This is a magic school story done right!

I just got approved for this book which had been on my wishlist for a couple years, so by the time I got approved I had already read it a while back. I'm a newcomer to Naomi Novik and am glad that this isn't just another run-of-the-mill magic school HP knockoff. On the contrary, the premise is built well and the story is great. The writing style really worked well and kept the story moving at a great pace. I binged the book in a single day, which is not something I do often.

Overall, it's a great book and I highly recommend it. I will be checking out Novik's other works.

I've always liked books that take place in a school, whether or not it's a magic school. I liked it when El, the main character, talked about her classes, books, language practice, and other things. There was sometimes a little too much information about how the magic system and the school itself work, which I didn't mind because when it comes to fantasy, I'm generally more interested in the world building than the actual plot. This book is set in a very interesting and unusual place: a magic school that actually tries to kill its students. I've never read anything like this before. The way the world is put together is great! At first, I was a little lost because I didn't know many of the words. Once you figure it out, though, you are completely submerged in the dark and sometimes creepy atmosphere of the school.

I really liked the main character, who was a cocky and snarky girl who didn't need anyone. I liked reading the story from her point of view because I think she has a very interesting personality. Sometimes she's a little too angry and mean, but let's just say it's because she's a teenager.

My first thought about this book was "no plot, just vibes," but i was wrong. In the second half, the story starts to come together, so by the end of the book, I was really into it, especially in the last pages. This book definitely got my attention, and I'm sure I'll also read the second book in the series, The Last Graduate.

4 stars

*Thank you to the publicist at Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me this book to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

A Deadly Education is set in a world not so different from our own, but of course, some have the gift-- or curse-- of magic. The problem is that there are monsters roaming around that just happen to feed off of this magic. For the older more experienced magic wielders, it's not as big of a deal because they are able to defend themselves. The young? Not so much. However, they were able to come up with a solution. The Scholomance. It's the safest place for young wielders to be as they learn to use their gifts. The catch is that this school, with no teachers and even fewer friendships, provides many deadly lessons. The only way out of the school is to graduate, but some don't make it that far.

The Scholomance is basically Hogwarts, but it's trying to eat the students. Honestly a really great read. I would say it's a it on the darker side, but not so much that I would call it gruesome. There are brilliant characters, so many obstacles, and even a little bit of romance. However, I'd say that the best part about this book was the world building. I liked how it was so modern, but at the same time so enveloped in this fantastical school. It just all felt so mechanical and dangerous and I ate it up. Novik didn't actually come up with the Scholomance, as it is already an existing fable, but the way she incorporated it so flawlessly into her book made it really unique and different from what I've read in the past.

Each kid has a sort of magic affinity or specialty, and it was really cool to hear about all the abilities. (I really liked how the magic was tied to languages as well.) Our main girl, El, has the affinity of world destruction…ya. As you can probably guess, that makes her a bit of a loner, since nobody really wants to associate with the kid who might kill them one day. I feel like this was a bit of a flaw in Novik's writing. I liked how it made El such a tough independent character, but it felt like we weren't able to meet other characters as much and it all revolved around El. I would have liked to see more side characters and watch them develop as well as El, but I still loved reading about her fight to survive the Scholomance.

I've actually attempted reading both Uprooted and Spinning Silver (other works by Naomi Novik) in the past, but I found that I couldn't get into them and ended up DNFing them within the first 50 pages. However, I'm glad I had the chance to read her newest series because I've found I enjoyed it so much more. I've already read the second book, in the series, The Last Graduate, and I'm excited to get into the finale.

"a deadly education" is the first novel in a new series by naomi novik. this is my first time reading novik's work, but i've heard great things. unfortunately, this read like YA to me.

galadriel, el for short, is in the scholomance, a school for witches and wizards that is incredibly dangerous. students fight for their lives day and night; it is even dangerous to remain in your dorm room alone.

el is a bossy, rude character, but i appreciate her independence and superb lack of grace. she has a good grasp on the construct of magic and building malia. but, she seems to be the helpless maiden as orion saves her constantly.

near the end of this novel, it became increasingly obvious that it was a romance novel. i felt that there was an extreme lack of description. you never know what anything looks like, even the characters themselves. it was difficult to follow most of the time, but i did enjoy it.

I just got an email saying my wish for this was granted. Ummmm, that was probably three years ago, since this has been out since 2020. So, now I have to give feedback. I didn't really like this book when I read it two years ago. It did not live up to expectations. I did not continue the rest of the series.

A dark academia novel that is the first in a trilogy. I read this novel 3 years ago and was just wish-granted so just throwing my 2 cents in. I enjoyed this novel, and the subsequent 2 that followed, immensely.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House (even 3 years later) for this e-arc.*

What a wild ride!

A bit Harry Potter, but darker and I thoroughly loved it. It pulled me in from the start and didn't let go through the entire series with interesting characters, non-stop action and complex worldbuilding.

