🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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…?
I don't even remember what it was that drew my attention to this series but I am glad that I read it. Initially, I wasn't sure how I would feel about it because it is a middle grade book but I think that it can be enjoyed by an older audience as well. The School for Good and Evil was a darker book than I had originally expected. It reminded me of a darker version of Shrek in that it takes fairy tales and flips them to the point where all is not as it seems. The side of evil may not be as evil as it seems and good may be more stuck up and shallow than anticipated.
I loved the themes in this book! I was impressed with the author focusing on friendship, beauty beyond the surface, and being able to be brave and set your own path in life. I loved that neither side was what it seemed in this book and that everyone can be good or evil. It just depends on what you do about it. Will you let others tell you where you fit or will you forge your own path that may not be perfect but is yours and yours alone?
I also found the story itself to be enjoyable and entertaining. I thought that the characters were well done especially Agatha. She was by far my favorite for the simple reason of being about to relate to her easily. I enjoyed her cynical, courageous nature. She was selfless and kind. I didn't like Sophie as much because she just seemed like a shallow piece of work. I grew to like her in the end but I found her annoying throughout the majority of the book. I'm excited to read the next book to see where the author takes the series next. There is a clear ending to this book so I can only guess how Agatha and Sophie's story will take readers next.
