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 and Evil by Soman Chainani is like Harry Potter on steroids. The characters, worldbuilding and ideal of comfort in reading the books is on par with Harry Potter, while the philosophy behind the segregation of schools into Good and Evil poses a question that will entertain even adult audiences. The concept of the series was great, and while I say that it could have been better executed, I still believe that the narration style of the author was par excellence.
The only unfortunate part about the book is how Soman often tries to go down certain storylines but leaves them hanging. Such as the extreme undertones of homosexuality which go completely unanswered throughout not only this book, but the entire series as well.
The book was amazing, and there were moments that made me laugh, gave me goosebumps and made me smile. The idea that Love is the catalyst for victory was a very interesting concept through the entire book. The most astounding part of the book and the true zenith of Chainani’s narration was the subtlety of the transformation of the characters. Seeing Sophie slowly becoming a witch who still believes in love makes her a contradicting being to Evil itself and to see Agatha being a genuinely good person and slowly transforming into a princess of unparalleled beauty is by far the most interesting part of the book. Considering, that we started the entire series with the premise that the two protagonists are in the wrong school each, and then slowly coming to the realisation that they aren’t truly makes for a riveting read. The two characters embodied the moral acts of Good and Evil. In the world in the book, Good and Evil were distributed based on visual perception. Evil is ugly and loud and wears black while Good is beautiful, quiet and wears bright colours such as blue and pink. With this method, the author has also explored the relation between actual morals and visual perception. Such as how we trust a beautiful person more than an ugly one.
I would suggest this book to everyone from all ages, because each book gets more poignant and more meaningful with age.
Comentarios