Aces of Spades(Book Review)

 

Gossip Girl meets Pretty little liars, Avalon high(by Meg Cabot), The list(by Siobhan Vivian) and Get out (The movie)

    Um...Aces of spades will get 45% out of 100%.

This is going to be a semi-bad review. I never write bad reviews but well let me just say I wasn't too impressed by the book. When I first saw the cover on Brittle paper, on a list of Young Adult novels to watch out for in 2021, I think. I was awed, intrigued and I guess the title made me a little curious. 

I mean...seeing two black teenagers made me excited. Although I feel like the illustrations didn't fit how I imagined both Chiamaka and Devon (AKA Vonnie) in my head. It was intriguing to know that there were two main black characters in a high school story where it is predominantly white. Although it was disappointing to find out that they were the only two. So I guess I began to sense where this was heading. Well it wouldn't have hurt to just have a nice teenage black romance, or a coming of age story of two black teenagers or strangers turn friends or best friends. We don't have too many of that yet, do we? But it just had to be a story of "social eugenics''

Don't get me wrong, I don't think writing stories like this suck or stories like this are irrelevant. They are surely relevant. But I feel like when black young adults see this sort of book with that glorious cover they tend to identify with it and buy it to read, but then they read a terrifying story… maybe we should just let us see, read normality. Read that us black people could live normal lives too, not fantasy cos I see racism comes into play in almost every situation. But can't we read normal? I want to read a sweet black YA romance.

That aside… the book was great to an extent not that it was a page turner, it wasn't really. I started reading this book with deep curiosity due to the cover and the title. But when the texts started coming in. I made a mental prediction of who it could be. Because yeah...that's me. I always try to predict the end of a book or movie while watching it or reading. And a book or movie that successfully surprises me, takes the unexpected turn or ending has my 10/10.(watch out for a review om Cruella!)

I believe the bad things started coming in too early, I feel like the book was rushed, I became bored of it at some parts and weirded out in the Devon kissing Andre  part and Devon kissing Terrell and Chiamaka kissing Belle. Ummm it was kinda disgusting? ( homophobic in the house!) I am still finding it difficult to grasp this whole concept of not being straight or not. No judgments please! I am being truthful and unpretentious here. Also I feel like the book needed more explanations like why the whole thing started, I even thought Chiamaka and Devon would dig up more about the previous black kids. Okay I wouldn't want to put in spoilers. Want to know more about what I think about Aces of Spades? Ughhh well I like the way the book ended was unnecessary really. I shall not input any offensive words so let's just say unnecessary things even if I want to say more. Even though I  am homophobic I would have liked it if Terrell and Devon walked hand in hand into the ball. Glittery suits, eyeliners, nice hair, and everything. I am homophobic. But isn't that the point? I would be rooting for them at my end here and seriously it would have been cute! You know when I was reading through, at a point I was like this is Gossip girl! But it isn't, it is Get out! Ha! Although reading the authors made me realize the likeness to Gossip girl was deliberate oh...yeah and I wish there were more black characters at Gossip girl too.

Well I have more things to say but well I think I will drop the pen here. As promised, no spoilers. Oops, I think I spilled about Terrell not being Devon's date thing. But it is all good… don't worry. Also you can read Aces of Spades too, if you liked Gossip girl , or Pretty little liars. My favorite character would be Terrell, I like his confidence and also when he was being a dope astrologist calling one of the bright stars Tupac! It was goood.

My least  favorite character would be Chiamaka, I don't really like her, or how she thinks plus she isn't really a well developed character. I feel like Faridah focused more on Devon. Well Aces of Spades was quite good and well I get the message it was trying to pass through. It is relevant. Racism and anti-blackness is a thing. I would like to think Niveus is an exaggerated metaphorical character of the American society and other societies with the black-white population and even  the average white-dominated high school.

"I want people to read this book and not see the issues discussed as something that only affects some, but see that anti-Blackness is in fact a global issue: one that can’t be diminished or pinned on one country or group."

                                                   -Abike-Faridah-Iyimide

Read all about eugenics: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics

Aces of Spades

Feiwel & Friends

New york.

2021

320 pages.