Series Complete: The School For Good & Evil

The School for Good & Evil by Soman Chainani

Overall Rating : 4.75 Stars

     Finally getting this series review up! This has got to be my favorite Middle Grade series. I came away from this with a lot and I really miss my time in this world. As always here is a bullet list of my favorite and maybe not so favorite bits!

• I think this series gets progressively better. The first book is solid, though maybe a slight bit predictable. You can see where and how Agatha and Sophie are going to end up. To a point, but past that point the book surprises you.
• For a book that seems to have it’s traditional princess and prince setup, it goes out of it’s way to give those people new and fresh details. Funny ones at that too.
• The school part of this story was also really strong. If you like boarding school stories, you’d love this.
• My one complaint is more of an observation: The first half of the second book is dangerous territory. It’s basically a war against the sexes and if you don’t stick it out you won’t see the why of what’s happening.
• The story focuses on friendship. It’s key. Especially how friendship can muck up love and how love can muck up friendship. How you have to push through that and hold tight to what you can. You can’t have love without friendship, and true friendship is a form of love.
• Be prepared to cry at the end of the third book. I’m just saying.
• Also, maybe consider a trigger warning in the third as well for an amazingly well done emotionally abusive and manipulative relationship. Holy shit, I got upset and angry and as the reader felt almost dirty watching that happen. Again. Just push through.
• Sophie has to be the one character I’ve bounced up and down on with love and hate. In the end I adore her, but I sure didn’t start there. In fact she can be downright annoying at times, possibly another flaw there. If you can’t take stupidity in stride at times you might be in for a rough ride.

I could kind of spout on and on about this. I love this series and cannot wait to see what Soman Chainani does next! Also, with a much needed mention – I am so going to devour anything I see with Iacopo Bruno’s illustrations in it. These books were gorgeously illustrated!