Reviews - The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association

360 reviews for:

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association

This was an absolutely delightful cozy fantasy satire, in which we get to see the magic school trope from the perspective of a mundane parent. Vivian's kindergartener, Aria, is bitten by a werewolf, and gets a scholarship to an elite private school in a hidden magical community. Aria is struggling with emotional and behavioral challenges related to her condition—not to mention the challenge of controlling her shifts to wolf form—and Vivian is struggling to integrate into a community where she is very much an outsider. Beneath the satire of the magic school genre and the behavior of privileged private school parents, there is also a really sweet and sincere exploration of ingroup/outgroup dynamics and how the stresses of parenting a special needs child can impact a marriage. Above all, it felt like a totally new, refreshing, and much-needed perspective in a genre that is dominated by young people doing great deeds.

shalanna's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

This was a funny and sometimes dark, satirical novel about the perils of school, parenting, and friendships. As the parent to a child with special needs, I found the comparisons interesting and relatable. The stress on the marriage, the stress on the individuals, the guilt, the fear, and everything in between. I felt for Vivian so much and I grew to care about her so deeply! I thought this book would be more low stakes, cozy fantasy, but it honestly felt at times to be more of a higher stakes, mysterious thriller/fantasy. Definitely intriguing and kept me interested and dying to know what was going to happen. There was a mix of diverse characters and different levels of likability. I loved the world building and magical system, and I would definitely read more set in this world. I kind of enjoyed how it made fun of the tropes.

My main beef with this book is that I had the lovely print edition (which I loved!), but I also borrow the kindle edition from the library, and it was horribly edited. I'm talking missing words, at one point Daniel was called Dave, and sentences that didn't make sense. What is odd that when I would compare the same passages to the print, the print book was correct. The ebook needs a re-edit, stat!

reathereader's review against another edition

3.5

hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad 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

Was this cute? Yes. Did it perfectly encompass a PTA prep school parent vibe? Yes. Did it also make me itchy when it talked about bullying and being an outsider? Yes, but what can you do.

Follow Viv, the mother of a new little werewolf, as she navigates a magical prep school landscape that feels fantastical and mundane all at once.

slow22's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous funny mysterious reflective 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

This was a funny and reflective book. It took real world problems and spun them into a world of fantasy which made them easier to examine. I would highly recommend!