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The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani || Book Review

When I started my Goodreads account years back, The School for Good and Evil was the first book that I added to my TBR. I was actually in 9th grade then so I was very close to the target audience.

It’s a shame that it took me this long to actually read this book. If I had read it back then, I would have loved it so much more.

This review was initially posted on my old blog and I'm reposting it because the series is being adapted by Netflix and I'm very excited!

the concept

The characters, friendship > love, good vs evil.

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…?

Trigger warnings: fatphobia, parental issues, bullying.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK.

It’s a shame that I didn’t get my hands on a copy of this back in school! I got the chance to finally read this book as an audiobook and I’m so glad. The audiobook was really fun to listen to.

So let’s get to why exactly I liked this book.

In the book, there are two schools—one for Good and one for Evil. Students who graduate from these schools become heroes and villains in their own stories respectively.

The author brought in students who are children of well-known heroes and villains from fairytales as well as other acquaintances. The students have to do well in their classes in order to get high marks and get their own stories.

The book was super fun to read because of the concept. I imagined it all while listening to the narration and it was great.

Until Sophie and Agatha, all the characters were easily split into Good and Evil. There are easily distinguishable traits in students so there was never an issue.

It should have been the same for Sophie and Agatha but they’re put into the wrong schools which set the book’s main plot.

Sophie and Agatha showed how Good and Evil are not so clearly distinguished. A person can be both and just because you like pink, you’re not Good. You are divided based on morals and thoughts, not what you  think  you are.

This moral was subtly shown throughout the book. It definitely has something to teach to younger readers.

Sophie and Agatha were so fun to follow! We read from both of their points of view so we have a complete view of their adventures.

They are also complex characters without a straight moral compass. This clear but also subtle way of showing what truly matters as a person was brilliant.

The other characters in the book were interesting enough but they were not as interesting as our main characters.

This book is more focused on friendship than love. The friendship in limelight is Sophia and Agatha’s but we also see other friendships in the book.

I loved the friendship focus. Sophia and Agatha have a complicated friendship which is tested during this book. It was interesting to see how they manage it all.

There is some focus on the love aspect but it’s mainly only to show how love is expected for Good students while Evil students are always alone as villains. And some questions are raised about love as well.

Through this book, the author questions some fundamental things about Good and Evil. Why does Good always win? Why does Good get love while Evil doesn’t? Why does Evil have to be ugly in appearance? Why can’t heroes be ugly and villains be beautiful?

The questions I really loved were: why do villains have all the character while heroes are bland with some morals? Why does Good have no sass and cleverness? Why do they depend on love and companionship while Evil can do everything alone?

These are all questions that kids usually think about and question as they read fairytales. I questioned these things myself.

It was wonderful to see how  the author takes these questions and spins a whole storyline around it . Some things are questioned and taken apart while others are answered through the story.

If this book was a fairytale like the others that we know, it would end with the Good student finding love and winning over Evil. But this book turns things around.

I really like how the ending was different and showed the true meaning of a happy ending. It was such a twist and wholly unexpected but was the BEST. I won’t say anymore because of spoilers.

Also, while it has a good enough ending, the series continues after this. It doesn't fully end. But I didn't find much suspense and didn't continue the series.

If you are looking for a middle-grade book to read or recommend, pick this! Especially if you’re recommending to middle grade or younger students.

P. S. I haven't read the second book so I'm not sure about this but I've heard that book 2 has a transphobic element. Please pick it up with caution.

let's chat!

Have you read The School for Good and Evil ? What are your thoughts on it, especially the themes that it portrays?

If you haven't read it, are you planning to? Did you hear that Kit Young (Jesper from Shadow & Bone adaptation) is playing one of the key characters in the Netflix adaptation?! I'm very excited to see him on screen in this story.

Sumedha spends her days reading books, bingeing Kdramas, drawing illustrations, and blogging while listening to Lo-Fi music. Read more ➔

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31 comments

I have this on my TBR too ?? but it's quite a looooong book so I'm putting this off .. I loved your pointers on this book

Haha yes it is long. But its worth it!

I'll keep it handy then ?

awesome, thanks for sharing x

No problem!

I used to LOOVE this book growing up and am so excited that they’re turning it into a show!

Same! Can't wait to see the characters on screen!

With all the books being adapted to screens. I really feel like reading them all and then watching the adaptations. But then where do I have the time. ???

Also, I realised that I lose my patience with screen adaptations because I already know how things are going to turn out. And at times when they do not show your favourite parts. It is such a downer.

I get that! Also, sometimes it's alright to just watch the adaptations. I watched S&B without reading the books and it's alright. As a book community we always feel like we should read first and need to unlearn that ?