Can't wait for book 2.

I absolutely love this series, and THE END is totally gripping. I appreciated how fresh the worldbuilding is, with the school's structure and the danger that seems to lurk around every corner.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to have access to this title.

Considering I read this three years ago, heres my completed review! Fastest in the west right here.

I loved this dark academia adventure! Naomi Novik is a masterful storyteller and has a vision when she writes her stories. This book is definitely a dense one so prepare to really dive in. If youve read Babel, then you know exactly what im talking about. This is a completed trilogy and I can't wait for wait Naomi comes out with next!

I absolutely loved A Deadly Education. This is such a unique take on the wizarding school, with beautiful prose (Naomi Novik always has the most incredible descriptions and world building) and deadly stakes. Even though only a quarter of the students make it out alive, this is the safest these wizards will be in their entire lives. You'd think with such a dark outlook, this book would be bleak, but it's honestly hilarious and charming and fun. Even with the killer creatures lurking around every corner waiting to eat you alive.

"Nobody gets to live or not live because they deserve it, deserving doesn’t count for a thing."

The relationship between the two main characters, El and Orion, was also incredibly fun. I loved his protectiveness, even though El really didn't need it. We love a MMC who can see beyond the stereotypes and the opinions of the "popular kids", and whose also incredibly un-self-aware. He's the hero who isn't trying to be a hero for any other reason than... he just wants to kill stuff. And El is prophesized to bring death and destruction to the world. The perfect pairing.

Highly recommend this weird, unusual story.

3.5

I had to re-evaluate this one in light of the racial micro aggressions being pointed out. I overlooked many while reading as I liked other aspects of the book and other books by this author so much.
*Update* Naomi Novik made a public apology on her Twitter and promised to do better going forward, so that was definitely a step in the right direction that I really appreciate.

This book was not at all what I was expecting it to be, but I still enjoyed it a whole lot! There's something to be said for a story set in a school where the students must actively fight for their survival till graduation (whether it's against magical opponents or their fellows) that still somehow manages to inject humor and sarcasm in a fun way. It's entertaining, and, though the start is a bit slow, like the other Novik novels I've read, it definitely picks up!

Years of rejection due to her aura of darkness have made El prickly and unfriendly to her fellow schoolmates. No one at the deadly school for mages, Scholomance, knows that El has amazing killing magic, or that a prophecy says she is fated to rain death and destruction on other mages. When El attracts the unwelcome attention of Orion, the Scholomance’s hero and savior, she not only acquires an unlikely companion but discovers heroism in herself. With her help as well as Orion’s, their fellow students might just survive four years at a school that wants to kill them.

After a rocky beginning, this fantasy young adult novel got its bearings and became—probably—the book I had the most fun reading this year. The first time I read it, I loved the last 60%, so much so that I read that part twice more. Then I went back to the beginning and read the entire book again, this time enjoying all of it. I think I may have read it one more time after that.

I normally love Naomi's stories but for some reason, this volume, apparently the first in a new series, was very challenging. It took me forever to get into this world and even longer to figure out what it was about.

It feels like the entire first half was set up and the second half is where the other characters come to life and become interesting.

Our heroine feels like a jaded, yet innocent, YA protagonist.

There's a casualness about dying teenagers that pervades the book and doesn't sit well with me. As a result, I have skipped volumes two and three.

This has been a long awaited read for me! I am finally finished and I can sigh with relief…just kidding! That cliff hanger at the end is going to leave me questioning everything. But alas, we must continue on with this review, haha.

To me, this wasn’t like anything I have read by this author before. I read and loved Uprooted and thought Spinning Silver was okay but this one just felt so different but in a good way.

The title promises a deadly education and it doesn’t disappoint. From crazy monsters in the dark to psycopath students who want to feed off you, this school doesn’t have the best survival rate but it does make for an interesting story!

From the very beginning, Galadriel or El for short is introduced and she has it out for a guy named Orion Lake who happens to be the hero she never wanted. She is rude to pretty much everyone and maybe evil like some people think but she doesn’t let that stop her.

Throughout the book she comes out of her shell more and more. I liked to see her progress and her realization that even though people may seem one way on the outside, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have their own struggles.

The relationship that her and Orion have is a pretty interesting one. I wouldn’t say that its enemies-to-lovers because she is the one doing all of the hating, haha. He does save her quite a bit and it was fun to read the sarcasm that spewed from El! Whatever they have between them is very slow and by the end you just want them to get it all out there.

The pacing for this book can be seen as slow with a lot of information being thrown at us from the beginning but I didn’t mind it. Some books lack with setup, especially when it comes to the magic system, but this author gives us everything we need to know.

