The greatest magical school? You'll think of Hogwarts, meanwhile I *hair whipping* know it's Scholomance.

All in all a great book, especially in its worldbuilding (magic system, social commentary, order of balance between and within the two) and its many morals (don't stop at the appearences, look behind them; humans are just that - human; kindness is not a matter of a person's character, but a choice that must be made moment by moment...).

Okay so this was a blast! I don't know why it took me so long to start this series. It's definitely an investment to understand the magic and the school itself, but once I got going I really enjoyed it. El is such a fun heroine- a sassy misfit who could turn evil at any second. I loved her! You get a lot of her inner dialogue so if you don't like her, this book won't be for you. After the ending, I immediately started book two. I'm excited to see where the series goes.

Alguém me explica como é que eu sobrevivo agora sem o próximo livro desta série?! Uma Educação Mortal entrou na minha vida, esmagou-me com o seu mundo brutal, a sua protagonista perfeita e o seu humor afiadíssimo e depois deixou-me em suspense com o cliffhanger no fim – e eu amei cada segundo!

Scholomance não é uma escola de magia normal. Aqui, não há professores, não há aulas seguras e muito menos aquela nostalgia aconchegante de outras histórias de escolas mágicas. Há monstros. Centenas deles. E um sistema que decide quem vive e quem morre com a mesma frieza de um algoritmo sem piedade. Sobreviver quatro anos aqui é um milagre. E se chegares à graduação, a tua recompensa é tentar atravessar um salão cheio de criaturas famintas, onde apenas metade dos alunos que chegam a este ponto conseguem sair vivos.

E no meio deste caos?Galadriel "El" Higgins, a protagonista mais sarcástica, rabugenta e MARAVILHOSA de sempre. Nomeada pela sua mãe hippie numa tentativa falhada de lhe dar uma aura de doçura e luz, El tem uma afinidade mágica que poderia facilmente transformá-la na maior vilã de todos os tempos. O problema? Ela não quer isso. Toda a gente assume que ela está destinada à destruição, mas El recusa-se a ceder ao seu poder letal e tenta sobreviver na Scholomance sem se tornar um monstro no processo.

E depois temos Orion Lake, o herói brilhante e irritantemente perfeito que insiste em salvar toda a gente, incluindo El – algo que a deixa profundamente frustrada. Ele é o típico protagonista de histórias épicas... e El simplesmente não tem paciência para isso. A dinâmica entre os dois é de morrer de tanto rir! A El, com o seu sarcasmo afiado como uma lâmina, e o Orion, que não percebe que está a ser insultado metade das vezes, criam uma química viciante.

Mas este livro não é só sobre sarcasmo e tensão romântica. Naomi Novik construiu um sistema mágico fascinante, onde os alunos dos enclaves têm todas as vantagens, enquanto os alunos independentes (como El) lutam desesperadamente para sobreviver. Scholomance pode ser um inferno, mas ainda é melhor do que estar lá fora, onde os jovens mágicos são caçados por monstros – e não há ninguém para os salvar.

Resumindo: este livro é VICIANTEMENTE PERFEITO! Se querem uma protagonista badass, um mundo cruel e envolvente e um humor afiado na dose certa, leiam Uma Educação Mortal agora! Mal posso esperar para continuar esta jornada!

If you're looking for a dark academia series, look no further! A Deadly Education is the perfect start to your next adventure.

Scholomance is a place you go to either learn from or die trying. Main character El, knows a thing or two about this! She is now studying in her junior year, her specialty being magical incantations, specifically in death and destruction. El is somewhat of a recluse, not taking enjoyment finding friends while at school. To her detriment, this really hinders her ability to stay safe from the monsters who try to harm her throughout her journey.

One evening, a monster breaks into the school. Orion Lake, the annoying hero that he is, saves El from being harmed. El wants nothing to do with Orion; he's too full of not only himself, but sunshine and rainbows for helping save everyone (talk about a hero complex).

The book goes on to explain how the relationship between Orion and El unfolds. El ultimately gains friends along the way, to who she feels real comradely with. Challenges arise when the implications of Orion saving multiple wizards, ultimately potentially changing not only his life, but El's as well.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik is a dark, thrilling twist on the magic school genre. This is no cozy Hogwarts—it’s a labyrinthine death trap filled with mana-hungry monsters and a 50/50 chance of survival. At the heart of it all is Galadriel (El), a snarky, powerful outsider prophesied to bring destruction, yet determined not to become the villain everyone expects.

