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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Was this bad? Probably not, but it differed quite a lot from my expectations, and ultimately was not for me. I genuinely empathize with parents' struggles to raise their kids and navigate school politics, but it doesn't typically interest me to read about. I hoped the focus would be more on the fantasy element, which did intrigue me and I thought the world building was fun. I also hoped this book would be funnier, as I found it pretty tense for the most part. Maybe the humour just didn't really land for me.
I was actually really looking forward to reading my digital arc that I got through Netgalley. The cover sounds pretty, the story sounded funny and I loved the setting. However, it's quite clear that I'm not the target audience of this book. I'm single, my friends are single and the world of kindergarten is completely foreign to me. Since this book is mainly character driven you really need to feel a connection with these characters to be able to enjoy this book the fullest. I didn't have that connection and was quite sure I was not gonna get it. And maybe it's a good thing I'm not a parent. I'm only 22% in and yet there was so much that actually annoyed me. The lack of communication, the lack of agenda, the entitlement, the snobisme and then there's the supernatural chaos. I love universes where every storybook myth is somehow true, but I can imagine that for these parents things are insanely overwhelming. They also were for me.
I'm pretty sure a lot of people are gonna enjoy this book. I think, despite the supernatural elements, it's very relatable and realistic. There are a lot of funny elements and a lot of experiences straight out of real life. But, not out of my real life. So, I will move on to books fitting me as a person a little better.
I'm pretty sure a lot of people are gonna enjoy this book. I think, despite the supernatural elements, it's very relatable and realistic. There are a lot of funny elements and a lot of experiences straight out of real life. But, not out of my real life. So, I will move on to books fitting me as a person a little better.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Thanks to NetGalley and the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have mixed feelings toward this book. It’s not that I think that this is bad, because it is not. It is brilliant, it is fascinating, and it is also relatable. But still, while reading it, I wasn’t always so happy with it. I never thought about DNFing it, and I was always invested in the story and the characters, but I wasn’t really enjoying myself. (And I know that this is not making a ton of sense, but still… it is what it is).
The idea is brilliant, and the mix of magical and mundane is wonderfully done. I loved to see the email at the beginning of each chapter, and I enjoyed the messages that we read here and there. I love this mix of styles, and they nail the magic/mundane mix perfectly.
And I find that Viv’s struggles are so relatable, even if I am not a mother. But following her around felt so exhausting. And I think that the author did a great job, because the portrait she made is quite accurate. The struggle to be a good parent, to choose what is best for your children, the loneliness, and the sense of isolation, the problems between Viv and Daniel, all felt real, and it was just so easy to relate.
But at the same time, we get to explore a fascinating world, full of magical creatures, and it was nice. This is a world I would love to visit, that’s for sure!
And I find that Viv’s struggles are so relatable, even if I am not a mother. But following her around felt so exhausting. And I think that the author did a great job, because the portrait she made is quite accurate. The struggle to be a good parent, to choose what is best for your children, the loneliness, and the sense of isolation, the problems between Viv and Daniel, all felt real, and it was just so easy to relate.
But at the same time, we get to explore a fascinating world, full of magical creatures, and it was nice. This is a world I would love to visit, that’s for sure!
We also have a good balance between a plot that moves along nicely, relatable characters, and some really cool magic. And to be honest, I can’t really say what didn’t work so well for me. Sure, some things didn’t make a lot of sense to me like the fact that they are so against the idea of letting Aria spend time with the pack. I mean, I get why they fear it and why they are not happy, but it is the most logical solution, and since they are really trying everything they can to make things easier for Aria, this refusal puzzled me a lot. . And sometimes I wasn’t Daniel’s biggest fan, but I think that this has more to do with the fact that we follow Viv’s POV than anything else, so this wasn’t really a big thing. And yet, even if I think that the book has a brilliant idea and even if I was invested in the story and the characters, still, something didn’t work perfectly well.
I don’t think this book will stay with me for a long time, and even if all the characters are relatable and real, I was invested in them and all that, I didn’t love them. Not one of them has taken a piece of my heart, if I can say so.
