Poor Little Dead Girls by Lizzie Friend

Poor Little Dead Girls

by Lizzie Friend

The first time she is blindfolded and kidnapped, star-athlete and posh boarding school newbie Sadie is terrified. She wakes up in a dark room surrounded by hushed whispers, hooded strangers, and a mysterious voice whispering not-so-sweet nothings in her ear. But once the robes come off, she realizes it's just an elaborate prank designed to induct her into the group that's been pulling the strings at Keating Hall for generations. The circle has it all--incredible connections; fabulous parties; and, of course, an in with the brother society's gorgeous pledges. The instant popularity is enough to make Sadie forget about the unexplained marks on her body, the creepy ceremonial rituals, and the incident that befell one of her teammates the year before. So the next time Sadie is kidnapped, she isn't scared, but she should be. The worst of Keating Hall is yet to come.

Reviewed by meowstina on

4 of 5 stars

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I received a copy of this book for free as part of Goodreads’s First Reads program.

I was expecting another typical book about boarding school and snobby mean girls. The less well-off new girl with no personality arrives, the beautiful popular girls make snarky remarks, new girl is a loner until she finds a sinister plot behind the popular girls’ facade, new girl gets a chance at popularity, etc. I am extremely happy to say (for the most part) this book completely exceeded my expectations. I actually really like it!

Sadie and the other characters have personalities, which is a huge factor in whether or not I enjoy a book, and the writing is pretty good as well. Sure a lot of the characters are commonly used tropes, but because of the writing and Sadie herself I don’t mind as much. Upon reflection, I overlooked a lot of things I usually don’t like. I like the writing, though, and everything is weaved together so well that I didn’t notice as I was reading, or didn’t care. I still really enjoyed reading the story.

Things are not as murder mystery as I thought they would be. Instead they give way to a creepier, more serious plot. The suspense is held pretty much until the very last minute, which makes for some intense reading. I never suspected the true motive, which turns out to be a little scary.

Even though some of the characters can be predictable, nothing is what it seems. And for that which is, the writing and story make up for it.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 15 February, 2014: Finished reading
  • 15 February, 2014: Reviewed