This sounds like an awesome book, Sumedha! I'm so glad that you loved and enjoyed it so much! I've never heard of this but the cover looks great! xx

lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

It is! Thanks for your comment ?

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The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani – review

In this fantasy/mystery book there are two main characters who live in a very small town in the middle of a large forest. First there is the blonde and beautiful Sophie, who spends her day trying out potions and drinking cucumber juice, which she believes makes her look even more beautiful. Then there is her complete opposite: Agatha, who has manky, black hair, is ugly and lives in the graveyard with her maniacal cat and her mother – who just happens to be the village witch doctor.

The two girls are good friends and hang out a lot, despite their differences. But for five years, mysterious happenings have occurred in the village. On a certain day every year, two kids go missing, stolen away by The SchoolMaster. The reason behind his name is in the villiage people's fairytale books, where they noticed something strange: all the kids ever stolen away were in the books – one the villain, the other the hero!

So they came to believe that when two kids disappeared, The SchoolMaster takes them away to a school, split into two castles – one for Good and one for Evil. Here they are dropped into their school of fate to learn either good or evil.

Sophie wants to be taken by The SchoolMaster to learn the ways of a princess, whereas Agatha just wants for her friend and her to be left totally alone. Believe it or not, the two girls are taken by The SchoolMaster but things do not go as planned.

There are no words to describe how much I truly loved reading this amazing book. There was a trick around every corner – and in some parts of the book there was, quite literally, a trick around every corner!

My favourite character is Agatha because I can relate to her, and because in my mind I picture Sophie as snooty and stuck up. I can definitely say that my favourite page was the last page of the whole book, for the ending was described amazingly well and I could picture it entirely in my mind. I highly recommend this book to children between the ages of 9-14, and anyone else who likes the sound of it. Book 2, A World without Princes, is out later this year.

Check out the trailer for the first book:

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I’m not usually a fan of love triangles in stories, but this one has been fascinating to watch and I admit that I was fully invested in the relationships on display here. Sophie and Agatha are best friends, with a friendship that has, on at least one occasion, transcended romance. They complete each other. But both girls are in love with the same boy, and now their friendship is teetering on the brink of heartbreak. Now that Sophie has seemingly chosen the School Master as her love, you might think they would have found a kind of balance. However, all those old feelings have not gone away peacefully, and both girls are struggling with feelings of self-worth that drive their characters as furiously as any romance. Tedros, for his part, finally grows up as a character and becomes someone we can kind of cheer for (at least a little). He has strong feelings for both girls, one as a True Love (or so he thinks), and the other as a Best Friend (or so he thinks). But a single act of selfless love is enough to upset the balance and force all the characters to confront their feelings. The stakes of these relationships are as high as the fantasy war that rages in the background.

Chainani’s prose is great. some of the passages ring with poetic power, others just carry the story along simply, without drawing attention to the writing itself. it’s an almost perfect blend. this book holds some of the best writing in the series., the new characters are absolute fun. we get to meet older versions of fairy tale heroes, like a pinocchio with the habit of blurting out the unfiltered truth, or a peter pan who has grown up and put his childhood behind him, and a cinderella that seems heartless, but is hiding a story that puts a new spin on her fairy tale. also, a certain famous wizard makes his appearance, taking the obi-wan kenobi role in the story to great effect. older characters return, such as a familiar coven of young witches who think they are eviler than they actually are, and some grown-ups whose mysteries are finally ready to be revealed. i would have liked to see a few of the more minor characters get a little more screen time, but the book is nearly twice as long as the others in the series, so i understand., there are enough surprises, magic, and high-stakes romance here to keep readers thoroughly entertained. you can see a strong moral of unselfish love weave its way throughout the tale. sophie and agatha finally become the characters they have been becoming for the entire series, and it’s immensely satisfying to behold. the last ever after is a beautiful conclusion to one of my favorite modern fantasy series, with an ending that is worth the price of the journey., [amazon text=amazon&template=carousel&asin=0062104950], the bottom line, leave a reply cancel reply, gdpr & ccpa:, privacy overview.

The School for Good and Evil Review – A New Kind of Fairy Tale

The school for good and evil book review.

Personally, I’ve got a soft spot for fairy tales. They’re one of my favorite things to read. So when fellow Silver Petticoat writer Amirah recommended a fairy tale to me, I got excited. The book was Soman Chainani’s  The School for Good and Evil , and it did not disappoint.

The novel takes the typical fairy tale formula and turns it on its head. The  story can get dark, especially in the School for Evil, and is not afraid to be violent at times. Despite that darkness, this book quickly became one of my favorites.

