In The Forest Primeval

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’m sure almost everyone knows this one. Or they do now thanks to the Netflix movie which in my fair opinion butchered a few things from the books as movie adaptations always do. Nonetheless, it sparked my interest to return to the books since it’s been so many years since I’ve read them. And to be honest, I only remember the first, the other two are a blur and I haven’t even touched the sequel trilogy.

So let’s get to the trip down memory lane through a twisty, neverending forest primeval. As you can see from the prologue, the plot is simple as two best friends are swept into the fairytale schools, one for good and one for evil where they’ll graduate to their own fairytales.

But there’s been a big mistake! Solitary, sour Agatha is in the pastel-toned, opulent School for Good to learn how to sing to deer while the beautous, princess-in-waiting Sophie is supposed to learn Uglification with the future murderers and henchmen in the School for Evil. Soon, it’s clear there’s more at stake then just going home as Sophie strives to get her Prince Charming along with whispers from staff about some sort of Reader Prophacy. Maybe things aren’t as black and white as the schools seem to be and perhaps the heroine of the fairytale is truly the villain? And the traditional ending just won’t work.

Chainani’s prose is compelling from the first sentence with Sophie waiting to be kidnapped. Exposition is quick and forshadowing is excellently done as he sweeps through Sophie and Agatha’s characterization. Despite Sophie’s good looks and her good deeds (including sharing beauty supplies with orphans and offering free beauty lessons, you get the idea), it’s clear that she always has ulterior motives. As anyone knows good deeds needs intent to be good, not just to puff up the person doing them. So with all of Sophie’s insistance that she’s a future princess, that she’s pretty and special, her looks hide a cold heart. And come on, her extensive beauty routine? It has Evil Queen written all over it.

But it’s understandable why Agatha would be seen as the witch of the duo, if not from looks alone. Her preference for solititude, her annoyance with idiots and more morbid leanings, she’d fit right in with the School of Evil, and that’s what scares her. As she studies more about evil spells (ontop of her good because Sophie can’t bother to study for her classes), she worries that she fits the part of the witch as everyone says. She’s not scared about being evil as much as being a witch would make her Sophie’s enemy, and she can’t bear to part from her.

Now knowing Chainani’s sexuality, and how he struggled with it, I can definately see the signs that I hadn’t before. Agatha’s intense care for Sophie, her happily ever after being the two of them together forever, thinking about her beauty, wanting what’s best for Sophie all the time at the expense of her own, wishing she was pretty because maybe Sophie would care for her more. . . . Agatha totally loves her, as if the ending’s true love kiss wasn’t enough. I know, I know the big reveal at the end of the trilogy but I can’t deny Agatha’s feelings for Sophie. Plus the way Sophie taunts Tedros (I’ll get to him in a minute) about Agatha choosing her, not subtle.

Anyway, Agatha’s goodness does shine through despite her dislike of good on the surface. She has compassion which the other good students lack, becoming complacent on ballgowns and beauty routines. She sees beyond the surface which is where most good intents and deeds are founded. Also her desire to go above and beyond in her friendship with Sophie and sacrifice her own happiness speaks more about her than any princess gown.

So Sophie really doesn’t deserve Agatha for her actions speak loud and clear on why she was taken to the School of Evil despite her denial. She’s calculating, envious, vain, and obsessive in her persuits. Even those she loves like Agatha and Tedros have to bend to her wants and revolve their lives around her, Sophie is not selfless. And even her fears of becoming a witch is more of a problem in ruining the identity of who she thought she was than any concern that she wants to kill her best friend. Nonetheless, Chainani creates a compelling descent into madness and heinousness that makes Sophie’s character entertaining even as she does awful things like any great villainess.

Now Tedros whom I briefly mentioned is the Prince Charming that Sophie sets her heart on, and the rift that comes between Sophie and Agatha. It’s always a boy! And I would have docked points for this cliche if Chainai done such a good job subverting it in the end because really Tedros sucks. He kicked a bunny, that’s enough to make me suspicious of him forevermore. Plus he killed a boy’s soul that was inhibiting a gargoyle. And spends most of his, thankfully brief, POV angsting over love, gold diggers and trying not to make his father, King Arthur’s mistakes. I suppose I was to feel bad for him but he really shows no redeeming qualities like recognizing Agatha is smart or correct for the most part, he just bulldozes her because Princes protect and defend their princesses. They also ignore them when they speak like a sexist pig apparently.

While I get why Sophie would fall for him as she’s shallow but I don’t understand why Agatha did in the latter half. I really enjoyed her bringing him down to size and after her makeover (which was really moving as it forgoes the usual makeover idea just to show Agatha’s true beauty was in her happiness and belief in her beauty, that’s she just as special as Sophie and not her witchy friend or sidekick) she just falls in love with him when he’s done nothing really to deserve it. And doesn’t fight back when he spouts such idiocy as that he has to protect her when buddy, she’s been saving his life more than once in this book. Just totally unappealing so it should be interesting if the sequel improves his character.

As for other side characters, they are all aprorpriately entertaining and menancing in showing the rules and beliefs of this world since most of them come from legacy families rather than readers like Sophie and Agatha. I particularly liked Dot and Hester. Better yet is how Chainai uses these various characters to display the murky grey in good and evil as both have their fair share cultimating in a chaotic, confusing fight representing the best and worst of them that is truly epic.

Really, every moment is action-packed and tense whether it is further revealing this magical world or pushing the plot forward in tearing Agatha and Sophie apart as their opposing natures become more obvious. Plus it’s funny too. Chainani’s world may be based on fairytales but they’re dark ones with biting fairies, real bruises, burns, and death-dealing monsters. Which makes the story even better as death always makes the stakes more important and make me more eager to see what happens next.

As expected I finish the whole story in a day, and I can’t wait to read what the sequel holds in the continuing saga of Agatha, Sophie and the war between two brothers.