Her dynamic with Orion Lake—a golden-boy hero weighed down by privilege and expectations—adds sparks of humor and tension as they navigate the deadly halls together. Their banter and reluctant partnership make for an electric read.

Beyond the monsters, Novik weaves sharp commentary on privilege, power, and survival in a system where magic is currency. The info-dense world-building might overwhelm some readers, but it also creates a richly immersive setting full of cultural depth and danger.

With its mix of morally gray characters, biting wit, and intense stakes, A Deadly Education is a darkly captivating read that left me eager for the next installment—and curious to see how it translates to the big screen. Highly recommended for fans of gritty, subversive fantasy.

A Deadly Education is the first book of the Scholomance series that follows El as she unlocks secrets of the school, the kind which noone has found before. Scholomance is a dark place, filled with deadly situations and creatures, a school where there is noone to monitor the students. The school seems to be enchanted, with a mind of its own, the students are forced to follow their routines, turn up for classes and find a way to graduate, or die!

The story is dark, fast-paced and the reader is thrown into the world of Scholomance from page 1. At first, I found the story to be confusing and was unsure of whether I would like it. However, reading further helped understand the characters, the world and how El changes things and causes chaos in this already chaotic world. This is a world where it is normal to expect the unexpected and if not, the person dies. In all this death and confusion, Orion Lake is a name most popular among all and someone whom most of the students want to align with. He has secrets of his own and his reasons for saving El make her as confused as the others.

The title of the book pays tribute to this spin on a school story, making this story quite unique to read. El brings in disruption, tying people together in the most unexpected ways, while trying to find her way through and even manages to confuse the school with her unique ways of handling things.

This book is definitely an interesting read and I am curious to read the rest of the books in the trilogy to see where the story goes.

This book was left neglected on my TBR for WAY too long for how long it has turned out to be.

This is one of my favourite ways in which magical worldbuilding has been established. I absolutely adored the two different kinds of magical energy division and the way in which magic can be wielded -- I'm a big fan of categories. The Scholomance itself came off as a well visualised setting and it because of how well the menace of it was conveyed it was very easy to sympathise with all the characters here. It was easy to understand how essential it is to sacrifice moral values for survival.

Speaking of characters, I love El. She as an absolute delight to read as a narrator with her dry and witty commentary on everything and everyone; with the way she is written the exposition for the world comes of as not only interesting but also fun to read. With how busy I am these days I rarely have time to put up with dull or irritating narration and El is the opposite of both of those. I love reading about grey morality, and El very much falls on the boundaries of it -- her internal struggle was realistically depicted. I really enjoyed seeing a character like her also have a wonderful family dynamic; I feel like we don't often get to see healthy families combined with morally grey protagonists.

The class system within the school came off as very realistic -- I think this is how scared teenagers trapped in a building full of monsters would behave. The struggle of maintaining various relationships, the confusion of it all, is all very realistic to high school and all of it was heightened with constant threats to survival. The obliviousness of certain characters to the difficulties of those who they see as below them was well written and El's anger at the unfairness of it all was also very natural.

I really enjoyed the side characters -- Orion was especially amusing to read and I found his dynamic with El highly enjoyable to read. Aadhya and Liu were both distinct and we really got a sense for their depth outside of the story being told here. Magnus was also very easy to hate, but maybe that was just me.

Overall, I definitely recommend checking this book out if you want something well written and interesting to read. The pacing was quick so boredom is definitely not an issue.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik had an intriguing premise—a magical school where survival is far from guaranteed—but ultimately didn’t quite deliver for me.

The world-building is ambitious and the concept of the Scholomance is certainly unique, but much of the book is bogged down by heavy exposition and long-winded internal monologues. The protagonist, El, is sharp and cynical, which some readers may appreciate, but I personally found her voice grating at times and hard to connect with emotionally.

While the novel attempts to tackle serious themes like privilege and systemic inequality within magical society, these ideas often felt more told than shown. The pacing also struggled, with long stretches of explanation slowing down the action.

