Reviews - The Wicked Remain

426 reviews for:

The Wicked Remain

Laura Pohl

3.79 AVERAGE

writingandwhimsy's review against another edition

4.5

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

justreeseiguess's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

cloreadsbooks1364's review against another edition

4.75

The Grimrose Girls is a YA fantasy duology featuring four girls in a fancy boarding school in which students' lives are tethered to fairy-tales, cursing them all to perish tragically.
This review is mostly spoiler free, there will be no massive spoilers of the plot :).

I first read The Grimrose Girls in January 2024, but last week I reread it and immediately began the sequel, The Wicked Remain. These books quickly drew me in with the intriguing plot and diverse cast of characters, and I unquestionably enjoyed reading them from beginning to end.

This duology is set in Grimrose Académie, an elite boarding school in the mountains of Switzerland. It's a literal castle, with towers, dungeons, stables, even an aviary. It of course provides its privileged students with every club under the sun, including fencing, horse riding, ballet. But a dark secret lurks inside this dream-like institution....

The curse that our protagonists fight to break ties students to fairy-tales, dooming them to die like the characters. There's a black book containing the dark endings of the tales, which the girls discover when it's left by their friend Ari upon her sudden death, but (SPOILERS) *also a white book with the happy endings.* I enjoyed seeing how the characters compared to the stories they were tethered to, such as Ella leaving the ball at midnight, Yuki's stepmother having a giant mirror, and Rory being sent by her overprotective parents to a boarding school in which the students are overlooked by three old ladies. I will say that I found the dramatic climax in the second book a bit too extreme compared to everything before it.

The highlight of this duology was of course the four protagonists.
I'll begin with Ella, whose story is that of Cinderella. She lives in a nearby town with her abusive stepmother and her twin stepsisters Silla and Stacie, and attends the school on a scholarship. Sharon, the stepmother, forces her to complete endless chores, cooking and cleaning every day. She also doesn't allow her to use WiFi, and sold all of the books collected by Ella and her father before his death. Ella had been diagnosed with OCD and anxiety, which was mentioned throughout the books through her constant worrying about everyone and her using counting as a coping strategy when distressed. She is the most loyal friend you could ever hope for, and appeared so optimistic every day despite being physically hurt often by her guardian. My heart ached for her, and I was so glad when Freddie, a cheerful boy, began to care for her. I loved watching Ella realise that she could save herself, that she was strong.

Yuki, our second protagonist, was linked to Snow White, which was obvious due to her pale complexion, dark hair, and red lips. She constantly forced herself to be perfect, dependable, calm, because her stepmother Reyna was the school principal and perfection seemed expected. She learns that she is powerful, she can be herself and let that power free. Her friends will still love her. I loved seeing an aroace protagonist who had already figured out her sexuality!

Rory, connected to Sleeping Beauty, was a very strong character, both physically and mentally. She had a chronic condition called fibromyalgia, which causes pain, fatigue and sudden cramping. This led to her parents considering her to be fragile, hiding her away in fear of her being hurt, as she was the second in line to a throne. Rory knew she was strong, she could endure the pain and still be one of the two best fencers at Grimrose. The other fencing champion was Pippa, with whom Rory had a slow-burn romance. SPOILERS*I adored how instead of needing to be woken by a true love's kiss, Rory woke herself up with determination. *

Nani, the final protagonist, spent the books learning to let her walls down, letting people know who she is. Forced to leave her grandmother in Hawai'i by her absent father gifting her a place in Grimrose, she soon realises that she should make the most of her time there and accept the kindness of her new friends. She quickly falls for Svenja, the gorgeous and fun-loving ballerina, and escapes the castle in her mind. If you haven't guessed, her story was Beauty and the Beast, SPOILERS*I realky liked how it turned out that she herself was both beauty and beast, trapping herself in a metaphorical castle.*

I had a lot of favourite moments in this duology, including the Winter Ball in the first book, where every character's outfit somehow resembled their fairy-tale, and when Ella and Freddie ate weird ice cream flavours on a date.
My least favourite moment was at the end of the second book when a character broke the 4th wall, I won't say more due to spoilers but it was strange.

Overall, I always enjoy a good retelling and this duology was so many of them in one.
Would I recommend it? Yes, to people who like found family, close friendships, diverse characters, magic, castles, and so much more.

Queer rep:
2 Lesbian protagonists (Rory and Nani)
Bisexual protagonist (Ella)
Aroace protagonist (Yuki)
Transgirl sc (Svenja)
Bi sc (Freddie)
Sapphic sc (Pippa)

TWs: death, murder, blood, suicide, child abuse, emotional abuse, parent death, transphobia, deadnaming, physical abuse, cancer, confinement, fatphobia, abelism