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A Deadly Education: A Novel (The…
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A Deadly Education: A Novel (The Scholomance) (edition 2021)

by Naomi Novik (Author)

Series: Scholomance (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,8341453,190 (4.16)154
Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered: There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won't allow its students to leave until they graduate -- or die. The rules are deceptively simple: Don't walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school's dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students. So El is trying her hardest not to use her power -- at least not until she has no other option. Meanwhile, her fellow student, the insufferable Orion Lake, is making heroism look like a breeze. He's saved hundreds of lives -- including El's -- with his flashy combat magic. But in the spring of their junior year, after Orion rescues El for the second time and makes her look like more of an outcast than she already is, she reaches an impulsive conclusion: Orion Lake must die. But El is about to learn some lessons she never could in the classroom: About the school. About Orion Lake. And about who she really is.… (more)
Member:irenedougharty
Title:A Deadly Education: A Novel (The Scholomance)
Authors:Naomi Novik (Author)
Info:Random House Worlds (2021), 336 pages
Collections:Your library
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Work Information

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

  1. 20
    Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson (Corinne-pixel)
    Corinne-pixel: The main characters of these two are similar; both are feared by their fellows but are actually a kind person who would do anything in their (considerable) power to help others.
  2. 00
    All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody (souloftherose)
    souloftherose: Fantasy teens fight to the death
  3. 00
    The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones (rocks009)
    rocks009: Young women learning their magic with a curious cast of characters
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» See also 154 mentions

English (141)  Dutch (1)  All languages (142)
Showing 1-5 of 141 (next | show all)
An enjoyable twist on the 'magical kids go to magic school' idea. It did seem a bit odd to me that we never really see or interact with any kind of teacher - i mean, they talk about going to classes and stuff, but.... is there ANY adult supervision at all? You'd think we'd see something about that?? - but overall I really liked the idea. ( )
  ardaiel | Mar 4, 2024 |
A Deadly Education is a young adult fantasy novel written in a strong first-person voice. It starts out a little too dramatic for my taste, given the fact that the main character is never actually serious about murdering her classmate (despite what the first line says). It also starts out with a staggering amount of explanations after that first scene is finished. It seems to me that the dramatic opening was seen as necessary to get the readers through the rest of it, but to me it's just misleading. There certainly is a lot of action to be had and maleficaria to be fought, but Galadriel isn't nearly as unreasonable as she might seem at first blush.

If you give the story a little longer to get rolling, or if you actually don't mind the long explanations at all because they're written in such a powerful voice, you may find, as I did, that the rest of the book really shines. The world is detailed and so well-constructed that, while at first I questioned why the school would ever have been set up the way it is, the more I learned about it, the more heartbreakingly reasonable it seemed. The dynamics between Galadriel and Orion evolve in a way that's quite compelling, and, in fact, the relationship dynamics between all the characters stand out as one of the best pieces of the book. I didn't have anywhere near Galadriel's social intelligence when I was in high school, but I imagine if I had this book would be the best representation of that sort of environment that I've ever read.

I also enjoyed world building details such as the fact that the school is said to be the only one for wizards in the world and it actually has students from all around the world. Galadriel is from Wales, Orion is from the USA, but there are characters from Asia and Africa and South America. A major scene of the book involves a group of highly skilled characters who coordinate with each other in Mandarin and can only communicate with the English-speaking group through members who also speak French. All the students here are multilingual, partially in order to communicate with each other, but also because the magic system contains incantations in every language. The more languages a student speaks, the more spells they can gain access to, and I honestly love that approach.

I also love that the main character isn't a lone hero who solves all the biggest problems by herself. From the beginning, it's shown that groups of wizards can accomplish more, and even the strongest characters are vulnerable when they try to go it alone. This is far more realistic and compelling to me than the "chosen one" trope, and I really enjoyed it.

Of course, I think the ultimate question of whether you'll enjoy this book comes down to how you feel about the voice in which it's written. If you find the main character to be rude and annoying rather than empathizing with her and understanding the mental state she's constructed to deal with social isolation and the literal trauma of near-death experiences, this book isn't for you. Likewise, if you can't handle monster-based violence and the fact that characters will absolutely die, both in this book and presumably in the rest of the trilogy, it's best to give this one a pass. I'll also throw in the fact that this book has a bit of romance in it, since it may be known that I normally avoid that.

