Thank you to Naomi Novik, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and Netgalley for this free advanced reader copy of "A Deadly Education: A Novel" for an honest review.

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I flew through this entire series in the space of 6 days, two years after my best friend started requesting of me to read it — Because of that, though, this whole series is a giant blur in my head, and I'm only going to do one review across all three of them together and drop this in all of them. <B>If you happen to be reading this and haven't read Books 2 and 3, avert your eyes!</B>

SPOILERS:

I have so very many feelings about these books.

- About my love of how El had to go through all the struggles of her childhood and of rejecting her nature (due to her mother's love and her own true moral fortitude that is all HER OWN) to be strong enough to do the work that needed doing (and how the prophecy was the only way her grandmother could make sure she was strong enough and would make the right choices not just for herself, but for the whole world)

- About Orion and his creation, what he is and how he is, and that so much that we realize he's missing from book one, and especially in book two, finally makes sense in the end, when we discover what is at the true root of that problem. How he handles it and the choices El makes at the end still make me tear up.

- I do wish we'd gotten to know more about Scholomance. How and why, an what. It's the one thing I went in with my best friend telling me I'd learn more of, but never as much as I'd want to know about it. I do feel the book lacked in shoring that up.

- But I also felt that book 3 foundered for purchase with the Scholomance no longer as the focus of where everyone was and what was happening. My hat is off to the creations of the enclaves and how things piece together. </spoiler>

As I write this I don't know if I'm at two stars or three. I go from one to the other. What I do know is that I am not going to read the sequel.

What happened to me with this book? I didn't connect at all, I didn't like the way it was written (the thing about the character seeming to talk to us and try to explain things to us doesn't work anymore, at least for me) and the story itself didn't end up closing for me. absolute.

It's a shame because it's really the first thing I've read by the author and I wanted to like it. Clearly I am going to read other books by her because I know she is a very popular author and I read very interesting reviews about other books (also this one, but it can happen that one doesn't connect and that's it).

I found the characters quite simple, basic and that's not BAD, I just think I was expecting something else. It was a very hyped book and I think that hype was for the worse here.

However, as I said before, I want to read other things by her because I feel that she has interesting ideas and that her way of writing is good (although here I didn't like that first chatty person that I read when I was 16). That's why I don't consider it to be a BAD book but rather... it wasn't for me.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for the copy I read on NetGallet in exchange for an honest review.

An intense, magical thrill ride from start to finish. What fun dark academia this was! Enter into the world of the Scholomance where students dodge hungry magical creatures, and each other, in order to stay alive until graduation!

I particularly enjoyed our FMC, El, a loner at the school who wields massive, deadly power that she only hopes that she can show off in order to join an alliance (a group of students) or an enclave (a safe house/community for the magically gifted). She reeks of it, although many tend to thick she is on the evil side of magic. What they don't know is how much she actually toes the line. She is snarky, rude but full of heart and a glowing warmth when she discovers that there are people who actually care about her at the school.

Harry Potter meets the Hunger Games in the first stop on this trilogy. Within the first few pages alone, you see what a magical genius Naomi Novik as she maps out a school of incredible proportions with crazy creatures to match.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and Naomi Novik for e-copy of this book.

"A Deadly Education" by Naomi Novik is an electrifying rollercoaster of a novel that will leave you both thrilled and spellbound. Set in the eerie and perilous Scholomance, where magic and danger go hand in hand, this book keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

The story introduces us to El, a uniquely powerful yet complex protagonist. Her journey through the unpredictable world of Scholomance is nothing short of captivating. Novik's writing shines as she weaves together a narrative filled with dark secrets, formidable monsters, and a school where survival is the ultimate goal.

While the initial chapters might have you navigating a labyrinth of unfamiliar terms and concepts, don't let that deter you. Once you immerse yourself in this world, you'll find yourself rooting for El, a character with a heart of gold hidden beneath her tough exterior. Her journey of self-discovery and the choices she must make are enthralling and thought-provoking.

The ending of the first installment will leave you craving more, eagerly anticipating the next chapter in El's adventure. "A Deadly Education" is a spellbinding start to what promises to be an epic series, and if you're a fan of magic, danger, and complex characters, this book is an absolute must-read. So, dive right in, and get ready for a thrilling ride through the halls of Scholomance!

