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    The School for Good and Evil: Now a Netflix Originals Movie
    The School for Good and Evil: Now a Netflix Originals Movie
    The School for Good and Evil: Now a Netflix Originals Movie
    Audiobook13 hours

    The School for Good and Evil: Now a Netflix Originals Movie

    Written by Soman Chainani

    Narrated by Polly Lee

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL will soon be a major motion picture from Netflix—starring Academy Award winner Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh,  Sofia Wylie, Sophie Anne Caruso, Jamie Flatters, Earl Cave, Kit Young, and more! 

    The New York Times bestselling School for Good and Evil series is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one. Start here to follow Sophie, Agatha, and everyone at school from the beginning!

    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?

    Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to the beloved series, The School for Good and Evil #6: One True King!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 14, 2013
    ISBN9780062272812
    Author

    Soman Chainani

    Soman Chainani's six novels in the School for Good and Evil series each debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. The series has sold over 4.2 million copies, has been translated into 35 languages, and has been adapted into a film by Netflix that debuted at #1 in over 80 countries. His collection of retold fairy tales, Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales, was also an instant New York Times bestseller and is in development to be a television series from Sony 3000. Soman is a graduate of Harvard University and received his MFA in film from Columbia University. Every year, he visits schools around the world to speak to kids and share his secret: that reading is the path to a better life.

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    Reviews for The School for Good and Evil

    4.5/5

    365 ratings61 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This book has some really great parts, and the overall plot is actually quite good. However, the execution just falls flat. This book is at least 100 pages too long which makes the plot meander around to the point that I lost track of who wanted what.

      Sophie wants to be in the School for Good. Now she wants to go home. Now she wants Tedros. Now she wants to go home again. Now she wants to stay. Now she's a villain. Now she's not a villain. I couldn't keep up with her mood swings.

      Anyway. It seems like there were more professors in this than in Harry Potter, to the point I couldn't keep track of who was who, and ultimately none of them really mattered so why were there so many to begin with?