The story goes like this. Every year, two children are taken from the village of Gavaldon and brought to the School for Good and Evil. One becomes a fairy tale villain while the other becomes a hero or heroine. Young Sophie has been waiting her whole life to be kidnapped and is sure that she is destined to go to the School for Good. To make sure everyone knows she’s good, the blond-haired, bubbly, pink-wearing Sophie befriends the dark-haired, black-wearing, graveyard-wandering Agatha. Agatha is fiercely protective of her only friend, and when she realizes that Sophie is sure to be kidnapped, she goes to save her.

Of course, Sophie wants to be kidnapped by the School Master and, in a strange twist of fate, both girls are taken. However, Sophie is dropped into the School for Evil and Agatha is taken to the School for Good. This confuses the girls, the teachers, and the other students, who assumed that the pink-wearing Sophie is good and that the snarky and black-clad Agatha is evil.

RELATED |  The Princess and the Hound Book Review – A Fairy Tale Twist

The story is further complicated by Tedros, son of King Arthur. The Prince is searching for his Princess, and while Sophie seems like the perfect choice, he reluctantly finds himself drawn to Agatha. As it becomes increasingly clear that Sophie and Agatha are in the right schools, the addition of True Love further complicates the situation.

While Agatha struggles to fit into Good and to get herself and Sophie home, Sophie struggles against her own darker nature. As the novel moves forward, Sophie and Agatha face their own destinies and the expectations of those around them. Can a witch and a princess be best friends, or are they destined to be enemies forever?

If you love fairy tales that aren’t afraid to be a little darker and grittier, stories with strong female heroines and stories that are about both romantic love and the love between friends,  The School for Good and Evil  might be the book for you. Chainani is able to accurately portray the thoughts and conflicts facing a thirteen-year-old girl, and the story itself is excellent. He knows when to give more description and when to hold back. The story has magic and characters that readers can’t help but love. Even the characters in Evil. I’d recommend giving it, and the sequels, a read.

OVERALL RATING

“The stuff that dreams are made of.”

ROMANCE RATING

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My

feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me

to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

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Bailey grew up in North Idaho where she was encouraged from a young age to love reading, writing and learning; as a result, storytelling is a major part of her life. She believes that no story is ever the same to anyone and that everyone has a story to tell. With that in mind, she someday hopes to write a humorous and inspiring book (or ten, either way). Her books, "A Journey Through Disney," "The Mermaid," and "Dear NSA: One Man's Adventures in Phone-Tapping and Blogging," can be found on Amazon.

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2 thoughts on “The School for Good and Evil Review – A New Kind of Fairy Tale”

Read all three books and absolutely loved it!♡♡♡♡♡Every book has a trailer, and those were pretty awesome! The first gave you a disney fantasical feel, the second trailer ‘A World Without Princes’ gave you goosebumps while potraying some sort of paradise and hell theme, and the third one ‘The Last Ever After’ basically shows an epic climax about to unfold(and it really was!!) Both Sophie and Agatha are amazing in their own ways, and even the side characters are not dull, they’re lovable and can become favorites of many. Chainani has a youtube account called evernevertv where he and 2 other people talk about SGE. And according to him, a 4th book will come out next year. And this time, it will be a sequel to the third book, where unlike the 3 books before, this one will be more fluffy and romantic, a good closure to the story overall. Can’t wait to read it!!!

Right?! I agree; well said-they’re such great books and characters, and they’re all different (which makes them better, in some ways). I’m very excited to read the 4th book, and I’ll have to check out his youtube channel; that sounds like my new favorite thing! I also don’t know if I’ve seen the trailers; personally, I inhaled this series the first time I read it (so I had to go back and read it a few more times. Oh darn).

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The School for Good and Evil Review

Soman chainani’s book verse gets a glow-up movie adaptation..

The School for Good and Evil premieres globally Oct. 19 on Netflix.

In 2013, author Soman Chainani released the first book in his revisionist fairy tale fantasy series, The School for Good and Evil. Sharing elements of both J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series and the musical book by Winnie Holzman for Wicked , The School for Good and Evil explores the black-and-white notions of good and evil under the roof of a magical school that teaches the next generation of both. In director/writer Paul Feig’s very capable hands, the movie adaptation manages to succeed as a broad-scale mythology Bacchanalia and an intimate tale about the enduring power of deep friendship through unimaginable challenges. Glorious to look at and more surprising than expected in its storytelling, The School for Good and Evil is a romp that should have more chapters.

