Such a great start to the series. The tension between the characters was enthralling and I loved the FMC. The story in this book was slower but the way she set up the world and the magic was perfection. I also liked the darker academia undertones.

I’d been recommended this series a few times and was told to “think Hogwarts but the school is trying to kill you”. I think that is the perfect description of this book!

A Deadly Education is set at a magical school, Scholomance, a place for the magically gifted to develop their craft. However, there are no teachers or administrators there; it is run purely by the school’s magic. Each year on graduation, the finals look a little different for the students. Instead of taking exams, they have to battle monsters and try to make it out alive. But even before graduation day, those monsters are trying to pick off the students. It is every person for themselves in a school intent on killing it’s students.

This story follows El, an extremely powerful student, but whose specific style of magic is difficult to control. She is a loner who has a dark prophecy haunting her. She is snarky, prickly, and so much fun to read about. Her dark power makers her formidable, but she rarely uses it as it is so strong and could hurt the other students if she can’t get a handle on it. The book begins with her being saved, again, by the school’s golden boy, Orion Lake. He is part of one of the strongest enclaves (think wizarding societies where all the strong and popular people live and work together) but for some reason he wants to hang out with El. What follows is a thrilling tale of magic and survival, with an oh so thrilling cliff hanger!

I really enjoyed the start to this series. I will admit, there is a lot of world building that happens, so you really need to pay attention. It can be a bit infodumpy at times, but is needed for how complex the magic and political system seems to be. There is also a big theme of classism with the enclaves vs non-enclavers and how they are treated within the school and society. Those in the enclaves are much more likely to make it to and past graduation, and I think Novik does a great job in addressing the privileges and complexities of this within the book.

I love the FMC. She is so edgy and witty, and entirely used to doing things on her own and having to fend for herself. She won’t suck up to the enclavers and calls them out on their superiority. Orion is such a golden retriever MMC as well, just trying to be nice to everyone and wanting to save them all. He reminds me a bit of Hercules with Meg in the Disney movie. They have a very entertaining dynamic and while there is a very minor romance subplot, it makes for a fun potential coupling.

Overall a great start to this series and I’m excited to read more!

I LOVED this book!

I was already halfway sold but the mentions of a sassy heroine, magic school, and Novik's famous world-building but I wasn't prepared for just how good it would be.

Our main character El is a straight-talking anti-people, strict mana wizard (I can relate to this on many levels) who attends the Sholomance. A teacher-less wizard school where everything once to kill you. Including but not limited to Mals (dark creatures), other students, and at one point even the morning's scrambled eggs. Oh and of course the school itself which slowly spirals you and your fellow classmates down to a graduation hall where near-certain death waits.

Or love interest Orion is an actual badass, not our usual YA hero where we here about how great he is but he just spends most of the time lounging, hardly a chapter goes by without Orion saving someone (or being a show-off as El would put it). There's also a loveable cast of side characters to really get to love.

That ending though!

I can't wait for the next book.

This is not exactly my cup of tea but I enjoyed the world building a lot. I am personally over magic schools but this is a fresh new twist. I know this already has a huge fanbase.

This book was great!!

I love Naomi Novik's writing style and even in this one, it did not disappoint.
The plot was suspenseful and entertaining. The story kept me on the edge of my seat. It has a fast pace to it and develops pretty fast. Sometimes there is a little info dumping. But overall I enjoyed it.

However, I am not that hooked on it that I will continue the series. I had fun, but it just did not get a grip on me.

Thank you to Random House for letting me read A DEADLY EDUCATION.

I didn't really love this one. The setting was what excited me, but the story just didn't meet up to my expectations. I won't be picking up the rest of this series, but I know loads of people who loved it.

I found it quite challenging to stay engaged with this book. I kept reading in the hope that it would improve, but unfortunately, it didn't. The concept was intriguing—combining a magical school with dark academia seemed like a great idea for a setting—but the execution fell short. The plot was flat, with far too many info dumps, and the characters didn't really captivate me, especially the main character, who I found quite irritating. The story relied too much on inner monologue, with very little dialogue between characters, making the romance between Galadriel and Orion feel awkward, forced, and lacking in development. Moreover, the narrative relied heavily on telling instead of showing, which made it feel quite boring. This book had potential, so I might consider continuing the series to see if it improves.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Deadly Education is set in a nightmarish magic school infested with monsters. It was well done. I loved the main character's initial cynical attitude, and the "teen angst". I enjoyed the action scenes and felt it helped with the plot.

