I was excited to read this book, but it just didn't grab me. I've tried the past two titles by Novik and haven't finished any of them. I'd hoped that, based on the description, it was just that those two previous titles weren't to my taste, but I think it may be the author's writing. There's nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't resonate with me. Lots of readers adore Novik's books, and I'm happy to recommend them to library customers all the time. Granted, the pandemic has wreaked havoc on my reading habits and I've had a lot of trouble finishing any book this year; however, since this is the third time my "rut" has occurred with Novik, I think it's safe to say she's not for me.

DNF @ 14 %

A Deadly Education was just all parts confusing and messy. Unfortunately (for me), it wasn't the good kind of confusing and messy. This is such a huge disappointment. I've heard nothing but good things about the book and now I can't help but wonder if I read another book entirely?

The premise was great and original. I even grew to like the MC, Galadriel, in the very few pages I've read. Maybe in another lifetime I would love this.

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I read for 3 hours straight because I needed to know what would happen next.

A DEADLY EDUCATION is like a dark mashup of Harry Potter -- if the only class was Defense Against the Dark Arts -- complete with the magical puberty problems and monster-attraction issues ala Percy Jackson, but if instead of Buffy we had Faith saving the world all the time.. though hella reluctantly. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

This book is nothing like what I expected a book by Novik would be. This, for all the darkness and the fact that it's set inside a castle that seems to be actively working to kill it's residents --- or at last lead it's inhabitants into a position to die and casually look away -- is funny, quippy, and strange.

Unlike Harry Potter or Percy Jackson or even Faith, we are tossed into the depths of things via Galadriel's (El's) point of view. She isn't a noob blinking big innocent eyes as she wanders into this new world, no. She's in her second to last year, having survived many years, many near deaths, with a prophecy already hanging over her head; she's full of the bitterness and disdain from years of rejections, years of loneliness, and completely unimpressed when the school's hero not only suddenly takes a shine to her but also saves her life.. a lot.

I liked our MC so much. I thought El's snarky voice, her rudeness, was great. She has cultivated her niche deliberately because of circumstances completely out of her control but as delightful as she is at the onset, I loved her journey and evolution even more. Equally fun was Orion, the hero, the saviour, was equally not as one-note as he could've been. There are layers to both these characters and their interactions were a lot of fun as this definitely leaned into the enemies-turned-reluctant-allies-turned-friends trope. Infact, I don't think I disliked a single character? Yes, I, too, am shook.

Though we never leave this young-person death trap of a school, Novik still manages to make her world feel big. This is helped not only because of the diversity of the students we are exposed to but, more importantly, all the Enclaves all over the world (think of them as Shadowhunter Institutes) they might be invited to after graduation if they are smart, skilled, or sought after enough. The rules are strange. I won't explain further but.. don't expect House points!

I had such a good time reading this, despite how different it was from my expectations, and I devoured it in less than a day. I enjoyed this so much and am very intrigued and very keen for more.

From the beginning few chapters I had mixed feelings about this book. The first third of a book has little plot progression and focuses a lot on world building. The author does a lot of this through info dumping which can be a bit tedious. Despite questioning if I wanted to continue, I stuck in there. I am so glad I did! The second half of the book is filled with character development, action and craziness. The world building is imaginative and original. I loved the twist on 'magic school', where learning was important for survival. The characters are diverse and interesting. There is a lot of angst in the book on the part of the main character, El. I felt this to be very much in line with her judgemental attitude towards other characters and their motivations. I really liked seeing the growth in El through the book and how she eventually began to open up to the other character. Over all, an enjoyable, interesting and exciting read. I finished the book very excited to read the next installment. This is definitely a series I will follow in the future.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy and the opportunity to read the beginning of this exciting new series by Naomi Novik!

Well this has become an instant new favorite. I can't wait for the rest of the series! I'll admit that the beginning was slow going. There's a lot of info-dumping that made my head spin a bit. El is also not an instant BFF character. She took a big portion of the book for me to warm up to. But, man, the world building is top-notch and the story is super exciting. This book is like a twisted Harry Potter with an evil Hogwarts mixed with The Hunger Games.

I want to film a fake infomerical that's like "Did you grow up on Harry Potter? Are you now finished with grad school, and a little grumpier than you used to be? Pick up A Deadly Education wherever books are sold." This and the next Victoria Lee, a Lesson in Vengeance please. It's like Harry Potter meets the Secret History but also with way more monsters constantly. 

