The Grimrose Girls

September 20, 2021
Three best friends begin their final year at the Swiss Alps’ elite Grimrose Académie with tragedy: their friend Ari Van Amstel, who reads as white, drowns, and her death is ruled an accident or a suicide. But Ella Ashworth and Rory Derosiers, also cued white, suspect foul play, and with the help of Yuki Miyashiro, cued as Japanese, and Black and Native Hawaiian new student Nani Eszes, they uncover a series of deaths at Grimrose that seem eerily connected to a book of fairy tales that Ari owned. As they grapple with their trauma and research a curse that may be all too real, it becomes clear that someone is determined to get their hands on Ari’s book—and may be willing to kill for it. Pohl (the Last 8 duology) skillfully subverts fairy tale tropes while juggling four third-person points of view and a variously inclusive cast that includes diversity in ability, gender, and sexuality. Though the story starts slow, it gains momentum in a gruesome final act, careening toward a dramatic finale that provides fertile ground for a sequel that is poised to be just as inclusive and fiercely feminist as this empowering series opener. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kari Sutherland, Bradford Literary.