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rissaread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, and Cancer
Minor: Transphobia
girlreading's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
This series had my name written all over it. A twisted, gory, curse and secret filled boarding school fantasy adventure mystery, with a focus on female friendship and starring four teens destined to follow the paths of various fairytale princesses? What more could I possibly want?
Yes, it was a little messy in places but I had so much fun with it I couldn’t have cared less. This was a brilliantly addictive, entertaining, brutal and heartwarming read and I enjoyed every moment of my time within its pages.
Yes, it was a little messy in places but I had so much fun with it I couldn’t have cared less. This was a brilliantly addictive, entertaining, brutal and heartwarming read and I enjoyed every moment of my time within its pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Suicide
Minor: Cancer
caitlyn_kittle_kinnick's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse and Terminal illness
Minor: Medical content, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Cancer, and Death
bookedandbusy's review
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
This was a great sequel and way to end the series! I loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Cancer, Murder, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Chronic illness
hollyk's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Some things this book did well:
-representation
-Anxiety rep
Things this book did not do well:
-literally everything else
Pacing: this book was so lopsided. There is absolutely nothing happening for the first 2/3 of the book, and when, in the final 1/3 mind you, there finally is action, it makes absolutely no sense. The curse made no sense. And while it could be argued that the first 2/3 were meant to be character driven, the point of character driven arcs is to have some form of character development. There was none to be found. The curse didn't feel very urgent considering 4 months pass within the first 2 sections of the book, and then we're led to believe everything else happens within 2 weeks max?? No.
The curse isn't well explained, and also how/why it was broken was confusing as well. Also,Where was all the magic before? We've seen absolutely no sign of magic outside of Yuki, and now we're to believe that all the teachers and the headmistress have been witches all along?
The character arcs in this book were okay with the exception of Yuki and Ella, though the latter less so. Suddenly Yuki has turned into BadCinderella Snow White and is on a villain arc, but she showed no signs of this thinking in the first book and it just came out of nowhere. Also her obsession with Ella? Where was that in the first book? Also Ella suddenly being in love with Yuki?? This came out of nowhere to me as well, and kind of undermined the friendship conquering all message. I just absolutely hated pretty much everyone. No one was interesting, no one was compelling really, and overall it felt hasty.
The villains felt like the author tried to subvert theevil stepmother trope, and then, when she realized that there would be no villain, shoehorned the villains in with no foreshadowing in the slightest.
The more I write the angrier I get. I thought the first one was just okay, but this one just did not do it for me.
-representation
-Anxiety rep
Things this book did not do well:
-literally everything else
Pacing: this book was so lopsided. There is absolutely nothing happening for the first 2/3 of the book, and when, in the final 1/3 mind you, there finally is action, it makes absolutely no sense. The curse made no sense. And while it could be argued that the first 2/3 were meant to be character driven, the point of character driven arcs is to have some form of character development. There was none to be found. The curse didn't feel very urgent considering 4 months pass within the first 2 sections of the book, and then we're led to believe everything else happens within 2 weeks max?? No.
The curse isn't well explained, and also how/why it was broken was confusing as well. Also,
The character arcs in this book were okay with the exception of Yuki and Ella, though the latter less so. Suddenly Yuki has turned into Bad
The villains felt like the author tried to subvert the
The more I write the angrier I get. I thought the first one was just okay, but this one just did not do it for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Blood, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Minor: Transphobia
thewoodlandbookshelf's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Cancer, Abandonment, Blood, and Death
jackiepreston's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Physical abuse, and Cannibalism
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Transphobia
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, and Confinement
melaniereadsbooks's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
Thank you to SourceBooks Fire and Netgalley for an arc of this book.
In the sequel to The Grimrose Girls, things are even more tense at Grimrose Academie as Yuki, Ella, Rory, and Nani deal with the fallout of Penelope's death and try to solve the mystery of the curse that is trapping them in fairytale retellings and killing off girls left and right.
This was so good! I loved everything about it. The entire time I was thinking about Midnights by Taylor Swift and trying to figure out which song works for each. I got one for every girl but the two that felt the most right to me was Anti-Hero for Yuki and You're on Your Own, Kid for Ella. They feel so right for both these girls and their character arcs.
This was great! I'm glad we got some more of Rory and Nani in this one. Such a great duology and definitely recommend for those Dark Academia vibes!
In the sequel to The Grimrose Girls, things are even more tense at Grimrose Academie as Yuki, Ella, Rory, and Nani deal with the fallout of Penelope's death and try to solve the mystery of the curse that is trapping them in fairytale retellings and killing off girls left and right.
This was so good! I loved everything about it. The entire time I was thinking about Midnights by Taylor Swift and trying to figure out which song works for each. I got one for every girl but the two that felt the most right to me was Anti-Hero for Yuki and You're on Your Own, Kid for Ella. They feel so right for both these girls and their character arcs.
This was great! I'm glad we got some more of Rory and Nani in this one. Such a great duology and definitely recommend for those Dark Academia vibes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse and Cancer
Minor: Transphobia, Ableism, and Fatphobia
nerdysread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
AAAAAAAAAAAAAH
UPDATE!!!
Okay, okay, okay. Everybody stay calm. Everybody stay f**** calm!
I want to thank SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley so much. Because this book? My favorite of this month. It has everything.
So after a messy and bloody winter ball, and some holidays, the four girls are back together and have one goal: break the curse. But it may not be that easy, and maybe not what it seems.
I loved the first volume; this was my most anticipated book of the year. So when I was reached to read an e-arc I HAD to say yes. And you know what? I don’t regret it. Our characters have significant development, and the mystery and thriller sides are fantastic. I loved the focus on Yuki’s power. Because our girl deserves to be badass and morally grey. I was scared for them all along. Also when I thought “I know what’s happening”... Well no, I did not actually.
The fact that I loved all the girls equally just proves how great Laura Pohl is for writing characters. She’s great at writing mysteries, action, touching, and sad scene. There’s a bit of romance, but what is a fairy tale without a bit of romance? Also, one of them may surprise you.
But what I loved more? The relationships between all the characters. It evolves with good and bad. They are real relationships, and that makes the characters even more real.
So, yes, I loved this book, as I planned to. Thank you Laura Pohl for it.
Also, I annotated it so much…
UPDATE!!!
Okay, okay, okay. Everybody stay calm. Everybody stay f**** calm!
I want to thank SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley so much. Because this book? My favorite of this month. It has everything.
So after a messy and bloody winter ball, and some holidays, the four girls are back together and have one goal: break the curse. But it may not be that easy, and maybe not what it seems.
I loved the first volume; this was my most anticipated book of the year. So when I was reached to read an e-arc I HAD to say yes. And you know what? I don’t regret it. Our characters have significant development, and the mystery and thriller sides are fantastic. I loved the focus on Yuki’s power. Because our girl deserves to be badass and morally grey. I was scared for them all along. Also when I thought “I know what’s happening”... Well no, I did not actually.
The fact that I loved all the girls equally just proves how great Laura Pohl is for writing characters. She’s great at writing mysteries, action, touching, and sad scene. There’s a bit of romance, but what is a fairy tale without a bit of romance? Also, one of them may surprise you.
But what I loved more? The relationships between all the characters. It evolves with good and bad. They are real relationships, and that makes the characters even more real.
So, yes, I loved this book, as I planned to. Thank you Laura Pohl for it.
Also, I annotated it so much…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Blood, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Transphobia
More...