characters' perspectives: Chiamaka and Devon. We first meet Devon when he is seated at the school assembly welcoming students back from summer break, introducing them to the new headmaster, and naming the four students who will serve as prefects for their senior year at Niveus Academy.

While I only read approximately two and a half chapters, I was immediately drawn in by the strong (and contrasting) character voices of both Devon and Chiamaka. The sneak peek left me (and Devon) with the revelation that someone had sent private pictures of Devon to the other students.

I need to know what happens, and I can't wait for Ace of Spades release in June. I've rated five stars for now, because it has me hooked. I plan on purchasing it and finding out how things turn out for Devon and Chiamaka!

Note: I will be sharing this partial review on my Instagram and GoodReads accounts in mid-May, and plan on fleshing it out with a full review upon finishing Ace of Spades in June.