Ace of Spades

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! When it comes to YA I can be a little hesitant because I feel like the tropes and plotlines are all the same so I went into this one with caution. There are gossip girl and get out elements but it's also its own story (I was worried it was going to be a copy and paste of those two).We follow our two main characters Devon and Chiamaka while they are trying to figure out who in their private school is trying to ruin their lives. For YA it was pretty thrilling, and I found it hard to put down. It has really important discussions on racism and classism, and it was very frustrating to read at times. It was pretty well written and enjoyed the reveal and how everything wrapped up. However, it did get a little over the top at times. I recommend if you're a fan of YA thrillers/mysteries.

SPOILERS AHEAD: in case you want to know what happens in this book


Turns out Aces isn't just one person but the entire school. The school was created after the civil war and every 10 years they let 2 black students attend just to ruin their lives by the time they reach senior year. The goal here is to have the bullying be bad enough that they either drop out or they don't get into universities. It's beyond fucked up if you asked me. The reason for this you may ask? Well to make their confederate ancestors proud... and continue their legacy basically. Also this doesn't just happen in this school but in many others and there are also even news outlets that protect these vile people. Devon and Chiamaka manage to get out and still have successful lives and they create an organization that finds schools like these and try to protect students from going through the same things they did. The best part: Chiamaka becomes a doctor and one of the patients she is caring for because they are on the brink of death turns out to be her old headmaster..ahh I love a sweet revenge.