Book Review: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Title: The School for Good and Evil
Series: The School for Good and Evil # 1
Author: Soman Chainani
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date of Publication: May 14, 2013
Source: bought for the Kindle


Goodreads Summary:

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

My Thoughts:

The minute I seen the cover of this book I went straight to Goodreads and put it on my "To Be Read" List right away.  This was months before it came out and then I promptly forgot about it.  Until I seen where it had been released and then purchased it for my Kindle.
I honestly think this story would have been great as a graphic novel or comic book idea.  It definitely has that feel to it anyways.  I know the Kindle had a few illustrations in it, but I think this book really needed many more for it to truly come into its own.  Did the actual copy have more of a comic book feel to it?  Not sure so feel free to leave me comments if you know.

So I realize this was written more for middle school aged children as the target audience than for adults but I still felt like this was done rather poorly.  It was really long, which I don't think many adults and some kids would mind, but I think there are a few kids that would have given up on it long before it ended.  I almost did but I still had hope for it.
I know it seems like I am just bashing the book and I am really not trying to; I just found some points of the book to be lost upon me.  Like the plot.  I understand the curse upon the town and I really liked the foreshadowing of how it plays out in the beginning but towards the end it seemed like everything just went haywire.  There were just way too many story lines in the plot and it made the book seem rushed together, instead of flowing gracefully.    I think we could have done without a few hooks and maybe a bit more understanding as to what is really going on in the story.
But after all that is said, I didn't hate the book.  There were areas that were pretty good and had potential to be even better.  I liked how the fairy tales had come alive, if you will, and combined with the Reader to really live out their own fairy tale.  That idea has promise.   What young person hasn't imagined living their own fairy tale?
I also liked the secrets behind the guards at the School, as well as the teachers and the headmaster as well.  The fantasy that was involved was also one reason I still held out hope for the book.  I loved the fairies, wolves, trolls, and the magic that decorated the pages of the book.
Since this was targeted towards middle-school ages, it does have some funny scenes in it involving farting, which I don't have a problem with since I have a house full of boys.  It was funny.
But being an adult, I found that The School for Good and Evil almost had a satirical edge to it.  I mean the way everything is over the top good and over the top evil almost seems like the author is aiming for satire.

Through it all, I did feel like the author was trying to point out a moral lesson here and there, albeit cliched moral lessons.  Obviously, beauty is only skin deep is at the forefront as we witness Sophie's transformation through the book.  And another is : Don't judge a book by its cover as we see everyone including Agatha herself, finally see what is truly inside Agatha.  Of course there are others....

The plot was weak but the characters were interesting and it was hard not to fall for some of them.  Although I found myself rooting for the Evil school kids more than I did the Good kids.  And the secondary characters are really what stole the show for me.  The witches, like Dot, Hester, and Anadil, were fun to watch interact with Sophie.
I didn't find myself  falling in love with the main characters too much at all.  Sophie irritated me to no end and Agatha took to long what everyone in the Reader world already knew.  I don't know if I agree with the ending or not.  I am really torn on it.  I think  there are some reasons an antagonist can come back from the dark side, so to speak, but I wonder if this antagonist had just did too much already?
Then I wonder if things will go back to the way they are or will our protagonist see their friend for what they truly are?
Many questions left unanswered for me.  I want the answers for them but at the same time  I just don't know if I can read the second book if it doesn't has more substance to it than the first.

