Book Review: The School For Good And Evil by Soman Chainani

Author: Soman Chainani

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Publication Date: May 14th 2013

Pages: 488

Who will read it: (young adults and up) People interested in fantasy with deep emotional undercurrent not buried by action

Rating: 4/5

Buy: Amazon / Barnes&Noble

Official Synopsis: “The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.”

This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.

But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?

The School for Good & Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.

My Review

Plot: While a little lengthy for younger readers, I felt the story was jumped into as quickly as possible with little hesitation. The characters are immediately revealed to be Sophie and Agatha, a truly unlikely pair of friends. Immediately, I was enthralled with their struggles which reminded me vaguely of my own worries about school. They each struggle with the expectations placed on them by society, but are still filled with the incredible capability to hope. In fact, I think their very age and naivety drove the plot forward. Only with their brilliant schemes were they going to achieve their dreams. The schools were both so vividly described and completely engaging even for the casual reader. While nothing is allowed to be original anymore, I eagerly compare the plot to that of Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and also the musical, Wicked. Even the mystery at the end was very well-played.

Characters: 

Sophie: I despised her from the beginning. Even as “good” and as beautiful as she was, obviously, her thoughts revealed a deep streak of menace. Cunningly, she manipulates everyone around her in a way I find most impressive, but despicable. As such an under-estimated femme fatale and villain, she inspired me, and I actually found myself rooting for her at times.

Agatha: A loving, gracious girl who demonstrates wit and kindness. She adapts fairly well and is definitely the “level-headed” one out of the pair. Very admirable and courageous as well as relatable in her efforts to preserve order and peaces as well as astute in her observations of others.

Relationships/ Romance: Sometimes, the relationships in the story got a little tedious! But the kiss at the end, wow, a pretty big shocker! Not spoiling between which two characters the kiss is between, but it was pretty magical.

Writing Style: The style was also a bit tiresome and dull at parts since the sentences did not always flow as smoothly together as I would have liked. Several times, I had to re-read a paragraph or two back because I had lost the author’s train of thought. Overall, a little confusing.

Best lines/Favorite part: When Agatha is saving Sophie from the School Master. Honestly, the book was worth it for just this one scene.

Ending: Cliffhangers! A little exasperating that there are so few answers at the end, but still enjoyable. I have my own prediction that the two are transported back home, and I can’t wait to find out if I’m right in the sequel. The ending is not as satisfying as it could be, but I am definitely anxious to get my hands on any meta I can.

The Star-worthy Aspects: A magical and enchanting story with two great female leads and a possible queer romance! The detail in this world is to die for.

The Deficiencies: Very long novel, a little confusing to read at times. A lot of secondary characters on the good side were not as fleshed out as the ones on the evil side.

Rating and Closing Remarks: This book receives a respectable 4/5 from me because though I loved it thoroughly and even recommended it to many of my friends, it could still have used some improvement.

#Bonus Points: A sequel called A World Without Princes has already come out, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of it.

Also, the book is becoming a motion picture produced by Universal Studios planned for 2015! Honestly, I would love to see certain actresses play Agatha and Sophie… and if any producers want to contact me about my choices or about needing help on the script, I wouldn’t really mind. ;)

I’ve actually got some great book recommendations based off my enjoyment of this including, Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger and  The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones.

If you would like to find out more about Soman Chainani and his other books and films, please contact him at his website here: http://somanchainani.net/contact/

-S