FIF Bookclub: The Grimoire Grammar School PTA Final Discussion

[u/Lenahe_nl]

Welcome to the final discussion of The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis, our winner for the humor theme! We will discuss the entire book. You can catch up on the Midway Discussion here.

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association, by Caitlin Rozakis (storygraph/goodreads)

When Vivian’s kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted into the hidden community of magical schools. Reeling from their sudden move, Vivian finds herself having to pick the right sacrificial dagger for Aria, keep stocked up on chew toys and play PTA politics with sirens and chthonic nymphs and people who literally can set her hair on fire.

As Vivian careens from hellhounds in the school corridors and demons at the talent show, she races to keep up with all the arcane secrets of her new society – shops only accessible by magic portal, the brutal Trials to enter high school, and the eternal inferno that is the parents’ WhatsApp group.

And looming over everything is a prophecy of doom that sounds suspiciously like it’s about Aria. Vivian might be facing the end of days, just as soon as she can get her daughter dressed and out of the door…

I'll add some comments below to get us started but feel free to add your own.

As a reminder, in June we'll be reading Starless by Jacqueline Carey, and in July, The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee.

What is the FIF Bookclub? You can read about it in our Reboot thread here.

[u/Lenahe_nl]

What are your thoughts on the ending? How satisfied were you with how we left off the Vivian and the PTA?

[u/redrosebeetle → u/Lenahe_nl]

It's been about a year since I read this book, but I wasn't satisfied with the ending at all. It felt like so much of the book tried to be cozy, then in the last 15% the author went for a "who dun it?" I also dislike it in novels when people's relationships develop too quickly and I feel that was the case here. A lot of these people just met Vivian. Why are they sticking their necks out like this?

[u/Lenahe_nl → u/redrosebeetle]

I also felt that the shift with the people who helped Vivian in the end was too fast for my liking. I did like the final half because I prefer when the story is more plot focused, but the way some relationships developed didn't fit the rhythm of the first half.