I've only ever read one Naomi Novik book--Spinning Silver, recently--but when I heard this was like dark, feminist, magic school, I was like "okay yes plz sign me up" and this is such a unique "magic school" boarding school because it's basically Hell and also there are no professors and you're basically set up to die. Oops, right? Well, enter El, short for Galadriel from the Lord of the Rings because this book is magical but also set in a mildly familiar world outside the school.  We meet El after the class golden boy has saved her life for the second time, and he's not letting her out of her sight. The presence of Orion Lak in her life, and the way that makes others treat her, sets El on a crash course towards the end of the semester and the seniors graduation that includes a heck ton of "mals" trying to end them, a stabbing in her bedroom, a new alliance, enclave offers, new spellbooks appearing out of thin air, and El's dreadful power is about to be put to the test. 

I really enjoyed this book! It wasn't as...schooly as I thought, maybe because of how monster-filled it was. Yes, I kept screaming at Orion and El to just make out already, but what really drove me through this book was just trying to figure out how it was going to end. I'm excited to see what happens in book 2, because we've still got El's senior year, but this book basically took place over a month or two, so maybe El's senior year will be more than just one book? It'll definitely be interesting! The magic system is really fascinating, something new for me a non-fantasy reader, but I also liked how well Novik explained the facets of the school. Can't wait to go back!

A Deadly Education is one of those rare books that I immediately knew had the potential to be huge--like The Hunger Games or Divergent or The Maze Runner level, although it'll be interesting to see how being published by an adult SFF imprint rather than as YA will affect that--and which will doubtless bring an even bigger wave of readers to Naomi Novik's already passionate fanbase. Short version, it's a brilliant and better written answer to Harry Potter and The Magicians, and I'm praying this will be the project of Naomi's that finally makes it to the screen and makes her the household name she deserves to be! I can't wait for the next two.

Naomi Novik absolutely dominates any other Scholomance tale with Deadly Education. The world-building is world class and the characters are vivid. This isn’t a Wicked type-story, it’s way more than that. To say that it’s about the villain perspective would be selling it short.

This narration in this novel is snarky, sensitive, and laugh-out-loud witty. Galadriel (what a name to give the main character!) is bold yet introverted, an outcast yet a charismatic and loyal friend. I will be recommending this book to everyone.

Amazing. Simply, brilliantly, astoundingly amazing. A Deadly Education is Naomi Novik's best novel yet, and I am thrilled it's the start of a new series. Absolutely recommended!

Thanks SO MUCH to NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy!
Well. We know Naomi Novik can write dragon stories. She can write fairy tale fantasies. Now we know she can also kick the heck out of the somewhat tired magic-school story! This was so much more than I expected! This takes the old trope down a pretty dark corner, but I loved it so much! GREAT worldbuilding, I can practically smell the place. Great character development. CRAZY ending cliffhanger! Folks, this one is GOOD! I practically inhaled it whole. Do Not Miss.

A Deadly Education was an adrenaline-fueled ride from start to finish. Some readers may have a hard time connecting with El - she's definitely an "unlikable" heroine - but she's a super=powered sorceress who could probably end the world. No one knows this, but they steer clear of her anyway. Frankly, I found her refusal to adhere to social niceties refreshing! The story does meander at times with quite a few info dumps, but the world and magic system Naomi Novik has created is complicated so that can't really be helped. It really picks up in the back half and with that cliffhanger ending, I'm totally invested in seeing how this all plays out.

At this point, I'm not sure if Ms. Novik is for me. She writes ideas that sounds totally up my alley, from her fairy tale retellings with dark, magical woods to this magic school that is out to kill its students. The strange thing, though, is that I didn't like either of the two books for completely different reasons. But I'm not going to go into detail and compare both books here-- I'm just going to focus on A Deadly Education and why I just couldn't get through it.

My biggest issue with this book is the sheer amount of exposition. I think this is more exposition than any plot or characterization happening. The Scholomance is a very deadly school and Ms. Novik wants you to know it. Every little bit of action or conversation we get is bogged down with pages upon pages of info dumps. I honestly don't know how this got through the editorial process. And for a book that really touts it's deadly school atmosphere, I found myself not being able to become immersed within it due to the info dumps. It was just a very boring place to read about-- I want to see the deadliness, not be told about it.

As for the characters, the story is told through El's point of view, so she is largely the character you'll get to know. She has a lot more characterization to her than the characters in Uprooted, so Ms. Novik improved upon that as I can't call El bland at all. However, El is just very rude and mean. I understand that not all fantasy novel leads are supposed to be likable, and it's good to have exposure to all sorts of characters. But most unlikeable characters have some sort of redeeming or entertaining quality. Maybe they are snarky but it's funny to read about. Maybe they are mean because of poor parenting and have to come into their own. There hasn't been any redeeming features of El thus far and I can't read a book with a character I just don't like. I will acknowledge it's not completely fair for me to judge El as I didn't get all the way through the book, but I can't waste any more time on her. I'd rather read a book about a a character I enjoy.

