When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too.
Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures.
As Aces shows no sign of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly?
With heart-pounding suspense and relevant social commentary comes a high-octane thriller from debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
Comment: I saw this book at the library and was intrigued by the cover. Then I remembered a friend of mine, who doesn't usually read YA and prefers certain types of thrillers, had liked this book on GR. I thought, why not, and took it with me.
Niveus private academy is a school that expects excellence of its members and students Devon and Chiamaka are no exception. Now that their last year before college is about to start, they both hope things will remain as they have been since both are very good students. Devon is there with a scholarship and Chiamaka has a wealthy family, and they don't really mingle, but there is one thing only the two of them have in common, they are the only Black students attending. However, soon after school starts, something doesn't seem to go as planned and both of them start being the target of an anonymous person, the "Aces", whose injurious text messages affect them and those around them. What can possibly be happening, and most important, why now that their future is in jeopardy?
When this story begins, with characters going to school, I confess I was a little wary. I don't usually like YA stories and nowadays I even avoid them, but this one convinced me for the reasons I said before and because it would not be focused on a romance between the protagonists. In fact, Devon and Chiamaka attend the prestigious school but they are clearly on opposite spheres in the social hierarchy. I have not attended private schools, but the dynamics alluded to in the first chapter were enough to make me very happy I'm no longer a teenager.
Devon and Chiamaka are Black but at first this doesn't seem to be much of a thing and Chiamaka is even in a position of prestige among the students, with several responsibilities and popularity. However, soon after they begin school, things start to go wrong and someone who announces himself as Aces starts sending texts to everyone in school about Devon, and then about Chiamaka. This idea alone seems quite stifling by how easy it was done, but it's a sad contemporary reality in the world of social media and cell phones. At first they both think this is a temporary thing, perhaps caused by fellow students, and considering they both have secrets, they individually think this attack might be related to those.
As the story progresses, things become more complicated and worse, their academic achievements start being affected too, in the sense that what is happening affects their status at school and what it can mean for future college applications. By this point, I was convinced something more had to be the explanation and I was also a little uninterested in school conflicts, which means some parts weren't as captivating. However, Devon and Chiamaka then start connecting the dots and wondering why they are the only ones being targeted. As they investigate some clues about who Aces might be, they realize something bigger is in play after all.
It's certainly no surprise to guess that part of this book's plot is an actual wake up call, in a rather fantasy-like scenario if I think about how the author set up the plot's key moments, about the terrible bias in racism and the idea Black people are not as worthy of having success. One thing is to know this in general, as a abstract notion the world is aware of, but another is to see an example of it happening. I think the author did this part very well, and I could feel the characters' struggle to accept what was happening. The little clues were there, but Devon and Chiamaka only saw it when it was impossible to hide the big scheme.
In a way, I think the author was clever in using the school set up for her story and I can see how a private school with those features would work even better, but I will have to say, for plot purposes alone, some details just don't seem to be very realistic. I say this in regards to the big secret, when we find out the true scope of what is happening at school, it's a little far fetched. Not that it couldn't happen, but that it would happen that specific way. I confess this did not spoil the reading experience for me, but it made certain plot decisions a little too convenient, as if the author had to unite the dots in a way any reader would have the "aha" moment instead of connecting the dots on their own.
Closer to the end, some situations were rushed, and the epilogue, although positive and well deserved for our protagonists, a bit too vague. I could say this story reminds me of a certain movie, but to name it would spoiler the obvious... I think this is a terrific debut, with not only a message no one should ignore, but with characters that feel complex and well fleshed, and not just playing a role. I think with a few plot modifications, this would be even more stunning, especially since it's not meant to be, say, non fiction or erudite literary fiction.
I remember the cover, but like you, I tend to avoid YA. I'm glad it was a good reading experience for you.
ReplyDeleteIt was the author's first book, if I think about that alone, how amazing. But yes, plot wise, some things are a little unrealistic.
DeleteIf I find more things by her at the library, I might give them a go, even though it seems she is sticking with YA, and I really prefer other genres...