Ace of Spades (novel)
Ace of Spades is a 2021 young adult thriller novel by British Nigerian writer Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, published June 1, 2021 by Feiwel & Friends. Plot. Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo are the only two Black students at their private school, Niveus Private Academy and exist in completely different social spheres. However, on the first day of school, they are both named as school prefects. One day, a group message from "Aces" is sent to the student body that shows Devon kissing another male student, outing both students and sending the school into an uproar. Soon, more  and more incriminating texts and images are sent about both Devon and Chiamaka, forcing them to work together to discover who Aces is, why they selected Chiamaka and Devon to humiliate, and why they want to ruin both students' futures. Near the end of the book, Chiamaka and Devon learn that Aces is not a single entity but rather a large swathe of the student body, working in tandem to destroy the lives of Black students. They discover that Niveus Private Academy is one of many private institutions across the country that, due to age-old ties to slavery and  the Confederacy, rarely accept Black students, but when they do, their goal is to perform social eugenics by allowing the students to climb in the school, then, in their senior year, destroy their futures, disallowing Black individuals to succeed in the world beyond high school. Reception. "Ace of Spades" received a starred review from "School Library Journal" and "Publishers Weekly," as well as a positive review from "Booklist." In their review, "Publishers Weekly" noted, "Àbíké-Íyímídé excels in portraying the conflict of characters who exist in two worlds, one of white privilege and one in which Blackness is not a  disadvantage but a point of pride. The story feels slightly overlong, but Devon and Chiamaka are dynamic and multifaceted, deeply human in the face of Aces’ treatment." "School Library Journal", and "The Boston Globe" named it one of the best young adult books of 2021. "The Young Folks" called it one of the best debuts of 2021. Buzzfeed said it had one of the best young adult book covers of young adult books for 2021. References.