      I read an ARC of this. It will be interesting to see how it goes over when it's officially published.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The school of good and evil was about two girls. One girl was named sophie and she is sweet nice and eager to get into the school of good. The other girl (I forgot her name) mean , not well dressed, and doesnt care if she goes to either school. As sophie was going to the other girls house she was bringing something to her. As mean as the other girl is she rejected it and told her to leave. Later that nightr they have been taken to the school of good and evil. The one problem was they were at the oppisite school (well atleast sophie) they wanted to be in. Sophie was at the school of evil while the other girl was at the school of good. Sophie trying to get what she wanted tryed to get into the school of good. The other girl was trying to get out and go back home. After a week Sophie met the girl and tried to get her spot back. The other girl~s "prince" came to defeat Sophie. Before he could strike they both dissapeared with no trace.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Synopsis:Sophie and Agatha are taken to a fairy tale school where children learn to be Princesses or Villains. However, it seems there is a mix-up. Agatha clearly is meant for villain school with her dour demeanor and poor manners while Sophie has been training to be a princess all her life. As the girls are both put into schools they don't feel they belong in and fight to be switched, they prove that maybe there is more to each of them than they realized. Agatha might just have the heart of a princess and there might be something villainess inside of Sophie.My rating:3/5I loved the idea of this book and I loved the characters. I absolutely adored Agatha and found her relatable. Agatha doesn't want to be in this strange world and just wants to go home. At the same time, she is absolutely devoted to Sophie who is one of the only friends she had back in their world. I was so touched by her loyalty and the depths of her friendship even when Sophie is selfish and bratty. On the other hand I loved how princess like Sophie was. She is beautiful, mannered, romantic, etc. She doesn't just want to be a princess, she has many of the qualities associated with fairy tale princesses. I loved the contrast between these two characters but how deep, on Agatha's end anyways, their friendship flowed despite those differences. Sophie is a very selfish character which I felt was what made her suited for villain school while Agatha is loyal and loving which I felt made her an appropriate princess. I could see why they were in the right schools even if they couldn't. My first issue was that at the school Sophie is no different than the other princesses. All of them act entitled, bratty, and selfish. I really hated the school for villains. I thought it was poorly done and I didn't like it at all. The other students at the school weren't kidnapped like Sophie and Agatha but rather are descendants of other fairy tale heroes and villains which made their individual personalities have little to do with their sorting into good or evil school. Instead, if your parent was a hero then so are you. If your parent was a villain then you are too. It isn't a very fair sorting process and many of the villains are actually less "evil" than the heroes. The problem is that, while this is shown, it isn't explored in the depth I would have liked. I found many aspects of the world building and setting in this story to be confusing including what was going on and why. There were explanations given for some of it but overall I just didn't really "get it". There are other books in the series and it is possible some of these issues and elements are further explored in later books but I don't plan to move forward with the series. I hated the set up of the school for villains. It has classes such as making yourself ugly where the characters are taught to give themselves warts. I think what I disliked so much about that is that ugliness doesn't make a villain, even in fairy tales. Similarly, there is a point where we are led to believe Agatha should be a villain because she farts. I hated the good versus evil in this story because the evils presented were things like ugliness and poor manners. Sophie is really the only villain who is a villain because in her heart she is selfish and an ugly person inside (but no more so than ALL the princesses except for Agatha). I also found some of the plot elements confusing. The explanations given didn't make much sense to me. I am not sure if this book wasn't fleshed out enough or if I just missed something but either way this book wasn't a good match for me and I was super disappointed because I loved the premise of this book as well as the characters. There were some amazing moments in this story and I absolutely loved the dynamics between Sophie and the villains at her school as well as her interactions with Agatha. There were so many fun or cool things that happened in this book. I just felt like it missed the mark in many areas and I can't really recommend it though it seems like mine is a minority opinion and many other readers enjoyed this much more than I did.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      This hurts me so much to say. Like really. I wanted to enjoy this one so much because the cover is gorgeous and the trailer was good too, but I just didn't. Maybe it would be better in Hardcover, or even a physical copy of the ARC, but most of the problem I had dealt with this book being confusing. At first I really was liking it. But then it got a little boring. Then when the POVs started changing without warning I got confused. I had to keep going back and realizing that they did switch names. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more had it been a real ARC. One thing I did like was the illustrations. As they came up on my Nook, I really thought they looked cool as digital drawings. I would love to see the finished copies. But over time, I kept reading and it got a little boring. It wasn't that there wasn't anything happening, it just felt like the SAME THING kept happening. It felt a little redundant Agatha wanted to get Sophie out of there but Sophie wanted to stay. Every time they went somewhere it happened over and over. So I thought I just wasn't in the mood for that type of story, so I put it down for a little and started on something else. And then I ended up finishing two books before picking this up again. So I just said forget it. I ended up skimming the rest of it and looking to see the big plot twist. All in all, maybe this version just wasn't for me. I'll give it another try when the final version comes out

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes

      Cover Impressions: Very nice, if a little cutesy. I understand that it is middle grade, but I usually prefer for these books to have an appeal to older students as well. The background images are beautiful and the crest and banner title are very well done.

      The Gist: For hundreds of years, the children of Gavaldon have been going missing. Every four years, two at a time, one beautiful and one ugly. After a time, the children of the town realized that these former playmates were appear within the pages of their favorite fairy tales. Sophie has spent her entire life preparing for this day, maintaining a beauty routine, sewing dresses and doing good deeds. Agatha, on the other hand, would do anything to remain at home with her gravestones and evil pet cat. When the two are swept away, they find that a serious mistake has been made and their fortunes have been reversed. Beautiful Sophie to the School for Evil and ghastly Agatha to the School for Good. As they try to fight for their hearts' desire, the girls learn about themselves and the barrier between Good and Evil.

      Review:
      The School for Good and Evil opens on the eve of the night when children regularly disappear from their homes. Most children are trying to make themselves as undesirable as possible, while Sophie attempts to flaunt her assets as a princess. She is determined to be spirited away from her home to the School for Good where she will meet her prince charming. Along side her, will certainly be her friend Agatha, the child for whom the term "witchy" was coined. As her counterpart, Agatha will enter the School for Evil and the two will find a way to maintain their frienship despite the rivalry of their schools. The premise for this book is very unique and charming. The thought of children being stolen from their homes only to show up in the pages of storybooks is both wonderful and terrifying. I do wish that we were able to spend a little more time with Agatha and Sophie within their village and to learn more about the mysterious town from which no one can choose to leave.