Thank you to Netgalley & Random House for the digital copy!

For me, this was just an okay read. There were parts I really enjoyed, but overall it felt very copy and pasted.

I may read the rest of the series at some point.

**Thank you to NetGalley, Random House-Ballantine, and Naomi Novik for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

3.5 stars

I wasn't sure what to expect with this Dark Academia novel. For the first few chapters, I was very confused. What do these words mean? A lot of the vocabulary is never straightforward or explained to the reader. I debated whether to continue after the first few chapters because i felt so confused at what was happening. Luckily I powered through and those weird words and vocabulary slowly started to make more sense.

The story gave dark Harry Potter vibes with a dash of Hunger Games. Although it's categorized as YA, I felt like it contained dark subject matter, and violence that leaned more adult.

The setting for this novel is a magical school for young students without adult supervision. Each day students risk life or death. They must survive being killed by creatures lurking in the school, their fellow students, and the school itself. They take classes to improve their ability to learn and cast different spells. With these spells comes the ability for trades with classmates or building alliances. Not everyone makes it out of this school alive. Students must strategize well.

This first of 3 books was mostly informative with a lot of attention pajd to creating this magical school. The author did a good job of world building in this first novel. There isn't much of a plot until the last quarter of the book and the confusing start had be rate it 3 stars. Despite this, I really enjoyed it once I got.the hang of the vocabulary in this world. I'm in for book #2!!

A Deadly Education follows Galadriel, a pupil in a school for magic, plagued by monsters. The concept is familiar yet fun, and the novel's protagonist has a compelling arc. As someone who has been told of her inherent wickedness her whole life due to a prophecy made when she was a child, Galdriel’s begrudging progression into a hero is rewarding. The other main character, Orion, is in many ways the mirror of Galadriel and their eventual friendship is a delight, due to Galadriel’s humorous narrations on the topic.

However despite its compelling characters, the book gets dragged down due to its overly informative nature. As a world building enthusiast I can’t believe I am saying this, but sometimes less is more. Every single intricacy of the world, most unnecessary, are relayed with a dull unattachment despite the fact that these information dumps usually occurred in the midst of action. Due to these routine textbook-esque passages, the plot felt rather lacking, in fact, the whole book felt as if I was sitting in anticipation for the main plot to reveal itself. When said plot eventually comes into fruition at the last minute, the lack of build towards the goal, made it feel somewhat lacklustre.

Overall, A Deadly Education is a dark academia, fantasy blend with intriguing characters, bogged down by a worldbuilding heavy and plot light narrative. However after a cliff hanger like that, I may just have to pick up the next novel!

I don't think that this one was for me. From the get, you're put into this world with very little if any explanation of different (made up) creatures, terms, etc. A lot of the characters are pretty unlikeable (not a requirement, but it did make a book I already wasn't enjoying even more of a slog for me). I will not be continuing the series. I don't think that the writing style helped with my (lack of) enjoyment reading A Deadly Education.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

EDIT: Adding on to some of the criticisms that the book has faced. I was born in Australia, and am part of the South Asian diaspora. I did not find this book racist in the sense that El is biracial and isn't connected to her paternal side in India. There are people, yep, like myself, who experience similar to El and we should be mindful not to invalidate that. However, I do acknowledge that there is a harmful comment on dreadlocks, which Naomi Novik has humbly apologised for.

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4.5 stars. I did not want to put this book down! I get the comparisons to Hogwarts without teachers, but the Scholomance is an extra labrinthine, sinister magical school that serves as both a haven and a death trap for young wizards filled with demon monster things called mals/maleficaria who feast on “mana” (magic power) and as a result, the students face 50/50 odds of graduating or dying.

Surviving the Scholomance is a clever parallel to real life--to survive and thrive, it’s not just about skill, it’s about social status, wealth and privilege, and mana is the currency. We see that contrast in the two main characters:

- Galadriel/El (MC narrator), who lives in a yurt in the woods and has to work really hard to build mana/magic, and has no friends except her mother, and
- Orion Lake, a kid from a prestigious enclave who is put on a pedestal and has access to immense amounts of ‘mana’/magic.

