Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher's for this Advanced Readers Copy of A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik!

3 stars. Probably one of my most disappointing reads recently in that I had such high hopes, but this was nothing like what I expected it to be. Hoping this is a me, not you situation because the idea was there, but I wasn’t a fan of the execution.

This was an info dump. This was all telling, no showing. This was stream of consciousness to an extreme, with very little plot, dialogue, or action in between. Ánd all of that put together made it very difficult for me to get through. I’m not sure what else to say about it other than that. I think the world/school setting was super interesting, but I wanted to read a story about it, not endless paragraphs of information and descriptions about it. I feel like the actual plot/story could have been a 100 page short story if we took out all of the pages of information. The chapters felt long and endless because of how dense this aspect of the book was. And here’s the sad thing; that it really is an interesting world and I think the author had an incredible idea in her head, but it was so tiring to read it almost felt like homework of a sort? It was really, really difficult for me to enjoy and immerse myself in the story. I felt like I couldn’t dive deep into it because of how dense the background info was. It really overtook the whole story.

Just overall devastated by how this turned out.

A big thank you to PRH Ballantine/Del Rey for the chance to give my honest feedback.

Despite the opening hook, I found the story to be slow to start. It took me a couple weeks to read the first few chapters and then about two days to devour the rest. I appreciated that the book acknowledged its shortcomings in terms of world building/magic system instead of just retconning explanations for why impossible things work. I enjoyed the dynamic of the girls’ alliance-turned-friendship, especially as it’s clear the other girls always liked El and she just has no self-esteem. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

3.5 stars

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death until El begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no real friendships (unless you count alliances) and grades don't really matter. What does however is if you survive because the school only lets you out if you graduate... Or you die. Oh and watch out for all the monsters that are trying to kill you. This should all be no match for El who possesses a unique set of powers that can save them all, but it also might kill them in the process.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for sending me a copy of this one to review!

In all honesty, I'm really struggling to review this one. Initially, I was given a copy of this to read through Netgalley and I STRUGGLED to get past the first 50 pages and was really keen to DNF it. I then saw my library had a copy of this one to listen to as an audiobook so I thought I'd give it a try and I became obsessed with the story, characters, and the world. That's my first suggestion, listen to the audiobook if you can because it makes everything so much easier to read.

I personally found the story really informative with so much world-building (some might argue too much compared to dialogue) which I think is why I struggled with the physical copy and went with listening through my library. As someone who loves a good balance of dialogue and world-building, this had too much of the latter in the first 50 pages which made it a little unbearable. In saying that, I'm really glad I did stick it out with the audiobook as I flew through it and it actually made me laugh out loud towards the end there.

A Deadly Education is such a cool concept but there were some aspects I wish the author would have left out or had done differently as I don't think they added too much to the story. The main one I can think of was Orion's and El's "love story" which probably didn't even need to be portrayed that way to achieve the same outcome.

Nevertheless, I'll still read the next books in the series but I think I'll lean more toward the audiobooks in the future over the physical copies. Thank you again to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for sending me a copy of this one!

Novik's world-building is stunning and completely pulls you in, but I found the protagonist so annoying and the romance aspect (it was marketed to me as enemies to lovers) disappointing. 2.5

This book started with a little too much rambling from the main character/narrator for my taste. It was difficult to get into the story with the data dump of information and little to no explanation for most references. I can understand that this was a stylistic choice, having finished the trilogy now. However, it took a good 15% of the book before I was able to overcome and gain footing in the novel.

Setting the story in a magical school has been done plenty of times, but the school being its own character was unique. Being filled with monsters (maleficaria) constantly on the hunt for students made this more a game of survival than a 4-year institution. The chapters were well paced and filled with action between characters and monsters.

Overall, I would recommend this series to friends who enjoy fantasy and dark academia, with the caveat that you need to be patient to get past the first hump and feeling lost.

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The writing style of this book is not usually my cup of tea, I felt like the first few chapters were just an information dump of world building in the style of a rambling inner monologue. The rambling style inner monologue does continue throughout the book but becomes easier to follow as you learn more about the main characters.

Although the beginning was tough to get through, the pace did pick up and I was more invested in the story and characters as the book continued. The world and magic system are creative and the setting of the story really kept me interested.

The dynamic between El and Orion is very entertaining and I can't wait to see how that relationship continues in the next book of the trilogy, especially after that letter from El's mom....

“Reader, I ran the fuck away.”

