Secrets haunt these hallowed halls.
Where Sleeping Girls Lie follows Sade Hussein, the new girl at the Alfred Nobel Academy, a prestigious English boarding school. Sade arrives at ANA having recently lost both of her parents and having been home-schooled her whole life, really having no idea what to expect. On her first day she meets her ‘house-sister’ and roommate Elizabeth who shows her around the various buildings and houses, also introducing her to the school’s clique system and ways of life.
The next day however Elizabeth fails to show up to class and is missing from her room, launching a school-wide investigation, worrying Sade and Elizabeth’s other friend Baz. The pair decide to conduct their own investigation, especially after a bogus email is supposedly sent from Elizabeth’s dead relative but when another student then turns up dead Sade and Baz realise there is much more to Elizabeth’s disappearance than meets the eye. With time running out can Sade infiltrate the mysterious Fishermen group and find her friend or will ANA prove to be all too overwhelming and sent Sade running for the hills before her first term is even over?
After absolutely devouring Ace of Spades back in 2022 I was so excited for this one and once again Àbíké-Íyímídé has completely hit it out of the park, Where Sleeping Girls Lie was an instant win for me and I might even like it more than Spades. The main mystery of Elizabeth’s disappearance set against the moody boarding school setting make for the perfect read and I really loved following Sade as she attempted to get to the bottom of things whilst also navigating her very new and scary environment. When another student then turns up dead things are really turned up a gear and we really get to dive into the school’s seedier history alongside some very mature themes, resulting in an all around wild read.
The Alfred Nobel Academy made for the perfect moody mystery setting and the dark academia vibes throughout were perfectly crafted, I could really picture myself walking through these hallways and classrooms. I’m always a sucker for a good boarding school thriller (Wednesday, If We Were Villains) and I really liked the amount of detail we got here, the various different houses and buildings were fun to explore and I loved the day to day school life alongside the main mystery.
I continue to love how openly diverse Àbíké-Íyímídé’s books are and how she’s able to craft these very real feelings characters with flaws and struggles alike. Described as Mean Girls meets murder with the ‘Unfriendly Black Hotties’ as the lead, we really get to have some fun with your high school clichés here albeit with a much more diverse feeling cast. In both Spades and Sleeping Girls Lie we get really great queer rep as well as characters who aren’t afraid to be unlikeable. Sade, Bas and the unholy trinity were all completely brilliant and I loved exploring the dynamics between them amidst a very dangerous backdrop.
Overall I absolutely loved this one and continue to adore Àbíké-Íyímídé’s writing, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. The murder mystery set against the boarding school backdrop was perfect for me and I really enjoyed the diverse cast and mean girl vibes throughout. Where Sleeping Girls Lie was an absolute vibe for me and the dark academia meets high school feel was perfectly balanced, allowing for some fun catty moments alongside some darker themes as well.
Ramblings of a Supposed Writer 