      This novel features some fantastic characters. Sophie was difficult to like, but that was kind of the point, while Agatha did lose a little of herself by the end of the novel. Sophie's roommates where a fantastic addition. They had the best lines and often left me laughing out loud. These characters could easily hold a story or series of their own (hint hint!).

      The School for Good and Evil was a beautiful mix of Wicked, Harry Potter and the humor of Roald Dahl. It was really fun to see the juxtuposition between Good and Evil. The schools were truly equal but opposite, down to the smallest detail. I must admit, I had more love for the School of Evil as they had more interesting characters and it was enjoyable to watch them revel in the dank, dire and disgusting. The world building is truly fantastic and well fleshed out, though it is a little difficult to keep track of all the rules and the names of the students. This was aided by the alternating point of view which worked well to show the thoughts and feelings of both girls as well as to give a glimpse into the inner workings of both schools.

      The plot was a little predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. The ending was a little strange, and I can't wait to see how this plays out in future books. I am very excited to see this on film. I think that it will translate really well and that the setting will play out beautifully on the big screen. Overall, an excellent addition to the Middle-Grade section of my classroom library. I cannot wait to jump back into this world in 2014.

      Teaching/Parental Notes:

      Age: 10 and up
      Gender: Both
      Sex: Kissing
      Violence: Magical Violence
      Inappropriate Language: None
      Substance Use/Abuse: None

