The School for Good and Evil (The School For Good and Evil, Book #1)

If Elphaba and Glinda were best buddies since childhood, if they attended a school that wasn't Shiz University, and if they swapped stereotypical roles with each other while in said school, you'd get this rip-roaring ride of awesomeness.

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.

First off, I enjoyed the set-up and world building in the book: It reminded me of Hogwarts, but in place of the four houses, it's divided into two fundamental teams of Good and Evil. a school where children and teens are trained to be heroes and villains? I'd like to go there too, along with Hogwarts! 

Sophie and Agatha come from the old village of Gavaldon - which felt very real to me. I was constantly reminded of medieval villages from the 15/1600s. From the bookstore to the bakery, the descriptions, at times seem to be tangible. 

The School provides a stark contrast to Gavaldon: where the village is plain and provincial (at least to Sophie), the School is a total riot of colour. From the moment Sophie and Agatha arrive, we get mentions of a gleaming castle, sentient flowers, fairies flying about, sweeping staircases, sparkling lakes... at least that's on Good's side. Design porn!
On Evil's end, however, everything turns gloomy and dark, but still far from plain ol' Gavaldon. Lightning flashes every few minutes over their castle, a dirty moat churns below, man-wolves guard the gates, the interior is gritty and worn down. Basically, a hyper-realistic Halloween scare zone. And I love it!

I think I'd prefer Evil's dark and spooky aesthetic over Good's shiny theme. (But I'll admit that Good's design is beautiful.)

We get introduced to a colourful cast of characters other than our main two girls: the students and the teachers there. 

Turns out that in Good, the girls and boys don't welcome Agatha, and act like bitches and assholes to her, all because she doesn't fit the conventional requirements of a princess: look like one, behave like one. The whole time, they make Agatha feel miserable - except for a few girls who try to make Agatha feel at home. 

Meanwhile, the same thing happens to Sophie. Students there think she doesn't belong, is a fake villain, and all that. I thought they would struggle to fit in through out the book, but I was wrong and I could see why. 

One thing I love about the novel is how Soman twists the direction of the two girls, and destroying prejudices along the way. By placing them in the 'wrong' schools, it actually serves to show their true natures. While Agatha and Sophie don't enjoy their respective schools at first, the answer as to why they've been placed there gradually starts to be revealed. In fact, this book shows that this world, in fact, isn't just Good or Evil - it's morally grey. 


Here are some moments I particularly liked:

• Sophie's interactions with Agatha in the beginning
• The School programmes and schedules for the students (Once again, I prefer Evil's curriculum 🌚 )
• The teachers seemed really awesome too (Dovey and Lesso 💙 ) 
• Agatha's gradual progress with self-acceptance (the scene with Dovey and Agatha made me tear up a little)
• The Circus Of Talents (Aggie's glow up!)
• The Trial by Tale ("Welcome to the 74th Annual Hunger Games-")
• Sophie as a witch. I admit that looked really cool in my head.
• And lastly, the ending.

Soman has done a good job in reiterating the famous line: never judge a book by its cover
in his own unique way, and I like how Sophie and Agatha slowly grow into the roles they were actually meant for. And they do kick some serious ass in those roles.

I love the novel because it really turned out to be like Wicked; only the roles were inverted by the end. (And there's the love triangle with Prince Tedros that mirrors the one with Elphaba/Fiyero/Glinda *smirks*)

Here's my take on the characters:

Agatha
From her first appearance, I already fell in love with this precious girl. Her snarky comments and her devotion to monochrome? Count me in. The growth Aggie gets in the story is very relatable; although she looks like a witch to the villagers, it was actually the external pressure (from the bullying she and her mother gets) that led her to eventually also see herself as Evil and ugly. I mean, how could she be Evil? She makes sacrifices time and again for others (especially Sophie *cough*) and essentially sacrifices her happiness. Her name means Good, for crying out loud! I'd love to see her mature more in the coming books :)

Sophie
Although I liked her at the start, that started to diminish as I read on. She doesn't and wouldn't know true friendship, loyalty or love even if she sees them. Immature, selfish, and vain: she manipulates Agatha's heart (metaphorically) to her own whims and at one point, she ditches Aggie for Tedros. Why. I forgave her (just a little) when she prevented Agatha's death at the hands of the School Master.

Tedros
Probably as stuck-up and snobby as Sophie (the Sophie in the later parts of the book), but kind of... changes a little in the end. Although I was a tad invested in the tension that Tedros and Agatha had throughout, and said investment intensified in the latter half. Basically, I ship it. I mean, I couldn't resist the notion of a plain girl and a pretty boy getting together.

Miscellaneous
At this point I'm starting to wonder if Soman watches a lot of musicals, because the 3 witches (Hester, Anadil, and Dot) really made me think of the Heathers. Like, a magical version of them.

As I said, the faculty is interesting. In particular, Dovey and Lesso's dynamic.

I couldn't stand the Ever students (except Kiko since she reached out to Agatha first) as they made Aggie 'relive' her time in the village: only this time, with prissy and angsty teenagers. Beatrix is one character I especially am not fond of.

Strangely though, I liked the Never students more. Maybe it's the fact that they were 'oppressed' by the Good side that made me pity them (The Nevers have not been winning in a long time.)

If I have to pick one book to recommend (just one) it would be this. Honestly, you won't regret it. Turn the page and soak in the magic.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