On This Page
Description
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!In the riveting third installment of the New York Times bestselling School for Good and Evil series, everything old is new again, as Sophie and Agatha fight the past as well as the present to find the perfect end to their fairy tale.
show more Former best friends Sophie and Agatha thought their ending was sealed when they went their separate ways, but their storybook is about to be rewritten—and this time theirs isn't the only one. With the girls apart, Evil has taken over and the forces of Good are in deathly peril. Will Agatha and Sophie be able to work together to save them? Will they find their way to being friends again? And will their new ending be the last Ever After they've been searching for?
Soman Chainani delivers action, adventure, laughter, romance, and more twists than ever before in this extraordinary chapter of his epic series.
Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to the beloved series, The School for Good and Evil #6: One True King!
. show less
Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
This review was originally published at The Children's Book and Media Review
Once best friends, Sophie and Agatha are now bitter enemies. Both of them, however, are questioning their happy endings with the School Master and Tedros. Tedros and Agatha decide to return to the world of the school to save Sophie, but Sophie is not sure that she wants to be saved if it means that she doesn’t get a true love and a happy ending of her own. Because she was able to love the School Master when love was always on good’s side, evil villains from classic tales are coming to life for another chance at their happy endings. Sophie embraces her evil and Agatha embraces her good, leading to a dramatic war between the ones who believe in keeping the show more balance between good and evil and those who want nothing but evil.
The last book of the series makes up for the confusing messages of the second book. This book deals a lot with the issue of age while still tackling issues of gender and good and evil like in the first two books. Secondary characters like Hort and Dot were given a chance to shine and be more important that they seemed in the first two books. The main characters can still be frustrating with Sophie’s total selfishness and Agatha’s unwillingness to do what needs to be done to keep herself and the people around her safe. In spite of being in a fantasy world that seems to have no connection to the real world, the characters occasionally reference pop culture things that take the reader out of the book’s universe. The book is a few hundred pages more than the previous book and the plot lags at some points, but curiosity about how it ends will keep a lot of readers pushing towards the end of this new fairy tale. show less
Once best friends, Sophie and Agatha are now bitter enemies. Both of them, however, are questioning their happy endings with the School Master and Tedros. Tedros and Agatha decide to return to the world of the school to save Sophie, but Sophie is not sure that she wants to be saved if it means that she doesn’t get a true love and a happy ending of her own. Because she was able to love the School Master when love was always on good’s side, evil villains from classic tales are coming to life for another chance at their happy endings. Sophie embraces her evil and Agatha embraces her good, leading to a dramatic war between the ones who believe in keeping the show more balance between good and evil and those who want nothing but evil.
The last book of the series makes up for the confusing messages of the second book. This book deals a lot with the issue of age while still tackling issues of gender and good and evil like in the first two books. Secondary characters like Hort and Dot were given a chance to shine and be more important that they seemed in the first two books. The main characters can still be frustrating with Sophie’s total selfishness and Agatha’s unwillingness to do what needs to be done to keep herself and the people around her safe. In spite of being in a fantasy world that seems to have no connection to the real world, the characters occasionally reference pop culture things that take the reader out of the book’s universe. The book is a few hundred pages more than the previous book and the plot lags at some points, but curiosity about how it ends will keep a lot of readers pushing towards the end of this new fairy tale. show less
I really enjoyed this one, though not my favorite, I think I like the first book best. This one took the story to interesting places and I really didn't know how it was all going to end. I liked that we got to see the story of Sophia and Agatha's parents and how their parents story played a huge role in theirs. There are some major reveals in this book that I definitely didn't see coming. I went back and forth on my feelings for part of this book just because of the message I thought it was portraying. At one point in the story, it seemed like the message being portrayed was that you HAVE TO have a prince or a boy to have a happy ending and you can't be happy by yourself with just your best friend. Also at one point it seemed like the show more message was, you can only have one person/"soul mate" to be happy and if you can't be with them, then you'll never find love and have a happy ending. Of course, I didn't like or agree with either of these messages but thankfully that's not the message that's portrayed by the end of the story. I also really liked seeing Cinderella's backstory. I love the twist that they gave to her story, even though it's a tragic one. I preferred that version of Cinderella to the original. I would love to see more twists like this to the original fairytale stories. Overall I really enjoyed it, 4.5 stars. show less
The School for Good and Evil series continues to be in equal parts entertaining and ridiculous. The beginning of this book starts off with some problematic aspects, a lot of the same homophobic/transphobic things that appeared in the last book. Fortunately these things go away after the first couple chapters, but Tedros’s confused feelings about his attachment to Sophie-as-Phillip were not handled well. Nor were the sex change scenes… in general, Tedros’s homophobia and transphobia are extremely off-putting, particularly in a book intended for younger readers.
I want to say that up front, because while there are some great aspects to The Last Ever After and overall I enjoyed it as a book, it’s important to know from the beginning show more that there are problematic attitudes. Unlike the last book, these attitudes shade a very small percentage of the story – forgotten after the first 10%. But they are there.
