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pair reconcile. Chiamaka also starts warming up to Belle, who is disgusted by Aces. Jack and Devon's friendship, which had been growing more distant, has dissolved completely after an Aces text claiming Jack has a drug addiction, as well as Jack avoiding Devon in fear that his brothers will become a gang target by association.
36:
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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
168:
Devon meets a boy named
Terrell after getting beat up by some gang members. Terrell tells Devon they knew each other as children. They begin a relationship. Soon, there are more Aces texts about both Devon and Chiamaka, including a sex tape of Devon and another boy, damaging Devon's reputation in his
153:
Devon
Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo are the only two Black students at their elite private school, Niveus Private Academy. Chiamaka is the school's queen bee and Devon is nearly invisible. They barely know each other and have never spoken to each other. Chiamaka is from a rich background, while Devon
192:
Ten years on, Devon is engaged to
Terrell and works as a college professor. Chiamaka graduated Yale and became a successful doctor. Devon and Chiamaka are also co-founders of a secret society working on stopping institutions like Niveus. At the end of the novel, Chiamaka goes to see a seriously ill
176:
Belle and Jamie break up. Belle, having forgiven
Chiamaka for having sex with Jamie as it was before he and Belle got together, becomes best friends with Chiamaka. Chiamaka soon realises that her feelings for Belle are romantic, and the pair start dating. Devon, feeling lonely, begins spending more
172:
Meanwhile, Chiamaka is jealous of Belle. Jamie is very happy with her and begins ignoring
Chiamaka. An Aces text leads to Chiamaka and Jamie's relationship being discovered. Chiamaka is shunned, having almost no friends except a distant Jamie (whose true colours appear to be showing). However, the
188:
Devon and
Chiamaka plan to do a live broadcast of Headmaster Ward confessing to the tradition and have protestors arrive. Headmaster Ward reveals that the Black students before them who didn't drop out were murdered, just like they will be. However, Niveus Private Academy suddenly starts burning.
180:
Eventually, Chiamaka and Devon learn that Aces is the entire student body and faculty of Niveus, attacking Black students since the 1960s. It is a tradition that every decade, two Black students are admitted into Niveus and given every opportunity, only for Aces to ruin their reputations in their
157:
Chiamaka's best friend is Jamie, who she has a crush on and used to have sex with a year ago. Chiamaka believes Jamie is going to ask her to be his girlfriend, but he asks out a girl called Belle, known for her good looks. Devon and his only friend, Jack, who is from a similar working-class
177:
time with
Terrell, becoming more and more open with their feelings for each other, and trying to forget about his ex-lover. Soon, rumours spread about Belle and Chiamaka, and Jamie confronts Chiamaka about her relationship with Belle, accusing her of only dating Belle to snipe him.
185:, 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.
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him. Devon could be attacked if word of his homosexuality gets through to the gang in his neighbourhood. Later, Chiamaka is framed for theft, and Aces texts about it soon after.
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senior year so they drop out. Niveus
Private Academy is one of many private institutions across the country that, due to age-old ties to slavery and the
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neighbourhood. Chiamaka reports Aces to
Headmaster Ward, but Aces frames them for the texts, forcing them to work together to discover Aces' identity.
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Devon, Chiamaka, Terrell, and most of the student body escape. The school is destroyed. Three students are burned to death, including Jamie.
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492:"Children's Book Review: Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $ 18.99 (432p) ISBN 978-1-250-80081-7"
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Carbone, Emma; Goldstein, Susannah; Leffel, Ashley; Mastrull, Amanda; Simmons, Florence (22 November 2021).
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Someone with the username "Aces" texts to the entire student body a photo of Devon kissing another boy,
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355:"How a 22-year-old British-Nigerian student landed a million-dollar book deal"
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674:"Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Young Adult Fiction!"
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said it had one of the best covers of young adult books for 2021.
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424:"21-year-old young adult author gets 7-figure book deal"
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2021 young adult thriller novel by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
394:"'Ace of Spades' Is This Summer's Must-Read YA Novel"
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named it one of the best young adult books of 2021.
765:"YALSA announces 2022 William C. Morris finalists"
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738:Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
708:Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
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552:"Best Young Adult Books 2021 | SLJ Best Books"
704:"2022 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults"
249:called it one of the best debuts of 2021.
137:thriller novel by British Nigerian writer
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158:background to Devon, have drifted apart.
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795:"2022 Morris Award Finalists Announced"
763:Serbekian, Michael (14 December 2021).
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805:from the original on 21 December 2021
775:from the original on 20 December 2021
684:from the original on 21 December 2021
654:from the original on 21 December 2021
644:"All The Best YA Book Covers Of 2021"
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593:from the original on 27 February 2024
562:from the original on 21 December 2021
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469:from the original on 21 December 2021
438:from the original on 12 February 2022
404:from the original on 14 February 2022
373:from the original on 12 February 2022
734:"2022 Best Fiction for Young Adults"
642:Strolle, Rachel (10 December 2021).
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353:Fawehinmi, Yolanthe (18 June 2021).
744:from the original on 5 October 2022
714:from the original on 6 October 2022
299:Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
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581:Aparicio, Raquel (December 2021).
217:as well as a positive review from
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876:Children's books with LGBT themes
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392:Danielle Prescod (21 June 2021).
881:2021 LGBT-related literary works
851:Nigerian English-language novels
154:is from a working-class family.
871:Children's books set in schools
836:LGBT-related young adult novels
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311:Best Fiction for Young Adults
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583:"The Best Books of 2021"
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327:William C. Morris Award
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799:School Library Journal
556:School Library Journal
463:School Library Journal
283:Goodreads Choice Award
236:School Library Journal
207:School Library Journal
841:2021 children's books
539:– via Booklist.
398:Marie Claire Magazine
231:of Aces' treatment."
139:Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
53:Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
856:Nigerian LGBT novels
846:2021 Nigerian novels
801:. 14 December 2021.
496:PublishersWeekly.com
143:Feiwel & Friends
91:Feiwel & Friends
19:For other uses, see
861:2021 British novels
740:. 4 February 2022.
710:. 3 February 2022.
619:. 6 December 2021.
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257:Awards for
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135:young adult
825:Categories
340:References
133:is a 2021
678:Goodreads
428:USA TODAY
367:0307-1235
331:Finalist
288:Finalist
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315:Top 100
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251:Buzzfeed
220:Booklist
81:Thriller
59:Language
271:Result
268:Awards
77:Mystery
63:English
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323:YALSA
295:2022
279:2021
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