I won't be fooled anymore. I will no longer demand anything less than real, authentic, explicit queer rep.
Because queer kids and teens deserve better.
The first book in 'The School for Good and Evil' series isn't as well written as I remember it, but because of my unfortunate knowledge of the dreadful, awful sequels, I could no longer enjoy it as a standalone. I could spot the queerbaiting too easily. The first chapter even uses the word "queer", for fuck's sake. It's an empty promise that goes nowhere.
'The School for Good and Evil' was never about girl love or even friendship - it's an illusion, a lie, a tease. It's a safe storybook that only pays lip service to modern progressive storytelling and characters for young audiences. It's as conventional a Disney fairy tale as you would expect. It's as cowardly as Disney is in its queer rep as well, and in 2020 I can no longer tolerate queerbaiting, and promising to give long-marginalised groups of people, who desperately wish to see themselves as heroes in the media, a voice and a presence; only to turn around and betray them at the last minute and give them absolutely nothing in return for their support.
In reading the first three books in 'The School for Good and Evil' series, what I come away with is the message that girls are in fact trapped in old, traditionalist, propaganda fairy tales, and they will end up either alone or married to an arsehole prince who does not respect them. This is insulting, insidious, and heartbreaking. Young girls, kids - everyone - deserves better than this codswallop.
And I loooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaathe Tedros. I hate that violent, entitled, smug, whiny, misogynistic, condescending little wanker so fucking much. Even seeing his name on a page is enough to make me wince and immediately fill up with dread. Among his many, many faults, he tries to kill both Agatha and Sophie multiple times throughout this series - throughout the first book! - and his allegiance to either is as fickle and fragile as wet toilet paper. Let's face it: Tedros loves no one but himself. He is on no one's side but his own. Why does anyone like him? Why does Agatha like him, let alone love him? Girl love and support is sacrificed for him?! Why does the author expect the readers to sympathise with this murderous shit? Tedros never changes! He never grows up! Fuck this.
Also, Dot the Never student only exists for the author to make lazy fat jokes at her expense. Anyone who is fat isn't treated with respect. On page 166, it is mentioned that Sophie does not trust fairy godmothers, because she does not trust fat women. (Huh? Why? I dunno, and are all fairy godmothers "fat"? Is that a universal thing?) This is never called out on. Subversive, my arse. That was when I knew I was done with this book, and with this terrible series.
More information about this hurt and betrayal of a series can be found on another review of mine here.
I am forever done with 'The School for Good and Evil'. It could have been so much better than what it ended up being. Such wasted potential. If only all of the characters were allowed to be queer (no coding, no plot and character developments that are shoved aside and ignored indefinitely, no baiting - but overt rep, please, no cop-outs). THAT would have broken the fairy tale and freed everyone trapped within it.
But there is no freedom or reflection of reality and real people to be found here. Only more Disneyfication BS.
I can come up with no witty or creative way to leave the review here. I can't be bothered to. I just never want to think about 'The School for Good and Evil' ever again. It is officially dead to me.
Final Score: 2/5
A School for Good and Evil
Two towers like twin heads
One for the Pure
One for the Wicked
Try to escape you'll always fail
The only way out is
Through a Fairy Tale'
I had forgotten how much I love it when something far exceeds my expectations. It's been so long since that's happened; that, even as an adult, a story (one for children no less) can still surprise and engage me so. I had forgotten how wonderful it feels to get teary-eyed at an ending of a book.
'The School for Good and Evil' has left me with strong feelings I haven't experienced since reading 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' - well, okay it's not that great, but it's on that level of epic heart, boldness and magic.
I'd say it compliments its awesome book trailer.
I had thought of so many fancy reviewing styles I could write with to convey just how much this novel affected me. But then I thought: It deserves an honest and straightforward review, so I'll keep it simple.
'The Evil attack. The Good defend...'
'The School for Good and Evil' is a fairy tale to twist all fairy tales. It's about two girls from the secluded village of Gavaldon, Sophie and Agatha: polar opposites who may or may not be genuine friends. Under contrived circumstances they get whisked away by the mysterious School Master to the School for Good and Evil - as for the past two-hundred years two children from Gavaldon have gone missing every few years or so. Those children - known as 'Readers' - have to attend their school lessons in separate castles - one for beautiful 'Evers' and one for nasty 'Nevers' - in order to achieve and star in their own fairy tale; thus restoring balance between good and evil.
Or so it is said.
And to fail or get low points can mean a fate worse than death.
Beautiful Sophie ends up in Evil and witchy Agatha ends up in Good. According to the laws of the School Master and a fairy tale-writing pen called a Storian, their destinies are opposed to each others'; and a princess and a witch can never be friends. But can their fates be changed and entwined? Which of them is the princess and which is the witch anyhow...?
'The Evil punish. The Good forgive...'
I will now talk about the characters, as they carry out the story's intended purpose:
Sophie - she is a cartoon parody of a prima donna who thinks she is good and pure, but treats those she considers lower than herself with no respect. She loves pink, beauty products, beauty sleep and cucumbers. And to top off the princess cliches, she has a dead mother (seriously, why don't all fantasy heroines get a pass for being "good" just by having a dead mother? It frees them of a positive and experienced female role model at any rate). She even befriends the graveyard hermit Agatha so that the feared School Master will think her so good he will kidnap her and put her in the Good school, where she'll graduate and be a princess in her own fairy tale. She is, in truth, shallow and selfish and has no dignity. But she is hilarious, since things never go as she plans - with twisted results. She becomes so obsessed with being Good in an Evil environment - just to win the heart of a boy she wants to be rescued by - that a dark side to her tale builds up and takes a hold of her soul. She becomes less of a traditional princess in a fairy tale and more of a tragic figure; due to the reality that comes with her childish wish.