Chainani’s first book and the movie both serve as the origin story of two teen best friends from the fictional, rural village of Gavaldon. Fair-haired Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) is the Cinderella-esque dreamer who loves designing clothes and desperately wishes for something greater outside of her simple life. Agatha (Sofia Wylie) is her hot mess best friend who doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her and is relatively content just spending time with Sophie and lurking outside the attention of their nasty neighbors who hate them both. But that all changes when Sophie gets wind of The School for Good and Evil, a venerable and secret institute which trains the next generation of fairy tale heroes and villains, and sometimes recruits worthy outsiders to join their ranks. Desperate to be one of those worthy “readers,” Sophie makes a wish to be recruited and her wish is granted. Scooped up by a frightening skeletal bird known as a stymph, Agatha gets dragged along too when she tries to save Sophie from its clutches. Soon, the two are deposited in their assigned schools: Sophie in the “Nevers” side which caters to evil and Agatha in the “Evers” side which cultivates the most worthy students towards earning their heroic stories.

Upset at being separated and sorted into the “wrong” schools, Sophie and Agatha have to navigate the toxic personalities of the students around them, their unsympathetic respective school mistresses – Lady Lesso (Charlize Theron) of the Nevers and Prof. Clarissa Dovey (Kerry Washington) of the Evers – and the whims of their flighty Schoolmaster (Laurence Fishburne). From there, the friends connect on the downlow to figure out their predicament. Sophie wants in with the Evers, but Agatha just wants to go home. However, she’s willing to facilitate the path to Sophie’s dream, helping her win true love’s kiss from the campus shining star, and son of King Arthur, Prince Tedros (Jamie Flatters).

From there, Feig and his production team introduce us, and the girls, to the expansive grounds of the school where we meet plenty of bizarre creatures like very bitey posey flowers, pumpkin-faced scarecrows that become Reapers at night, tattoos that turn into fiery dragons, and creepy cherubs with functional arrows who act as school guards. There’s plenty to soak up in every scene so the visual effects are plentiful but on average, very well done. In early establishing scenes, there’s maybe too much visual pilfering from the overall look and silhouette of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter films but as the binary looks of the two houses assert themselves aesthetically, it lessens. There’s also no shortage of big sequences and scenarios thrown at us, from magic trials to two balls in each house so The School for Good and Evil never gets boring. Feig packs the two-hour and 27-minute runtime well so it flies by without feeling overstuffed with just bells and whistles.

What's the best Charlize Theron movie?

In fact, the strongest moments throughout the movie are the smaller ones between Agatha and Sophie, as well as Evers misfit Gregor (Ally Cubb) and the initially haughty but empathetic Tedros. As Agatha observes the not-very-nice behavior of her fellow Evers and their unrelenting vanity, she prods at Gregor, Prof. Dovey, and Tedros to challenge the shallow status quo. Through Aggie’s compassionate eyes the norms are challenged and as Sophie slips into temptation to do bad to achieve her dreams, she’s the unfailing conscience of the piece. Wylie is incredibly good at making that come through without being drippy or maudlin. There’s no doubt why characters (and we) seem smitten with her as she’s got sharp comedic timing when she’s poking at authority yet is entirely sincere when Aggie is battling for Sophie’s very soul. Caruso is also very good in the more arch role and really embraces chewing the evil scenery as she slips into the Nevers side.

They both get excellent support from veterans like Theron, who's basically doing a toned-down riff on her Ravenna from The Huntsman movies, and a super chipper Washington who knows how to balance cloying with sincere. Cate Blanchett is also given a purposeful narrator role that is vital to the story and plays into the fairy tale tweaks that work well overall.

The School for Good and Evil is a very satisfying playground for Feig to show off his considerable skills for light-on-its-feet storytelling, aesthetically posh and pleasing visuals, emotion-based storytelling, and arguably his most successful turn with visual effects. There’s great balance to the whole piece, but the real heart is firmly focused on the friendship between Sophie and Agatha which is what really pushes this through as a memorable and fun watch.

The School for Good and Evil goes full blockbuster scale in telling the stories of small-town besties – and potential witches – Agatha (Sofia Wylie) and Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso). It’s their friendship and care for one another that roots the sometimes over-the-top world into succeeding as a story that still feels intimate and true when all kinds of crazy is swirling around them. In particular, Wylie is the beating heart of the movie who sells both the unfiltered candor of Agatha’s disdain for the shallow motivations of the “Ever” students and her heart-on-her-sleeve support for her tempted friend, Sophie. Director Paul Feig also does an impressive job world-building a story that manages to differentiate itself aesthetically and tonally from other high-end, magic-centric movies and TV series.

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• Entertainment /

Netflix’s whimsical The School for Good and Evil is worth the price of admission

Netflix’s glittering adaptation of soman chainani’s ya deconstruction of fairy tales is yet another reminder that hollywood loves a magical school.