I really enjoyed the main character Galadriel/El’s narration. I know she’s not for everyone, and I understand why. She’s snarky, sarcastic, dark-humoured, cynical and morally ambiguous, and her great-grandmother prophesised that she will “bring death and destruction to all the enclaves in the world” if she wasn’t stopped, probably because she’s a vessel of immense power with an affinity for mass destruction. But at her core, she really doesn't want to hurt anyone despite her struggles with isolation, fear, and the moral implications of her power.

Orion Lake, on the other hand, doesn’t have any real friends either for completely different reasons. He is treated as a hero and saviour and put on a pedestal. That’s because he is a hero, with an affinity for combat magic and heroism. Still, this means that people kinda worship the ground he walks on, which lends itself to isolation, especially when you're just an awkward kid who hates the limelight. It comes as a refreshing surprise when El doesn’t fawn over him and even does her best to insult and push him away.

I adored how diverse and cultural this book was. If you love culture and languages, you’ll appreciate this book big time. However, there is a LOT of info dumping in this book. I admit, I found some of it quite dense to get through. It’s an artistic choice to build a really intricate, detailed world, which might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Still, personally, that didn't prevent me from being completely sucked into the Scholomance, and I can’t wait to devour the next one! I’ve also seen this is getting made into a movie, so I really hope they do the book justice.

My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and author Naomi Novik for the opportunity to read this work in exchange for an honest review.

So I know this book has a lot of controversy around it. Honestly a lot of the scenarios ppl bring up either didn't occur to me as problematic at the time or were molded slightly to fit the individuals narrative in my opinion. I however, am not a person of color so my opinion matters very little so please look to the appropriate people for that interpretation.

The only problematic point that stood out to me and made me do a double take was the middle eastern reference and a car starting the work sheet must be modern. I thought it was modern bc there mention of the car, not that they were referencing terrorism.

The not washing is a huge point of the book and they will often get attacked in the bathroom. They were not referencing the MC ethnicity this read common for all students not just her.

I liked the magical story line. It's what I would image magical beast would be like if they all behaved like Aragogue. There was some development of characters given the book was written with a short period of time.

I liked exploring the magical school and was hoping for more world exploration. Overall once I got past the first fifty pages I was into but it was a close call until then. I think your should give it a read and make your own assessment. Don't let others bending the plot to for their narrative sway you, decide yourself.

This novel definitely took a bit of effort for me to get going, but once I was in my groove I kept going.

Overall, I think the magic system presented is quite nuanced compared to most. Not only does each person have their affinity, but their ability to cast is limited (hypothetically). Magic "energy" is used as a metaphor for money and classism, where the elite have more and everyone else scrapes by, except for those who dip into maleficarum to get more power.

However, El is a pretty unlikeable protagonist in my opinion. She is, understandably, abrasive but even when she starts making real connections, she continues to have a bad attitude. She just didn't grow on me at all, unlike many of the secondary characters.

I missed the boat when this book was released the first time, so I was excited to dive in when it popped up on NetGalley. Fans of dark academic magic stories will be thrilled that this a ready-to-read three-book trilogy, with no waiting for the next installment. I love our main character girly, El, and her sarcasm and snark is next level. The book reads very stream of consciousness which worked for me sometimes and sometimes felt a little drawn out and slow. Her love interest? That would be Orion, who seems very much like a Ken, a labrador retriever, or any other stereotypical loyal and tail-wagging character you can think of. The plot was decent, and the story had lots of adventure, even if it seemed a bit far-fetched to me how many students of magic die while trying to get an education. Not great odd, to be sure. In the end, I enjoyed this romp for what it is. It's a fun time in El's brain, with scary things that go bump in the night!

'I decided that Orion needed to die after the second time he saved my life.' - A Deadly Education takes off with one of the most riveting opening sentences in fantasy!

Naomi Novik weaves a refreshing take on the magic boarding school trope with masterful narrative pacing, unforgettable characters and intricate world-building. What I enjoyed most is the tone of the book, set by the smart and impertinent lead El and her many sarcastic inner musings. The complementary character arcs of El and Orion, of whom you find out a lot in just the first few opening words, drive the story forward and are made a lot more distinctive by their personalities. The characters, including many secondary ones, are quite well-formed and are made relatable teenagers even though they face extraordinary unrelatable circumstances. El manages to retain her wit and sass even while fighting her destiny of becoming a dark goddess of death and destruction!