'The Evil hurt. The Good help...'
Agatha - my favourite character. Have you ever felt yourself to be ugly because other people treat you so, or say so? To be "ugly" is widely considered to be the worst thing ever because, from our youth, we absorb all these fairy tales that basically tell us that only physically beautiful people get their happily ever after. Ugly and therefore evil people get punished or ignored. That is Agatha's symbol in this story in a nutshell. She thinks she is ugly and people treat her as such, so she thinks she is worth nothing. Only her friendship with Sophie gives her a purpose in life, and makes her come out of her lonely shell in her graveyard home with her mother (who is alive; an ingenious subversion once Aggie's role is fully realised) and her cat. She doesn't believe in fairy tales and the School Master at first, which is interesting. But during the course of the story she discovers that perhaps her attitude and lack of self-confidence are the reasons people see her as being "ugly" and a witch. She is in truth brave, intelligent, loyal and loving, and will do anything for the only friend she's ever had. She could be a hero in her own fairy tale, despite being a "witch". And a girl.
'The Evil take. The Good give...'
Tedros - the prince of 'The School for Good and Evil' and the son of King Arthur. Tedros is a deconstruction of what you'd expect of a fairy tale prince. He may appear handsome, loyal and brave, but in actuality he is the sort of alpha male depicted in TV sitcoms whom in real life women would dump after knowing him for a few days or less. He is chauvinistic, talks down to his "princesses", never learns from his mistakes, and he lets his daddy issues affect his trust issues and his views on women. He has his sympathetic side however; he is torn in his role as a traditional and superficial storybook prince and as someone who cannot repeat the failings of his father - someone who can be a real hero. What does it mean to be a hero exactly? While he does do genuine heroic deeds, he is still condescending, stubborn and stupid. So yeah, Tedros is pretty handsomely terrible, thus so is the novel's romance. But as it turns out the romance is meant to be imperfect, and it's not the focus of this fairy tale.
The focus is the friendship between Sophie and Agatha. The Trials and Circuses and Deeds they take a part in for their schools all come down to their ever-changing bond. They change themselves, and each other: for better or worse. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that this novel has one of the very few love triangles I have seen which ends both unexpectedly and perfectly.
'The Evil hate. The Good love...'
There are loads of other characters who play their roles to the right effect, but the main three are the most vital for the author's intent.
'The School for Good and Evil' deconstructs our childhood fairy tales. Soman Chainani asks questions and brings up arguments I'd never thought of before - and probably never would have if I'd never read his book. He asks just why Good has to be pretty and why Evil has to be ugly: why does there never seem to be an in-between/gray area in fairy tales? Why do princesses who do nothing but let princes risk their lives protecting them get to live happily ever after?
Being "good" and "evil" depends on our actions. But that can easily be corrupted into a simpler and more superficial idea - meaning "good" = light and beautiful, and "evil" = dark and hideous-looking. This division is harmful, damaging and damning, especially to susceptible young people - and the author acknowledges this and builds it up for a most thrilling and heart-wrenching of ever afters (the climax).
Really, I could go on forever after about how the book subverts and twists this and that fairy tale convention, but I've gone on long enough already.
'The School for Good and Evil' is fantastic. Aside from its intelligent reflections on our favourite childhood fantasy stories, it reminded me strongly of old Disney films which were also no doubt an influence (it also made me think of the newer productions, 'Enchanted' and 'Brave', which are two of my favourite films). It is very creative and cartoony, but surprisingly dark and intense for a children's book. There are elements of 'Wicked' (the musical), 'Swan Lake' (with the school crests and everything), 'Harry Potter' (obviously) and 'The Hunger Games' - with two children being picked out for dangerous and even deadly tasks in between their "lessons".
Criticisms could be made that occasional parts are rushed or too slow, and that some characters are not as well developed as others, and their actions are confusing or contrived. Some people may call it a predictable kid's book, regardless of the creative content and the emotional weight given to the characters.
But I don't care. 'The School for Good and Evil' does its job, and far exceeds expectations in how far it goes in doing that job well. There were parts that made me go "Wait, what the -?" but then made me draw breath and go "Ohhh so that's why this person did that...". That's a mark of a great read right there.
Wonderful, wonderful book about fairy tales and friendship, and how people truly are imperfect, even in childlike stories. Love takes on many forms, and romance comes and goes, but friends and enemies can last a lifetime.
It is up to us - not a destiny pen writing in blood - to find in our hearts what is the right thing to do; whether or not we are lost in the Woods.
It is up to us to search for our happily ever after.
Final Score: 5/5
P.S: So... how old are Sophie and Agatha and the other students meant to be again?
P.P.S: I can easily see 'The School for Good and Evil' being a Tim Burton movie (before the 2000's, that is), and an animated one in any form. I'd love to see a film adaptation, as long as they don't botch the ending, which I have a feeling might be changed drastically...
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