Haunted by ghosts of her past, Sade hopes to start fresh when she enrolls at Alfred Nobel Academy, a prestigious boarding school, for her third year of high school. Unfortunately, her new roommate Elizabeth disappears the very night Sade arrives, and many of her new classmates think she might be responsible. When the school’s headmaster doesn’t seem at all concerned, Sade and Elizabeth’s best friend Baz set out to figure out what happened to Elizabeth. As their search continues, another classmate turns up dead, and Sade uncovers more of the boarding school’s secrets than she bargained for.
First line: The night it happened, there was a party.
This is the first YA novel I’ve read in years and I have to admit that even though it sounded great, I was a little worried I wouldn’t like it. I remember reading a lot of YA in my early and mid 20s specifically because I wanted simple reads, but that’s not what I’m interested in anymore, so I was happy to find that Where Sleeping Girls Lie didn’t feel as simple as the stuff I used to read.
It was a great thriller/mystery. I wouldn’t say I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, as it was a bit of a slow burn, but I did feel like I was right there with Sade, trying to solve the puzzle. And it really was a puzzle. With most books, I don’t think too hard on the mystery because I know it’s going to be solved eventually. I’ll come up with theories as I read but that’s as far as I go. This book had me entering morse code into a translator and attempting to decipher an anagram. That’s how invested I was, and it was so fun!
I worried that Sade and her friends working to solve a mystery would feel a bit like an episode of Scooby Doo, but I was pleased to find that it did not. It was also as realistic as a story about teenagers trying to solve a crime could be. They didn’t know more than they should, they didn’t solve it ridiculously quickly, and there were even times when they made more emotional than logical decisions. The characters felt very much like actual young adults – their behavior wasn’t super juvenile, but it also wasn’t overly adult in the way that some characters in books other YA media can be.
Something else I really loved is the way that Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé describes her extremely diverse cast of characters. She does it so perfectly that even I had a clear picture of what they all looked like, and I don’t even have the ability to visualize. Not only were their descriptions on point, but their personalities were fantastic. I loved Baz so much. Everyone needs a Baz in their life.
The book starts off with a letter to the reader in which Àbíké-Íyímídé explains that “with Where Sleeping Girls Lie, I write to young girls who feel so much anger, and need desperately for someone or something to tell them that their rage is important, and that the capacity to heal from deep wounds is not at all impossible.” This is such an important message that spoke to the angry young girl I once was (and sometimes still am) in a way that I truly appreciate. I’m going to continue to be picky about it, but I can absolutely see more YA in my future because this book is a fantastic read for anyone and I know it can’t be the only one.
Little Vermo Reviews 