"Where Sleeping Girls Lie" - A Thrilling YA Dark Academia Read - Book Review
Packed with twists and turns, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé‘s second novel “Where Sleeping Girls Lie” is a compelling mystery thrilling dark academia twist that deserves readers’ attention!
This is a powerful, unflinching read, and it’s one that outlines a lot of important, urgent issues in amongst the dark secrets and mysteries too. With themes of class dynamics, power, revenge and sexual assault, we’re drawn into the book from early chapters, crafting a story of high suspense and tension. There’s no denying that this is novel will hook you in from the beginning and keep you reading.
As a bookclub community, we enjoyed the seamless plot and vivid storytelling. Each character was multifaceted which added depth in creating a justified sense of rage and horror too. It gave us an insight into upper class and all the craziness that potentially unfolds.
After years of being home-schooled, Sade Hussein isn’t sure what to expect when she starts her third year of high school at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school, but it definitely isn’t for her roommate Elizabeth to disappear after her first night. As rumours about Elizabeth’s disappearance begin to swirl around the school, all eyes turn to Sade as both her roommate and the newcomer. It’s not long before Sade finds herself catching the attention of some of the best, brightest and wealthiest students in the school, including the three most popular girls in school, collectively known as the ‘Unholy Trinity’. We thoroughly enjoyed Sade’s character development and the platonic relationship developing between her and Baz! We liked how nonchalant another friend or should we say crush, Persephone was. How confidence and sure of herself she appeared to be from the get go!
We found novel extremely thought provoking which got us thinking the importance of discussing mature topics with young people, especially because they experience these things. Other key takeaway, were adults can be terrible and not always trustworthy which is why situations pertaining sexual assault, or anything of that nature, can go undetected and possibly unresolved.
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