I didn't realize this was a second in a series, so I was pretty lost. But that's obviously my fault. I can see this appearing to reader who like things spooky but not downright scary. It's very atmospheric. Also good LGBTQ+ rep which is always nice to see in YA fantasy.

The Wicked Remain allows for readers to discover the final answers to The Grimrose Girls mysteries with some unexpected twists. The series is inclusive of the LGBT community and one of the characters is an indigenous Hawaiian girl. It is a complete ending that highlights the young women taking action to determine their own stories.

This is a cute YA fantasy/thriller series with fairytale aspects. Thank you Sourcebooks for the digital review copy.

I read an arc book of The Wicked Remain from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

That ending, no spoilers, but it was the type where a 4.5-star becomes a 5. Beautiful, beautifully written, just perfect.

But what is this book about?

This is the sequel to The Grimrose Girls. Which, stop reading this review now and go read that because this review will spoil that book, and if you like fairytale retellings that are dark and set in an academic setting with lots of representation, then go read it!

Most of you should have already read it so let's continue.

This continues where the last book ended. Penelope has thought to have run away after the body of the real Penelope has been found, but our main characters are all making alibies just in case. They now have the white book that has all their deaths, and the black book, with all their happily ever after’s and their portraits, but now the girls have to figure out how to get their happily ever after's when it seems they're cursed to get tragic endings instead. All this while they deal with tragedy, family drama, romance, and just being a teenager on the cusp of graduating high school.

Overall, I was enjoying this book a lot more than the first, and I did like the first. It still has a lot of points of view, every girl has her own chapter, and it bounces between them in quick chapters that I have trouble following sometimes, but I know others enjoy, and it seems to span a long period of time that sometimes I wish would slow down, but now I really have a feel for these girls, and I'm invested to see where they're going. Plus, some of the truly wicked parts of their personalities start becoming apparent, and the school's dark side does as well, which makes for a magnificent dark read that I think is just dark enough for YA readers looking for that edge to their fairytales that they're being promised.

And as I said, that ending is perfect.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is also that one of the main characters takes a prince role, which I love to see.

So yes, if you like dark and twisted fairytale retellings, pick this duology up. This book comes out in November. Perfect for saying goodbye to autumn and calling in the winter.

The second instalment to The Grimrose Girls duology starts off after the unfortunate incidents during the winter ball in the first book. We are reunited with Ella, Yuki, Rory and Nani who continue on their quest to break the curse surrounding The Grimrose Academie and stopping the deaths of more girls. Finding out the real deal with the two books that hold the tales and its' link to the girls' lives. Unravelling secrets spanning hundreds of years.

The intensity in this second book kicked off right from the start and i must say, i enjoyed the ride especially in the last third. The turn of events and how the fairy tales played out were done so well. I wasn't exactly into the romance, probably an unpopular opinion here. No offense really, cause eventhough it was sweet and all, i was truly more invested in wanting to crack the secrets behind the curse and having the girls solve all the mystery. Towards the end, i felt all the relationships were where it was supposed to be. But i mostly loved the fact that despite each girl understanding more about their individual needs and desires and sexual orientations, the bond they formed was what thrived in the end. That no matter what and how things went, their friendship was the strength in everything. I also loved the insight on Rory's disability with her fybromyalgia, got sad at how tortured Ella was at home and Nani's struggles to find the truth about her father. In the end, i felt the duology closed satisfyingly well.

Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for an eARC for an honest review.


The Wicked Remain is the second installment of the Grimrose Girls duology. It was a phenomenal conclusion! I was so excited to be approved to read this. Laura Pohl does a magnificent job with tying up her story. It was a fun, quick read that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves the first!

5 stars

I read The Grimrose Girls earlier this year, and when I finished I was a little nervous about the sequel. I’m rarely satisfied with the ending of book series, and I didn’t really know how well The Wicked Remain will continue the story of the first book. When I started reading, it picked up right where it left off and I thought that this was a fantastic ending to the series.
This series is definitely one of my favorites. It has a diverse cast of characters, takes place in a boarding school, and has a bunch of gory fairytale retellings. I already want to reread it!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an e-Arc!