That aside, The Last Ever After is a much better book than A World Without Princes. Sure, it’s got a lot of repetitive themes and the plot from all three books in this trilogy has been, well, essentially the same. Agatha and Sophie are placed on separate teams and the same stuff happens. If you’re read The School for Good and Evil and A World Without Princes, the story in The Last Ever After won’t be a particular surprise. For those who haven’t read the series and are interested, I won’t say anything more here. But the plot is repetitive as a whole and the ending is predictable from the first moments.
Unlike the other two books in the series, The Last Ever After brings something new to the table. This story is bigger than Agatha and Sophie. Chainani brings in the fairytale heroes we know from lore – Peter Pan, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and more. This is a fun twist and it adds a level of depth to the storytelling. However, with that comes more fatphobia, another thing which has been a problem since book one. Dot has regained weight and Sophie in particular spends a lot of time looking disdainfully at the retired fairytale heroes. I found it less alarming here than in The School for Good and Evil, but it’s another thing that was unnecessary in this book.
What I didn’t find in this book and expected to was ageism. There are a couple moments of doubt about the heroes’s ability to assist, but a lot of that was due to their own uncertainty, and I feel like they all grew in the course of the story. It was interesting to see the meshing of the Old and the New within the story. It also helped with the repetitiveness of the plot.
There are… a lot of things that are wrong or don’t work in The Last Ever After – a theme in this series. There are a lot of missed opportunities and unfortunate twists. The character growth is fairly limited, especially in Sophie. It’s why Agatha is my favorite characters: she actually grows a little. And I do like Agatha. And the coven of witches. And I was totally rooting for Hort. Because despite all of its faults (and there are many faults), The Last Ever After managed to pull me in and keep me entertained for all twenty hours of its runtime.
As such, it makes it difficult to recommend The Last Ever After. It’s incredible entertaining, easy to read, and a light-hearted story with some fun characters and interesting relationships. But it’s riddled with concerning material and repetitive storylines. It’s something to keep in mind if you choose to pick up any books in this trilogy, but I do think The Last Ever After is the best of the three. show less
I want to say that up front, because while there are some great aspects to The Last Ever After and overall I enjoyed it as a book, it’s important to know from the beginning show more that there are problematic attitudes. Unlike the last book, these attitudes shade a very small percentage of the story – forgotten after the first 10%. But they are there.
That aside, The Last Ever After is a much better book than A World Without Princes. Sure, it’s got a lot of repetitive themes and the plot from all three books in this trilogy has been, well, essentially the same. Agatha and Sophie are placed on separate teams and the same stuff happens. If you’re read The School for Good and Evil and A World Without Princes, the story in The Last Ever After won’t be a particular surprise. For those who haven’t read the series and are interested, I won’t say anything more here. But the plot is repetitive as a whole and the ending is predictable from the first moments.
Unlike the other two books in the series, The Last Ever After brings something new to the table. This story is bigger than Agatha and Sophie. Chainani brings in the fairytale heroes we know from lore – Peter Pan, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and more. This is a fun twist and it adds a level of depth to the storytelling. However, with that comes more fatphobia, another thing which has been a problem since book one. Dot has regained weight and Sophie in particular spends a lot of time looking disdainfully at the retired fairytale heroes. I found it less alarming here than in The School for Good and Evil, but it’s another thing that was unnecessary in this book.
What I didn’t find in this book and expected to was ageism. There are a couple moments of doubt about the heroes’s ability to assist, but a lot of that was due to their own uncertainty, and I feel like they all grew in the course of the story. It was interesting to see the meshing of the Old and the New within the story. It also helped with the repetitiveness of the plot.
There are… a lot of things that are wrong or don’t work in The Last Ever After – a theme in this series. There are a lot of missed opportunities and unfortunate twists. The character growth is fairly limited, especially in Sophie. It’s why Agatha is my favorite characters: she actually grows a little. And I do like Agatha. And the coven of witches. And I was totally rooting for Hort. Because despite all of its faults (and there are many faults), The Last Ever After managed to pull me in and keep me entertained for all twenty hours of its runtime.
As such, it makes it difficult to recommend The Last Ever After. It’s incredible entertaining, easy to read, and a light-hearted story with some fun characters and interesting relationships. But it’s riddled with concerning material and repetitive storylines. It’s something to keep in mind if you choose to pick up any books in this trilogy, but I do think The Last Ever After is the best of the three. show less
This installment of the School for Good and Evil bring the main storyline from the previous two books to a neat conclusion. The central themes - what makes one good or evil and how far the characters will go for a happy ending - drive the plot. Plenty of twists keep me reading and I think I finished this book faster than the previous two, enough it's longer (or at least my edition was). Overall, an enjoyable read and I'm curious to where the story goes next.
