A review by biblioleah
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

challenging reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you to NetGalley for the early review copy! I absolutely loved Ace of Spades by this author, and was so anxious to pick this one up. I unfortunately found myself a bit disappointed by the whole thing, mainly in two categories: pacing and plotting. One of the things I loved so much about this author's debut work was how fast paced and addictive it was, and how I was on the edge of my seat, unable to turn the pages fast enough. This one was infuriatingly slow, and that's also coming from a reader who usually adores a slower book that really takes its time to develop. This story did not feel like it was doing that, it just felt like all of the action was shoved into the last several chapters. There was nearly nothing happening for so much of the book and then, suddenly, suspects were flying, people were dying, arrests were happening, people being exposed- all one chapter after the other. It was very disorienting, and also made each reveal so weak in turn because there was no time allowed to sit with the horror of it. The way the reveals happened were also frustrating, seeing how well twists were done in Ace of Spades. Everything was told in literal flashbacks and long stretches of explanatory text. Not only was each new twist very predictable (so predictable that I found myself very frustrated at the main character for how long it was taking her to add two and two together), the surprising ones didn't even register because they were just being thrown at you in the last few chapters and in a way that not only spoon-fed you the information, but spelled out how you should feel about it. So much of the commentary was on the nose and left very little room for "showing" you what was wrong or how characters were acting. It was so telling-heavy that I was confused at multiple points why the main character would, in the narrative, describe characters in such a way and then continue to ignore what that meant? I understand, with one particular twist, how this may be intentional but I think it was executed in a rather messy way. I do believe some of this writing style and the choices made with the plot have to do with the fact that this is a YA story, but I think the audience deserves more credit and can be expected to have some level of critical thought. Leaving more room for predictions and coming up with conclusions and having reveals be more spread out would have helped so much with building tension better and fixed some of the issues with pacing. Other than that, I found that the plot itself was meaningful and I completely see how important the conversations being had were, but none of it necessarily registered. It was especially disappointing seeing how this is a thriller based around some of my deepest fears, and some of the experiences are ones I have or know people to have gone through. I was sad by the events taking place, but because of the way they were so spelled out and spoon-fed to the reader, there wasn't as much room left for me to feel the full emotion of everything. Although I think the subjects were dealt with tactfully and with care, I think as far as an engaging thriller novel goes, the themes were not necessarily written in a way that left me feeling tense or on the edge of my seat. I spent the first two thirds of the book feeling frustrated because I knew what was coming and rather than being scared for the main character, was annoyed at her obliviousness. I then spent the last third struggling to keep up, understanding a little why the main character was the way she was but then further frustrated by how convenient some of the twists thus were. I do, of course, want to focus on the fact that as on the nose as this book may be, I can see it doing real good in existing and speaking out. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé writes with so much empathy, and just because I did not personally enjoy some of the ways that the book was written, I still look forward to picking up every new book she writes. I think where this one fell off for me was in my expectation that it would be as nuanced and gripping as it may have been if written for adults, seeing as there would be more room allowed to explore the things I am most interested in when reading. That being said, I think the fact that this IS YA is so important and part of what will make the book as impactful as it will probably be. Three stars overall, and I would still recommend people pick up this book. Perhaps go into it expecting more of a suspenseful contemporary than the fast-paced thriller Ace of Spades was.
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