I loved the first book in the series. I enjoyed this one too, but not quite as much. I found that I forgot some of the details from the first one, and then they weren't rehashed enough in this book for me to entirely remember some of the events and characters that were important. There were some parts that moved a little too slowly, but overall I was engaged in the book and invested in the characters.

The Wicked Remain is the second book in the Grimrose Girl Duology. I enjoyed the first book a lot however the second book was oddly paced in my opinion. The first half had alot of repetitive information and not much character development. The ending just seemed off with the villains being side character we don’t really talk about.

I did really enjoy the message at the end. No matter what we're facing in life, it's important to remember we are never alone!


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC on exchange for an honest review!

I'm surprised this series hasn't received more attention. It's honestly an extremely entertaining duology with satisfying queer representation and a great storyline. I love a good fairytale reimagining mixed with romance and a curse. Laura Pohl is a great author and someone I will be on the lookout for more from. I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Nani, Yuki, Ella, and Rory have discovered the truth about the curse that's left a trail of dead bodies at Grimrose. But the four still know nothing of its origins, or how to stop the cycle of doomed fates.
And each girl harbors her own secret. One is learning why she was brought to the school. One struggles to keep her new and deadly power under control. One knows exactly how much time she has left.
And one, trying to escape her dark destiny, will come even closer to fulfilling it.
Can the girls change their own stories and break the curse? Or must one of them die to end it forever?
Book 2 of grimrose girls
Really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire
I just reviewed The Wicked Remain by Laura Pohl. #NetGalley

So was very shocked to be invited to review this book after reading the first one.

So glad I did as this book is just as good as the first one and has no second book issues. The character grown is natural and just flows right.

You grow to love the characters as you read their POV and the reps in this books are *chef Kiss*

Wicked Remain is the second book of the duology Grimrose Girls. While I enjoyed a lot the first installment, this second one was a disappointment.

Nothing happens in the first half of the book. No character development, no plot progress, nothing. The author tries to pull a character-driven plot in the first 250 pages, but the only thing she does is repeat the same stuff we already know about the main characters again and again. It lead to nowhere and was kinda tiresome. Also, Yuki's change of character came out of nowhere. Suddenly she was all "I'm such a bad girl, I'm cold and evil and I'm gonna ruin the world with my Elsa powers" and I was like "Girl? You don't have a believable REASON to turn into that".

That said, I also didn't like how all the mysteries were solved. The reason for Nani's father disappearance was kinda absurd, the person responsible for the curse was obvious since the beginning of Grimrose Girls, and the main villains behind it all ended up being side characters who were rarely mentioned in both books.

The only thing I really enjoyed was the message at the end. The story shows, in many aspects, that no matter what hardships we're facing, it's important to remember we are never alone. It's important to rely on other people, specially friends and loved ones, and always seek for help.

My review is based on an ARC.

I was not as invested in this sequel as I was in the first installment. I was glad some of my dislikes from the first book were better in this book, but I still was left underwhelmed. It has a good premise and overall theme, just not my cup of tea.

I honestly enjoyed the first one a lot more and I definitely think the trigger warnings should be a lot more prominent but it was still a pretty good sequel.

Honestly this little duology deserves more attention. This was so fun, so entertaining, with such excellent queer representation. I loved every minute of both books, and I want more people to read them!

The Wicked Remain really successfully deepens the relationships between these girls, and the ultimate mystery/curse has a really satisfying explanation and conclusion. I honestly can’t think of a single thing I’d change, and I hope we continue to get books from this author!

I have never been so excited to receive an arc before! The creepy school | the modern day take | cursed fairytales | romance… perfection. This was perfection.

The writting style is good but everything else was just mediocre. The middle of the book was so long and boring nothing happened the only midly interesting thing was Yuki's character development. The book is about a group of friends but the friendships are luckluster, the end was also very underwhelming.

I'm the author so I don't think it counts for me to give any feedback? Personally, I think it's a 10/10. My favorite scenes are [spoiler] and [redacted].

-review may contain spoilers for the grimrose girls-

The Wicked Remain, the second installment in the Grimrose Girls series was just as thrilling and enjoyable as the first. I loved the mix of fairy tale retelling, romance, and mystery. The setting is uniquely and I loved reading about it.I do admit, The Wicked Remain was more romance than the first book, but it helped give the main girls something to fight for.