THE SOCIETY FOR SOULLESS GIRLS

Students find themselves in the middle of a mystery connected to a history of gruesome deaths on the campus of their English boarding school, Carvell Academy of the Arts.

The North Tower murders go back over a century and are infamous; they even shut down the Northumberland school for a decade. After arriving at the newly reopened campus, 19-year-old Lottie Fitzwilliam from Sevenoaks in Kent quickly finds herself drawn to the tower and its unsolved deaths. Her unapproachable roommate, Alice Wolfe, who is from a nearby Northumberland town, distances herself from Lottie. In a desperate attempt to keep her rage at bay, Alice, who is waging an internal war, performs a ritual from a school library book that seems to tear her soul in two, stripping away her wrath and leaving reason and calm behind. But history seems to be repeating itself, as there’s another death, and the unsolved murders appear connected to a larger, more sinister plot. The roommates’ complex relationship is as compelling as the central mystery; they are opposites who are magnetically drawn together. Steven deftly touches on deeper societal issues concerning patriarchy, paternalism, and the unacceptability of women’s expressions of anger. The storyline delicately and believably portrays young adults discovering their sexuality. Readers will enjoy the twists and turns as well as the satisfying resolution. The roommates are cued white, and there is ethnic diversity in the supporting cast.

An engrossing mystery with well-drawn characters.