My grade for this book is perhaps unfair, it did get better towards the end but oh man was it a slog to get there. The three book in this series all have the same character development arc. Like, the narrative starts with the main charcters taking 3 steps back, becoming worse versions of themselves than how they started out and working their way back to starus quo of being mildly terrible. The fairytale world makes less and less sense the further you get into the story. Just read Fables ([b:Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile|21326|Fables, Vol. 1 Legends in Exile|Bill Willingham|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375392441s/21326.jpg|1138855]) instead, the relationship between Rose and Snow is similar but more complex and ultimately more show more interesting. show less
What a ride! As in the first two books in this series, I felt like there's so much going on in the story. However, the author cleverly wraps up the story in the end. The author does have a way with words that I found myself at times wincing in pain along with the characters. I think that's testament to what an effective writer is - when he is able to make a reader feel what the characters in the story are feeling.
But, The Last Ever After is not just about heartache and pain, it's also about true love, courage and above all, friendship. This is not your usual fairytale where everyone gets a typical happily ever after.
That being said, I think fans of The School for Good and Evil series will embrace Sophie and Agatha's "the end." A show more brilliant retelling of old, well-loved fairytales mixed in with a new and imaginative plot. Loved it! show less
But, The Last Ever After is not just about heartache and pain, it's also about true love, courage and above all, friendship. This is not your usual fairytale where everyone gets a typical happily ever after.
That being said, I think fans of The School for Good and Evil series will embrace Sophie and Agatha's "the end." A show more brilliant retelling of old, well-loved fairytales mixed in with a new and imaginative plot. Loved it! show less
I really really loath Agatha.
Tedros too but to a lesser degree, though not by much.
And the only reason this book gets 2 stars is because of Sophie, who was the most human and psychologically complex, and like a breath of fresh air after those two morons.
This is so... I'm just so...
I don't even have words to...
This book was so terribly disappointing. I can't even.
Gods, what a nightmare of a book!
I skimmed Agatha and only read Sophie. And I admit to feeling vindictive joy at Tedros' fainting.
I think it's better to pretend there was only [b:The School for Good and Evil|16248113|The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil, #1)|Soman Chainani|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1369559695s/16248113.jpg|21599439] and no additional show more sequels. Saves much heartache. show less
Tedros too but to a lesser degree, though not by much.
And the only reason this book gets 2 stars is because of Sophie, who was the most human and psychologically complex, and like a breath of fresh air after those two morons.
This is so... I'm just so...
I don't even have words to...
This book was so terribly disappointing. I can't even.
Gods, what a nightmare of a book!
I skimmed Agatha and only read Sophie. And I admit to feeling vindictive joy at Tedros' fainting.
I think it's better to pretend there was only [b:The School for Good and Evil|16248113|The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil, #1)|Soman Chainani|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1369559695s/16248113.jpg|21599439] and no additional show more sequels. Saves much heartache. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Top Five Books of 2017
757 works; 231 members
Books Read in 2019
4,052 works; 108 members
hypatian_kat to-read
429 works; 3 members
Library Action/Adventure - Junior and Teenage
158 works; 1 member
Author Information
28+ Works 12,036 Members
Soman Chainani is a graduate of the MFA Film Program at Columbia University, and the recipient of the school's top prize, the FMI Fellowship for Writing and Directing. His short films, DAVY & STU and KALI MA, have played over 150 international film festivals, won over 30 jury and audience awards, and racked up over 1,000,000 YouTube hits. His show more writing awards include honors from Big Bear Lake, the Sun Valley Writer's Fellowship, and the coveted Shasha Grant, awarded by a jury of international film executives. He was also nominated for a NewNowNext Award, sponsored by MTV. Chainani graduated Harvard University summa cum laude, with a degree in English & American Literature. While at Harvard, he focused on fairy tales and wrote his thesis on why evil women make such irresistible fairy-tale villains, winning the Thomas Hoopes Prize and Briggs Prize for his work. Chainani's first novel, The School For Good And Evil, also the title of his trilogy, debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List, has been on ABA's National Indie Bestseller List, has been translated into languages across six continents, and will soon be a major motion picture from Universal Studios. His second novel in the trilogy A World Without Princes, appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List in April of 2014. He also made the list in 2015 with his title The Last Ever After. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Series
Work Relationships
Is contained in
The School for Good and Evil: The Complete 6-Book Box Set: The School for Good and Evil, The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes, The ... A Crystal of Time, The School for Good and by Soman Chainani
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Last Ever After
- Original title
- The Last Ever After
- Alternate titles
- The School for Good and Evil, Book 3
- Original publication date
- 2015-07-21
- People/Characters*
- Agatha; Sophie; Tedros; Gran Maestro; Merlino; Lady Pocus (show all 10); Hester; Anadil; Dot; Hort
- Important places*
- Selva infinita
- Epigraph
- Now, in their love, which was stronger, there were the seeds of hatred and fear and confusion growing at the same time: for love can exist with hatred, each preying on the other, and this is what gives it its greatest fury.
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 - First words
- It is natural to doubt your true love when you do not know if he is young or old.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Sophie looked back, smiling bright as a diamond.
“I’m me.” - Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- [Fic]
- Canonical LCC
- PZ7.C34874 Las 2015
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 1,611
- Popularity
- 14,055
- Reviews
- 16
- Rating
- (3.96)
- Languages
- 7 — English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 34
- ASINs
- 6