The other major character is El's love interest, good-hero type Orion Blake. Orion is all right, but thus far he has absolutely zero chemistry with El. It's not a couple I want to ship and continue reading about how they fall for each other.

I know many people are out there looking for a Harry Potter substitute, either to fill the void or to replace it because J.K. Rowling is a horrible person. But I don't think this is it.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

The setting: a wizard's school that you enter as a freshman. If you survive the next four years and then successfully battle past a room of monsters, you get to leave/graduate. No teachers. The school itself assigns schoolwork and grades the results. Oh, and there are LOTS of monsters roaming the school, large and small, that can easily kill the unwary student. This is NOT Hogwarts!

The protagonist is a junior, and she has been predicted to become the most powerful and evil sorceress of all time. However, she doesn't want to be evil. No pressure. She kind of reminds me of a younger magical version of the main character on the tv show "Dexter".

This book made me laugh out loud at least twenty times, and it had one of the best final lines that I have ever seen. Now we just have to wait another year or so to find out how her senior year turns out.

Naomi Novik has such range, from Russian fairy tales, to alt Napoleonic wars with dragons, and now to a school for magic in the modern day. Part way through, I wasn't sure if this was going to be first in the series or a stand alone. By the end I knew it was the first, and desperately wanted the second then and there, never mind it being past midnight on a work night. It was dark, atmospheric, and creepy, but not scary - I could read it alone that late at night, and I tend to be a wuss about such things. I've already made one person preorder it!

El is completing her junior year at her magical high school, and is understandably starting to get nervous about senior year and graduation. But her school is no Hogwarts. Instead of cozy four-poster beds in dormitories, delicious all-you-can-eat meals, and a sweeping vista of mountains and lakes, Scholomance is a teacher-free zone where students have to learn quickly to stay alive, what with all the evil beasts that feed on magical kids (yes, really) that lurk in the building, including in bedrooms and in the cafeteria's trays of food. Oh, and that view? It's a black void that causes anyone who enters to lose their minds.

El has some amazing (if somewhat potentially evil) powers, which she hopes can help her make alliances to see her through graduation next year — graduation being a literal monster gauntlet to escape the school alive — if only her aloof and sarcastic personality doesn't repel them all. So it's something of a surprise when Orion Lake, the big hero on campus, goes out of his way to pay attention to El. What's that all about?

Novik's creativity in building Scholomance (which is based on a school of the same name in Eastern European folklore) is absolutely amazing, from the classes and creatures to the students themselves. Despite the impossible setting, the characters are nuanced and relatable, even the jerks you don't want to like. I can't wait to see what comes next in this series!

4.5/5

I received this ARC from Netgalley.

I love Naomi Novik. This is the third novel I have read by her and she doesn't disappoint.

This is a dark fantasy about a magical world full of dangerous creatures. The students at Scholomance are always being attacked, and sometimes killed, by the various evil beings that live in the school. Galadriel (El) has been on her own for the first three years of her time there. Her gift makes it difficult for her NOT to turn into a powerful evil magician and she fights it to stay good. Toward the end of her junior year she finally starts to make friends, who help her when all hell breaks loose in the school.

I enjoyed it very much. My only complaint is that the writing, while excellent, is very dense. There are many long history passages of magic. El has several long flashbacks to her childhood. All important information but definitely not a light read. My favorite parts were the dialogues between El and other students, especially Orion and her other friends.

Lastly.... what a cliffhanger!!! I'll be waiting impatiently for the next book!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of A Deadly Education! Naomi Novik has become one of my favorite authors in the last few years- I love the fantasy worlds she creates with strong female characters. A Deadly Education does not disappoint! A school for magicians which seems to thrive on the phrase “survival of the fittest” actually supports those students with the best alliances. You need someone to watch your back - walking to class, going to the bathroom, even going through the lunch line- otherwise the “Mals” (magical monsters) will kill you. For a loner like El, she’s quite annoyed when Orion Lake keeps saving her life- especially as she can take care of herself! I highly recommend this wonderful suspenseful dark fantasy full of magic and friendship. #NetGalley #ADeadlyEducation

Based on the title and description, I expected this book to be gruesome but I was kind of overwhelmed by the sheer amount of gruesomeness. I like El a lot. She both needs allies but seems to repulse the people around her in a way that's really interesting. I also really like how she could very easily deal with the monsters around her but has a strong enough sense of morality that she's unwilling to risk collateral damage to the people around her. This is a really good book and I'd definitely recommend it to teens that enjoy all the darkness, it just wasn't for me.

I loved this book! I hope she develops a sequel to it because I became immersed in the story from the beginning to the end. It is a little violent so I would only recommend it for young adults and adults.