The School for Good and Evil: The Last Ever After

(In which the road to Ever After is always a difficult battle.)

***

Reading this book late at night gave me pimples. And all I can give it back is a blog post.

I can no longer clearly recall the details from the first two books of this series. If you need some refresher, click here for The School for Good and Evil book review.

Or maybe just watch this.

For The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes book review, click here.

And watch this, too.

If there is something about the first two books that strongly left me (and I say this with no remorse whatsoever) it's that I hate Sophie with a passion. And for good reason. She was a user and an abusive "bestfriend" to Agatha. Why and how Agatha fails to realize that Sophie is worse than a frenemy is beyond me (even after finishing the series). Or maybe I'm the close-minded one.

So it is no surprise how the first several chapters of this book began: Sophie is back on finding an ending befitting a princess for herself. And (insert adjective here) Agatha is always right there to clean up the mess.

When the School Master (whom everyone thought was Good, only to be revealed as Evil) took Sophie to his fortress after he almost killed Tedros, Sophie was left with a decision to either take the ring he offers her as a sign of their true, undying love, or let the sun die and the world along with it.

So she took the ring.

Only the ring makes the School Master (whose real name is Rafal) immortal as long as Sophie is wearing it. Sophie (is once again) deceived in her relentless pursuit of being a queen of a handsome boy from whatever kingdom.

And Agatha and Tedros' mission is, of course, to convince Sophie to destroy the ring herself (since no one else can) using the Excalibur and save the world.

And that was easier said than done. Unfortunately, time is running out. Evil also wanted their own happy ending. Villains are killing their Good nemeses.

The last book of Soman Chainani's series seems like something straight out of a Tolkien novel with some Filipino soap opera plot staples. But the backstories of famous fairy tales can definitely give Hollywood fairy tale reboots a run for their money – which is good since it's going to be turned into a movie soon.

Despite its childish façade, The Last Ever After insisted on the point that experience kept on emphasizing: that the obsessive pursuit of happiness is a trap sure to end in tragedy. True. Some parts of the story kept on transporting readers from suspending-disbelief to utter-disbelief zones ... and back. But it's a huge solace to know that love wins every time.

And just like the first two posts for this series, here's the wickedly transfixing book trailer.

Currently reading:

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

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The School for Good and Evil: The Last Ever After

Clara and Mr. Tiffany

Bridesmaids by Jane Costello

It's been a while. A lot has taken place, so reading and blogging have been pushed aside for so long I can no longer remember. But they're both back.

And since the hiatus seems to make me unprepared for reading all of a sudden, I restarted with a light read.

Enter: Bridesmaids by Jane Costello.

It opens up with the 27-year-old Evie, who was assigned as the bridesmaid for her bestfriend Grace' wedding. Her main task is to make the bride ready to walk down the aisle. 

That wasn't an easy task. 

When Grace finally got ready minutes before the ceremony, Evie then decided to slip in some breast enhancers she calls "chicken fillets". She looks as gorgeous as she can be. Only the chicken fillets popped out. And the ridiculously handsome Jack saw it.

So apparently her love story with Jack ended before it even started. And to make matters worse, Jack is dating her self-proclaimed Angelina Jolie look-alike friend, Valentina.

But just when she thought all hope is lost, Chance had its own way to play with all of them.

A light and easy read, Bridesmaids is a big beautiful promise of a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. Its humorous take on life's hardest situations makes it as realistic as any reader could hope it could be. Three quarters to the novel and you'll feel tricked, though. The humor can be so successful in leading you away from a huge elephant in the room. But worry not. Jane's got you covered. At the end of the story you'll realize that happily ever after, as well as fashion tastes, is very relative.

Currently reading:

Pure by Julianna Baggott

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Bridesmaids by Jane Costello

Pure by Julianna Baggott

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

(In which it is frustrating.)

***

One way to know if a book is good is when one sees several blurbs in the first pages. If there were so many of them, then the reader is in luck. This blurb test is, of course, not a standard, but it's a start. And when I read the blurbs for Jay Asher's "Thirteen Reasons Why", I knew I was in luck.

Thirteen Reasons Why narrates the heartbreaking journey of Clay Jenkins around town as he listens to a set of thirteen cassette tapes (cassette tapes!) he received in the mail a few days back. After listening for the first several seconds, he knew right away that it was from Hannah Baker, his classmate who committed suicide. What’s chilling is the fact that twelve other people have received or have to receive the tapes and that they all are the reasons for Hannah’s death. Along with the tapes is a map where important places for Hannah are marked. These marked places are unforgettable to her, like the people who contribute to Hannah’s decision to take her own life.

I read the book thinking it was another take on the horror film “The Ring” and that there might be a curse on the cassette tapes since the tapes needed to be passed along to the next person on the list, otherwise, something terrible will happen. But, no. There was no avenging ghost. No curses. Or maybe a little. The curse is set on the conscience of those who listened. 

It was a quick read. And it was a haunting read. It’s the kind of haunting that does not scare you. At least Hannah didn’t sound eerie in the tapes. But it haunts you in the sense that it will let you – force you – to look back at all the years you’ve lived. It will force you to remember details about your interactions with others: your family, your teachers, your classmates, your friends, your enemies, even strangers. It will force you to recall kind deeds, kind words, rude deeds and rude words. It will force you to think back what evil you may have caused to the life of someone as you try to peacefully navigate your daily life. You will remember deaths. And you will remember the last time you talk to people before they died and wonder how you affected their lives.

It made me uneasy. But it didn’t stop me from reading. It made me sad. But, surprisingly, it didn’t make me cry.

I finished the book in 5 hours. And then I wondered at the solace it gave me. I should have wept and felt bad that a promising life was lost due to the frailty of today's youth's self-esteem and their constant need for social acceptance. I should have mourned for a seemingly innocent and pure love that never took place. If not for the dead girl, I should have been full of regret for the poor boy she left behind.

I felt sad for Hannah. But her decision is, apart from the terrible making of the terribly ill-advised children in her school, is a product of a series of terrible decisions. She needed help. But just like so unfortunate people. She tried to get help from the wrong people when all the while the only person who could save her has always been there and she sent him away. She is a victim, yes. But that doesn’t justify anything.

Instead of mourning for her death, I chose to celebrate life for those who took the tougher road and managed to stay alive despite the struggle to fit in this cruel world. I believe Hannah’s story is about these truly strong people as it is about her.

Currently reading:

The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr

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Thirteen Reasons Why

The Lost Painting