The Society For Soulless Girls (Review)

Information:

• Author: Laura Steven
• Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Horror
• Page Count: 438
• Year published: 2022 (originally published in the UK, published in US in 2023)

Read This If You Like:

• Dark Academia/gothic settings
• British Novels
• Jekyll and Hyde retellings
• Queer representation
• Enemies to Lovers (and Grumpy X Sunshine)
• Dual POV
• Feminist messages
• Demonic rituals
• Secret societies

Spoiler-Free Summary:

Nearly a decade ago, the elite Carvell Academy was forced to close after a series of unsolved murders, which all happened at the school’s North Tower. When the school announces its reopening, freshman student Lottie Fitzwilliam applies with one goal- find out who-or what- is responsible for the North Tower Murders. When Lottie’s roommate, the standoffish Alice Wolfe, encounters- and performs- a demonic ritual she found in a book from Carvell’s library, another person dies at the North Tower. Lottie and Alice find themselves trying to uncover the killer- and also learning about the dark history of the ritual and Carvell.

Review/Opinions:

This dark, stunning mystery story is a must read for those wanting a great dark academia story. The setting of Carvell is amazingly developed, and there’s a large number of plot twists and unexpected moments that constantly hooked my attention.

The pacing for the novel, however, was odd. The beginning of the book was very slow, it was mostly character development and setup of the student’s college life, with small details relating to the main mystery appearing every few chapters. The dual POV didn’t help much with speeding up the novel either, as after a more exciting chapter from Alice’s perspective about the ritual, we switch back to Lottie’s slower narration. Then, around the 150 page mark (out of 438 pages in total, at least in my edition), the book suddenly speeds up. There isn’t a single dull moment, just non-stop suspense. If the book was shorter, it would probably be more fast paced, but the long length also helps it pack in more thrills.

The story of this novel also manages to blend in some key themes- specifically focusing on the concepts of feminism and female rage. This is especially communicated by Alice’s character, who is shown to be tough and prone to anger. This leads to unexpected interactions with her peers and teachers, and plays a key part in the reason that Alice performs the ritual. One of the professors at Carvell is also conveyed to be sexist and against women holding power, adding to these messages.

The book could be improved if the romantic subplots and the queer representation were more developed. It is mentioned once or twice that Lottie is lesbian as well as asexual, and no implication of Alice’s sexuality is given. And the two characters do get together in the end, but the whole “oh wait I’m falling in love with her” realization doesn’t happen until the last 20 pages or so, and then there isn’t much romantic moments after that. There aren’t any romantic scenes or implications before the last 20 pages, except for Lottie saying that Alice looks beautiful. Since the book is marketed as a sapphic enemies-to-lovers story, it would’ve really benefited from more development of the character’s queer identities and their romance.

Overall, despite the occasional flaws, this is an engrossing, suspenseful story that all fans of supernatural and dark academia reads should check out. I have ordered the latest YA thriller from this author, Every Exquisite Thing, a sapphic Picture of Dorian Grey retelling (currently only available in the UK without online purchase), and my love for Society For Soulless Girls makes me more excited to read it.