The novel is set in the Scholomance, a magic boarding school with a sort of AI giving personalized course structures for each student; and they learn by surviving not only exams but also the aforementioned extraordinary circumstances such as frequent attacks by mals /monsters. The layered world-building does require some exposition but it's packed in well along with the action, keeping the story moving forward at a good pace. More importantly, this book is enjoyable and provides a good foundation for the next books in the series.

Overall, the book has great diversity and quite distinct characters. It was heartening to see Naomi Novik acknowledge and apologize for racially insensitive comments on dreadlocks. And the series deserves some extra points for trying to create a matter-of-fact cosmopolitan environment, including all the politics.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Random House Publishing group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters; One star for the writing; One star for the story; One star for the world-building - Five stars in total.]

“I love having existential crises at bedtime, it's so restful.”

Thank you Naomi Novik, NetGalley and Random House Publish Group, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

We are presented with a school where young witches and wizards from all over the world are fighting for survival while being hunted by monsters who want to feed on their magic. It has no headmasters nor teachers, so the whole thing is fully automated. The Scholomance offers a slim survival rate, but you have to be careful of not only monsters but fellow magicians too. Failure means certain death.

I wanted to strongly DNF this book at around 25%, but I pushed trough it with skipping. There's a lot of info dumping and long chapters with El's monologue of every. single. thing. !

Typically, I love sarcastic, snarky and rude characters, but El was not one for me She's either hit or miss for readers (in my opinion). And then there's Orion - a golden retriever-type of MMC. He's hailed as a hero to all, except El (as she is annoyed by his apparent savior complex). The dynamics were there, but I could care less.

That aside, if I based my rating only on characters and my attention span (due to long chapters about everything and everyone), I would give this book 1 star. Also, the plot was unclear for me. You understand the issue and why they are doing at the school, but what's next? Cliffy after cliffy and just survival?

But, I know and see that there are many readers who really enjoy this book (and the next 2). So I bumped up my rating to 2.5 stars (3 stars for NG/GR/Zon), because of the creative world-building.

What to expect:
* YA Dark Academia
* Single POV
* Long chapters
* Polarizing FMC
* Loved by almost all MMC
* A school that literally tries to unlive you
* Heavy world-building

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publish Group for a gifted copy to read and review, all thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

I wasn’t sure what type of expectations to have going into this book, and I was not prepared for the scathing & dangerous school I was put into!
This book is a solid 3.5 stars for me and I’ll explain why.

We started off with the main character, Galadriel, droning on in a negative fashion about life at the difficult school of Scholomance, which put a negative spin on the first part of the book. I will say that the reader may either end up enjoying this or really not enjoying this, but I started to really understand out MC as the book went on. I’m not sure if I like her, but I certainly think I’ve come to a respect and understanding. I enjoyed her character arc and the evolution of her soft skills. I don’t think we got a very great dive into the other characters in the novel, except for Galadriel’s mom. I would’ve appreciated more in the side characters, and hopefully we will get more of that in the next book.

The world building in the novel was limited to Scholomance, with explanations of how magical beings live in our real world. I enjoyed the way that the school setting was built; it was a tough & very dangerous place. Each new room or new happening in the school along the way felt like an opportunity for death and/or disappearance. The world building certainly helped immerse me into the story.

For me, the plot was somewhat unclear as the story felt more character driven at the beginning with a plot coming to life in the second half of the novel. The character interactions, relationships built and futures made were more the plot (character driven in my view) than the action based situations that were in the later half of the book.

This was my first book my Naomi Novak, and it was a bit difficult for me to get into the writing. I think this was mostly due to the fact that it was from the perspective of the main character who was more negative and defensive focused. I would read another of her series to get a better sense of the writing style and if I enjoy it.

Overall, I found this novel to be enjoyable but also to be on the grittier and darker side of fantasy. The magical system, the way that magic/spells are used and the strategies for survival in the school are all interesting and woven in a somewhat captivating manner. I will be reading the sequel and I hope we dive into more the school and the other characters!

