Book Review: "Ace of Spades" by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
“Ace of Spades” by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Bookshop | Kindle
Note: my review contains spoilers
Publisher Synopsis: All you need to know is . . . I'm here to divide and conquer. Like all great tyrants do. --Aces
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.
Rating (out of 5): 4.75
Trigger Warnings: violence against Black people, white supremacy, microaggressions, overt racism, drugs
Review: Reminder! This review contains spoilers.
Wow. Just, wow. I absolutely loved this novel. It’s thought-provoking, it’s timely, and it’s (unfortunately) easy to understand where the author got her inspiration.
I generally hate when books are reduced to “this meets that,” but in the case of “Ace of Spades,” “Gossip Girl meets Get Out” does ring quite true.
As Chiamaka and Devon start their senior year at private school, things start to go awry. The only two Black students in the school—Chiamaka is biracial and from a wealthy family, while Devon was raised by a single mom in a lower-income neighborhood—begin getting targeted by an anonymous texter who reveals their secrets and makes them the talk of the school. The two, who weren’t friends before now, team up to find out who is behind the menacing text messages.
Here’s where we’re going to get into spoilers: it’s the entire senior class, as well as some of their teachers. Chiamaka and Devon discover a secret society, going back decades, that allows two Black students to enroll in the school every 5 years, building them up the first few years, and then eventually making their lives miserable and forcing them to drop out and abandon their dreams.
While I can’t say I was surprised by the twist, I appreciated this angle more than if one person had been behind the anonymous texts. It’s a perfect allegory for how our white-centered culture treats Black people. Black people may be welcomed for a time, but eventually they’re “not a fit, culturally” or unqualified in other ways. Microaggressions build up over time, and white people continually remind Black people that they “don’t belong,” or “don’t sound Black,” or “aren’t one of THOSE Black people.” Chiamaka and Devon were navigating through a prestigious, predominately white space, and ultimately the entire system wanted to force them out, which is so often the case in the western world.
Àbíké-Íyímídé’s prose is beautiful; we switch back and forth between Chiamaka and Devon’s POVs, and the author captures them both so well. If you’re offended by the book or thing it’s too extreme, I’d recommend sitting with that and asking yourself why. Such a great debut by a young author!
TL;DR: A startlingly accurate, allegorical YA novel that sheds light on how our white-centered culture often ends up forcing Black people out, whether through “death by a thousand papercuts” (microaggressions) or more forthright motivations.
If you liked this, try:
“Color Me In” by Natasha Diaz (Bookshop | Kindle | my review)
“Black Buck” by Mateo Askaripour (Bookshop | Kindle | my review)
“Those Who Prey” by Jennifer Moffett (Bookshop | Kindle | Elizabeth’s review)
“Full Disclosure” by Camryn Garrett (Bookshop | Kindle | Moira’s review)
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