Naomi Novik

Scholomance - Tödliche Lektion

____________ In the start of an all-new series, the bestselling author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver introduces you to a dangerous school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death - until one girl begins to rewrite its rules. ____________ Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered. There are no teachers, no holidays, friendships are purely strategic, and the odds of survival are never equal. Once you're inside, there are only two ways out: you graduate or you die. El Higgins is uniquely prepared for the school's many dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions - never mind easily destroy the countless monsters that prowl the school. Except, she might accidentally kill all the other students, too. So El is trying her hardest not to use it... that is, unless she has no other choice. Wry, witty, endlessly inventive, and mordantly funny - yet with a true depth and fierce justice at its heart - this enchanting novel reminds us that there are far more important things than mere survival. ____________ 'Hilarious and wild! Take any fictional magic school, make it as over-the-top dangerous as possible, and populate it with a bunch of snarky teenagers; the result is pure batshit fun.' N.K. Jemisin, three-time Hugo Award winner and author of The Fifth Season 'Novik deliciously undoes expectations about magic schools, destined heroes, and family legacies. A gorgeous book about monsters and monstrousness, chockablock with action, cleverness, and wit.' Holly Black, #1 New York Times bestselling author 'The Scholomance is the dark school of magic I've been waiting for, and its wise, witty, and monstrous heroine is one I'd happily follow anywhere-even into a school full of monsters.' Katherine Arden, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale 'The wonderful cast of characters will grab a hold of your heart and you'll never want to leave this deadly school ... a fantasy that delights on every level. I loved this brilliant book.' Stephanie Garber, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Caraval series 'Eyeball-meltingly brilliant. Novik is, quite simply, a genius.' Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken 'Sharp, witty, and darkly effervescent, A Deadly Education is Naomi Novik's fresh take on the concept of the magic school. One of my favorite reads of the year.' Rory Power, New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls 'Naomi Novik reinvents the magical school story by working a strange, funny, wild, dark magic all her own. This is not just your next great read - it's your new obsession.' Gwenda Bond 'A delightfully brutal world ... and a practical, ruthless heroine with the guts and wits to survive it.' Emily Skrutskie 'Fresh, smart, and delightfully unique. It's Hogwarts with higher stakes and sharper claws, and I absolutely loved it.' Alix E. Harrow 'A nightmare from which I never wished to wake. Savage, inventive, and soulful, Novik grasps the totems of childhood that linger in your mind-schools of magic, curses, cutthroat classmates, monsters-only to twist them into a grand new tale that'll make you believe in magic again.' Pierce Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Age

The Sunday Times Bestseller

A Deadly Education

Emily McMeans

“But I can't pretend that, because I didn't grow up in that lie, so I don't actually want in. I don't want that safety and comfort and luxury at the cost of other kids dying in here.“

“I don’t have a very good idea of how people behave with their friends normally, because I'd never had one before. but on the bright side, Orion hadn't either, so he didn't know any more than I did. So for lack of a better idea we just went on being rude to each other, which was easy enough for me, and a refreshing and new experience for him, in both directions: being gracious to the little people had apparently been hammered into him from an early age.”

From the New York Times bestselling author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver comes the story of an unwilling dark sorceress who is destined to rewrite the rules of magic. 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 me to do. 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 itself 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 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.

This conflict between wanting to do what we can for ourselves and our "enclave" or group resonates with how we've structured society. It reminds me of the article about the 10% as a new aristocracy, how the wealthiest 10% shape policy and communities without in a way that ends up making things harder for the other 90%, even though they aren't fully aware or trying to make it worse for others. 

Omar

I don't want that safety and comfort and luxury at the cost of other kids dying in here. And sure, it's not like that, it's not some simple equation like me in an enclave means kids are dying in here; the kids will go on dying in here anyway, whether I'm in an enclave or notBut just because it's a forty-sixth-order derivative equation or something doesn't mean that I can't work out which side of that equation is the guilty one.

I'd just told him he was a stupid wanker for trying to go and hide in the alchemy labs again.

fira

”He was doing gate shifts by the time he was ten. I don’t mean he'd be assigned, it was his idea of fun. Magistra Rhys, he's her only kid, all our lives she was constantly dragging him to our places for playdates, to get him to make friends, and the whole time he was over, he'd just try to find ways to sneak out and go down to the gates so he could jump any mals that came in. He's not—normal.”

