The School for Good and Evil Book Review

The School for Good and Evil 

Soman Chainani (Author), Iacopo Bruno (Illustrator)

 Rating (out of 5): 3.5

Genre: Fantasy 

Release Date: May 14, 2013

Series:  The School for Good and Evil

Series Volume: 1

Profanity: None

Violence: Mild

Sexual Content: None 

Age Recommendation: 8+

Author Website:

http://somanchainani.net/
http://iacopobruno.blogspot.com/

Summary:

At the School for Good and Evil, failing your fairy tale is not an option.

Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she'll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.

The two girls soon 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 among 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 . . . ?

The School for Good and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.

Review:

The School for Good and Evil looked to be a very promising read, and turned out to, just not in the way I had expected it to. I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when I began reading the book, maybe a short term at the school then the two girls being sent off into their own fairy tales or something but whatever it was the book threw me for a loop within the first chapter. This story was far darker than I had imagined it being, told more in the style of a Grimm fairytale than most that we see today. By the time I had finished the book I had enjoyed it but I also had some issues with it.

First of all while the story gets on to a very interesting start it is slow. Overall it's a pretty slow book. Yes there are times where things heat up and the action/story really get going but for the most part it moves along at a pace all it's own. While I liked the detail the author went into about the school the huge cast of characters began to confuse me and many of them blurred in my mind. I often found myself wondering 'Who was that again?' and 'When did they show up?' Another thing that really bothered me about the book was the way Sophie treated Agatha. They were suppose to be best friends but one minute she's all nice and the next she's mean and cruel. I can almost understand why it was done, but the story would have been better if their friendship had been done in a more natural way. Yes friends fight and they can be mean to one another but that is something that strengthens them. These fights were never really resolved, they just magically disappeared or in some cases got worse. It frustrated me.

And the ending, what can I say about the ending? It didn't feel like one for starters. The whole ending scene felt very rushed and while it tied together plot threads it did it in a way that was both weird and almost uncharacteristic for the book. At the same time other plot threads were tied together neatly and very characteristic. And the books last chapter felt like the author just stopped writing and said 'See you next book!' giving us a conclusion without actually giving us a conclusion. It left me feeling very frustrated and eager for the next one to come out to find out what really happened. 

Now that I've gotten all the bad out of the way let me tell you what I did like about the book. The magic! The classes! The different schools! The fairytale history! I loved how it took the fairytale lore we know and love and put a different spin on it. I enjoyed both Agatha's and Sophie's character growth through the book, and while at times it seemed like one or the other was regressing in growth I appreciated the fact that the girls changed. Too often do I read a book where the main character grows a little but is stale for most of the book, this book did not do that. Even the more prominent minor characters began to grip me with their growth and personality. These are the one's that the author seemed to put a lot of time and effort into and stood out to me more than some of the others that tended to get jumbled in my head. By the end of the book I had really grown to care for each of the main characters and their closer friends. 

The story itself was great, as slow as it seemed in many parts it did keep moving. The story was very original, I loved seeing the way the two schools interacted with one another and how each class progressed. The different tests and games were amusing and I found myself very interested in the school's history. Just enough clues about whats really going on are provided for both the characters and the reader to begin to unravel what may have actually happened hundreds of years before, though you are still left going 'Say what?' when everything is finally reveled.

Overall I have to say this book is a good read if you need something or are a fan of fairy tales, just keep going through the slower parts and it will pick up again and again often enough to keep you interested and pining to find out what does happen. I do however recommend reading it only after you've got your hands on books 1 and 2 at least. (Though it's suppose to be a trilogy so if your one who hates reading then waiting just wait for all three to be released.)

~Dawn

The Heist Book Review

The Heist

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg 

Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Genre: Mystery Fiction 

Release Date: June 18, 2013

Series:Fox and O'Hare

Series Volume: 1

Profanity: Mild

Violence: Mild

Sexual Content: No sex

Age Recommendation: Adult

Author Website:

http://www.evanovich.com/
http://www.leegoldberg.com/

Summary (From Amazon):
Nicolas Fox is an international con man, famous for running elaborate scams on very rich and powerful people. He knows that the FBI has been hot on his trail for years—particularly FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare. But just when it seems that Fox has been captured for good, he pulls off his greatest con of all: He convinces the FBI to offer him a job, working side by side with O’Hare.

Their first assignment takes them to the side streets of Berlin, the California desert, and remote Indonesian islands as they team up to catch Derek Griffin, a corrupt investment banker charged with stealing millions from his clients. Finding Griffin on his private island is going to test O’Hare’s patience and Fox’s skill. High-speed chases, pirates, and Toblerone bars are all in a day’s work . . . if O’Hare and Fox don’t kill each other first.

Review:

This is my second Janet Evanovich book and I must say that I was much happier with this one than the first that I read by her. As for Lee Goldberg I love the series Monk so I figured I couldn't go wrong with him co-writing. I chose The Heist based on the fact that I'm a sucker for a good con and a coworker recommended it.

I was not disappointed. This book had me laughing from the get go and only let up long enough to allow me to fall for Nick and grow to like Kate enough to cheer her on.

Kate O’Hare is an ex-Navy SEAL turned FBI agent. She’s tougher than most men and eat just as much as them as well. She's take charge, but still somehow always manages to get food on her shirt. She's made it her mission to catch Nicolas Fox. Nick is a natural con man and the harder the con, the more enjoyment he gets out of it. When he's finally caught by Kate he manages to talk (or should I say con?) his way into working for the FBI instead of going to jail. He is teamed up with Kate and the two are sent off to catch the elusive Derek Griffin. The story is an lighthearted read and doesn't take too long to get through, but is still highly enjoyable. The con/heist isn't laid out in a 'wow I never would have figured that out' kind of way but explained as the book and characters pull it off and plan it. Though there were still plenty of clever moments that made me smile, especially during the first half of the book while Nick was pulling off a pretty funny heist.

The characters are funny and varied as Nick and Kate build their crew. The two most notable (and loveable) were the flamboyant actor Boyd Capwell and adrenaline junky Wilma Owens aka Willie. Boyd's acting had me in fits of laughter while Willie is just crazy enough to make you fall in love with her. Kate's father was by far my favorite additional character. After all, who won't love a dad who can kill a man 16 different ways with a pair of tweezers and who's idea of a care package includes very explosive toys. I really hope to see more of them in later books.

The story is fast paced and never gets very confusing. It is fairly simple and not too complicated, but a book as fun as this really doesn't need to be. The story has fun twists and turns while throwing the characters in crazy situations and pulling them out in ways just as insane.

I listened to this as an Audio book and really enjoyed Scott Brick's reading. His voice was pleasant and he pulled off a variety of different voices well, though he was not as varied as I've heard other people read. I was able to keep up with the story well and didn't get lost while listening.  

Over all this is a great fun read. If you need a quick easy laugh or if you enjoy a good heist pick up this book.

~Dawn

My review for the prequel short story The Shell Game can be found here