By Charles Pulliam-Moore , a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.

Share this story

So long as there are literate young people trudging their way to school every morning, there’s always going to be an appetite for stories asking “what if the educational system, but magical?” That’s exactly the question author Soman Chainani’s The School for Good and Evil and Netflix’s new adaptation of the novel pose . Like all of the books in Chainani’s fairy tale-inspired YA series, Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil both pulls deep from and pokes fun at the magical storybook canon with a tale about the many different forms love can take.

Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil from director Paul Feig tells the story of Agatha (Sofia Wylie) and Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso), two best friends who, despite being slightly different flavors of misfit, cling to each other fiercely as they live out their days in the small, sleepy town of Gavaldon. Most of Gavaldon’s townsfolk are content to endlessly toil away at their jobs, never thinking too much about how no one ever seems to wander beyond the thick woods surrounding the picturesque village they call home. But for Sophie and Agatha, avid readers who frequent the local book store run by Mrs. Deauville (Patti LuPone), there’s an undeniable appeal to the idea of one day journeying into and beyond the woods if only to see for themselves what’s out there.

Though Agatha and Sophie’s shared love of books is yet another thing that their peers look down on them for, it’s also what puts them on the path toward adventure when one of them makes a heartfelt wish not knowing that the School for Good and Evil is always listening.

Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil doesn’t deviate all that largely from the source material, but co-writers Feig and David Magee’s script does feature a handful updates that make the story pop a little bit differently. Most everyone in the Gavaldon of Chainani’s book is generally aware of the existence of magic and how two children from the town seem to disappear under mysterious circumstances every four years. But Agatha and Sophie have no idea what they’re getting into in Netflix’s film when they end up in the Endless Woods one evening and are accosted by an otherworldly monster that carries them off into the night sky.

Many of The School for Good and Evil ’s core ideas and plot points will ring more than familiar to anyone who’s picked up a novel about kids enrolling in a magic school, which is likely why Netflix’s movie takes care to gloss over a number of the book’s narrative beats that might make it feel too similar to other YA fantasy franchises . Rather than hammering home what all the School for Good and Evil is from the jump, the film instead tries to impress it upon you with one of its many surprisingly majestic, VFX-heavy sequences that gives you a bird’s-eye view of the institution on the first day of student orientation.

It’s as Agatha, Sophie, and all their new classmates are falling out of the sky into either the School for Good or the School for Evil that The School for Good and Evil starts to feel like it’s genuinely having fun before its story takes an inevitable dark turn. But it’s when the film’s curiously stacked cast of pitch hitters all start to show up in a series of resplendent gowns and suits that you can really see how intent Netflix is on The School for Good and Evil appealing to a broad audience.

Wylie and Caruso are both compelling and magnetic presences on screen as they become fast friends (and enemies) with the children of legendary fairytale heroes and villains. But it’s the slightly unhinged camp of Kerry Washington’s Professor Dovey, Charlize Theron’s Lady Lesso, and Michelle Yeoh’s Professor Anemone that end up stealing the show and selling The School for Good and Evil as a kind of meta-fairy tale about how stifling fairytales tend to be.

While the movie does still largely focus on Sophie’s dismay at being assigned to the School for Evil and Agatha’s trouble fitting in with her uber-feminine roommates in the School for Good, it also takes the time to dig into how much of their education’s being influenced by their teachers’ rivalries. Again, the concept of a magical school’s magical teachers having magical beef with one another isn’t exactly new, and the big mystery involving the School for Good and Evil’s headmaster (Laurence Fishburne) is far too easy to piece together. But there is something very special about the way The School for Good and Evil uses Dovey and Agatha — two of its most prominent Black characters — to expand upon some of the more interesting ideas from Chainani’s book about how we define “goodness” and what kind of people we associate it with.

The School for Good and Evil ’s twists probably won’t throw you for all that much of a loop, and its selection of dramatic covers tend to take away more than they add to its legitimately solid action sequences. But even though the movie was clearly made with fans of the books in mind, and it runs just a little too long to be a casual watch, it’s exactly the kind of well-produced, feature-length original project you want to see from Netflix that definitely leaves open the possibility for more installments down the line.

The School for Good and Evil also stars Kit Young, Peter Serafinowicz, Cate Blanchett, Rob Delaney, and Rachel Bloom. The film hits Netflix on October 19th.

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Rise of the School for Good and Evil Soman Chainani HarperCollins Published June 7, 2022

Amazon  |  bookshop  |  goodreads, about rise of the school for good and evil.

The battle between Good and Evil begins.