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      It is the common belief that all little girls want to be a princess when they are under the age of 5. Most parents read at least one fairy tale to their daughters at night and with the dominant presence of Disney, it is hard not to get away from this concept. It has always been played that good overcomes evil and the prince saves the princess. The princess has been taught to be a docile lady that cannot defend for herself or nearly think for herself. In the last decade or so the country has made progress in burying this misconception. More and more movies are being created to show both princesses and princes to be independent characters that work together as teams rather than for selfish gain. Often the villains are not always evil, but misunderstood souls that have not had an opportunity to show their true colors. This story is about two such girls named Sophie and Agatha. Sophie has grown up to believe that she is the embodiment of good, while poor Agatha has been told that she is pure evil. Neither girl wants to conform to societies rules nor beliefs and only Sophie truly wishes to believe in fairytales. The book has the characters live in a town that has its children occasionally disappear to reappear in a fairytale the following year. It is Sophie's greatest desire to be the next to vanish and Agatha's greatest annoyance at having to protect her friend. As fate might have it the girls do vanish only to reemerge at a school for villains and heroes. It is a place where only the most evil go and the princes' go to find their princesses. Much to Sophie's horror she finds herself in the school of evil and Agatha in the school for good. How did these girls wind up in the wrong houses? How can they escape and go back home? Is Sophie truly evil and will she perish trying to prove she is not? Is Agatha really an ugly duckling or is she a black hearted villain?I had a lot of fun with this book and truly enjoyed the author's take on good and evil. I don't think I have ever seen a book quite like this before. The author played very well against the common prejudices that most people have built into them from childhood. One phrase that comes to mind easily is the old saying that you, "can never judge a book by its cover". This saying is very true and often people make fools of themselves by unfairly judging others. Time and time again the author demonstrated that this saying was accurate. I have to recommend this book hands down and honestly believe that it would be a great read for any age group. Great job author!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I have been wanting to read this book forever. It really really sounded like something I would love. I ended up enjoying it a lot. I would be lying if I didn't admit that the cover and the title were the first two things to capture my attention.This book is about Sophie (a beauty obsessed blond who is determined to do good in her own way) and Agatha (a dark and unloved child, who is incredibly cynical). They live in a town where every year two children are kidnapped by the School Master, one goes to the School for Evil while the other goes to the School for Good.Everyone in town knows that Sophie will go to the school for Good and Agatha will go to the school for Evil...but the opposite happens. What follows is a hilarious and touching story about what makes good good and what makes evil evil...and also what happens when you try to ignore all the grey areas in between.This was a creative and engaging story. It doesn't get five stars because, while I enjoyed the story, I wasn't ever completely sucked in to it. There were parts that were a bit slow as well. Some of the stereotypes for good and evil were a bit over the top and ventured into the territory of silly instead of funny. I really really loved the idea behind this story. The idea that there is a school for learning how to be a Hero or a Villain is an awesome one and it was executed in a very interesting way. There is also a story that is broader than just the existence of the schools that added a lot to the plot.My only real complaint is that while the book tried to preach the whole "Good is who you are not how you look" theme, it kind of fell short because good people would change to looking pretty and evil people would start to look evil...I thought this was a bit inconsistent with the theme. Overall a very fun and unique read that twists the whole idea of fairy tales on its head. I really enjoyed the concept and the world. There is some humor in here and the story delivers a good message about friendship. I never found the characters to be all that engaging and, while I enjoyed the story, I was never completely sucked in. My only other complaint is I thought the “good is who you are not how you look” message was a bit inconsistent throughout. I would definitely recommend to those who love twisted fairy tales, this was a very good book. I definitely plan on continuing the series.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Impossible to put this book down. Well written and keeps you engaged.
    • 3/5
      Go ahead -- judge The School for Good and Evil by its cover, because this is a book that really wanted to be a manga series. Not that there's anything wrong with wanting to be a manga series -- but I'll get into the issues I had with this book after a quick summary:Every four years, two children are stolen from the isolated little town of Gavaldon by a mysterious Schoolmaster. One is taken to the School for Good, the other to the School for Evil . . . and there they become the stuff that fairy tales are made of. Parents lock their children away -- the unusually bad children do surprising, uncharacteristic good works, the preternaturally good ones go around making messes and pinching their siblings. None of them want to be taken away . . . except for Sophie. Sophie can hardly wait. She's always known that, deep inside, she was a princess. Surely the Schoolmaster will see that as well, and take Sophie to the School for Good where she can meet her perfect Prince Charming. But has she been good enough? In an attempt to up her standing on the Nice List, Sophie befriends outsider Agatha, who wears a lot of