After saving themselves and their fellow students from a life pitched against one another, Sophie and Agatha are back home again, living happily ever after. But life isn’t exactly a fairytale. When Agatha secretly wishes she’d chosen a different happy ending with Prince Tedros, the gates to the School for Good and Evil open once again. But Good and Evil are no longer enemies and Princes and Princesses may not be what they seem, as new bonds form and old ones shatter.

This book LET ME DOWN. I was so hyped after the previous novel in this series, and this one just did not do it for me. Here are my thoughts…

So, one of my favrotie aspects of this series so far was the way that the plot was using fairytale clichés and dynamics in a school settings. The kids looking for their true love, the villians looking for their archnemsis, all of them worried they’d fail exams and be turned into animal sidekicks. It was a great dynamic! However, I feel that this sequel took the clichés a bit too far.

The use of labels (true love, best friend, evil, Ever, etc.) was relied on HEAVILY, in lue of actual development between characters. For example, there was an interaction between two characters, one of whom had supposedly found their “true love” and was seeking revenge, where the two characters suddenly believe that they are each others true loves and that their kiss will fix everything. HOWEVER, ten or so pages after that, the characters go back to their “original” true love, and kiss them, then (well, kind of) fixing things. So, it was as if anyone could meet each other and suddenly have their kiss be that of true love to FIX THINGS. Which, I kind of thought, contradicted the entire plot of the first book…

So, I dunno. The atmosphere and style of the first book was still there, but overall, this sequel was a bit of a let down. I am going to read the remaining books and the companion novels, but I am not getting my hopes up.

3 out of 5 stars.