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Ace of Spades cover art

Ace of Spades

By: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Narrated by: Tapiwa Mugweni, Jeanette Illidge
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Summary

This audiobook includes an author's note read by the author.

"One of 2021's biggest books." (gal-dem)

The hugely-anticipated YA high-school thriller: Ace of Spades is Gossip Girl meets Get Out, with a shocking twist. Buried secrets come to light when two students are targeted by an anonymous bully with an explosive agenda.

Hello, Niveus High. It's me. Who am I? That's not important. All you need to know is...I'm here to divide and conquer. - Aces 

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light. Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high school game....

Unputdownable and utterly compulsive, this high-octane thriller takes a powerful look at institutionalized racism. Perfect for fans of Karen McManus, Holly Jackson and Angie Thomas. 

"Ace of Spades is the thought-provoking thriller we ALL need." (Nic Stone, number-one NYT best-selling author)

"A heart-racing and twisty thriller." (Alice Oseman)

"Strong Gossip Girl vibes and a whole lot of mystery." (Buzzfeed)

"Thunderous and terrifying. There's no way you're putting this down until you get to the last page." (Maureen Johnson, NYT best-selling author)

Trigger Warning: Ace of Spades is a work of fiction but it deals with many real issues including racism, homophobia, bullying and suicide ideation.

©2021 Usborne Publishing Limited (P)2021 Usborne Publishing Limited

Critic reviews

 "Ace of Spades is the thought-provoking thriller we ALL need." (Nic Stone, number one NYT best-selling author)

A heart-racing and twisty thriller." (Alice Oseman)

"Strong Gossip Girl vibes and a whole lot of mystery." (Buzzfeed)

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What listeners say about Ace of Spades

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  • Overall
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Incredible!!!!

Just beautifully intense and very well written. Recommended by a friend and well worth the read!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Mystery school drama

Mystery school drama - just WHAT is going on and why?

Yes, a good old-fashioned thriller/mystery idea, but in a school. I liked it. I wasn't sure where this was taking me, but I did thoroughly enjoy the ride and when solutions begun to make themselves clear, I wasn't disappointed, it was something a little different. An adult story for teens.

Two narrators, one male, one female, tell us their intersecting stories of the Senior Year that goes wrong for them. Both black and at their expensive school on scholarships, one a successful Head Girl, the other a young musician who tries to remain unnoticed, their lives begin to become uncomfortable. Photos of them appear. Comments are circulated online. Secrets are exposed.

What have they both done to anyone to justify this? Who can be doing this to them? And where will it end?

I did enjoy seeing two very different characters first of all baring all to us, as their hidden lives are opened up to us and to their schoolmates, then I also enjoyed seeing the two of them realise they needed to work as a twosome to solve their situation and salvage their lives.

With two Audible narrators, it was easy to keep a track of which thread you are following, and I did enjoy the thriller-mystery nature of their story. I don't want to give anything away.

Enjoyable for adults as well as teenage readers, it also has a few points to make about race, social media and class, and kept my attention throughout.

With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Loved it so much

I liked the narrators, their voices and interpretation of the book. I loved the book and the story that although uncomfortable to read/listen for the 70% of the book, left me wanting to be strong. To be aware and to do something about these matters that are still subtly lurking around on some people mind.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Read the book, skip the audio

Do yourself a favor and read the book. The performance is positively atrocious. I don't know if the actors were British trying and failing to adopt an American accent or if they simply didn't understand their characters but the performances nearly ruined the story for me.

Devon's cadence, pacing and lack of energy drove me mad. This boy went through so much in this book. But when he lost his boyfriend, talked about his sexuality with his mom fir the first time, learned of his dad's death and physically fought his best friend the delivery was monotonous like someone was reading from an encyclopedia. He was actually whispering during some of the most exciting parts. It was so bad I started skipping his chapters. It's a shame because the constant betrayal Devon experienced really tugged at my heartstrings.

As for Chi, I don't know what that was about but there is no way her character was voiced by a Black woman.

The story was good and after hearing the author's note I can appreciate it more. But because she chose to keep the location vague it was hard to connect with the characters. Why give them American accents? As an American, I'd like to know where a story takes place so that I can better identify with the characters and immerse myself in the story. Also, Black people aren't a monolith and experience racism in different ways. It would have made more sense to make the racists a hive mind who acted out in the same way and followed the same script.

Chi didn't feel like a fleshed out character but rather a sketch of a Black girl. Less than basic for someone on track to attend the best university and enter the medical field. As for the story, it's a YA novel but the students didn't feel like high schoolers. They made poor decisions and didn't go to their parents for help but other than that they felt like 30-yr-olds playing teenagers in a typical American TV series. I understand that the author was heavily influenced by the TV series "Gossip Girl" but again it makes me wonder why she didn't just set the story in a more specific American town. It speaks to the lack of knowledge the author has about America and lack of interest in exploring the high school culture.

One way the overall story could've been elevated is introducing the society sooner and gradually revealing the its global reach. The stakes could've been raised by going beyond secrets being revealed - especially since there were no real consequences to Devon being outed - his academic future wasn't at risk. Ramping up the danger of the society even to the point of physical harm would've have made the society seem more threatening. The book seems to summarize and gloss over what happened to previous Black students but could've been explored more. And it's weird that this tradition only happened once every ten years. How much impact is this school really having on Black students?

The ending was also wrapped up quickly and was unsatisfying. We didn't even get an explanation about the girl who'd been hit by the car and what happened with Belle?

I still recommend reading the book. Just don't listen to the audio.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable read

This is a bit different from my usual reads but...it was one of Isaac's book from Heartstopper season 2, written by a British Black author, queer characters, young adult and exploring institutional racism through the eyes of teens? Yep it grabbed me.

I've marked it as crime solving but mystery might be a better a tag. I enjoyed trying to work out who was behind it all. At several points I got a Veronica Mars vibe but with more depth.

The two main characters were likeable, Devon moreso that Chiamaka at the start. I really liked that the characters were from different social classes. It was good to see the different ways they navigated white spaces, one trying to stay unnoticed and one trying to rise to the top.

The issues of race were highlighted and handled in a way that didn't sound overly preachy.

I enjoyed the narration, I liked that they used a different voice actor for the main characters in their alternating pov chapters.

My only gripe was that I would have thought that being in a white space as they were, the characters would have been more aware of potential racism. They appeared a bit unbelievably naïve in that respect. I would have also preferred the book to be set in the UK, which I feel it could have been with only minor changes.

Really enjoyed this read and would definitely read more of Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé's work.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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5/5 YA thriller

A book that has been on my radar since it's release and it did not disappoint! Fast paced, tense and thrilling, this YA thriller weaves an entertaining plot with poignant and important topics; systemic racism and the black Experience.

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Fantastic

Amazing narration, relatable characters and a very good story line with lots of twists and turns. Thank you x. XOXO GG :)

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Thrilling

Kept me at the edge of my seat. Well written and speaking about things that aren’t spoke about well done Faridah

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FLAWLESS

A heartbreaking but vital and important read. One I cannot recommend highly enough. Complex themes, characters and plot.

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incredible

really gripping, heartbreaking and real! I lived the authors note at the end, really great!

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