Ace of Spades

I loved this book from the first page; what a brilliant, camp thriller. There were a few rather large plot holes and occasionally the racism in the book felt a bit cartoonish, but I honestly didn't care at all. The tension was built brilliantly and I was physically on edge at several points while reading. I'm not sure if the writing itself led me to think that there might have been something otherwordly at play, or if I'm just so suggestible and it was the link to Get Out, but at several points I felt sure we were going down an alien/body-swap route. Whether the author intended it to be there or not, I really enjoyed that red herring.

I can't really say much more, it was a perfectly paced, gripping, theatrical thriller.

Could this have been half the length? There was tension and I certainly wanted to know what was going on and who the trouble maker was. But the narrators didn't really interest me as characters. But I'm probably in the minority as one of my students said it was the best book they've ever read.

Gripping thriller that keep you on the edge of your seat. Definitely worth a read

I don’t normally read mystery thriller stories as I can’t handle the suspense. I found this book incredibly stressful towards the end as I could sense disaster looming and had to fight off the urge to skip ahead.
However I’m trying to widen my reading range and this story called to me. It is told beautifully and I adore these characters. The exploration of self-awareness and what lies we are willing to tell ourselves is fascinating.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

i liked this book and would recommend it!!!

The plot was interesting and kept supersizing me every time! Tackles enormous problems like racism and homophobia… I would a 100% recommande, a 5/5 book!!

What an amazing novel.

It is described as:

‘A Gossip Girl meets Get Out thriller which delves deep into the heart of institutionalised racism.’

Some of the events in this book were sickening, but were unfortunately realistic and it was a book that needed to be written.

I genuinely think everyone should read it.

It depicts the horrors of white supremacy and bullying, but a thought provoking and hooking read.

TW FOR HOMOPHOBIA, RACISM, BULLYING, AND SUICIDAL IDEATION.

Sex, lies and racism - this book is Gossip Girl vibes meets Get Out - just brilliant.

Where to start with this book? Compelling, intriguing, devastating. It is full of twists and turns and I couldn't put it down.

The characters in this text are brilliantly created and despite it being so dramatic and, at times, over the top, it also seems so realistic. There were moments that were sobering, like when Devon reacts to being pulled over by the police, that serve as a reality check for those of us who are more privileged because of where we are born and the colour of our skin.

Fans of 'S.T.A.G.S' by M. A. Bennett would love this book and I cannot wait to recommend to students in school. Suitable for Y9+

This is a great book that looks at racism within the education system as well as teenage sexuality.. There are some twists and turns to keep you hooked. A great read.

I could not put this book down. It has so much suspense and I loved both of the main characters. There were parts that made me feel uncomfortable, but it’s difficult to give examples without giving some of plot away. Any discomfort I felt though was because there are moments when the storyline made me pretty angry with the world we live in, and I thought these parts were very cleverly written. The only thing that stopped me from giving it 5 stars was the typical teenage movie moments, like those from Mean Girls and Scream that I didn’t quite believe. Having said that this would make an excellent teen movie!

The debut YA thriller by Faridah Abike-Iyimide is set inside the prestigious walls of Niveus Academy, a private school for the children of the rich and powerful. It's the start of a new school year and senior students such as Devon and Chiamaka are looking ahead to college and their future.

Devon is a scholarship student from the wrong side of the tracks with a gift for music. He hopes to get into Julliard and is spending all the hours he can in the music room working on his audition piece. A private guy, he keeps his head down, works hard and is barely on the radar of most of the other students at Niveus - until an anonymous texter who calls themselves Aces sends an intimate photograph of him with his ex-boyfriend to the rest of the student body.

Devon isn't the only one to suddenly find themselves in the spotlight for something they'd rather they weren't. Chiamaka is used to being the talk of the school. She's worked hard to make herself the queen of the school corridors: senior head prefect, A grade student on the road to Yale, and high school power broker. But when she is accused of petty theft by Aces, the gossip turns nasty.

More and more secrets are being splashed about the school, but Aces seems to have two favourite targets in particular: Devon and Chiamaka. They seem to have nothing in common - except the fact that they are the only two Black students in their senior year group.

As the web becomes more tangled, it becomes more and more difficult to know who they can trust. Just who is Aces and what do they want?

This is a really powerful, hard-hitting thriller that asks some tough questions about institutionalised racism, homophobia and bullying.

Absolutely Brilliant, with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. We follow 2 students, Devon and Chiamaka. The only two black students in a posh private school. Chimamaka, one of the popular crowd hoping to attend Yale and Devon, a scholarship student from a rough area and sad background. They both believe they are doing well in school and will be able to attend the colleges of their dreams the following year, but things start to go wrong. Text messages are being sent out to all students, Chiamaka is accused of stealing, discriminating photos and posters are leaked. The pair find themselves in an impossible situation that just keeps growing. They have no idea who they can trust and unfortunately they put their fate in the wrong hands as they start to find out that this isn't just a one person act and is very much on a wider scale that actually started before they were even born. I've been trying to find out if this is based on a true story. I really hope that it isn't. It's incredibly frightening and you really feel for the main characters. It has hints of the tv series, 'Pretty little Liars' and elements of S.T.A.G.S by M.A.Bennett. I read it in one day, because I genuinely could not stop reading it. I needed to know what was happening. This is a story that will stick in my mind for a very long time and will open your eyes to how awful some people can really be. The ending jumps into the future and could not be more perfect. I loved it. I would highly recommend this book to all of my KS3, 4 & 5 pupils. There is bad language in it but it is used to emphasise speech rather than just being in it for the sake of it. No pictures, the main characters are very likeable. Hidden among the main story is many little side topics, including, Drugs, murder, death, racism, social discrimination, manipulation and bullying

Really enjoyed this book. Read it in 2 days. Based upon institutionalised racism, homophobia and bullying, this thriller kept me on the edge of my seat until the end.

Ace of Spades is a YA dark academia thriller that deals with issues of structural racism. Niveus Private Academy is a school for the rich and privileged where you can’t be seen to be less than perfect. But now an anonymous tester, Aces, is spreading secrets and lies about some of the students. Who is Aces? Why are they doing this?
I really enjoy a YA thriller and knowledge of the genre plus a comparison to a particular film in a review that I read meant that I worked out what was going on probably sooner than I was meant to. However, this didn’t take away from the story or my enjoyment of the book. It will appeal to a teen audience who enjoy Tv shows such as Pretty Little Liars or Riverdale.