Review: The School for Good and Evil

Dec •  23 •  2013
Review: The School for Good and EvilThe School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
Published by HarperCollins on May 14, 2013
Genres: Middle Grade-Fantasy/Paranormal
Source: FTC: Exchange for honest opinion, Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

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 world that is created in a book is so magical and one that the reader sometimes will not expect to impact them. The reader connects with the book, becomes a character (metaphorically) and takes a journey, experiencing all the emotions. The School for Good and Evil will take all the fairy tales you grew up hearing and mash them together, creating a world that capture your heart and give a whole different meaning to fairy tales.

We are introduced to two characters, Agatha and Sophie. At first we feel like we know which schools they will be placed into but this book will reveal that just because you look good or evil it does not mean you are. I feel that we learned so much about these two characters that they became a part of our lives and we felt what they felt. I cannot say that I have a favorite between these two girls but I do feel that both had their times where I loved them and times where I hated them but I feel that comes with all good characters. I do have to say that the school master is a creepy dude and thank goodness he is gone (I hope).

I feel this book did take some time to read but it was not a bad thing. We entered this magical world where we wanted to take breaks every now and then before continuing and this is what made the book even more special. By the end I knew I wanted to finish and then I read the last word and I regretted it. I wanted more and I am excited to see what adventures happen next.

There was some romance and this is what tore the two friends apart but the friendship that these two girls share is something that cannot be beaten. I feel that even through the bad times these two girls were always there for each other.

This wonderful author created a fairy tale that should be read before bedtime. The magic flows through its words creating a world that will capture the reader on a journey where two friends are put to the ultimate test. Can a princess and a witch be friends? Only way to find out is to read.

I give it 5 bites!

5bites

ChayseSig

FTC

6 Comments

  1. Jenny/Wondrous Reads
    Dec 23, 2013

    I enjoyed this one but I thought it was a bit long. Took me ages to read!

  2. Mary @ BookSwarm
    Dec 23, 2013

    Oh, I definitely liked this one! It was unexpected and I appreciated it more because of that. I hear there’s a book two?

  3. Sounds like a cute read. I just hope that they don’t automatically assign the dark haired girl to evil like usual. 🙂

  4. Farah
    Dec 24, 2013

    ugh I REALLY want to read this now!!! I want to go on an adventure too! I absolutely LOVE this cover, and it sounds like an amazing fairytale! I’m a bit iffy about the slow pave though.. Great review!
    – Farah @ MajiBookshelf

  5. Candace
    Dec 24, 2013

    I’m so glad you loved this one! I have a copy of it and I SO need to read it!

  6. This is the first review of this book that I seen. You have me really intrigued now! I’m really picky about the MG books I take the time to pick up and read but this is now going on my TBR! Great review