The plot wasn’t what I expected in some ways but I liked where it took me. It was filled with interesting plot twists and many tense moments.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and I am looking forward to the sequel. The cliffhanger gave me a giant unanswered question and I am going to be dying for the answers!
Edit Review

A Deadly Education does something really unique: it gives you an extremely unlikable protagonist and makes you actually like her and want her to succeed. Our feisty little ball of bitterness and vitriol spends most of the book hating on everyone around her - all the while fighting off all manners of scary creatures (including nasty humans). But the book is strangely catching and once you start reading, it is hard to put it down.

Story: El joins the deadly school for mages knowing it is likely a one-way ticket to the grave. Many students don't survive the creatures that infest the halls and the ones that do survive tend to be from wealthy guilds who stick together. A lone straggler like El is a waving red flag to every supernatural creature that prowls the grounds. But it should be no surprise that a girl whose every spell is destructive and who has been prophesized to destroy the mages might have a few aces up her sleeve. But it won't be easy to survive, especially alone.

The story revolves around El meeting other students and slowly earning respect and friends among the other stragglers. Along the way, she'll also have to work with the guild elites - many of whom have no qualms about killing her. One of those, a 'white knight' but incredibly dense young man named Orion, will become fixated on her, sure she is the one sucking souls and killing fellow students. As expected, El treats him (Orion) with disdain. But they are among the strongest in the school and each with different skillsets that might just be needed to learn exactly what is happening to the school. If they don't kill each other first.

The mystery is the school itself: it is in its own dimension and wasn't created to be deadly. But something has clearly gone wrong over the centuries and it is becoming more and more dangerous. The elders are unable to remove the dangers but at the same time want only the best mages and so force their children to attend. The school is a crucible to test skill and mettle and the guilds write off the student deaths as being from students who could not survive in the magical world anyway.

Of note: those expecting a Harry Potter should look elsewhere. El is a hard, bitter character (but incredibly funny in her own snarky way) and this is not a 'feel good' type of book. As well, some think the 'mance" in Scholomance means romance and don't realize it means magic. There isn't much romance here at all in this first book.

In all, I listened to the Audible version and had mixed feelings on the narration. Some was very good but other accents and voices were joltingly odd or felt inappropriate for the character. She did an excellent job with El, though.

This was an addictive read that had me invested right from the beginning. I never wanted the story to end and greatly look forward to the next book in the series.

Not sure why I was granted this 3 years after publication! I will say that I read this one awhile back and loved it. The Dark academia vibes were amazing. The story was well done and kept me interested.

This was my first book by Novik and I really enjoyed it! The world building was a wild ride, and sometimes difficult to follow, but it felt like we were on that wild ride right alongside the main character. I’m so excited to find out more in the rest of the series!

A Deadly Education reminded me a lot of Nevernight: a nonexistent plot and questionable content in regard to race set at an *edgy* school.

OK, 5 stars is not enough for this book, or this series really. I have listened to the audiobook of this at least half a dozen times, no exaggeration, and the entire series at least three times. This is perhaps my favorite series or book from Naomi Novik, and that is saying something, since I haven't read a book of hers yet that I haven't loved. I've read and listened to Uprooted and Spinning Silver multiple times each and read the entire Temeraire series. A Deadly Education is my "comfort read" audio book, because the story pulls the reader in hard and keeps the reader anchored. My "complaint" for the first two books are the cliff hanger endings, which I understand some people like. Myself, I like a book to have a natural end, so it doesn't feel like a super long book broken unnaturally into multiple parts for marketing. However, Ms. Novik clearly chose to use the cliffhanger endings, and they work for her. And the audiobook narrator is a brilliant choice, no doubt.

The book is the first in a trilogy, and as far as I know, there are no plans to go beyond this, and I think the author chose well. Each book covers different ranges of time. A Deadly Education follows approximately the last four weeks or so of junior year in a magical boarding school, while the second book covers the entire senior year, and the third book covers a few weeks after graduation. This makes for some difference in the perspective of the passage of time within each book, but that does not mean any of the books lag. Ms. Novik keeps a nice pace to the action, with a suitable buildup and time for character and plot development. The series follows "El" as she navigates the deadly school, trying to protect herself and her friends, from different types of threats in each book. I'll leave out plot details to avoid spoiling this, but I will say that, despite some mild romantic description, foul language, and potential triggers (abduction, violence), this is a book/series that I would be comfortable sharing with a child in high school or an adult, as the series is compelling. The language is much what you would expect a room of adolescents from different cultures might use talking together, and the romantic conduct and violence are not gratuitous and serve to advance the plot. The reader simply does not want to put the book down. I can honestly say I was angry after A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate, as I had to wait for the story to continue. I felt The Golden Enclaves gave proper closure to the story, although there are enough plot lines established that Ms. Novik could continue the story should she choose to do so in the future. If you are thinking about this book, be prepared to read all three, as you won't want to stop the story.

And to be clear, this is not a Harry Potter riff. The entire school, wizard community, and world view are different, and magic works much differently in the two story worlds. This has more of a modern fantasy feel than the Harry Potter series.