I wanted her, I wanted Aadhya, and not just because I didn't have another option. I wanted this thing here between us, walking to lunch together after a morning working hard side by side, a small warm feeling that we were on the same team. I didn't just want them to help me live. I wanted for them to live. 

Mum wasn't looking plump and pink anymore; the more fussy women around the commune chided her for not getting enough rest and told me off for being more trouble than I was worth, even though they didn't know that I really was. When she asked to keep me out of the Scholomance, what she was offering to do was let me watch her get eaten before I got eaten myself.

You have to ration sympathy and grief in here the way you ration your school supplies, unless you're a heroic enclaver with a vat of mana.

Some sorcerers get an affinity for weather magic, or transformation spells, or fantastic combat magics like dear Orion. I got an affinity for mass destruction. 

Masiko Dlamini

paragraph 2 page 259 - paragraph 1 page 261

~ I burst out, "Just----why? What have I ever done that turns people off?"

I waited for her to say all the usual things: You're rude, you're cold, you're mean, you're angry, all the things people say to make things my fault, but she looked over at me and frowned like she was really thinking about it, and then she said with decision, "You feel like it's going to rain." ( Aadhya & Galadriale) ~ 

~ He made a little hop with a squawk, grabbing for my hand like he thought I was making a move on him, but I was already dropping the shirt again. I snorted and flicked my fingers up towards his face to make him jump back again. " In your dreams, rich boy. I'm not one of your groupies." "Yeah, I didn't notice," he said, even though he was blushing at the same time. (Orion & Galadriale) ~

I was barely nine-years-old the first time something came at me. Mals don't usually come after wizards in their prime, like Mum, and he don't usually come after little ones because we don't have enough mana yet. But mama said that week; sheet got the raging fever, and after she went delirious, someone at the commune took her to the hospital and left me alone. I ate our leftovers from the night before and huddled down in our bad, trying to sing the lullabies Mum sang me every night, to pretend she was there. When the scratching started at the wards, tiny sprays of sparks going up outside the entrance like knives on steel, I got the crystal she'd been wearing with her circle that fall. I was clutching it in my hands when the when the scratcher started working its way in, fingers first, long jointed things with claws like blades of paring knives.

I screamed when they poked through. Back then, I still had the idea somewhere in me that someone would come if I screamed. I was enough of an oblivious kid that I only considered whether I liked someone, or more often didn't, so I hadn't really noticed yet that people didn't like me, .... Nobody came even after I screamed a second time, too, knife-fingers clawing at the wards open like a mouse getting into a sack. And other people heard me,I know they heard me,

From, my perspective, it meant no one ever realized I belonged to her unless they were told. Once someone visiting our yurt spent a solid hour hinting that I might go away and stop pestering the great spiritual healer

"You know, it's almost impressive," he said after a moment, sounding wobbly. "You're nearly dead and you're still the rudest person I've ever met. You're welcome again, by the way"

One of the girls once told me I was the colour of upsetting weak tea.

"Inaugurando una nueva trilogía, la autora superventas de "Un cuento oscuro" y "Un mundo helado" nos abre las puertas a una peligrosa escuela de magia donde cometer errores es sinónimo de una muerte segura hasta que una chica empieza a reescribir las reglas del juego. 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 él 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."--Provided by publisher.

