Every four years, two children, one pure, one wicked, are kidnapped from the small, simple village of Gavaldon. Their kidnapper, the elusive and mysterious Schoolmaster brings the pair beyond the Endless Woods to the Schools for Good and Evil. There, they train to become the great heroes and villains of fairy tales. This year, the entire village is in agreement regarding the two children who are to be kidnapped. With her graveyard home, terrifying cat and vehement dislike of almost everything, Agatha is practically a shoe in for the School for Evil. Sophie is the epitome of Good with her lustrous golden locks, daily acts of kindness and dreams of becoming a fairy tale princess. Despite their opposing souls, these girls are best friends. But a princess and a witch can’t be friends, can they? When they enter the Woods and find their fortunes reversed, their friendship will truly be put to the test as the girls struggle to survive. One thing seems certain: the only way to escape a fairytale is to live through it.

I absolutely loved this novel! Mr. Chainani did an excellent job crafting a detailed and engaging plot. All characters had intriguing backstories, while primary characters were well developed. I especially liked how the narration varied throughout the plot, allowing the reader to experience events from different characters perspectives.

 Another aspect of this novel that I appreciated was Mr. Chainani’s use of descriptive vocabulary in writing scenes. This made it very easy to envision what the characters were feeling and observing. This book was very easy to get into and keep reading. 

No previous knowledge of the included content is required before reading it, although it would be helpful if one was aware of common fairy tales (Cinderella, Snow White etc). Although the suggested age group for this book is children ages 8-12, I believe it is suitable for teens as well. Many of the themes, as well as the descriptive scenes, are appreciated more with age.

 Overall, I am of the opinion that this novel was very well written. It was refreshing to read about timeless tales that had been incorporated with a twist into a new story. I would highly recommend this book to individuals who love fantasy or those who enjoyed series such as the Land of Stories.

If you enjoyed this read, I would recommend checking out the other books in this series. The School for Good and Evil is a six part series, the second book titled A World Without Princes. Other similar novels/series include the Unwanteds, Keeper of the Lost Cities and the Queen’s Assassin.