I don’t think this book will stay with me for a long time, and even if all the characters are relatable and real, I was invested in them and all that, I didn’t love them. Not one of them has taken a piece of my heart, if I can say so.
But if you are curious about this one, I still recommend it, because even if I didn’t fall in love with it, I think that is a solid book, and the idea is brilliant!
emotional
hopeful
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
emotional
lighthearted
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
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
Didn’t capture the same charming and endearing spirit of Dreadful. This was one of those “every legend you’ve heard is true” books that has lazy worldbuilding because of it. I liked the idea of mean, backstabby PTA moms as the villains, but plot holes got distracting (are we just going to ignore the severity of a mad werewolf attacking innocent people? not to be discussed?) and every issue was solved ridiculously easily.
While there were definitely some great quips, funny moments, and great potential, I didn’t love the execution.
While there were definitely some great quips, funny moments, and great potential, I didn’t love the execution.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Last year I read Caitlin Rozakis' debut novel, Dreadful, a fun, subversive, fantasy romp, and I knew then that she had a real talent for crafting character, and writing against tropes, without ever crossing the line into 'I'm not like other books' territory. The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association has the same heart of subversive anti-trope fantasy, unexpected, vibrant, detailed, and emotive. With bitchy magical PTA mums, and the looming spectre of a prophecy, GGSPTA is everything you want in a humorous urban fantasy, but with added Rozakis emotional flair that makes her characters, and stories, so compelling.
Vivian and Daniel are coping pretty well with the Kindergarten stage. Or they were, until their beloved daughter Aria was bitten by a werewolf. Suddenly, temper tantrums come with claws, and their family has no choice but to move out of the city, and into the small, hidden, magical community of Veilport, Connecticut. Overnight Viv and Daniel go from being fish out of water, to being two very small, very human, fish in the big pond of the supernatural world. To make matters worse, Aria's new school isn't just any magical Kindergarten, it's Grimoire Grammar, where the wealthy, privileged, and powerful battle it out for the best futures: sometimes literally. Turns out Veilport is an exclusive community in more ways than one, and Viv has never felt more left out. As she desperately tries to find her way into their new world, for the good of her daughter, Viv must contend with bitchy mothers, unexpectedly serious school events, the werewolf pack, a looming prophecy, her own husband, and, perhaps worse of all, the little voice in her head.
I largely enjoyed this read, my overwhelming impression, by the end, was positive, that being said in places this felt almost too busy, crowded with events and tangents which I sometimes found hard to place within the wider narrative. Viv was also afflicted with lack of agency, in lots of places it seemed that things were happening to her, and she was making no real attempt to deal with those things proactively. This was frustrating to read, but did fit within the characterisation - I think ultimately it's just something that I, personally, don't enjoy reading. 3.5 stars out of 5, would make a great beach read.
Vivian and Daniel are coping pretty well with the Kindergarten stage. Or they were, until their beloved daughter Aria was bitten by a werewolf. Suddenly, temper tantrums come with claws, and their family has no choice but to move out of the city, and into the small, hidden, magical community of Veilport, Connecticut. Overnight Viv and Daniel go from being fish out of water, to being two very small, very human, fish in the big pond of the supernatural world. To make matters worse, Aria's new school isn't just any magical Kindergarten, it's Grimoire Grammar, where the wealthy, privileged, and powerful battle it out for the best futures: sometimes literally. Turns out Veilport is an exclusive community in more ways than one, and Viv has never felt more left out. As she desperately tries to find her way into their new world, for the good of her daughter, Viv must contend with bitchy mothers, unexpectedly serious school events, the werewolf pack, a looming prophecy, her own husband, and, perhaps worse of all, the little voice in her head.
I largely enjoyed this read, my overwhelming impression, by the end, was positive, that being said in places this felt almost too busy, crowded with events and tangents which I sometimes found hard to place within the wider narrative. Viv was also afflicted with lack of agency, in lots of places it seemed that things were happening to her, and she was making no real attempt to deal with those things proactively. This was frustrating to read, but did fit within the characterisation - I think ultimately it's just something that I, personally, don't enjoy reading. 3.5 stars out of 5, would make a great beach read.
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced