The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes

I was enchanted enough with the first book, that I went ahead and picked up the second. Honestly, the story was so tied up at the end of the first book that I didn't really know where Chainani could go in the second book.

Apparently, when a reader does something strange in the fairy tale world school, it does strange things to the whole world. So, Sophie and Agatha got to go home, but once there they each find that they are unhappy for one reason or another. Sophie is still having a hard time with her father and wishes she could see her mother again. Agatha has moments of regretting her choice to go home with Sophie and wishes for Tedros. They are soon lured back to the fairy tale school but find that everything is different. The schools are no longer for good and evil but have instead becomes a school for girls and a school for boys. The sexes are at war, or nearly so because Agatha proved that a princess did not necessarily need a prince.

Of course, Sophie and Agatha are at the heart of the conflict and it just isn't clear what the right path is.

So good things: Tedros becomes something more than an annoying and self-righteous prick. I also like that the narrative puts Tedros and Sophie on even footing by having him echo things Sophie has said. The pacing issue in the first book is fixed in the second. I like the way the evil students and good students find common ground, even if it feels temporary.

And the bad things: The story is getting annoyingly moralizing. It seems like Chainani's world is punishing action over intention. Sophie often acts with good intention and she just keeps getting smacked down in a way that I'm finding annoying. I don't really like Sophie. I wouldn't hang out with her given a chance but it just seems like she's being bullied by the story and I hate bullies. Agatha seems more than usually powerless which I don't like but may also be temporary leading in to the third book.

All in all, there is stronger and smoother writing in the second book but the plot line is more confusing. Certainly, A World Without Princes was a more enjoyable read than the first book.