It was a great start of the series and can’t wait to continue.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I actively disliked this when I first started reading it, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. The characters grow on you, and once you understand how the school, magic, and universe work, it pulls you in and you have to know what happens next.

You think Hogwarts, I'll think Scholomance.💁‍♀️
All in all a great book, especially in its worldbuilding (magic system, social commentary, order of balance) and its moral (you must look behind the appearences; humans are just that - human; kindness is not a matter of a person's character, but a choice that must be made moment by moment...).

i was almost immediately hooked once i figured out the magic system. El is a fascinating character study of a should be villain and this is one of the most ruthless magical school i’ve ever read, and i LOVE magical schools. so excited to continue the series !

This book had an interesting concept but was poorly executed. It was very repetitive and consisted of them just almost dying by monsters (mals), and killing them with spells. The romance was strange. And the El was soo aggressive for a person who wanted friends / an alliance so badly. It was hard to watch how she interacted with people. Something good about this book were the details. Everything was described so well that it was like a movie in my head. For example: the building was described and at the end of the book it shows a photo of what it looks like and it was very similar to how I seen it in my head. The monsters were lowkey really creepy, but also very detailed. There were some very good things about the book, but the storyline itself fell flat. Which is really sad because it had such potential to be great. I do plan on trying to continue the series to see if it gets any better. Thank you netgalley and random house publishing group for this book. My review is 100% honest.

There has been a lot of criticism and controversy over this book and its author.

I am choosing to side with the marginalized group with this one and leave it at that.

Dark academia at its finest! This book gave Hogwarts vibes, but a lot darker. I enjoyed all the plot elements and characters.

Fantastic! This book is like Harry Potter, but the castle is trying to kill you. I will admit, I had a hard time getting into this book at first. It is a bit confusing, but once you get halfway, it really takes off! The romance between the two main characters - El and Orion - is also beautifully done. El is so spiteful and sarcastic, but honestly, I love when people are sarcastic. Such a good read!

This book has been highly recommended by so many and I thought I would love it.

Unfortunately I found that you were kind of dumped into this universe with little to no explanation. I struggled with the first half of the book simply for that reason. I don’t really understand what the appeal of the story. I was really bummed as a I wanted to like it SO BAD.

I also found the main character to be so much of a “im a bad ass” but was really not a bad ass all? I hate people like that in real life and don’t enjoy reading about them either.

I was not a fan of this novel, unfortunately. I really enjoyed Uprooted and Spinning Silver by this author, but I could not connect with this book. I did not like the main characters, and I found it a little boring. I could not wait to be finished with it. I do not plan on reading more in this series, but I will check out other books by this author. I know others really like this series, so I think the problem lies with me. I enjoy magical school settings, so I thought this would be a sure winner for me. However, it wasn't. I found the lack of teachers/direction to be unrealistic and wondered why anyone would want to attend this school.

While the concept and plot of the book initially intrigued me, along with some compelling side characters, the execution ultimately fell short due to the author's writing style. The narrative is heavily dominated by internal monologues and narration, constituting about 80% of the content. This approach not only leads to excessive info-dumping but also includes tedious and repetitive descriptions that stall the story's progression. The lack of engaging dialogue and excessive 'telling' rather than 'showing' made it difficult to remain invested.

Additionally, the main character presented significant challenges. From the outset, she is portrayed as rude, obnoxious, and selfish—traits that she is aware of but indifferent to changing. Her persistent lack of development or redemption only compounded my frustration, leaving me with little hope for her character arc.

I find myself hopeful that the next installment might shift towards more dynamic character interactions and less reliance on internal reflections. The potential for a richer, more engaging narrative is there, if only the pacing and character development can be improved to truly bring the intriguing plot and vibrant side characters to life.

I very much loved this book and will be recommending it to library patrons at my job. An excellent series kickoff that left me wanting more.

"A Deadly Education" by Naomi Novik is a captivating dark academia novel set in the perilous Scholomance, a school for magically gifted students where survival is key. The world-building is intricate, and the school itself feels alive with danger and mystery. El, the cynical and sharp-witted protagonist, is refreshingly unique and her development throughout the story is engaging.

The magic school setting is particularly enjoyable, adding a fresh twist to familiar tropes seen in books like "Harry Potter" and "The Magicians." The book excels in exploring themes of privilege and power within its magical setting, making it thought-provoking as well as entertaining. While the dense information dumps can sometimes slow the pacing, the overall narrative remains compelling. Fans of dark academia and fantasy will find this a standout read.