Hello! I’m here to talk about a book I’ve been excited to read for a few months now! **And every day we are reminded that discrimination against marginalized communities is still a serious problem, so click here to find a compilation of resources where you can donate your time, money, or whatever you can to support these communities. I still encourage you to research these causes on your own to educate yourself and find the best way to lend your support.**
A few months ago, I heard buzz around a debut YA book that would feature a main cast of characters who are asexual. That’s all I really needed to hear in order for the book to be on my radar. I am always looking for more books that can represent the spectrum of asexuality, and so when I saw the book, Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt hop on NetGalley as a read now title, I put it on my profile so quickly in case it went back to request-based and I was denied. While the heist part is technically in the subtitle, I have opted to leave it off as I’ve seen it cause some expectations to not be met. I’ll take about it all later when I get to my thoughts.
*I would like to note that early versions of this book did contain a plot point that many reviewers were flagging as ableist. When notified, both the publisher and the author acknowledged the issue and made a change, which ensures this point will not be included in any final copies you may buy / receive. I read my copy after the change had already been implemented, but I did want to mention it.*
Jack Shannon is a normal teenage boy living a normal teenage life – well, if by normal you mean running a secret blackjack ring the the basement of his private school while his family owns a highly renowned hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Everything changed when his mom is arrested for her ties to organized crime, and Jack is left going back to his childhood hotel suite to try and figure out a way to help. See, Jack knows what happened – his mom was sold out, by her rival casino owner and jilted lover Peter Carlevaro. He knows there must be dirt to dig up the man, and to find it he recruits his closest friends, who just so happen to be the asexual support group scattered across the country he met through fandom forums. Together they hatch a plan to infiltrate an under-the-table gambling club and find the key to Carlevaro’s secrets in order to find justice for Jack’s mom. A key rule you shouldn’t forget – aces can always be wildcards.
Aces Wild reminded me a lot of another YA book I picked up last year Immoral Code by Lillian Clark. Both books feature a group of teens who take matters into their own hands to right a wrong they’ve deemed unacceptable. Immoral Code is written from the perspectives of almost the entire group, and at times I wished Aces Wild had done the same, because it felt like the rest of the crew were a bit underdeveloped. But simultaneously, I acknowledge that this is entirely Jack’s story, and being in his head the entire time was a choice I could get on board with. From his point of view we see his struggles first hand – 1.) he knows his mom’s business practices haven’t always been legal, but he still feels the need to come to her aide and expose Carlevaro for his role in everything, 2.) he knows he needs his friends in order for his plan to work, but he doesn’t think they can understand exactly what he’s going through, or what he stands to lose if they don’t succeed, and 3.) he knows he has feelings for Remy, but he doesn’t want to complicate their friendship, he hasn’t felt like this for anyone else since he is asexual, and he doesn’t know if Remy even feels the same, to name a few. As a reader we start to feel for Jack, and root for him and his rag-tag group of accomplices to succeed in taking down a big crime boss of the Las Vegas strip. It was certainly more character driven than action-packed, and I could have done with more pages in order to have to a better combination of both aspects.
The book is called Aces Wild, so I just want to make sure I touch on the asexual representation. Each member of Jack’s friend group – Lucky, Georgia, Gabe, Remy, and Jack himself – all identify as asexual. They came together through different forums helping each other figure out their identity and being there when needed from various places across the country. Throughout the book there are discussions about “being too young to know your sexuality,” “not knowing what to do when you start to have feeling for someone as an asexual” and “how asexuality can intersect with other parts of your identity, including gender, race, and romantic orientation.” I feel like these characters and discussions are used both to allow asexual readers to feel represented, and allosexual readers (especially those unfamiliar with asexuality) to better understand the sexual orientation. I am excited to see what other readers think when this book is released.
In conclusion, yes, Aces Wild is a heist story. The main heist occurs in the last quarter of the book, and that might not work for you, which is perfectly okay. But at its heart, it is a friendship story following a group of teens who band together and, against all odds, expose a bad man for all his wrongdoings. Jack starts off the book telling us to tamper our expectations, that this is not, by any means, a love story, but I’d have to disagree and say that love for your family, your friends, and [maybe] potential partners has the power to make you feel like anything is possible. Aces Wild is set to be released on September 13th, 2022, which isn’t so far away, so please check it out if you’re at all interested. *Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Peachtree Teen, for the e-copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*
Where to find Aces WIld:
Bookshop
Amazon
Goodreads
Storygraph
Peachtree Books
Amanda DeWitt’s site
Thoughts About Things 