Who Would Like This Book:
Imagine Hogwarts with teeth - A Deadly Education takes the magical school trope and injects it with real peril, sharp wit, and fresh social commentary. Naomi Novik crafts a cutthroat, monster-infested boarding school (no teachers, just survival of the fittest), where every alliance matters and the odds of graduating alive are slim. The real magic, though, is Galadriel "El" - a darkly funny, grumpy, and complex heroine who’d rather save the world than destroy it, despite what everyone thinks. If you love character-driven fantasy with detailed worldbuilding, morally gray protagonists, and clever subversions of YA tropes, this is for you (especially if you’ve graduated from Harry Potter and want higher stakes and more bite).
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers might be turned off by the novel’s heavy (and sometimes relentless) worldbuilding and info-dumps, especially in the first half. El can be abrasive - her prickly interior monologue and "outsider" status isn’t for everyone, and some found the pacing slow before the plot kicks in. Others noted cultural missteps and insensitive stereotypes that, even though addressed by the author, impacted their enjoyment. If you want non-stop action or need to like the protagonist immediately, you might struggle with this one.
About:
A Deadly Education follows the story of El, a loner student at the Scholomance, a magical school where students must survive deadly creatures and classmates without any help from teachers or guardians. The protagonist, El, navigates the treacherous environment while forming alliances to increase her chances of survival. The book is narrated in a first-person, stream-of-consciousness style, providing insights into the dark magic world, classmates, and rules of the school.
Genres:
Tropes/Plot Devices:
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Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book includes themes such as violence, death, and references to dark magic, which could be triggering.
Has Romance?
There is a romance present, but it is not the main focus of the story.
From The Publisher:
I decided that Orion Lake needed to die after the second time he saved my life.
Everyone loves Orion Lake. Everyone else, that is. Far as I'm concerned, he can keep his flashy combat magic to himself. I'm not joining his pack of adoring fans.
I don't need help surviving the Scholomance, even if they do. Forget the hordes of monsters and cursed artifacts, I'm probably the most dangerous thing in the place. Just give me a chance and I'll level mountains and kill untold millions, make myself the dark queen of the world.
At least, that's what the world expects. Most of the other students in here would be delighted if Orion killed me like one more evil thing that's crawled out of the drains. Sometimes I think they want me to turn into the evil witch they assume I am. The school certainly does.
But the Scholomance isn't getting what it wants from me. And neither is Orion Lake. I may not be anyone's idea of the shining hero, but I'm going to make it out of this place alive, and I'm not going to slaughter thousands to do it, either.
Although I'm giving serious consideration to just one.
With flawless mastery, Naomi Novik creates a school bursting with magic like you've never seen before, and a heroine for the ages-a character so sharply realized and so richly nuanced that she will live on in hearts and minds for generations to come.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From the author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver comes the first book of the Scholomance trilogy, the story of an unwilling dark sorceress who is destined to rewrite the rules of magic.
FINALIST FOR THE LODESTAR AWARD
"The dark school of magic I've been waiting for."-Katherine Arden, author of Winternight Trilogy
Ratings (466)
Incredible (111) | |
Loved It (167) | |
Liked It (100) | |
It Was OK (40) | |
Did Not Like (32) | |
Hated It (16) |
Reader Stats (1286):
Read It (461) | |
Currently Reading (7) | |
Want To Read (585) | |
Did Not Finish (34) | |
Not Interested (199) |
17 comment(s)
As an introduction to a series, A Deadly Education sets up a unique storyline and reading adventure. The Scholomance is a brutal, cutthroat magical school where survival is never guaranteed, and Naomi Novik crafts a world with a distinct, almost dystopian edge. The magic system, based on language, was one of my favorite parts—it felt fresh and intricate and added depth to how power is wielded and earned. This hooked me, reminding me of Blood Over Bright Haven and Babel.
While I enjoyed the story, this book doesn't stand well on its own - especially as a book club pick where readers may not commit to the entire series. The first book ends on a cliffhanger that, while somewhat predictable, still left me eager to dive into the next installment. The relationship between Galadriel and Orion was also intriguing. Galadriel's desire to not be saved and to kill Orion for saving her was a fun dynamic to see play out, especially as she used their proximity to her advantage. Was it an enemies-to-lovers relationship? No, because that requires both folks to know they are enemies. It was a very one-sided rivalry, in my opinion.
Despite its flaws, A Deadly Education has laid the groundwork for what I hope will be a thrilling series. I'll be reading the remaining two books and crossing my fingers that they deliver on the momentum this one created.
love the main girl. she is so prickly and mean to everyone and inadvertently gets the golden boy obsessed with her
Couldn't stop reading, first time that's happened in a while.
Yeah, this author's writing style and I do not mesh. I won't be continuing on.
I love how snarky and smart the protagonist is. The story is creative and weird. So different from other books in this genre.
While I enjoyed the book, I guess I was expecting an antihero badass, so I was a little disappointed that El didn't beat anyone's ass when they were bullying her. She was pretty much a doormat. She might snarl a little, but that enclave kid set a mal on her at least once. Those seniors literally tried to kill them. Todd killed someone else. Why didn't she, if not kill them, then at least smite the crap out of them so she didn't look like such a pathetic easy target?
Bully school books aren't my thing at all. At. All.
Fortunately the boy wasn't one of the bullies, he was just Captain Oblivious. And watch El make friends was lovely. I did enjoy the book, and have started the second. It just wasn't what I expected.
Deadly magic school. Doesn’t make sense to have a place of learning also be a life or death gauntlet.
I do not understand the appeal of this book. I’m very partial to dialogue. To action. There’s lot of telling.
This is a magic school novel with a difference. There are no teachers and the school is an enormous machine inhabited by monsters and has no intention of letting most of its students get out alive. El is an outsider, irritable and resentful and trying to figure out how to make alliances that will help her survive graduation. Orion Lake keeps saving her life and she's had it up to *here* with that.
****1.0****
I have given the book full attention and at 60% I am putting this book to DNF .
This one is not for me even though I like Naomi Novik's other books so far. It feels like written in a hurry , crammed with a lot of information in few pages and a totally boring narration though the original/core plot is promising.
Too superficial and runny narration.
Happy Reading!!
What can you read after
A Deadly Education?
About the Author:
Naomi Novik is the acclaimed author of A Deadly Education, the Temeraire series, and the award-winning novels Uprooted and Spinning Silver. She is a founder of the Organization for Transformative Works and the Archive of Our Own.
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