black and lives next to a graveyard. Agatha doesn't necessarily believe in the schools, and she certainly doesn't want to go there -- but even her mother believes that Agatha, if she were chosen, would land squarely in the School for Evil. So, imagine the two girls' surprise when Agatha finds herself chosen for the School for Good, and Sophie ends up in the School for Evil. Agatha's main goal is to get herself and Sophie out of their schools and back to Gavaldon before something dreadful befalls them -- you see, she quickly learns what happens to students who are not successful. Sophie, on the other hand, is determined to make her way to the School for Good (she even has her Prince Charming picked out) and nothing, not friendship or magic or a host of fakey-nice Mean Girls at the School for Good, will stand in her way. To top it off, what Sophie and Agatha don't know is that there are forces at work at the Schools that neither of them understand . . . and they are about to get swept into something much larger than just two girls spirited off to school. . . .So, that sounds promising, right? Well, the first bit of the book is good enough . . . but once the girls get to the school, it goes downhill. One of the main problems is the length, or to be precise, the amount of wasted space in the main portion of the book, where Agatha tries to convince Sophie to go home, and Sophie hatches another scheme to get into the School for Good. Over and over again. There's an entire school year to fill, and while some of the girls' adventures are exciting, they also felt repetitive to me. To top it off, the ending of the book is massively confusing. Then, the writing is not as great as one might expect from the impressive author bio and the number of big-name book blurbers this title attracted. The story has definite visual/cinematic elements, but there were times when I could almost feel the author's frustration at not being able to just express visually what was going through his mind. And this led to action sequences (particularly at the end of the book) that were extremely jumpy and confusing. As manga, it would almost definitely have been more successful; as a film (I hear it has already been optioned) I think it will be spectacular. As a book, it just didn't do it for me. Much as it pains me to say such a thing, my recommendation on this one is to skip the book and just wait for the movie.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed listening to this book it had unexpected twists which kept me engaged all the way to the end … cant wait to listen to the second book
    • 4/5
      While this one is filed under Middle-Grade, I don't see why it can't be enjoyed by all ages. I'm a strong believer in that fairy tales are not just for children, that the stories and characters in folkloric fantasy can appeal to a much wider audience -- and it's especially entertaining when familiar concepts like "fairy tale romance" or "happily ever after" are being parodied or turned on their heads.That's the idea behind this book; in a village called Gavaldon, two children are kidnapped every four years, never to be seen again. One was always beautiful and good, the other an outcast and strange. It didn't take long for the village children to speculate where these missing boys and girls go. They say a mysterious schoolmaster takes them to the fabled School for Good and Evil, where storybook heroes and villains are made.For as long as she can remember, Sophie has dreamed of being whisked away to the School of Good, imagining a magical world of pretty dresses and handsome princes. On the other hand, she figures her friend Agatha with her homely face and frumpy black clothes would be a perfect fit for the School of Evil. So it's no surprise then when the two were the ones taken way this year. However, when they arrive at the Endless Woods, Sophie is dumped into the school for Evil, while Agatha ends up in the School for Good! This has to be just a terrible mix-up, right? Or is it?How cool is this idea? Let's face it, traditional fairy tales aren't about character development; off the top of my head, Prince Charming and others like him are good examples of characters that don't go beyond being a mere caricature. We don't tend to think beyond what is presented, and that's what makes this book so great. You know the kind of satire we see in Shrek? It's similar here, poking fun at how shallow princesses must be for obsessing only about their beauty and who will take them to the formal ball. It also makes you wonder about the villains, like, do any of them have hopes and ambitions other than cooking up nefarious schemes? Who gets to determine what is good and evil, anyway?Obviously, there also some good messages here. "Beauty is only skin deep" and "believe in yourself" are only a couple amongst many, but it's presented very well in this original and magical tale, all wrapped up in a whimsical package. There are lovely illustrations scattered throughout the book as well, and I can't help but feel grumpy now about the lack of pretty drawings in my adult fantasy novels. Is there a rule or something that pictures can only belong in children's books?! Regardless, this book is so much fun. At once ridiculous and full of heart, I couldn't help but melt for this story and its characters. Oh so cute at times, but sinister and dark at others, this book will enchant you and make you smile.
    • 5/5
      Ooh I wonder what happens next to the girls?adventure?love?mystery?or death...we’ll they set tings right?or well they be stuck forever?
    • 3/5
      Fantastic narrator. I personally don't think it was for the recommended age group.
    • 2/5
      This was a great premise but the execution is all over the place. I liked how it ended but the narrative is hard to follow, like the author never really decided how the story would get to that conclusion.
    • 2/5
      I enjoyed premise, and the plot was okay (until the end, when there was every kind of battle you could possibly imagine, plus all the plot twists- did the editor stop reading it?), but the writing is terrible. There are no rules to the magic here. Ultimately, there are just a lot of stereotypes and nothing really holds it all together.
    • 4/5
      3.75

