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Member Reviews

Is it June 1st yet? I am so excited to read this book in full! Alternating perspectives are always something that intrigues me and the story has already drawn me in from just two chapters!

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I absolutely loved this sample of Ace Of Spades of Faridah Abike-Iyimide! I cannot wait to read the whole book soon too!

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Amazing sneak peek! What a way to make readers want more! Stoked to read the rest as the story really piqued my interest! The characters seem so real and complex, I am hooked!

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I can't wait for this book to be out there so I can buy it. I was excited before this preview, now I can barely wait.

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I was already excited to read Ace of Spades before, but I am even more so now that I have read this preview of it! One thing I appreciate about this book already is the diversity. Diverse casts of characters haven’t always been the norm, so it’s nice that more books and other media are breaking the traditional narrative. That being said, the main characters, Chiamaka and Devon, both seem so interesting and I cannot wait to learn more about them. They seem so different from each other, so I am interested in finding out how their stories intertwine as the story unfolds. Even though this was only an initial preview, I am already hooked and invested in this story. From what I can tell based on what I’ve read so far, especially the cliffhanger this sneak peek leaves off at, readers are in for a ride.

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Wow that was amazing, literally the perfect start to such an intriguing storyline to come. From the introduction of the characters and somewhat vague backstories for now, til it would definitely get more in depth as the story unfolds. To seeing where exactly Devon and Chiamaka stand on the social food chain and especially Chiamaka's two other friends and how she described their friendship as a transaction was very interesting to me. Nevertheless this start was such a good set up to the rest of the book, which I cannot wait to read the rest of when it comes out.

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Ugh, can it be June already? This sneak peek for one of my 2021 most anticipated books intrigued me and made want to read it all right now! The Gossip Girl vibes are clear. Can’t wait to read the entire book.

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I know this is just a sneak peek, but it already sucked me in! In just a few pages I know things about the characters but want to know more. This is definitely a book that I am going to pick up as soon as it is out. #netgalley#AceofSpadesSneakPeek

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I received the first few chapters of this book to review and let me tell you, I need more! The opening of this book is fantastic and leaves you wanting more. I’m already hooked!

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I'm glad that I had the chance to read the first couple of chapters, already intrigue to see how the dark academia plays out. From the two alternating POVs, Devon and Chiamaka, I'm blown away by the writing style and its craft. I can easily tell apart the two main characters because of that. Not to mention, I'm excited to see more BIPOC and diverse cast within dark academia genre.

Soon after I finished reading the sample, I'm curious to find out more, especially how Chiamaka will grow as character. Excited for June release!

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This is one of the books I’m most excited for in 2021! Reading the sneak peak was very exciting and gave me a taste of what’s to come. Definitely feel the gossip girl vibes, Chi is like Blair and her minions act similarly except there’s an overall air of darkness. I love Devon, way more interesting and relatable than Dan of gossip girl. I’m also always here for queer rep and I’m excited to see where this goes and does he hook up with John? Jimmy? Jared? :’) can’t wait to get my hands on the full book!!
Will be posting a video of reading book sneak peaks

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This sneak peek makes me even more excited to get my hands on this book! I am super intrigued by this introduction and definitely anticipate reading the rest as soon as it's released.

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A fantastic beginning to a new YA thriller! I can't wait to read the rest of this upcoming novel. The author shows great promise

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This is for the first couple of chapters. The sneak peek left me curious to know more, so it was successful in its goal. Chi and Devon seem like they will be good foils for each other, although I'm worried they fall into the cliche territory. However, I assume they'll flesh out over the course of the novel, so I'll reserve judgement. The novel starts off like a typical YA thriller. The rich, popular girl and the poor boy who have nothing in common except they're both Black at an elite school. As a Black person, I'm excited to see diverse rep in YA thrillers, but as someone who reads a lot of YA thrillers, I hope this bring its own unique spin in terms of the plot, and the industry didn't just use "race" as a gimmick. The writing style is easy and breezy. I went through the pages quickly.

Major Issue: Why isn't this set in England? It's *very* clear the author does not have an intimate understanding of or experience of American high school life, which makes sense as I believe she is English. As a US person familiar with private schools in the US, Niveus comes across so inauthentic it almost derailed my enjoyment of the story. Also, the characters don't seem American at all. From the terminology they use, to the way they think or behave, there are specific cultural nuances to any country that are loss on someone not raised in that country. It's not like readers don't enjoy books set in England, so why choose the US for a setting? I get they want to do the Gossip Girl comp, but it would've been fine with the prep school angle for a non-US environment. I really hope there might be time to change this, and I have no idea why the author thought it a good idea to set this in the US anyway.

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This sneak peek makes me so excited to get my hands on the full book! If it continues the way the sneak peek went, I’d anticipate a 4 star book

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This is just the sneak peak and I’m so intrigued by it. Definitely will be reading the full book once it comes out in June.

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I received a sneek peek through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4 stars.

There were only three chapters available, and they set the scene well. I found the characters to be a little more juvenile than I had expected. For the most part their personalities seemed to be very immature in different respects. It starts off well though and could develop into the gritty, exposing thriller that I want it to be, so I will still be picking this up when it's released.

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I've only read the sneak peek but I'm hooked. I can't wait to read the full thing. I grew up reading gossip girl and loved it. This was a much more diverse and sophisticated version that enthralled me.

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From what I've read I think this is gonna be such an interesting read. It starts off really well and you immediately get a feel of the writing style, which I really enjoyed. It's written very easily and I could see everything happening immediately. The author found the perfect balance between a lighter and more mysterious vibe.

The preview wasn't long enough to really see where the story would go, but I guess I will have to wait for that. And of course I'm also always glad to see representation in YA thrillers. Plus, it seems to deal with a lot of other important topics for teenagers, too!

I don't know, I just got such good, mysterious vibes from it and I truly think this has a lot of potential!

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This sneak peak teaser is truest a TEASER! I got all swept away by the story and then the book ends 😩😩😩 I can’t wait for this to be published in its entirety!

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