The School for Good and Evil Review!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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…?

To be short about things, I loved this book. That should be apparent by the rating. 

I haven't read a middle school type book in a while (my PJ days). But I knew that I really wanted to get into this trilogy.

To start off, I love the covers. That's what originally drew me in. After I saw them I wanted to know what was going on immediately. And I can be a sucker for fairy tales or story re-tellings, so this book was for me. Once I saw one of my favorite authors, Rick Riordan, gave it glowing reviews I really didn't have a choice now did I?

In the beginning of the book it was a bit slow with the action picking up. Some of the characters kept doing the same things, making the same mistakes, just a never ending circle of stupidity. But I stuck with them and when things got going, the ball kept rolling. I stayed up until 3 trying to finish it even though that would leave me with 4 hours of sleep. Nope. Didn't even care.

Now because it was a children's book and wasn't necessarily trying to hide too many things, some aspects I could predict for myself. And sure enough they happened. But this did not take away from the book at all. Considering the book is almost 500 pages, I knew something big was going to have to happen. And I will admit, the ending was NOT what I expected it to be at all. I didn't see it coming until it slammed me in the face and I closed the book. Luckily I had the second book handy and I'm already a 100 pages in today.

Our main characters in this book are the dark and broody Agatha and the pretty princess Sophie. polar opposites but best friends nonetheless, which I love. I also loved how against all odds, Agatha was put in the School for Good with chivalrous knights to be and Grooms Rooms while Sophie got Doom Rooms and Henchmen. Both felt out of place but there was a deeper meaning as to why they were meticulously placed where they were. Though they may look a certain way, whatever truths lay in their hearts is what really had to be shown. 

It is very entertaining to see everyone disapprove of a witch and princess being friends, yet they don't care. 

Sophie's constant sniveling and whining could work me sometimes, but I understood because in her mind she was a princess and that's what princesses do. And I loved watching Agatha grow into her own as someone Good even though she and everyone else around her thought her Evil based on appearances alone

This book challenges the reader to not judge a book by its cover. Someone may prefer to be alone, wear black, and seem socially awkward, but they could have the kindest and purest heart out there. Overall, this is a great book with friendship, love, beauty, ugly and all the in between. Loyalties are tested and relationships are formed and bonds are broken.

If you've read this book or the series, let me know below!