I have been in a bit of a reading slump, and I should have remembered that a sure ticket out for me is to read some 100% escapist young adult fiction. Even if it’s riddled with angst and drama, it’s not MY drama, because I have the gift of hindsight, so it makes it even better to experience fictitiously.
Dead Girls Society may be the perfect escapist young adult novel. It’s got it all: romance, suspense, drama and angst.
Hope Callahan has been home recovering from a cystic fibrosis flare-up. Her mom is ultra-protective, and Hope doesn’t think that she needs the time to recover. She’s about to die of boredom when a strange email from The Society pops up:
That is, if Mommy will let you out of the house.
Come to 291 Schilling Road at midnight tomorrow.
Tell no one, and come alone.
If you dare.
Of course, she goes. One dare leads to another, and it’s clear from messages from the society that come on email, appear in her room, and texts from blocked numbers, that there’s no getting out of it.
I’m not going into more detail about the Society, because the tension continues to escalate, and the unexpected is part of what made this book so enjoyable, but it’s not all danger and dares all the time. There’s also that classic high tension between the haves and the have nots, as well as some classic love triangles.
Another thing I enjoyed about the book was the New Orleans setting. It seems like many teen novels take place in random middle America. I’ve visited New Orleans several times, and the setting was a subtle background element, not distracting, but completely authentic.