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nytephoenyx's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
If I had to choose a character from The Grimrose Girls I most resemble, I’d have to choose Ella, because I spent so much time trying to match up all the characters in the book with their fairytales, I failed to see what was right in front of me.
The Grimrose Girls is the perfect read for folks who like light mysteries entwined with light fantasy, boarding schools, and fairytales come to life. It’s a little dark – it’s a little like Pretty Little Liars. And I’m okay with that! Ella, Rory, Nani, and Yuki are far more likable than the PLL crew. I chose this book because I wanted a dark fairytale retelling, and I got something in that range. It’s not focused on a single fairytale – it’s focused on a little bit of a lot of them. It’s interesting and fun to predict, and the rotating POVs kept things fresh.
I am a little disappointed Pohl focused primarily on commonly known fairytales. I get it – as a writer, it’s important to engage the reader. Internationally familiar fairytales (read: the ones turned into Disney movies) are an easy choice. With the exception of “The Juniper Tree“, all referenced fairytales will be very familiar to a diverse audience. I generally enjoyed Pohl’s writing, but there were certain characters I wished had been more tied to their stories. Some, like Ella, were very close. I would have liked more consistency across the board.
There is a lot of diversity and representation in The Grimrose Girls and I’m undecided how I feel about it. Typically I’m very excited for a breadth of diversity and I still am… but it also felt a bit contrived. Each character had a different race and a different sexuality. So, on the one hand, there is a lot of representation. On the other, I’m just cautious about the intense variety of it. There were a couple other little things that bugged me as well, including the whole “scholarships for employee’s children” angle that got Nani into the school in the first place. Some things lined up a little too perfectly without sensible in-world explanations.
As a whole, I really liked the book. Despite my uncertainty about the wealth of representation, I do want to nod to Pohl for taking the time to let Nani express frustration about Hawaii’s colonialism. It was a brief moment, but it stood out to me.
This was a good nighttime read, a good “what’s next” and “whodunnit” read. I’m a big fan of books that keep me analyzing and thinking – The Grimrose Girls did an amazing job of that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Deadnaming, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
allie_schick's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Homophobia
joisaddler's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder
emilia_mb's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
anniereads221's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, and Abandonment
ashleykarime's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Murder
Minor: Gore, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
thewoodlandbookshelf's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
irelany's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
If I was writing this review based on the first 90% of the book, it would be 4.5 stars. I loved the story and the writing, and the inklings of humor. I think that the characters’ behavior and attitudes are very consistent with their ages, which is rare. Another thing I loved is the awesome inclusivity, even in a book about a bunch of privileged teenage girls.
However, it has some faults. First of all, a lot of the stuff is REALLY on the nose with the whole “princess/fairytale” vibe. It’s the worst with Ella and Rory I think, but it happened with all of the fairytale characters. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the princess stories and how they fit into the modern world, but some details were just a little much. On the other end of the spectrum was Nani. Completely misunderstood her fairytale but I digress.
Another issue I had was the ending. Now the ending was great, I loved it. Definitely gave me some good brain-zaps of figuring things out and connecting dots, but it felt unfinished. I understand that it was intentional, but leaving out part of the story is frustrating to say the least. If she had added maybe 2/3 more chapters with more explanation, then I think this would have been so fantastic. It was a lot of build-up just to not answer some of the biggest questions of the book.
Even with those complaints, I did really enjoy it. Despite the terrible things that happened in the book, it still wasn’t too heavy to read and had great moments of humor and heart-warming sweetness. Truly encapsulated some of the more normal things that happen to you when you’re 16ish.
Overall, I would say that I do recommend this book due to its charming plot, familiar characters, and general aesthetic. However, don’t expect a book with perfect nuanced writing, and don’t expect all of your questions to be answered by the end.
However, it has some faults. First of all, a lot of the stuff is REALLY on the nose with the whole “princess/fairytale” vibe. It’s the worst with Ella and Rory I think, but it happened with all of the fairytale characters. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the princess stories and how they fit into the modern world, but some details were just a little much. On the other end of the spectrum was Nani. Completely misunderstood her fairytale but I digress.
Another issue I had was the ending. Now the ending was great, I loved it. Definitely gave me some good brain-zaps of figuring things out and connecting dots, but it felt unfinished. I understand that it was intentional, but leaving out part of the story is frustrating to say the least. If she had added maybe 2/3 more chapters with more explanation, then I think this would have been so fantastic. It was a lot of build-up just to not answer some of the biggest questions of the book.
Even with those complaints, I did really enjoy it. Despite the terrible things that happened in the book, it still wasn’t too heavy to read and had great moments of humor and heart-warming sweetness. Truly encapsulated some of the more normal things that happen to you when you’re 16ish.
Overall, I would say that I do recommend this book due to its charming plot, familiar characters, and general aesthetic. However, don’t expect a book with perfect nuanced writing, and don’t expect all of your questions to be answered by the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
eviecate's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved this book! The characters were very compelling and I am so excited to see where this series goes. This book is for the kids who read Ever After High as a child and are looking for something a bit darker. I liked the writing as well although it was a little rough at the beginning. The only drawback for me is the mystery. It was very predictable and I guessed who the killer was from the beginning. It was very slow passed but I am hoping that it pays off in the sequel. If I read this book 3 years ago I would have been OBSESSED. The diversity was refreshing, both in LGBT and POC representation. I appreciate that Pohl is unafraid to label her characters on the page. I love fairytale retellings and this series is such an interesting take on it. I can't wait to see how it develops!
Notes after 24 hours: While i initially loved everything about this book there are a few problematic elements that I can't look past. I have knocked this book down a star because of the implications of the problematic representation. A lot of the representation is rooted in stereotypes. The worst of which being (MINOR SPOILERS) the Belle character from Beauty and the Beast's love interest is a trans woman. This character is also tied to the Ugly Duckling fairytale. This implication makes me feel very upset as I did love Svenja's character in the book, I just hate the portrayal of her as "beastly" or "ugly." Other stereotypes include: mean lesbians, the asian main character's arc revolves around parental pressure to be perfect, one character's mental illness being introduced by another character asking her if "she's taken her meds, yet." While i feel like this is still a good book despite stereotyping, I wish the author had put more thought into portraying identities other than her own.
Notes after 24 hours: While i initially loved everything about this book there are a few problematic elements that I can't look past. I have knocked this book down a star because of the implications of the problematic representation. A lot of the representation is rooted in stereotypes. The worst of which being (MINOR SPOILERS) the Belle character from Beauty and the Beast's love interest is a trans woman. This character is also tied to the Ugly Duckling fairytale. This implication makes me feel very upset as I did love Svenja's character in the book, I just hate the portrayal of her as "beastly" or "ugly." Other stereotypes include: mean lesbians, the asian main character's arc revolves around parental pressure to be perfect, one character's mental illness being introduced by another character asking her if "she's taken her meds, yet." While i feel like this is still a good book despite stereotyping, I wish the author had put more thought into portraying identities other than her own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Eating disorder
mollslol's review
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I thought this story had a lot of potential, but unfortunately the author just didn’t pull it off. The story focuses on multiple POVs to progress the plot, but oftentimes we just start to get a glimpse of a character’s story and motivations before we’re pulled into another POV. At the end of the novel, almost 400 pages in, I still didn’t feel like I truly understood any of the characters beyond a shallow description and their romantic interests. The plot itself is intriguing and hooks you, but fails to progress beyond “just a really good story idea”. The end of the novel leaves us with more questions than answers and it feels like the author wanted to leave it that way just for the sake of a sequel rather than because the story actually needed a sequel. Overall, I had high hopes for this book but I was pretty disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Murder