The Grimrose Girls is the story of a strange academy where Ella, Yuki and Rory are mourning the unexpected death of their friend Ariane. The girls don’t agree with the official police report and they work together to retrace the days leading up to her death for clues. Nani, a new student, abruptly arrives in the dorm to take Ariane’s space. As murderous events continue to plague the campus, it becomes clear that what happened to Ariane is not an isolated event. Instead, a deadly pattern related to fairy tales is unfolding. As the girls struggle to find the villain behind it all, no one in the academy can be trusted- not even their closest friends.

The Grimrose Girls is an intriguing and fast-paced adventure. I definitely agree with the comparison to The Descendants, though I found The Grimrose Girls to be darker and more complex. I would also agree with the comparisons made to Once Upon A Time and Riverdale. The idea behind the plot is very creative, but I struggled a little bit with the pacing of the reveal. One of my favorite parts of this story was the excellent LGBTQ+ rep and twisting of seemingly well-known fairy tales. The characters all have good motivations and plenty of secrets! If you love fairy tales, solving murders, and seek a dark adventure then The Grimrose Girls is for you. I enjoyed The Grimrose Girls and will be curious to see where the sequel takes them next! The Grimrose Girls is out now. Thank you to Laura Pohl, Sourcebooks Fire, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.