2019
WISE Score
Amazon
Gossip Girl meets Get Out in this razor-sharp thriller that turns a private school into a psychological battlefield.
4.6
4.6View →Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)
Ace of Spades is a visceral, gut-punch of a book. It’s the opposite of 'brain rot'—it’s a sharp, demanding read that forces you to look at how systems are rigged against certain people.
Don't let the 'Young Adult' label fool you into thinking this is light reading. It’s dark, it’s intense, and it’s one of the most important thrillers released in the last few years. If your teen is ready for heavy themes, this is a must-read that will actually make them think.
Best for 15 or 16 and up. The themes are sophisticated and the 'social horror' elements require a level of maturity to process without being just plain overwhelmed by the intensity.
While it models incredible resilience and the power of standing up to systemic rot, the tone is intentionally paranoid and heavy. It's not a 'feel-good' story; it's a survival story that deals with intense psychological pressure and betrayal.
A brilliant reimagining of the 'elite school' mystery. It takes the tropes of Gossip Girl and injects them with the social horror of Get Out, creating a narrative that is both fresh and deeply unsettling.
This is a 'safe' book for its intended older teen audience, but it contains heavy content: systemic racism, hate speech, homophobia, and intense bullying. It’s not a book you hand to a middle schooler without a heads-up about the dark themes.
An absolute powerhouse for starting real conversations about institutional racism, classism, and the Black experience in white-dominated spaces. It’s a masterclass in using fiction to dissect real-world power structures.
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