Two brothers.

Together they watch over the Endless Woods.

Together they choose the students for the School for Good and Evil.

And together they train them, teach them, prepare them for their fate.

Then, something happens.

Something unexpected.

Something powerful.

And something that will change everything and everyone.

Who will survive?

Who will rule the School?

The journey starts here. Every step is filled with magic, surprises, and daring deeds that test courage, loyalty, and who you really are. But they only lead you to the very beginning of the adventures that are THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL.

It’s been a long time since I read the first book in the School for Good and Evil series. (My review of the first book in the series, THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL , was back in 2015.) I remember really liking the premise and the characters in the story. I also like that Chainani explores what makes someone “good” versus “evil.”

RISE OF THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL is the second book in the series that I’ve read. It’s basically something of an origin story. It’s not exactly a true origin story, since the school is already established at the beginning of the book, and the two brothers have been running it for decades as immortal teenagers. But it’s an origin story that tells how the school shifted from its original purpose to become what it is when Sophie and Agatha arrive in book one. So more of a prequel, I guess?

In any case, I really enjoyed the tale. At the beginning I wasn’t sure if I would like it. It begins with the two brothers, and it took me a few chapters to feel like I found my orientation within the story and understood what it was going to be about. Once I was a few chapters in, though, I found it easy to get carried away by the book.

Some of my favorite things about the story are spoilers, so I won’t specify them here, but let me just say that the ending was so much better than I could have imagined. I loved the way it brought the story full circle but also made me look back at all the things that happened with fresh eyes.

I could see fans of the Percy Jackson series or other magical boarding school books being a fan of this series really easily. Also, if you read and liked any of the other books in the series, definitely pick this one up. I think it delivers a great story with some really fun characters.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages  10 to 14.

Representation I’m not sure of the representation, but one major character is Aladdin. There are hints that one of the brothers is attracted to other boys.

Profanity/Crude Language Content None.

Romance/Sexual Content Kissing between boy and girl. Attraction between two boys.

Spiritual Content Some characters have magic. Certain types of magic are forbidden to certain magic users. For example, Seers can’t reveal predictions about the future without paying a price: aging ten years. Members of the School of Good can’t use blood magic.

Violent Content Situations of peril. Fighting between students. References to torture.

Drug Content None.

Note:  This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of RISE OF THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL in exchange for my honest review.

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The School for Good and Evil

2022, Drama/Action, 2h 29m

What to know

Critics Consensus

The cast is game and the visuals are dazzling, but a deeply derivative narrative means The School for Good and Evil flunks on the storytelling front. Read critic reviews

Audience Says

The School for Good and Evil stumbles after a solid start -- and fans of the books may be annoyed by some changes -- but the star-studded cast will keep you watching. Read audience reviews

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In the village of Gavaldon, two misfits and best friends, Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie), share the unlikeliest of bonds. Sophie, a lover of fairy tales, dreams of escaping her ordinary village life, while Agatha, with her grim aesthetic, has the makings of a real witch. Then one night under a blood red moon, a powerful force sweeps them away to the School for Good and Evil -- where the true story of every great fairy tale begins. Yet something is amiss from the start: Sophie is dropped into the School for Evil, run by the glamourous and acid-tongued Lady Lesso (Charlize Theron), and Agatha in the School for Good, overseen by the sunny and kind Professor Dovey (Kerry Washington). As if navigating classes with the offspring of Cinderella, Captain Hook, and the dashing son of King Arthur (Jamie Flatters) wasn't hard enough, according to the Schoolmaster (Laurence Fishburne), only true love's kiss can change the rules and send the girls to their rightful school. But when a dark and dangerous figure (Kit Young) with mysterious ties to Sophie reemerges and threatens to destroy the school and the rulebook entirely -- the only way to a happy ending is to survive the fairytale first.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Action, Fantasy

Original Language: English

Director: Paul Feig

Producer: Paul Feig , Laura Fischer , Jeff Kirschenbaum , Joe Roth , Jane Startz

Writer: David Magee , Soman Chainani

Release Date (Streaming): Oct 19, 2022

Runtime: 2h 29m

Production Co: Universal Pictures, Roth Films, Feigco Entertainment, Netflix, Jane Startz Productions, Roth/Kirschenbaum Films

Cast & Crew

Sophia Anne Caruso

Sofia Wylie

Charlize Theron

Michelle Yeoh

Professor Anemone

Laurence Fishburne

School Master

Ben Kingsley

Kerry Washington

Professor Dovey

Cate Blanchett

Narrator Voice

Jamie Flatters

Patti LuPone

Rachel Bloom

Peter Serafinowicz

Rob Delaney

Holly Sturton

David Magee

Screenwriter

Soman Chainani

Laura Fischer

Jeff Kirschenbaum

Jane Startz

Chris Castaldi

Executive Producer

Stephen Jones

John Schwartzman

Cinematographer

Mischa Chaleyer-Kynaston

Film Editing

Andy Nicholson

Production Design

Tim Browning

Art Director

Pancho Chamorro

Set Decoration

Niamh Coulter

Renee Ehrlich Kalfus

Costume Design

Critic Reviews for The School for Good and Evil

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• ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

FALL OF THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

From the rise of the school for good and evil series , vol. 2.