I had to give The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani :

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Review: Legends of Marithia Book 1 by Peter Koevari

Title: Legends of Marithia: Book 1 Prophecies Awakening
*The Extended and Uncut Second Edition*
Author:Peter Koevari
Series:Legends of Marithia
Publisher: Createaspace (self)
Date of Publication:May 23, 2012
Format: ebook, 210 pages
Source: I received a copy from the author for my honest review
Get your copy at: 

Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Goodreads Summary:
When her sorceress mother and vampire king father are brutally murdered, Kassina makes a pact with Shindar, the Demon of Darkness. In exchange for her soul, Kassina obtains power to become the most feared sorceress in all the lands, and vows to exact her revenge on the people for the deaths of her parents. Granted eternal life, Kassina and her evil are never far away. 
For many years, the humans and elves of the mystical world of Marithia have lived in an age of peace. But that peace is shattered when King Arman is slain by his own son, a pawn of the vampire sorceress Kassina. Arman’s murder sparks the most brutal and bloody war ever seen between the Forces of Darkness and the peaceful Marithians. 
In the midst of the conflict, Vartan, a young knight wrongfully outcast from King Arman’s court, reluctantly discovers he is the subject of a prophecy involving the fabled weapon, Talonsphere. In alliance with the legendary dragons, he finds himself with the opportunity to rid the world of Kassina and her dark armies forever, and finally return Marithia to an era of peace.

My Feelings:
This is one of those stories where I found myself knowing the antagonist was evil and horrible but...I felt for the losses she occurred before she became the evil sorceress and destroyer.
Yes. I pitied Kassina.  And yes I also know of the terrible things that she does.  But hey remember there is gray areas.
Legends of Marithia is a high fantasy with elves, dragons, knights, and then...wait for it....vampires.  I know right?!!
Mr. Koevari takes two genres, horror and fantasy, and combines them to create this awesome novel!
I have to admit the Prologue was one of my favorite parts of the story because it shows us the how and why everything started. So we get that peek into why Kassina decided to be the most powerful and evil vampire of all time.  Basically one action by some dumb idiotic fake king (I guess I was affected a little) set this war in motion.
There is a little bit of romance in this, just a little bit. That isn't really the important part in this story, though it is the binding emotion in the background,  love for your family, for you people, and love for chosen one.  I think loyalty is the emotion that I found to be the strong suit for many of these characters.
You have to give props to some of these people that gave their lives for those faiths that they believe in, including the royal family.
The plot was complex and had many different strands that connected everything together but still left questions unanswered.
The characters are pretty interesting to me.  Most of the time, elves are the ones I automatically find myself drawn to, but not in this story.  In this fantasy, I fell in love with the Dragons.  They are such noble, proud and smart creatures and they do not disappoint in this story.
Vartan, one of our protagonists, is a true knight in every sense of the word.  He grows as a character and I really liked the fact that he plays such a huge part in the story.
There are many other characters that are important and I am sure you will find one to fall in love with too.
All in all, this is a great mix of epic fantasy with horror sprinkled throughout that could satisfy fans of both genres.
I gave Legends of Marithia: Prophecies Awakening four hearts!

Freebie Friday Review: Flames in the Midst by Sarah Reckenwald

     Flames in the Midst by Sarah Reckenwald
   Published: August 2011
   Format: Kindle
           
















Goodreads Summary:
What if you denied being a witch your whole life?
What if you believed you killed your own mother?
What if you were wrong?
Jade Hale seeks a normal life as she hides her magical and tragic upbringing. But when destiny steals her from the present to her past, she discovers an unwelcomed truth — her mother’s death wasn’t an accident. In a whirlwind of circumstance, her quest for justice sweeps her back to her magical roots, and suddenly, her every decision controls the past, present, and future. Will she be able to hold onto her new life while immersed in the magical world she left behind? Her confusing and disturbing attraction for a strange, yet familiar boy from her past could destroy both.




My Feelings:

This is my Freebie Friday review (even though I am a little late posting it, let's just pretend it's still Friday, ok?)  I found this book at that great little website Pixel of Ink, where I was able to purchase this book on the Kindle for free.  

So, I did it again.  I judged a book by its cover.  Fortunately, for me, this book turned out to be as exceptional as the cover is.  Thank goodness.  
The emotions that our lead female character, Jade Hale, has to go through is enough to make anyone a little distant, but to totally give up your heritage is really extreme.  But that is exactly what Jade wants to do, until she realizes she isn't the one responsible for her mother's death.  Then it is revenge time.  


