I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

I really enjoyed The Grimrose Girls and was really looking forwards to The Wicked Remain. I love fairy tale retellings and I love the whole concept behind these books. The many main characters could be confusing to follow, but each character has such a unique voice, it's very easy to follow who is who. All the MCs are absolutely fantastic and I found ways to connect with each of them. I really hope this series is continued because I have so many questions still and I do not want to leave this world behind!

I absolutely adored the first novel in this series and couldnt wait to see where Pohl went with. the next one. While not horrendous, it was a slight let down to where I saw it going. I found the first a little predictable but this one was more so.

The same old crew are back to solve the curse of the school and its ever rotating roster of doomed princesses. This time they are determined to save each other and themselves.

Full of twists and turns and charging towards their final happy ending, this one is an appropriate if not good end to this duology. Perfect is you love retellings, strong women and the occasional happy ending

Great sequel! Continued the enthralling dark academia/fairy tale retelling of the first book. Engaging characters and situations. A worthy follow up. The writing is good, keeping the readers attention and building tension with good pacing.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC. This is my honest review.

I loved reading these books! I loved these story about this group of friends, who are dealing with their circumstances, learning more about what was going on, and investigating this mystery, it was all so great to read!

We did rotate around with all the girls' perspectives, which was both good and bad in helping to distinguish each one from the other, of which details went with which girl. That it turns out that they're modern day versions of these various fairy tales, that helped solidify each girl separately in my mind.

These are the darker versions of the tales, given that their friend, the one who had Ariel's story, died, was a pretty good indication, as well as the atmosphere. I couldn't get enough, and I had to know what was going to happen next!

And with all that they learned in the first book, they still had to deal with the curse that the were under in the second. And I had a really great time watching them deal with it in their own ways, and how things eventually wrapped up!

These were both really fantastic reads, and I can't wait to read more by Laura Pohl!

This was a good ending to a duology that I enjoyed. While I enjoyed this first book a little bit more because it had more mysteries to solve, this one was just as good just a little slower paced. I really love all the characters in this book and the concept of multiple fairy tales all playing out at the same time was very unique.

The two curses that caused the curse the girls were under to not be able to be defeated until they were both broken was a good twist as well. I could have done without the three headed dragon because it literally added nothing to the final conflict but otherwise, I really enjoyed this and will keep an eye out for more from this author in the future.

In this sequel of Grimrose Academia, the fairy-tale deaths continue and the girls embark on their journey to break the curse once and for all before they end up dead. After the three girls discover the truth about what is happening, they need to discover why it is happening. Together with this, each one of them has their secrets to deal with and the dark destiny that one of them now has in her hands.
When I finally could start this reading, I was excited after discovering it was a sequel.
The sensation of finalizing the book was so satisfactory and, at the same time, I wanted to reread it to enjoy the clues in the book.

I had now the opportunity to read the author's writing, and I can say she did a fantastic job describing the scenery and a better one in the character and relationship development.

I was happy for the romantic couple's development, but at the same time, I was grateful for certain characters finishing the books without one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

Pohl did it again with this one! I greatly enjoyed the first in this series and was bummed when I realized that there was no second book at the time. When I received the EARC for "The Wicked Remain" I don't think I've ever downloaded something so fast. I have begun to recommend this book to many of my YA library readers!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A satisfying sequel in the Grimoire Girls duology, this book was a satisfying sequel that kept me reading from start to finish. The characters were interesting and likable, and the world of the academy was well-structured and three-dimensional. Overall, this book was a twisty and perfectly done conclusion to a compelling and enjoyable series. 5/5 stars from me!

I struggled to follow along with this sequel because even in book 1, it was hard to keep track of all the characters and their corresponding fairytales. This one didn’t feel like it captured that fairytale reinvention as well as book 1 and instead dragged along. I also didn’t feel the characters were as sharp. The first go around I enjoyed how instead of just sweet fairytale heroines, it was more like the brothers Grimm type of fairytales. Here, that cutting edge to each main character lacked and the overall magic was hard to follow as it deviated from the original fairytales to the new plot thread.

I enjoyed this book. I honestly thought the first book was better though. This was a good read but the other hooked me on from the start.

This is such a great duology. I may or may not have been trying to read this book for 8 months or so. Basically, I'm an audiobook person and when I finished The Grimrose Girls, The Wicked Remain wasn't yet out, so I tried to read my arc of it instead as an ebook. I didn't do very well. I made it about 30% before I just kind of fizzled off. This is nothing to do with the story itself just my lack of ability to remain focused on non-contemporary ebooks. So it's however many months later when I finally grabbed the audiobook and I did have to go back a couple times just to jog my memory, but I think this book does a good job at continuously telling a story. I love the fairy tale element and the curse etc. I love the variety of representation as well. I know that I have them listed in my grimrose girls review but off the top of my head there's disability rep, anxiety rep, neurodivergent, POC, fat, bisexual, pansexual, aroace, lesbian, and trans rep + more.

