Review of 'The Society for Soulless Girls
The Society for Soulless Girls, unfortunately, makes a poor attempt at strong feminism as it tries to rewrite Jekyll & Hyde through a female lens.
A sapphic enemies-to-lovers retelling of Jekyll & Hyde, this dark academia thriller follows two roommates who must solve an infamous cold case of serial murders on their campus after an arcane ritual gone wrong prompts another death.
Ten years ago, four students lost their lives in the infamous unsolved North Tower murders at the elite Carvell Academy of the Arts, forcing the school to close its doors.
Now Carvell is reopening, and fearless freshman Lottie Fitzwilliam is determined to find out what really happened. But when her beautiful but standoffish roommate, Alice Wolfe, stumbles upon a sinister soul-splitting ritual in a book hidden in Carvell’s library, the North Tower claims another victim. Is there a killer among them . . . or worse, within them?
Exploring possession and ambition, lust and bloodlust, femininity and violence, The Society for Soulless Girls is perfect for fans of The Secret History, A Lesson in Vengeance, and The Grimrose Girls.
Review
The Society for Soulless Girls had a lot of potential to pull me in. But unfortunately, the execution of the novel pushed me in and made reading a struggle.
Couldn't Connect
I think my biggest issue with the novel had to do with the pacing and development. I wasn’t captivated by the characterizations but intrigued by the school’s mystery. I thought, “Great, dark academia, I’m going to love this.”
I was very wrong.
The novel follows Lottie and Alice. Alice has anger issues, and in her attempt to be more docile and accepted by society, when she stumbles upon a spell book and discovers a book that will split her soul, she thinks she got her wish.
The spell works, but only halfway. After that, it runs out and requires a recast. However, if the recast is not performed in time, the split souls and darker half return with a vengeance. As in, it makes the spellcaster murderous.
"Ugh"
It is an interesting commentary on women and how their anger and rage are viewed in society. Women must always mind their tongues, they must always be agreeable, they must always smile and be polite. To be otherwise makes you “unwomanly.”
I appreciate Steven bringing to light this utter bullshit, but the execution of the novel was off-putting.
Lottie and Alice are not very compelling as characters. In fact, I felt as though more time could have been spent on Lottie developing her characterization and personality. Unfortunately, she fades into the background.
The storytelling also felt dry, and I was immediately turned off when Alice killed a cat with her bare hands.
I think Steven could have continued to make her point without taking the story to that much of an extreme. Although we can surmise that Alice committed murder, that extra push was unnecessarily cruel and uncomfortable.
Final Thoughts
The Society of Soulless Girls offers an interesting commentary on women and how they are portrayed. While I wholly agree that “woman rage” should not be a subject of social condemnation, the characters weren’t likable, and some scenes were too much.
- Writing Quality : 3/10
- Character Development :0/10
- "Couldn't Put It Down"-ness : 0/10
- Intellectual Depth: 5/10
- Originality: 5/10
- Overall Rating: 2 out of 5.
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About the Author
Cynthia Bujnicki graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has always loved to read since she was a child. A contributing writer for YA Fantasy Addicts, she is also the Editor-in-Chief for Cyn's Workshop. She lives in sunny South Florida with her husband, son and daughter and their two cats.
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