The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl

Published on August 05, 2022

Grimrose Girls Book Cover. A red silhouette of a girl on a black background. Four smaller figures in shadow at the bottom of the cover. White scrolls with red accents outline the page.

Reviewed by Samantha Calderone

Laura Pohl has created a “Grimm” fairy-tale that readers didn’t know they needed. She has not only created a secret Academie hidden in the hills of Switzerland, but she has also created a new world inside the gates of the castle grounds. The story follows three friends, Yuki, Ella and Rory as they try to uncover the truth surrounding the mysterious death of their previous best friend and roommate, Ariane. While the school would have their families and friends believe Ariane’s death was a suicide, the girls know that something is off.

When their new roommate Nani moves in, she uncovers a strange fairy-tale book hidden in a compartment of her clothes trunk, a trunk that once belonged to Ariane. Nani and the other girls begin to question why Ariane has a list of girls name tucked inside the book and why her own name was written next to "The Little Mermaid." As the girls begin to uncover the truth, they realize their lives may be tied to the very fairy-tales written among the pages of the mysterious book and they have to find a way to stop the curse before the dark endings of their fairy tales come true.

Readers will find themselves wondering just which fairy-tale character each girl is supposed to represent. Only the obvious choices may not be the right ones. Pohl has created a novel in which readers will find themselves asking questions and only getting vague answers in return. Filled with twists, turns and quite a few deaths, the novel keeps readers on the edge of their seats looking for just one more clue that might put the pieces together, only to be blown away by the conclusion and wishing for more.

The Grimrose Girls is the first book in the duology and as such sets the groundwork for what one can only assume would be an ending full of twists and turns with the hopes of a happily ever after.

The novel does contain sensitive material such as death, gore and suicide.

 

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