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by RaidesArt ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2023

Fans will be pleased to see answers, background, and a clear path to Volume 1.

In this sequel to a prequel, a third candidate for School Master brings simmering tensions between twins Rhian and Rafal to a boil.

In events following close on those in Rise of the School for Good and Evil (2022), the arrival of James Hook in Neverland, along with fellow ex-students Aladdin and Princess Kyma, spurs ruthless tyrant Peter Pan to mount his own bid to take over the twin-towered school where fairy-tale characters are trained. Meanwhile Rafal and Rhian, amid their growing rivalry, are both searching for an ally they can trust, and they kidnap a Reader—young Midas—from the outside world. What follows is a seminar on telling Good from Evil as the line between the two becomes even more muddled, numerous members of the sprawling cast exhibit qualities of both, and Rafal, in particular, suffers an extended identity crisis. Chainani explores feminist themes as a group of punk Neverland fairies and a man-hunting troll join Kyma, asserting their independence and questioning what might happen “if boys don’t have the last word in our stories.” He also presents a credible rationale for Good’s invariable victory over Evil in fairy tales. Characters’ skin tones vary from pale to bronze, and the two trolls are colorful showstoppers. Final art not seen.

Pub Date: May 2, 2023

ISBN: 9780063269538

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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More by Soman Chainani

BOOK REVIEW

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by RaidesArt

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Julia Iredale

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

From the school for good and evil series , vol. 1.

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2013

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.

Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.

Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and  her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).

Pub Date: May 14, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2

Page Count: 496

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013

More In The Series

More About This Book

BOOK TO SCREEN

THE LAST EVER AFTER

From the school for good and evil series , vol. 3.

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 21, 2015

Ultimately more than a little full of itself, but well-stocked with big themes, inventively spun fairy-tale tropes, and...

Good has won every fairy-tale contest with Evil for centuries, but a dark sorcerer’s scheme to turn the tables comes to fruition in this ponderous closer.

Broadening conflict swirls around frenemies Agatha and Sophie as the latter joins rejuvenated School Master Rafal, who has dispatched an army of villains from Capt. Hook to various evil stepmothers to take stabs (literally) at changing the ends of their stories. Meanwhile, amid a general slaughter of dwarves and billy goats, Agatha and her rigid but educable true love, Tedros, flee for protection to the League of Thirteen. This turns out to be a company of geriatric versions of characters, from Hansel and Gretel (in wheelchairs) to fat and shrewish Cinderella, led by an enigmatic Merlin. As the tale moves slowly toward climactic battles and choices, Chainani further lightens the load by stuffing it with memes ranging from a magic ring that must be destroyed and a “maleficent” gown for Sophie to this oddly familiar line: “Of all the tales in all the kingdoms in all the Woods, you had to walk into mine.” Rafal’s plan turns out to be an attempt to prove that love can be twisted into an instrument of Evil. Though the proposition eventually founders on the twin rocks of true friendship and family ties, talk of “balance” in the aftermath at least promises to give Evil a fighting chance in future fairy tales. Bruno’s polished vignettes at each chapter’s head and elsewhere add sophisticated visual notes.

Pub Date: July 21, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-06-210495-3

Page Count: 672

Review Posted Online: June 25, 2015

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the school for good and evil.

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“Harry Potter” meets “Descendants” with a dash of “Romeo and Juliet” in “The School for Good and Evil.” And yes, it is as overstuffed as that sounds.

This massive, magical adventure is also way too long at 2 ½ hours, but rarely in that running time do we see any glimmers of the kind of singular filmmaking wizardry that usually makes Paul Feig ’s movies so engaging. He’s once again telling a story of female friendship, with all its highs and lows and particular complications, as he has with “ Bridesmaids ,” “ The Heat ,” and “ A Simple Favor .” And, of course, the clothes are dazzling; the famously sartorial director would never skimp in that department.

But all of these potentially effective elements—as well as a stellar cast that includes Charlize Theron , Kerry Washington , and Michelle Yeoh —get swallowed up by the overwhelming reliance on CGI-infused action sequences. They’re both empty and endless, and too often leave you wondering what’s going on and why we should bother.