      It got a little convoluted towards the end, and in parts the book dragged. However I love the overall theme of this book and highly recommend it to parents with middle schoolers. It is a good book to even read along side them and open up a discussion about the balance of good and evil that exists in all of humanity.
    • 4/5


      What a great read. A really different take on the theme of fairy tales and two 'heroines' who are so differnt from what they think they are. The first in a series, and I will definitely be following the adventures of the main characters. Great story for pre-teens.
    • 4/5
      children's middlegrade fiction (magic/fairytale fantasy, with lots of adventure, Good/Evil fighting, and a couple of brief kisses). Very action packed and full of plot twists. Would recommend to kids who like their fairytales with more action and danger.
    • 4/5
      the first gothic looking princes i really like that
      also a way to say not too judge a book by its cover
    • 3/5
      I am still on the fence on how much I liked this story. It felt like it was trying real hard to reject a binary, but by playing way too much within the rules and structure of the binary. Also maybe queer? Maybe? If the second book falls in my hands, I'll likely read it. But it's not something demanding my attention.
    • 5/5
      Who needs a prince when you have a best friend?! This book is beyond amazing. It shows that girls don’t need men. We need each other more ❤️
    • 4/5
      I have been seeing this book pop up on multiple Booktube channels and I thought the premise, two girls from the same village sorted into the wrong schools, an interesting and different one. I ended up loving it. It got 4 stars because there were a few parts that dragged even though I was listening to the audio book and it usually helps me get through those parts The book is about two different schools one for princesses, one for witches and the best of the best will be memorialized by getting their own fairytale. It looks to be a series with the 4th book being recently announced. I cannot wait for the second book to be available at my library so I can listen to it as well.
    • 3/5
      This book is so close to being excellent but it misses the mark. First, as other readers have noted, it's overly long and the author could easily edit out several sections in which no plot or character development occurs. Second, the action is not well described at times, leaving a general (but not a clear) idea of what has happened. On the other hand, the characters are wonderfully depicted. Given the middle school age for which the story is written, they are suitably complex. Yes, "beauty" is often equated with "good" but that notion is also challenged by several characters and events. The audiobook reader truly enhances the work, especially with the dry humor of Agatha and the sweet, lilting voices of the princess instructors.
    • 4/5
      This was a cute read for younger teens. I smiled at Sophie and Agatha's adventures and the predicament they found themselves in, but I was surprised at how gruesome the plot was at times. I found Agatha a delightful character with her humour and dry wit, but Sophie became annoying very quickly. The author has created a clever story blending all the elements of fairytales into an enjoyable story that will keep young girls entertained.
    • 3/5
      a decent book with a terrible ending
    • 5/5
      I first read this book when I was 11, now , at 16 years old I still find it fascinating and definitely nostalgic to go back to, especially when the movie has been recently created.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. The back and forth between characters was hard for me to follow and I found myself skimming a few parts due to Chainani's writing style. I'm sure it didn't help that I never really liked the character of Sophie, who is one of the two main characters!

      I love the overall idea and Agatha was a great character, but I think I'll leave this future trilogy here and just wait for the movies.
    • 5/5
      Great! I am really into this now! My favorite part is when Professor Anemone was teaching Arabian stuff.
    • 3/5
      Two friends are kidnapped and dropped at the school for Good and Evil by a mysterious school master. The choices that Sophie and Agatha make reveal their characters, even if initially they feel they've been assigned to the wrong school based on appearances. Lost of action in the story but some of the major plot twists in the end didn't compel me. It was one of those titles that while I read the first, I'd probably read summaries to see what happens in the rest of the series because the volumes are tomes.
    • 3/5
      Even now, several days after finishing it, I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book. As a fantasy novel for children and teens, it hits all the usual sweet spots with interesting twists. It's both a school story and a contest story -- imagine if Harry Potter had suffered the Triwizard Tournament in his first year, and you might get a sense of the combination here. It centers on a school that teaches both potential heroes and future villains -- hence, the title -- and so we get to revel in the fun of classes on poisonings alongside how to be a proper princess. It also, refreshingly, features not one but two female protagonists and a number of strong, or at least intriguing, characters of each gender. The relationship between these two girls, one in each school -- and neither exactly where she expected to be -- is the core of the book. And that core is fascinating, emotional, and likely relatable for a great many young readers. As an adult reading this, though, I felt the constraints perhaps a little more than the target audience would. The pacing and the whiplash reversals of characters and loyalties happen at too breakneck a speed for me, much of the time. This was, I think, the first kids book I've ever read where I had to flip back and reread portions just to remember who was on who's side now. Or even who was talking. As I recall -- however distantly -- adolescence is like that sometimes, so I suppose those hurtling plot points and flip-flopping friendships make a kind of sense. There are moments where the tumbling plot slops out of its bounds. There are also moments where, it seems, even the author loses track of the details. That said, however, I found myself turning pages and eager to see what would become of all this switching and swerving. Flaws and all, this book compelled me all the way through to the end, which winds up being pretty perfect for its story. Though there is much familiarity crammed in here, there is also a great deal that feels fresh and clever. And, really, what more can one ask? While it isn't perfect, I think it is worth the time, especially for those young readers who are already fans of its genre.