Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

391 reviews

thehannahclaire's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Car accident, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Drug use, Homophobia, Death of parent, Violence, Sexism, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Classism

alychee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism

Minor: Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Violence

meganders22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Bullying, Classism, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Outing, Racism, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Sexism, Mental illness, Drug use, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Drug abuse

kaylamullarkey's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Murder, Death, and Racial slurs

Minor: Suicide attempt

daniellekat's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I wanted to like this more, but I think I'm just not the intended audience. Although exciting, the plot was somewhat predictable, and full of holes. So many characters were introduced for specific plot purposes only to be completely dropped later. And the characters that did stick around were one dimensional and lacked growth. The 

quick and neatly wrapped up

ending was lackluster and added to the book's strange pacing. This tackled some big and necessary themes, but ultimately missed the mark for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Classism, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Outing, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Physical abuse, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, and Stalking

Minor: Police brutality, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Sexism, and Death of parent

jei_reads_sometimes's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Homophobia, Racism, Bullying, Classism, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Gaslighting, Death, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

miri42's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Toxic friendship, Violence, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Classism, Homophobia, Bullying, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs, Stalking, and Suicide

Minor: Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Murder

withlivjones's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Jesus Christ what a story. I heard someone say that this book is like if Gossip Girl and Get Out had a baby, and that is so true. The mystery had me absolutely hooked, and then the focus on institutionalised racism both within the education system and within society in general was simultaneously difficult to read and very important. Some of the things that Aces does made me feel sick to my stomach, and I was really rooting for Devon and Chiamaka - who are both fantastic, well-developed characters in their own right. I felt like the depictions of racism were a little heavy-handed at times and perhaps could have been written with more nuance, but that isn’t necessarily a criticism since this is a YA novel and it may well be many readers’ first introduction to an example of institutionalised racism - and the book does that job spectacularly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Gaslighting, and Racism

Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, and Death

fleur____'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Racism, Racial slurs, and Homophobia

Moderate: Car accident, Outing, Violence, Blood, Bullying, and Gaslighting

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Classism, and Gun violence

ratnix's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Stalking, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Murder, Bullying, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, and Death of parent

Moderate: Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Drug use