Review of Ace of Spades

I love Dark Academia so I couldn’t wait to read Ace of Spades, a new YA Dark Academia book. What did I think? Did it live up to my strict Dark Academia standards? Check out my review of Ace of Spades!

What is Ace of Spades About

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

Published on June 1, 2021 by Feiwel and Friends. Thanks so much to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review. I read this book in May 2021.

Synopsis: 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, it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian. 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?

Review of Ace of Spades

I’m a fan of Dark Academia from way back, but I have my own strict criteria about what Dark Academia entails – you can check it out in this post. It’s NOT just a mystery in an academic setting.

Happily, in my humble opinion, not only is Ace of Spades Dark Academia, but it takes the genre in new directions, focusing on issues of race and class, of white privilege and racism, both within academia and within society at large.

The story is told from the point of view of two Black students at Niveus Academy, Devon and Chiamaka. Both are seniors and both have just been selected as prefects, a huge honor. These kind of boarding school traditions are a big part of the whole Dark Academia atmosphere. Devon is a scholarship student and a talented musician who hopes to attend Julliard. Chiamaka is Nigerian-Italian, but from a more privileged background, and is aiming for the Ivy League.

Devon was an incredibly sympathetic character. He’s gay and lives with his mom. He’s just trying to stay under the radar at school and make it to Julliard. Chiamaka is confident and outspoken. She’s also in love with her white male best friend, Jamie.

Ace of Spades was described as Gossip Girl meets Get Out, but I also feel strong Pretty Little Liars vibes in this one. Devon and Chiamaka aren’t really friends, but when an anonymous group called the Aces starts targeting the two of them, texting secrets about them to the rest of the student body, they need to find out what is going on and how to stop it. What they discover is way worse than they ever imagined.

I don’t want to say too much more, as part of the fun of this twisty book is trying to figure out what is happening and who is behind it. I figured out one small part of it, but not the larger picture. My one and only complaint about Ace of Spades is that I think the big reveal came a little too late, requiring a lot of explanation in a short period of time and leaving a few unanswered questions.

But Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is an incredibly talented and engaging writer and I can’t wait to see what project she tackles next.

Do you love Dark Academia? (Don’t forget to check out my Dark Academia book and show list). And if you’ve read Ace of Spades, tell me what you thought!