3,75/5 Stars
I really enjoyed this book. It took me a while to get into it, but the slow start is definitely worth it. As this is the first book in a series, there is a lot of worldbuilding that I found a little confusing at times, but I do very much love the world the author created.
I also really liked the characters, especially the dynamic between the two protagonists and the amount of bickering between them. I also loved how the main character was just completely incapable of dealing with any emotions whatsoever, it made for a lot of very fun moments.
All in all, I’m very much looking forward to reading the second book, I just hope it’ll have a bit more action and a bit less descriptions and worldbuilding than this one.

Oh wow! The world building in this book was unexpected and interesting!
Scholomance is a school for the magically gifted but it's nothing like the magic schools I've read before. There is a lot of detail in this and not in a boring way. The mood is dark academia with a big cloak and dagger feel. Every student is basically fighting for survival from the hordes of monsters that live in the school. This is a book where you actually get to see students studying in school because their life depends on it. They need their skills and knowledge to survive and trade to form alliances. I also liked that this book is full of diversity and international students.

I listened to this on audiobook and at first I wanted to turn it off because Galadriel or "El" is an aggressively rude person, but as you go on you get to see her in a different light. I think this world is unique and well written. Definitely give it a read or a listen! The audiobook narrator does an amazing job as well.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of “A Deadly Education” by Naomi Novik. Please see my bio for how my star rating system works. 😊

ATTENTION

Some trigger warnings: death and gore.

Summary:

Although “A Deadly Education” was a 4/5 for me (4.5 if I could), this trilogy as a whole work is a 5/5. I cannot recommend it enough for fans of dark academia, fantasy, and boarding school settings.

Plot:

El Higgins is a student at the Scholomance, a magical school that is out to try to kill its students. El is eternally frustrated and angry at the way the magical world she is a part of is rather classicist and unfair, and she takes out a lot of that frustration and anger on the school’s resident hero, Orion Lake. In particular, El hates that Orion keeps saving her life from the Scholomance and mals, monsters that are obsessed with teen wizards.

Pros:

The Characters

El: El Higgins is an amazing protagonist. She is extremely flawed and a rather unreliable narrator, but she is still incredibly relatable. As this is a book written in the first person, we are exposed to El’s thoughts the entire time, and her mind is as confusing as it is clear. Props to Naomi Novik for writing in this stream of consciousness style so well.

Orion: Orion Lake is a bit one-note in the first book, but he is as lovable as they come. He serves as an amazing foil for El, and seeing their relationship develop is such a treat.

The Scholomance: you may not think of a school as a character, but believe me, the Scholomance is as much of a character with goals and personality as any of the breathing cast. The Scholomance is a major antagonist in the book, but also our heroes’ only safe haven in their teenage years. How to reconcile this?

The Setting

I’m a sucker for boarding school settings. If they are magical boarding schools, even better. The imagery that Naomi Novik shares of the Scholomance as well as her vivid description of this macabre place makes the setting fascinating and fun.

Cons:

Narrative style

Listen, this wasn’t a con for me in particular, but I’ve talked to a lot of folks that thought El’s stream of consciousness style of thinking is a bit grating at times, and just plain unfocused in others. El will be in a dangerous situation and suddenly lore dump on us about some beef character X had with character Y and you are left wondering how that is relevant for her current situation. I thought that was endearing, some may not.

Verdict

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is amazing, the characters are amazing, the plot is amazing, and the setting is amazing. Please read this book and the whole trilogy!

This was such an amazing read! I flew through this book in one afternoon because I could not stop! The characters were so unique and gripping that I really adored them. The author did a great job with keeping the plot moving and avoiding any stale moments. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know!

This wasn't my cup of tea but I am not the target audience of course. Being way too old. I can see why this could appeal as a YA. Someone who feels left out in a group of peers, might connect with the book, Someone who likes magic novels that are much darker than Harry Potter...

The fact that there are no teachers in the Scholomance is refreshing. I did love the female characters. El is wonderful. I just loved her snarky comments.

My main issue with the book is that it is too descriptive to my taste. But again, it might be very helpful for a YA that hasn't got much experience with reading.