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A review by justinekorson
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
Happy Book Birthday to Faridah and this amazing story!
WOW. WHERE DO I EVEN START?!
I've been waiting for this story for A WHILE now. I loved reading Faridah's debut "Ace of Spades" and I knew I'd love this novel too because I'm a sucker for dark academia boarding schools. This story was a lot heavier than I thought it was going to be, as was made evident from the content warnings page, and all the twists and turns it took I did not see coming. Not sure if that's because I was listening to the audiobook or because I was just oblivious to the signs as I was listening.
Regardless, I really loved all of the characters in this book, NOT the Fishermen though, but all the girls in the Unholy Trinity, Bas, Sade, Kwame, Elizabeth. They all had a lot of depth and personality even though some of them weren't in the story as much as the others. I was even emphasizing with Francis at one point (which I didn't think I would). I enjoyed how the characters all interacted with each other and how they all had their own motives and goals for the story. Sometimes secondary characters can fall a bit flat if they're only used as plot devices and not treated as actual people but all of Faridah's characters in this story were incredibly written.
Sade having a twin sister was not something I anticipated and I doubly didn't realize Elizabeth's online friend was Sade's twin until Elizabeth revealed this. I was glad that by the end of the story the boys did end up facing consequences for their actions. I was worried towards the last few chapters that this story would end similarly to Ace of Spades where all of the perpetrators got off scot free. It's not often that I read a book on Netgalley and desire to have a physical copy of it but I'm definitely going to buy one for this story!
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
Happy Book Birthday to Faridah and this amazing story!
WOW. WHERE DO I EVEN START?!
I've been waiting for this story for A WHILE now. I loved reading Faridah's debut "Ace of Spades" and I knew I'd love this novel too because I'm a sucker for dark academia boarding schools. This story was a lot heavier than I thought it was going to be, as was made evident from the content warnings page, and all the twists and turns it took I did not see coming. Not sure if that's because I was listening to the audiobook or because I was just oblivious to the signs as I was listening.
Regardless, I really loved all of the characters in this book, NOT the Fishermen though, but all the girls in the Unholy Trinity, Bas, Sade, Kwame, Elizabeth. They all had a lot of depth and personality even though some of them weren't in the story as much as the others. I was even emphasizing with Francis at one point (which I didn't think I would). I enjoyed how the characters all interacted with each other and how they all had their own motives and goals for the story. Sometimes secondary characters can fall a bit flat if they're only used as plot devices and not treated as actual people but all of Faridah's characters in this story were incredibly written.
Sade having a twin sister was not something I anticipated and I doubly didn't realize Elizabeth's online friend was Sade's twin until Elizabeth revealed this. I was glad that by the end of the story the boys did end up facing consequences for their actions. I was worried towards the last few chapters that this story would end similarly to Ace of Spades where all of the perpetrators got off scot free. It's not often that I read a book on Netgalley and desire to have a physical copy of it but I'm definitely going to buy one for this story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol