The School For Good & Evil discussion

School for Good and Evil is a book series about two bestfriends who get taken to a school, one for villains, the other for heroes;

Long ago, twin brothers Rhian and Rafal founded the School for Good and Evil, created to groom fairy tale heroes (called "Evers") and villains (called "Nevers") respectively. Dissatisfied with evil’s constant submission to good, Rafal attacks Rhian using blood magic, forcing Rhian to throw Rafal off a cliff, presumably killing him.

Years later, in the village of Gavaldon, best friends Sophie and Agatha learn about the legendary school from the bookshop owner. While the cynical, misfit Agatha is skeptical, fairy tale-obsessed Sophie dreams of escaping ordinary life and becoming a princess. A few nights later, Sophie attempts to run away from Gavaldon in secret. When Agatha finds out and tries to intervene, a giant stymph suddenly snatches up both, flying them to the School. To their dismay, however, Agatha is dropped at the School for Good while Sophie is delivered to the School for Evil. Agatha protests, wishing to return to Gavaldon, while Sophie insists she belongs in Good. Agatha and Sophie seek out School Master Rhian and the magical Storian pen. Rhian informs Sophie he'll only allow her to switch schools if she can prove herself an Ever by attaining true love's kiss. Sophie casts Prince Tedros, the son of King Arthur, as her true love and enlists Agatha’s help.

Agatha and Sophie struggle in their respective classes and are outcast by their peers. Though Agatha is vocally critical of Good’s superficiality, Ever Dean Clarissa Dovey argues her sense of empathy makes her the first true princess in a long time. Meanwhile, Rafal manifests as a wasp swarm and defends Sophie from another student’s attack. Never Dean Leonora Lesso interprets this as Sophie's unique potential for finally winning a victory for Evil, something thought impossible for centuries.

When Sophie tries to get close to Tedros, Lesso cuts her hair to break her spirit. Under Rafal's influence, Sophie undergoes a radical change in both appearance and personality; gaining the favor of the Nevers and rising to the unofficial position of leader of Evil's student body. Though she diverges from Agatha, the latter still tries to aid Sophie by using magic to bring her and Tedros together. An Ever and a Never being together causes chaos between both schools; Rhian determines a "Trial by Tale" to settle the issue. At the Trial, Sophie ends up proving inept in defending herself and Tedros, prompting an infiltrating Agatha to save him in her stead. This results in Tedros ultimately rejecting Sophie for choosing self-preservation over him, with the prince starting a relationship with Agatha.

Convinced by Rafal that Agatha is her enemy, Sophie accepts his offer of blood magic. Sophie incapacitates Dovey, Lesso, and the other school staff, and crashes the Evers’ Ball, now physically transformed into a hag. She threatens Agatha and goads Tedros into attacking the School for Evil. However, by attacking, the Evers break the law of “Good defends, Evil attacks”; resulting in the Nevers and Evers magically switching places and a violent battle breaking out.

When Sophie goes to seek revenge on Rhian, he reveals himself to have been Rafal all along, having survived the fall and killed Rhian, assuming his identity and manipulating Good's stories to weaken Good from within, favoring Evil. He then proposes he and Sophie to rule together, declaring her his true love. As they kiss, both Schools start collapsing, horrifying Sophie. When Agatha arrives, Rafal tries to impale her with the Storian. Sophie pushes Agatha out of the way and takes the fatal hit; her sacrifice undoes Rafal's spell, saving everyone. Agatha, with Sophie and Tedros' help, kills Rafal with Excalibur. Agatha kisses the dying Sophie goodbye; this proves to be a demonstration of true love and revives Sophie.

The Evers and Nevers reconcile, and the restored school staff decide to unite the two schools into one. A portal to Gavaldon opens, and Agatha kisses Tedros before crossing over with Sophie, returning to their old lives. However, an arrow and a mysterious knife pierce the veil between worlds, with Tedros pleading he needs Agatha; the Storian then states that "this is only the beginning."