A review by nytephoenyx
A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I think that the School of Good and Evil books are starting to grow on me.  I like the developmental swings the characters took in A World Without Princes, and I liked the world evolution in this story.  I gave the second book in this series a chance because of the amusement and charm of The School for Good and Evil, but now I’m actually invested.

First, I want to address the main issue I had in The School for Good and Evil – the stereotypical princess.  The diet culture and the beautification elements sat poorly with me in the first book.  I felt as a culture we’d moved past all that, you know?  On some level I’m sure it was self-aware (I hope?) but it wasn’t something I enjoyed reading.  In A World Without Princes everything’s changed.  Even though we’re falling into (again) some stereotypes, they’re fewer and better addressed… and certainly self-aware.  This book is more than a fairytale with the traditional villain/princess swapped.

In many ways the plot was similar the first book in the series, but with some characters moved around.  We still have the separate schools, we still have the ridiculous lessons, and we still have the trial at the end.  In all fairness, I thought the twist at the very end was fantastic (didn’t so much love the part right before that, though).  Chainani set up the book with a bit of a cliffhanger, but you also can make a pretty good guess as to what’s coming in the next book so you don’t need to rush and pick it up if you aren’t intrigued.

I would say that A World Without Princes is not for everyone.  I have seen a lot of reviews calling out sexist language and themes in this series, but especially in this book.  I personally thought that this book was well aware of how ridiculous the curriculum in the fairytale world was (and I think this was true in The School of Good and Evil as well) and so I took the school theming of boys vs. girls very lightly.  That said, I don’t have definitive proof on hand that this was the intent of the novel, so read carefully before picking it up because the fairytale world is very heavy on “girls rule, boys drool” in this sequel.

My personal feel on A World Without Princes was that it was more fun than the original and it toned down a lot of the over-the-top themes that bothered me.  I really dislike Agatha’s end with a fiery passion, and I am hugely disappointed in Tedros.  I would like to see more of Dot and Hester.  I’m going to keep reading this series, even though it’s middle grade and far out of my demographic, because I find it entertaining and charming and amusing.  It’s something I would have loved when I was younger, I think, and if The Last Ever After improves on A World Without Princes, then even better.
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