There is so many different magical elements associated with the witches in this story.  Jade is blessed with a few rare gifts, including time travel.  It tended to get a little confusing when trying to understand the concept of time travel but the author does a great way of explaining in a more mundane understanding.  
And of course, there is a love interest..or two bouncing around in the plot of this book.   There are two male characters that I feel will have more to do with Jade(if there are more books to come) as she becomes even more confident as a witch.  Both male characters are likable, but I would have to be on team Chase instead of Cameron.  However, you do learn something very interesting about Cameron that could change your opinion of the guy.  
I really really loved this story!  I couldn't help but get swept up into Jade's emotional life as she has to relive losing her mom again to start a journey she may not come back from unscathed.   I had to give this book five hearts!

Review: The Other Covenant

For anyone, who wants to read a paranormal thriller, but doesn't want the sexy hot romance or goriness that is sometimes associated with these genres, I believe this novel is definitely worth a read.
This supernatural book is written more through a technical scientific way, going into detail and explaining why there is magic in this world.


I have recently read the book, The Other Covenant, by Caroline Crosby. It is a deeply layered story about people who use black magic to further themselves and the country, and about the people that use white magic to try to counter the evil that some black magic users represent.  

Our heroine of the story, Elizabeth, is a very interesting character.  She has so much control over her magic, her life, and her emotions.  When she first meets someone that she has heard of all her life as being an adept with the covenant, someone that isn't on the good side, she is concerned whether she should help him. But because of her honor and the goodness inside of her she has to help him.  

This story was exciting in some places, but in other ways it was a bit boring.  I was very taken with the way Miss Crosby used such scientific ways to describe magic using; the psychic bands that they operate on.  I liked how there was an art form to understanding it, instead of just making it very "magical" without any explanation.  I, however, don't think I could follow some of the explanations because it tended to get long winded and more and more complicated.  

I am a huge history lover, and I fell in love with how some chapters had more of a historical background,especially with how the United States of America was formed with the help of some paranormal influence.  

I think Elizabeth is a special person.  She is so patient with explaining everything to the bodygaurd, and even has to explain things a couple of times.  I think the author really wanted the audience to realize that Elizabeth has a lot of power but is the epiphany of good, even with all the power she has running inside of her.

When the characters are reading the manuscript, the chapters will jump from present day, back into the past of the manuscript.  I, personally, love when an author does this.  I like getting background information throughout the book, instead of it all being lumped together in a few pages.  I liked that very much because it helped me understand things better in steps then having to look back at what was going on.  

Not only could this book be considered a paranormal thriller, it could also be grouped in as a mystery too.  It has a very good "who dunnit" theme running through the book that will have you guessing up to the very end.  Miss Crosby did an excellent job of keeping me on the edge of my seat with the action during the fight scenes.  The only problem with that was: there wasn't enough fight scenes!!  I wish there were more to show more of what Elizabeth is truly capable of, physically and psychically.

There was some romance sprinkled here and there; as well as foreshadowing of another romance under way.  I didn't really find the romance aspect very convincing.  It seemed to be a little forced, and at times, unbelievable.  Which is saying a lot when the book has supernatural in its essence.  

There were also spots when the dialogue became a little choppy, jumping from one speaker to the other so quickly, it was a little hard to keep up.  I found myself going back and re-reading some lines just to make sure I knew who was saying what.

Other than those things, I think this has the potential to become a very well known and interesting series.  It does end very abruptly, but I like it, because it has you wishing you could just get a hold of the next one asap!  It is in true cliff hanger fashion and I definitely have to applaud the writer for the ending; it was awesome.  

Overall, I think The Other Covenant, was a good book.  It wasn't one of my favorites by any means; but I enjoyed reading it and I will definitely be looking for the next in the series.  This book could appeal to many different kinds of readers because of the scientific way it goes about explaining the supernatural aspects; but it also has so much drama and mystery in it that it keeps the story interesting.  And really who doesn't get excited when witches and black and white magic is involved?  I love magic!