There are interesting ideas here, and I can see how this book would appeal to fans of dark academia and morally complex characters. But for me, the execution fell flat, and I found it difficult to stay engaged throughout.

This book isn't bad. It has an interesting storyline and a very imaginative world, but I just didn't connect with the book. I'm not sure that Naomi Novik is the author for me.

What can I say, I've come to expect greatness from Naomi Novik ever since I read Uprooted - one of my all time favorites - and ADE haa not disappointed. The world building is masterful, the prose is lovely and the characters are interesting. Not to mention the Dark Academia vibes. There's nothing I didn't like and I've already successfully made many people in my circle aware of this book and got them to read it.

4.75/5 stars! I loved this fantasy book by author Naomi Novik. I loved the dark academia notes and am obsessed with Gal and Orion. Rushing off to continue this series ASAP.

DNF @17% - Ugh, I hate DNF'ing this. I definitely thought the world was interesting, but the writing and me aren't friends. It is very stream of consiousness, and we really just jump from one topic to another without reason, which makes it incredibly hard to follow and overall just confusing to read.

Unfortunately i did not finish this book. I initially indicated on netgalley that i would not review the book because i simply did not finish it. But then my score keeps dropping. So hence this review.

God, I love Naomi Novik. She can truly do no wrong in my book. This one was THE Dark Academia book, in my opinion -- I've been handselling it to customers by describing it as "if Wednesday Addams went to Hogwarts." Love me a heroine who is decidedly NOT perky and bright, who isn't afraid to throw down (physically or magically) when the occasion calls for it. And I'm ALWAYS here for subversions of the Golden Hero archetype (yawn!!!). Incredibly clever world-building and gorgeous prose, as always!

This is my first read by Naomi Novik, and I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope to read more of her novels soon, as I have heard a great deal about her over the years.

Amazing world-building! Another hit by Novik. I absolutely love when books play a major part in a book, so that really hooked me.

I think I'm scarred by the horrid JK Rowling, but i'm tired of reading about magic schools. On top of that, it's poorly researched and just hard to connect with.

*The Deadly Education* by Naomi Novik offers a unique twist on the fantasy genre, combining magic, danger, and an intriguing school setting. The premise of a magical school where students must survive the perils of their education is fascinating, and Novik does a great job of creating a dark, atmospheric world that keeps the reader engaged. The protagonist, El, is a strong and complex character, and her struggles with her power and the dangerous environment around her are compelling.

However, while the world-building is rich and the stakes are high, the pacing of the story feels uneven at times. Some sections drag on with heavy exposition, and the plot doesn't always flow smoothly. The novel can also be a bit repetitive, and I found myself wanting more emotional depth and connection to the characters. The darker tone and the protagonist's cynical perspective sometimes made it harder to fully invest in the narrative.

Overall, *A Deadly Education* is an intriguing and imaginative read, but it lacks the emotional resonance or smooth pacing to make it truly memorable. It’s a solid start to a series, but the next book might benefit from deeper character development and a faster pace. Fans of dark, magical worlds will likely enjoy it, though it may not appeal to those looking for a more traditional or uplifting fantasy.

3.5 - This took me a bit to get into because of the writing, but I did end up enjoying it. It definitely felt different than the typical fantasy I read, because there was A LOT of information and not as much plot. This felt very much like a darker version of Hogwarts and really more of a character study.

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a magical school where failure means certain death. The main character Eli shows up and starts uncovering the school's darkest secrets. Eli has a dark power that makes her one of the most powerful students to ever exist, but her power can also kill all the other students. There were monsters all over the school, looking for students to eat. There was a lot of mystery that Eli had to uncover as she digs through the schools secrets. The school definitely gave horror, but a lot darker, if there were more monsters roaming free and a lot more horror elements.

The parts I liked were the discussion of inequality, struggling to fit in, and being mixed ethnicity. I came to really enjoy Eli's character. I thought the information dumps were a lot at times and think the book would have really benefitted from less telling and information and more moving the plot along. Eli had a really tragic story and was just really tragic to me as a character and I did come to love her as the story progressed.

Thanks to Del Rey for the free book!!

Recommend this one for all fantasy lovers. The characters were interesting and well written, the story was engaging and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it.