Title: Where Sleeping Girls Lie
Author:Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Pub. Date: March 19th. 2024
Genre: Contemporary YA-Mystery
Format: eARC
Publisher: Fewer & Friends
Pages: 416
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☆☆ARC PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW☆☆
Where Sleeping Girls Lie is the much anticipated Young Adult Contemporary Mystery novel fans of Ace Of Spades were highly anticipating. I remember reading AOS and not being able to put that book down for too long before I was carving out time to jump back into that story. Five years later we are introduced to the dark academia setting that is Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school where Sade Hussein has enrolled for her third year. Previously homeschooled, Sade arrives on the scene as this mysterious character who is trying to keep a low profile. We learn early on that her parents have both passed away and prior to her father’s passing, he maintained a strict upbringing for Sade where boarding school was just simply out of the question. The prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy is prepared for Sade’s arrival and have already assigned her a roommate to show her around campus. Elizabeth seems cool with her love of horticulture and willingness to share her space with newcomer Sade, including her best friend Basil. All seems well until it’s not, Elizabeth goes missing and the students of Alfred Nobel Academy suspect Sade has something to do with it. Sade who carries grief and secrets of her own decides to try and find answers to the secrets being kept within the walls of her new school.
This is a slow-burn mystery set in a school that is thoroughly fleshed out giving the reader a sense of darkness in its setting and the shady students who attend. I loved the initial walk-through of the campus Elizabeth gives Sade, the author skillfully brought each wing of the campus to life through Elizabeth’s commentary on the schools history. The privileged majority attending Alfred Nobel Academy come from white families. After her disappearance we see Sade capture the attention of the popular girls in school, something that Basil (Elizabeth’s BFF who is the only other person interested in finding answers as well) finds difficult to believe. Nonetheless, Sade begins to immerse herself in social circles that get her closer to unearthing the truths she’s looking for. What I didn’t love? the pacing was beyond slow and this is coming from someone who enjoys slow-burn. Too much time was spent on the day-to-day activities vs. the development of the story/mystery. The time spent on the mundane did enhance the atmospheric vibes making this truly fit the dark academia category but it also made it feel as if it could’ve been done in less pages What I LOVED? Sade and Basil/his guinea pig provided the lightness and bits of humor that were needed to balance out the much heavier/darker themes unraveling. The Mean Girls circle known in this story as the “Unholy Trinity” who include Persephone were an interesting add-in. There’s this quiet attraction between Persephone and Sade that is jumpstarted on an intellectual/feminist level that I really enjoyed. Lastly, the themes brought to light by the time this mystery fully unravels have a history of being underreported in academic institutions. Seeing these issues covered in Young Adult Contemporary novels continues to raise awareness. I’m looking forward to Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s next story which I’m sure will come with some new memorable characters.
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