[ARC Review] The School for Good and Evil
Friday, May 31, 2013Title: The School for Good and Evil
Author: Soman Chainani
Series: Yes
Genre: Fairy Tales, YA/Middle Grade
Format: Hardcover, 488 pages
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: ARC received from publisher for honest review
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At the School for Good and Evil, failing your fairy tale is not an option.
Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she'll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.
The two girls soon 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 among 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 and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.
I am a sucker for fairy tales, and anything to do with them. That is the first reason why I wanted to read The School for Good and Evil. Not only does it reference some of my favorite takes, but put an amazingly unique spin on them. I will tell you right now that this book is a must read for all fairy tale lovers.
The plot of this novel is brilliant. Every year two children are taken from their homes and brought to the School for Good and Evil to train to either become a princess or villain. Sophia wants to be next great Princess and Agatha just wants to stay home and be herself. What I loved about this book was its imagination and its ability to turn what we know about fairy tales and turn it in its head. it gives a whole new meaning to the word "retelling"
The characters were extraordinary, especially the main characters. Sophia was extremely self-obsessed and only cared about herself and how others perceive her. I will admit, she was not my favorite character, at all. But I do think that was down on purpose. Agatha on the other hand was the exact opposite, she was kind, shy and never thought of she was good enough for anything. Even their names represent what society thinks of them, and what I loved was when the author turned all of that upside down.
The only issue I have with this book is its category. I have seen it categorized as middle grade and as YA. I do belive that the fairy tale aspect and the artwork within the book are Middle Grade, but the characters and their actions were very YA based. So I found it very hard to categorize.
The School for Good and Evil was one of the most imaginative and unique stories I have ever read. It is addictive from the very first page and I couldn't put it down. Amazing read.
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