Review: The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil #1)

The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil #1)
By Soman Chainani

Published By: Harper Collins
Publication Date: September 4, 2018
Date Read: June 30, 2022
Genre: YA – Paranormal Romance
Source: Bought
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 488

From Goodreads:
The New York Times bestselling The School for Good and Evil, the first book in the series, is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one. This paperback edition features an Extras section, giving readers a chance to see which school they’d be in and a Q&A with the author, Soman Chainani.

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 a series that has been on my radar for years. I remember buying the first book, just after it released. I was so intrigued about the series, but after it had sat there for years on my shelf unread, I actually unhauled it and got rid of it. Fast forward quite a number of years, and after seeing the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Netflix movie, I decided it was finally time to give this series a go.

Due to time constraints, I decided to listen to the audio version of this book, and I am so glad that I did. The narrator did an absolutely fantastic job, and as I listen to audiobooks sped up a little bit, I ended up getting through this book in no time. The School for Good and Evil follows friends Sophie and Agatha as they go to the fairytale world of good and evil. Sophie is everything a princess should be, blonde, beautiful and just dreams of finding her prince charming. Agatha on the other hand is not traditionally beautiful, she doesn’t care about beauty and the princes can just stay far, far away as far as she is concerned… but all is not as it seems and Sophie ends up going to the school for evil while Agatha is welcomed into the school for good.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book is the fact that it really challenges the stereotypes that we find in fairytales. It really makes people question what is meant by good and evil… and as this is a children’s book I think it’s a fantastic thing to get kids to start discussing and questioning. The whole book is easy reading and just a fun ride. As an adult, it is very ‘childlike’ but I actually didn’t mind this. I went into this book knowing it is aimed at a much younger audience, so I just enjoyed the ride.

The School for Good and Evil was a great start to a series. I loved that we have two main characters who are completely new, but we also get to see some mentions of well known fairytales through the other members of the school. I will definitely be continuing this series and I can’t wait to dive into the next one. I highly recommend the audio editions for any keen audio lovers out there.

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