Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

The book I recommend is called “Ace of Spades,” a splendid suspense novel. The main characters were a girl, Chiamaka and a boy named Devon. Two of them were the only two black students in this white-washed private school, Niveus, and became the elite school’s senior class “perfects” in their final year of high school. To become a “perfect,” you will need to achieve outstanding performance in your grades, extracurricular and contribution to the school. It was no surprise that Chiamaka was chosen, but it was strange for Devon to become ‘perfect’ since he is the “invisible” person in the school and doesn’t do much at school. Nevertheless, the beginning of the school year seemed excellent for them, and everything was under control until they were constantly being targeted and coincidently getting into trouble. Thus, together, they try to find out the truth about who is messing up with their senior academy life and who was the backstabbers. 

As you read closer to the ending, you will be more surprised by the reveal and truth behind this drama and would never be able to guess the conclusion. The book is full of suspense and will never disappoint you. The novel has a mix of twisting thrillers, and the plot becomes wilder and more unpredictable in each chapter. And at one point, I couldn’t place down the book until satisfaction ran through my body at the end. 

After reading the “Ace of Spades,” I learned a lot from the story about how racism, bullying, classism and colourism are portrayed in the community setting and how to face them when it creeps upon you. Furthermore, I realized that whether it’s the colour of your skin or the family and social structures you are born into, you can still succeed and shine. The novel taught me that destiny doesn’t choose you, it is you that chooses your destiny and future. Another moral from the story is that it’s okay to meet obstacles and challenges, but it is not okay if you don’t overcome them and continue. Finally, I would rate the book a 9.5/10 because it shows the reader the reality of society and demonstrates heavy concepts (eg. racism) acceptably. As a teenager, we are almost reaching the adult world, and through this book, you can learn a glimpse of the reality of life. Fortunately, these violent concepts have been diminishing for the past decades and will continue for the best of our futures.