Based on the best-selling children’s book series by Soman Chainani , “The School for Good and Evil” focuses on two extremely different teenage best friends looking out for each other in a harsh, fairy-tale land. The petite Sophie ( Sophia Anne Caruso ) is a blonde Cinderella figure with dreams of becoming a princess; she escapes the doldrums of daily life with a mean stepmother by talking to woodland creatures and designing flouncy gowns. The much taller, wild-haired Agatha ( Sofia Wylie ) lives with her mom in a cottage in the forest, where they concoct potions together; she has a hairless cat named Reaper and dresses in all black, so she must be a witch. These simple, early moments when the girls enjoy their warm, humorous bond—with the help of richly honeyed narration from Cate Blanchett —are the film’s strongest. The dialogue in the script from co-writers David Magee and Feig is snarky in a way that’s both anachronistic and au courant, but Caruso and Wylie make their friendship feel true.

But one day, a giant bird picks them up and swoops them away to The School for Good and Evil: side-by-side castles connected by a bridge where the next generation of magical young people learns to hone their skills. As we see in the film’s prelude, a pair of brothers established this balance long ago; neither side can win completely, and this enchanted institution ensures that. Naturally, Sophie assumes she’ll end up on the sunny side of the divide, while Agatha will go to the structure shrouded in fog. But when the bird drops Sophie on the evil side and Agatha on the good side, they figure it must have been a mistake and struggle to switch places. In no time, though, their true natures reveal themselves—the ones they’d buried beneath the hair and clothes they’d chosen and the labels society had pinned on them.

This is a potentially interesting idea, and a great opportunity for kids to learn about the insidious power of prejudice. And the production design on both sides is enjoyably over-the-top in its contrasting extremes: the School for Good essentially looks like a wedding cake you could live inside, while the School for Evil is like a goth version of Hogwarts. Costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus —who also designed the clothes in Feig’s sharp and sexy “A Simple Favor”—makes the dresses these young women wear not just distinct in vivid and inspired ways, but they evolve accordingly as Agatha and Sophie tap into their authentic selves.

Again, lots of intriguing pieces here, and we haven’t even mentioned Washington as the perpetually perky head of the good school, with Theron vamping as the evil school’s leader. There’s just so much going on in this movie in terms of plot and visual effects that supporting players like Yeoh and Laurence Fishburne get frustratingly little to do. The film also squanders the talents of Rob Delaney and Patti LuPone early on in blink-and-you’ll-miss-them roles. The script consistently gets bogged down in world-building exposition and flashbacks—the mythology of how this place works is dense and not terribly compelling—and there are so many students on both sides of the bridge that there’s little opportunity for characterization. Chainani wrote a series of these books, where he had much more time and space to expand. Here, fellow students are whittled down to a single trait, and—as in the Disney “Descendants” movies—most are the offspring of famous cultural figures, like Prince Charming, King Arthur, and the Sheriff of Nottingham. A forbidden romance between Sophie and the hunky Tedros ( Jamie Flatters ) is just one more subplot in a film full of them. And a dizzying array of twists awaits as the movie hurtles toward its conclusion.

Somewhere beneath all the noise and mayhem—the hurled fireballs, swirls of blood and duels with glowing swords choreographed to Billie Eilish and Britney Spears tunes—“The School for Good and Evil” aims to upend familiar tropes and unearth some useful truths. The popular clique at the good school is packed with mean girls; the weirdoes and misfits at the bad school are actually loyal and kind. Being ambitious isn’t necessarily a negative thing, while going along to get along might not be the right path, either. But with a series of endings that drags out the film’s already significant length, it takes a while for anyone to achieve any sort of happily ever after.

On Netflix today.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film Credits

The School for Good and Evil (2022)

Rated PG-13 for violence and action, and some frightening images.

146 minutes

Sophia Anne Caruso as Sophie

Sofia Wylie as Agatha

Laurence Fishburne as The Schoolmaster

Michelle Yeoh as Professor Anemone

Jamie Flatters as Tedros

Kit Young as Rafal

Rachel Bloom as Honora

Peter Serafinowicz as Yuba

Kerry Washington as Professor Dovey

Charlize Theron as Lady Lesso

Earl Cave as Hort

Patti Lupone as Mrs. Deauville

Cate Blanchett as Narrator (voice)

Ali Khan as Chaddick

Writer (based on the book by)

• Soman Chainani
• David Magee

Cinematographer

• John Schwartzman
• Mischa Chaleyer-Kynaston
• Theodore Shapiro

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