I definitely recommend checking out this duology if you're into dark academia type stories. It's also going to be a favorite for you if you love books that incorporate fairy tales into modern settings. I really enjoyed them and definitely think that a reread will be in order in the future. My only small critique is just how everything wrapped up at the end. I felt it was a little bit confusing and we don't quite get all of the explanations that I wanted, but overall, I really enjoyed them.

At Grimrose Académie, the fairy-tale deaths continue. And unless the curse is broken, one of the girls could be next.

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?

I went into this one dubious because I was a fan of the first book in the series but wasn’t totally sold. However, Pohl has definitely won me over after this sequel.

The main thing I enjoy about this book is Pohl’s characters. I love every single one of the girls from the Academy, and each of them has their own string attached to my heart. It’s strange having a novel with so many protagonists where I resonate with them all and not just one, but I think that’s the beauty of Pohl’s writing, there is something for everyone in it and there’s a bit of everyone’s story in each of the girls.

Mixed with modern dilemmas and age old fairytale tropes this is a fantastic, romantic, tense but magical series that I know many readers, young and old will enjoy.

The Wicked Remain picks up where we left off at the end of The Grimrose Girls. Ella, Rory, Nani, and Yuki are all dealing with the events that happened at the school dance while continuing to try and break a curse that they don't completely understand. Chasing down leads in as many places as they can think of, will they be able to find a way to break the curse, or are they doomed to repeat it forever?

I enjoyed this sequel/conclusion a lot but I did find the first half to be a bit slower than the second half. I think the same thing happened to me with The Grimrose Girls as well - I read the second half in about a day but it took me much longer to read overall because of the beginning. There was a lot going on throughout this book and I was definitely trying (and failing) to put all of the pieces together alongside all of the girls. Some of the ending and "climax" felt a little bit convoluted, but overall it didn't take away much from my enjoyment.

One of my favorite things about this book was the continued development of the friendship between the 4 girls. They each had a lot of growth throughout these two books and it was wonderful to see the ways that they grew individually and grew together as a group. Ella's continuous belief in her friends, and eventual belief in herself, was wonderful to see. Rory's efforts to move through her pain and find the strength to save herself, and her friends, when she needed to the most was epic. Nani's journey from isolation to allowing herself to let others in and recognize that she was never as alone as she thought was inspiring. And Yuki. Beautiful Yuki and her journey to accepting herself - the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between - was an emotional and difficult ride, but worth it all in the end. The side romances and side relationships were lovely in their own right, but the friendship between these 4 girls was, at the end of the day, the most important part of this story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this duology and Laura Pohl's spin on fairytales, and I thought this was a great conclusion to the story!

It's refreshing that this book didn't fall prey to the sequel curse, but with that being said it wasn't my favorite book ever. I think this book was better than the first one, but it felt very slow a lot of the time and I wish it was more exciting.

I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in one sitting! Thank you so much for the early copy, I will definitely be reading this author again.

I thought the first book was OK (3 stars) and I was hoping for better with the second. It was slightly confusing and anti-climactic. I do appreciate that their fairy tales were a little more clear in the second novel, but I thought it was a slow read overall. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I very much wanted to know how it all tied up in the end, so the mystery kept me intrigued enough to at least complete it, but that's the most positive thing I can say about it.

I actually enjoyed this more than the first one! I thought there were some very poignant moments and I thought the takes on the fairy tales was really clever. Maybe the ending gets to be a little confusing and rushed through (one character even says as much, and girl, same) but I thought it was unique and thoughtful.

A 3.5 rounded up to 4.

This is a formidable sequel. I have to say, the overall series gives me Wednesday + Once Upon a Time vibes.

I felt like I struggled to get into this one more than the first one. To be fair, I read the first one a while ago and didn’t entirely remember the premise. Once I picked up on it, things made a lot more sense. Obviously, that’s on me and has nothing to do with the storytelling. I thought the storytelling was fantastic. It’s rich and has a lot of moving parts.

I thought the story stretched on during parts that weren’t necessary. It felt a little filler-y at times, so I would skim. I also felt like some elements got thrown in at the end to tie up loose ends that I thought were random? Maybe that’s my lack of memory though.

Don’t let that scare you off—It’s a refreshing retelling; I haven’t read one quite like it. I’m personally a fan of when the stories intersect, so I was thrilled to see somebody do that AND put a unique twist on it.

I think fans of fairytale retellings, Wednesday, Once Upon a Time, and other dark academia type of stories will enjoy this duology!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC! My review has been posted to Amazon and Goodreads.