Personally, though, I found myself speeding along through the early chapters and then hooked on the story, needing to know what would happen next. The narrator reminded me of one of my own characters from a past project, and I did find her sympathetic. Her narration also gave me a few smiles and laughs, so that's a bonus. I think that many teenagers may relate to her quite easily, as well as adults who can identify with being disliked for reasons beyond their control. If you're interested in this book, I recommend reading the first few pages, with the knowledge that the main character doesn't actually want any of her classmates dead and that she does care about other people underneath the emotional armor she's constructed. If you like what you read, you'll be in for a good time.
  dste | Feb 25, 2024 |
45% thru DNF; although I liked El's attitude, Orion's reflexive heroism, and their prickly relationship...halfway through, this book felt, to me, a little too heavy with the mechanics of the magic system instead of character momentum, which wasn't my thing.
  hannerwell | Feb 24, 2024 |
A solid series.

The Scholomance series is kind of like a dark version of Harry Potter, from the perspective of Tom Riddle - if Tom Riddle had known he was going to turn into Voldemort and was trying his damndest to not turn evil.

It is written in 1st-person, and there can be a tendency toward navel-gazing, so you might find yourself thinking, "what's going on outside her head?" but if you can get through that, it's a pretty enjoyable series. ( )
  vishae | Feb 21, 2024 |
Entra en una escuela de magia diferente a cualquiera que hayas conocido antes. En ella no hay profesores ni vacaciones; las amistades son pura estrategia y las probabilidades de sobrevivir nunca son las mismas. Cuando estás dentro; solo hay dos maneras de salir: o te gradúas o mueres.
El Higgins está preparada como nadie para hacer frente a los muchos peligros de la escuela. Puede que no tenga aliados; pero posee una fuerza oscura lo suficientemente poderosa para elevar montañas y aniquilar a millones; por no mencionar que puede destruir fácilmente a los innumerables monstruos que merodean por ella. Solo que; accidentalmente; podría matar también al resto de estudiantes. Así que El está intentando con todas sus fuerzas no usarla¿ a menos que no tenga elección.
Ingeniosa; mordaz y divertida; y también con un profundo sentido de la justicia; esta fascinante novela nos recuerda que hay cosas mucho más importantes que la mera supervivencia. ( )
  AmicanaLibrary | Jan 31, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 141 (next | show all)
The magic and mystery of this chillingly lovely novel will appeal to both YA and adult fans of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. . . . An unresolved ending leaves readers eager for the next installment.
added by Dariah | editLibrary Journal (starred review)
 
I loved this book. It’s such a nail-biter, it’s funny, it’s thought-provoking, and it’s such a good read.
added by Dariah | editBuzzFeed
 

» Add other authors (13 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Naomi Novikprimary authorall editionscalculated
Gwinn, BethAuthor photosecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hong, VanIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Miller, JeffCover artist & designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pawlikowska, ElwiraIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Stevenson, DavidIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sullivan, Simon M.Designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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For lim, a bringer of light in dark place
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I decided that Orion needed to die after the second time he saved my life.
Quotations
it's too easy to call people evil instead of their choices, and that lets people justify making evil choices, because they convince themselves that it's okay because they're still good people overall, inside their own heads.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered: There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won't allow its students to leave until they graduate -- or die. The rules are deceptively simple: Don't walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school's dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students. So El is trying her hardest not to use her power -- at least not until she has no other option. Meanwhile, her fellow student, the insufferable Orion Lake, is making heroism look like a breeze. He's saved hundreds of lives -- including El's -- with his flashy combat magic. But in the spring of their junior year, after Orion rescues El for the second time and makes her look like more of an outcast than she already is, she reaches an impulsive conclusion: Orion Lake must die. But El is about to learn some lessons she never could in the classroom: About the school. About Orion Lake. And about who she really is.

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Haiku summary
Hungry monsters lurk--
/
An alliance might save you
/
But the odds are long.
(reader1009)

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