The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani Review

Title: The School for Good and Evil
Author: Soman Chainani
ISBN: 0062104896
Published: May 14th 2013

Synopsis from 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 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 thoughts:

This is a really fun book with a lot of twist that you don't usually see in fairy tales. I thought it would be the typical good vs. evil book but it turns out to be so much more. Lots of plot twist and contemplating on who is really good and who is really bad. Sophie and Agatha are polar opposites of each other and you can see how trouble can ensues when they are drop into the unexpected school. I really like the character development in Agatha. She's a good person but people keep seeing her as a witch because of her interest. Sophie is an interesting character too. As you read on, you learn that maybe they weren't in the wrong school after all. The supporting characters were memorable and there was a hint of romance along the way. It's nice to see the idea of what if good turn evil and evil turn good. Also I enjoy reading about Nevers(evil) vs. Evers(good) competitions and the activities they did during their different classes. I kind of knew how it was going to end but I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. I think that's why there's a second book coming out next year. I'm looking forward to reading book two and see what happen next.