This dark academia is probably the darkest of my selection here. Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is a YA dark academia novel that not only delves into serious, heavy, and dark subjects, but criticises many sexist and elitist elements surrounding these topics, especially in an private academia institution. It is a hard-hitting read, a sinister read, and one that will feel like lead in your stomach, but it is so very important.

Content/Trigger Warning: Where Sleeping Girls Lie contains direct and indirect references to suicide, rape, sexual assault, sexual assault on minors, consensual drug use, non-consensual drug use, malicious and predatory commentary about girls’ bodies, and other dark and heavy topics. Please check for the full list of warnings before you read, especially if you feel you may be triggered by reading such material.

It’s like I keep stumbling into a dark room, searching for the switch to make things bright again. To make me remember. But the switch isn’t there. Was it there before? Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. After being home-schooled all her life and feeling like a magnet for misfortune, she’s not sure what will happen. What she doesn’t expect though is for her roommate Elizabeth to disappear after Sade’s first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it. With rumours swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the most popular girls in school – collectively known as the ‘Unholy Trinity’ – and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them – especially Persephone, who Sade finds herself drawn to – playing catch-up in class, and trying to figure out what happened to Elizabeth, Sade has a lot on her plate. It doesn’t help that she’s already dealing with grief from the many tragedies in her family. And then a student is found dead. The more Sade investigates, the more she realises there’s more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she saw before. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface…secrets that rival even her own.

This blurb does a poor job of showcasing the depth and mature themes of this novel, and I understand that it is in part because the whole mystery element of it needs to stay murky as to not expose the whole plot, but I do wish there was something a little more accurate with this blurb because it pales in comparison to the novel, and honestly it doesn’t do much to entice a reader to pick it up. Where Sleeping Girls Lie is more than a teen dark academia about a missing school girl and a dead student – it is a complex and deadly tale of what happens behind closed doors, and more importantly, what happens to those unable to protect themselves and others. It is more than a dark academia fiction, for it shines a light on the very real events that happen to girls and women, events without proper justice and support provided.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I would be interested in this read. That teaser at the beginning had a lot of potential directions, and I didn’t find myself hooked in by it. Instead, it was when I was in the thick of it, over halfway into the novel, that I felt that solidifying hook holding me in place. I struck a turning point that shook me to my core, making me reassess what I was reader and the tone of the novel, and stopping was impossible from there on. For me, Where Sleeping Girls Lie really is a novel of two stories, or perhaps better understood as a facade cracked by the true message and implications of the novel breaking through. This high school setting suddenly became the location of a very mature, serious, and scary situation, and a very real one. I truly did not see it coming and I had to pause and question whether I was ready to read the true story hiding in the pages. I am glad I did.

There are elements of the story I wish were addressed in more detail, but I understand that the reality of the conversations and revelations are often as hushed up and swept away as they have been depicted. In a way, it highlights the elitist, sexist, and misogynistic roots of institutions like this setting and how moral duty can so easily be bought. In all honestly, I am surprised there wasn’t another detail or two added in that would make this even worse of a situation, but I imagine that the target demographic and already stacked mature content meant that it was already a loaded novel for the YA shelves.

You may read these comments and be wondering if I enjoyed this novel considering I haven’t outrightly said anything in favour of it. I love this novel. It is a powerful, poignant, and deeply uncomfortable deep dive into dark academia that I needed and that the world needs to read. We have BIPOC character representation, LGBTQ+ representation, BIPOC author representation, and critical commentary that is oh so warranted and appreciated in dark academia reads. Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a masterpiece and I have so many thoughts and emotions surrounding the content of this book and the plot that I can’t articulate everything right now. I am angry, shocked, mesmerised, and thoroughly entertained by this read.

I highly recommend Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé for all readers because it contains topics that need to be addressed and read, and I know it will become a staple in the dark academia circles in time. not only that, but Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is a powerhouse author capable of creating absolute bangers. I will be looking out for her next release with eager eyes.