I came into A Deadly Education expecting not to like it, after reading a lot of negative or disappointed reviews. I was pleasantly surprised by that opening line and stayed hooked for the rest of the book. I binge-read this in a day. El's voice is incredibly unique, as it seems no one is willing to write "mean" main characters. El's grumpy, cynical narration was so interesting. I didn't mind the info-dumping, which seemed to happen in the logical places. If the entire setup for the Scholomance had been explained at the beginning, it would have just been several pages of exposition. I liked that it was more spread out. I found the murder school a pretty interesting spin on the classic "school for wizards/witches/etc" trope and I don't understand why so many people complained about it. Overall, this was an entertaining and fun read.

Had a hard time getting into the story at first as it jumps right into the magic system and world. Enjoyed the story after getting some explanation and went right into book 2.

A Deadly Education puts a dark, clever spin on magical school stories by setting it in the ominous Scholomance, where survival is an actual concern. Protagonist El possesses powerful magic, but using it could kill her fellow students - an intriguing moral dilemma.

The extensive worldbuilding features creative dangerous monsters, but also overwhelms a bit early on before the plot picks up around 40%. Once the setting is established, El's characterization as a socially isolated but morally conflicted sorceress shines.

With a fresh twist on the chosen one trope, novella-length sections, and a monster-filled setting, this YA fantasy builds an immersive atmosphere, even if the story takes time getting its footing. El held my interest as an antihero still growing into her own. A fun read for those who like dark magic schools with a dangerous edge.

I'm what you could call a difficult reader when it comes to my main characters. A Deadly Education came to me at a time when I'd just read 4 consecutive books with bad main characters. A Deadly Education's main female character, El, was likeable and not stupid. Her choices and thought patterns reflected each other and I wasn’t dying of second hand cringe every two seconds. I know that seems like a low bar, but trust me when I say El was truly a breath of fresh air.

I cannot express how much I adored reading A Deadly Education. Novik knocked it out of the park with her characters, side characters, plot, world-building- everything. I honestly don't have a critique.

I went into this novel hesitant. There's a lot of ground to cover with the school, how it was built, how it operates, how the magical world runs, what kinds of creatures there are and what they can do. Every question was answered while completely avoiding info-dumping. And any information that's been withheld- Novik will likely cover in the next books in the series.

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like driven, intelligent, witty, badass main female characters, academy's that seem to come to life, cut throat competitions and an amazing magical world- this is the book for you.

Summary - a couple of kids decide to fix their school only for it to try to kill them.

*thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!*

I was excited to get this one for the dark academia vibes. I will say it was a bit of a struggle to get into it. Its slower with a lot of world building. It's like Harry Potter except magic comes with a cost and everyone mostly dies. The main character in the beginning is hard to like, slowly you start to understand why she's so bitter and angry at the world. And at the end you're really rooting for her. I did find myself around 70% in fully enthralled by the world. And the ending? an absolute cliff hanger. Will definitely be reading the next one.

This was a reread of A Deadly Education for me in preparation for it’s archive date on NetGalley. The first of three lessons on the Scholomance was a very well written YA fantasy novel with a school of magic which is much more deadly than our beloved Harry Potter. El, short for Galadriel, has literally landed, from her home in Wales, in the Scholomance with a multitude of young sorcerers to learn her craft over four years and will return if she survives. Orion is a good guy who just wants to save everybody and El is pushing away from her with both hands. Magic and teenagers who can’t leave are a recipe for constant dangerous happenings. They need help to survive but haven’t made alliances yet.
3 Stars- Pub. Date: 9-29-2020; Archive Date: 10-21-2023

I sadly had to dnf this one. It read way too young for my personal taste in ya and I thought it'd be unfair to read something I knew I wouldn't enjoy for the purpose of reviewing it. I hope you see it the same way and thank you for giving me access to this arc.

Naomi Novik has knocked it out of the park with the new series, which is what I think I wanted Harry Potter to be all along.

Told from the point of view of the antagonist, this novel takes place at a school of magic that will definitely kill you if it can. The students who survive their terms make it out into the world, and the cycle continues.

The theme that stood out the most to me involves the cycles that families and institutions participate in that are potentially harmful, in the sake of tradition, or because they don't know any better way. It takes a cycle breaker, someone who comes along and says "We can do better' to question tradition and to find another way. This book has a lot of dread in it as the students prepare for their exams and will fight for their lives, but there is also a thread of hope that runs through the book, and lets the reader and the characters dare to think that this time it might be different.

