Rise of the School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Soman Chainani will no doubt delight fans with this surprise prequel to his bestselling The School for Good and Evil series. Rise of the School for Good and Evil is an unexpected but very welcome story for the canon. Set many years before the adventures of Sophie and Agatha, the novel is concerned with twin brothers Rafal and Rhian, one good and one evil, who are the founders of the magical School for Good and Evil. As in the rest of the series, we are introduced to the school through a new batch of recruits; ‘good’ and ‘evil’ fairy tale characters who are plucked from their lives and quite literally dropped into opposing cohorts in the school.

Rise of the School for Good and Evil focuses on Aladdin, a much harder and grittier character than the Disney version. Somehow, this cunning street thief ends up being placed in the good side of the school, setting into motion a series of events that will pit student against student, brother against brother, and have far-reaching consequences for the realm.

It is not necessary to have read the prior books to enjoy Rise of the School for Good and Evil. New readers may in fact prefer to begin chronologically. The novel is as well-written and engaging as Chainani’s other books and fans can be assured of a story true to the spirit of the original series. There is also an intriguing twist in the final pages, which bodes well for those hoping for a future release.

Themes: Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Good vs Evil, Schools, Brothers, Identity.

Rose Tabeni