It was even better than I expected!
El is an amazing character and I love her interactions with Orion!
And the world Novik created? OMG! A school that tries to kill you while you're trying to be a better witch. It's so amazing!
The plot is really good and it pushes you to read another chapter and another chapter until there is no chapter left and you're screaming because you need the next book!

I always loved Novik's writing but in "A deadly education" you see some matureness in the writing without losing her unique way.

I really loved it!

I was excited for the opportunity to read a (new to me) dark academia book for fall. This book had a great premise but it seems to suffer from getting a bit too heady and focusing on infinite details rather than moving the plot forward. I enjoyed this for what it was but don't think I'd continue the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for this ARC.

I recently received an ebook of this book I had requested this wayyy back in 2020. I was quite surprised to see it. It’s was an interesting take on Academia genre. But it didn’t capture my attention and imagination.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik is a young adult, fantasy fiction that brings the reader to a world where children with magical abilities are hunted by monsters. In order to give their children a better chance of survival, a century ago adults banded together to create a school to protect and help the children learn. The school however, is not entirely safe either. The same monsters that hunt children outside lurk in the hallways and the ultimate test is when at graduation students must survive a gauntlet of the worst possible creatures.

The main character El, in some ways is an average teenage girl just trying to survive social isolation. However, she also has to deal with the fact that her grandmother predicted she would bring ruin to the enclaves of the world and that she is brimming with a type of magic that is dark and dangerous. Matters get more complicated when the school's golden boy starts making it a habit of saving her life and then even more strangely, acting like a friend.

This book is a new take on a magical school and was a fast paced read. I would recommend it for readers who enjoy fantasy fiction, young adult fantasy fiction and rooting for the underdog. Thank you to #NetGalley, Del Ray Publishing, and Naomi Noviks for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dark Academia meets Survivor.

Just to start off: I know there is some sort of controversy about this book. I did not research it before I read the book, but I did read a few reviews that gave an overview of what people are offended about.

I received this ARC from NetGalley, and because this book has been out for several years, I’m assuming it went through a revision to address people’s concerns. This is my first time reading it, so not sure if there are any differences from the original text, but I will say that the book was not problematic to me.

Now to the summary: this is a world of magic in which people with magic are under constant attack from mals (magical beings that will kill you in an instant). To protect against mals, most people attempt to join enclaves (think covens) that are in cities all over the world. This is to provide protection and support to all people within that enclave. On the other hand, you have people like Galadriel and her mother who are not part of an enclave, and live separate.

Then the children get thrown into this school, which is actually the lesser of two evils if you can believe that. Before the school was created these children (who happen to be very tasty to the mals) would likely reach adulthood maybe 20% of the time. Inside the school, these children reach adulthood maybe 60% of the time. Better odds, certainly, but still grim as fuck. Murder and death are a very common occurrence in the school.

Our protagonist, Galadriel, has immense power: she could wipe out legions of people (mundanes) and other wizards without breaking a sweat. However, due to her upbringing by her lovely flower child mother, she knows that she should not. It is, however, a natural affinity of her magic, which other people (mundanes and wizards alike) can sense and fear. She is filled with bitterness and seething resentment after being treated with horror and disdain by people her entire life, including complete strangers and family members. She has no friends or allies in the school.

However, it is clear that when she does care about someone, she goes through great lengths to love them and show it… a la her mother. Her mother has a great respect for all living things, and as such has raised Galdriel to be strict mana, Galadriel would not even take the mana (life force) of an ant of beetle because it would upset her mother. At school, where there are no adults and it is always a life-or-death situation, Galadriel treats people like assets, in turn they treat her like one too.

This whole school (and world of magic, for that matter) runs on trades and bargains … tit for tat. My spell for a bit of your artificer work, etc. And as El has little social skills, and has been ostracized since childhood, I think it entirely likely that she would judge people solely on their utility rather than anything else about them. She isn’t going out if her way to befriend people, but they aren’t going out of their way to befriend her either.

Enter Orion! White knight and annoyance to Galadriel. The two become friendly. She gets some perks off of being his friend (although she actively detests the people who attempt to befriend her due to association) and Orion gets a person who doesn’t try to lick his boots all the damn time.

All manner of chaos ensues.

I liked this book. The writing style is a bit unusual in that it reads like train-of-thought with huge info dumps. I'm not certain if this is supposed to be Galadriel's diary or a memoir...at one point she breaks the fourth wall and calls you "Dear Reader".

I plan on reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.