Una educación mortal

Sara Godoy Higueras

Rebekah Holland

In the start of an all-new series, the bestselling author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver introduces you to a dangerous school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death - until one girl begins to rewrite its rules. Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered. There are no teachers, no holidays, friendships are purely strategic, and the odds of survival are never equal.Once you're inside, there are only two ways out- you graduate or you die.El Higgins is uniquely prepared for the school's many dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions - never mind easily destroy the countless monsters that prowl the school. Except, she might accidentally kill all the other students, too. So El is trying her hardest not to use it... that is, unless she has no other choice. Wry, witty, endlessly inventive, and mordantly funny - yet with a true depth and fierce justice at its heart - this enchanting novel reminds us that there are far more important things than mere survival. 'Hilarious and wild! Take any fictional magic school, make it as over-the-top dangerous as possible, and populate it with a bunch of snarky teenagers; the result is pure batshit fun.' - N.K. Jemisin, three-time Hugo Award winner and author of The Fifth Season 'A dark, smart, delicious tale, set to redefine everything you think you know about schools for magic. A DEADLY EDUCATION is dangerously addictive.' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Mercies 'The Scholomance is the dark school of magic I've been waiting for, and its wise, witty, and monstrous heroine is one I'd happily follow anywhere-even into a school full of monsters.' - Katherine Arden, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale 'The wonderful cast of characters will grab a hold of your heart and you'll never want to leave this deadly school ... a fantasy that delights on every level. I loved this brilliant book.' - Stephanie Garber, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Caraval series 'Eyeball-meltingly brilliant. Novik is, quite simply, a genius.' - Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken 'Sharp, witty, and darkly effervescent, A Deadly Education is Naomi Novik's fresh take on the concept of the magic school. One of my favorite reads of the year.' - Rory Power, New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls 'Friendship in spite of itself; danger that doesn't quit-what a wildly magical ride!' - Tamora Pierce 'A Deadly Education is a book that lives up to its gobsmacker of an opening sentence ... Naomi Novik is relentlessly innovative and entertaining.' - Terry Brooks 'Naomi Novik reinvents the magical school story by working a strange, funny, wild, dark magic all her own. This is not just your next great read - it's your new obsession.' - Gwenda Bond 'A delightfully brutal world ... and a practical, ruthless heroine with the guts and wits to survive it.' - Emily Skrutskie 'Fresh, smart, and delightfully unique. It's Hogwarts with higher stakes and sharper claws, and I absolutely loved it.' - Alix E. Harrow

Maribel V Ramirez

Lauren

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 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. Praise for Deadly Education “The can’t-miss fantasy of fall 2020, a brutal coming-of-power story steeped in the aesthetics of dark academia. . . . A Deadly Education will cement Naomi Novik’s place as one of the greatest and most versatile fantasy writers of our time.”—BookPage (starred review) “A must-read . . . Novik puts a refreshingly dark, adult spin on the magical boarding school. . . . Readers will delight in the push-and-pull of El and Orion’s relationship, the fantastically detailed world, the clever magic system, and the matter-of-fact diversity of the student body.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A Novel

It took me a bit to get into this, but then it was so propulsive! I had to figure out wtf a Scholomance was, but then I was all take me there yes please!

Amelia Hruby

Took me a bit to get into it (I’m not huge into “school is trying to kill you”), but ended up really enjoying it. I read about 2/3 in one day. 

Davis

Jennifer Gosnell

I was really not sure I was going to like this… because it is SO exposition heavy for the first bit. But I ended up loving it!! Such a unique magic system and school, spooky but not terrifying, the characters were all so interesting. I was really rooting for El’s developing friendships and alliances. And the cliffhanger? Cannot wait to read the next one!

Rebecca Hurd

Story wise this was great!! The writing could’ve been a lot better…but the relationship between El and Orion was super cute!! Next book in the series…maybe??

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. "The dark school of magic I've been waiting for." Katherine Arden, author of Winternight Trilogy 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. Praise for Deadly Education "The can't-miss fantasy of fall 2020, a brutal coming-of-power story steeped in the aesthetics of dark academia. . . . A Deadly Education will cement Naomi Novik's place as one of the greatest and most versatile fantasy writers of our time."--BookPage (starred review) "A must-read . . . Novik puts a refreshingly dark, adult spin on the magical boarding school. . . . Readers will delight in the push-and-pull of El and Orion's relationship, the fantastically detailed world, the clever magic system, and the matter-of-fact diversity of the student body."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

An exercise in frustration. The author was so concerned with making it clear she’d thought of every little detail and nuance of the world she’s created, she seemingly forgot to tell a story—right up until it’s nearly too late.

The vast majority of A Deadly Education consists of clunky narration over-explaining every mundane facet of the deadly school in which the novel is set. Short breaks are taken for the narrator to complain about how unfair it is that everyone hates her even though all she’s only ever been is completely rude and unpleasant. Which is a shame, because the world is actually quite fun! But every character—and especially the writing—is almost universally anything but. There is just absolutely no room for anything subtle here. It all feels so graceless and abrasive.

A plot does finally start to kick in about two-thirds through—though the exposition dumps never do cease—and I found myself finally curious, if not enraptured. Things take a small and hopeful turn near the end, only for the novel to end on a twisty cliffhanger. I’ll say I’m tempted to hate-read the next in the trilogy, but for now I need a break.

Truly baffled by all the praise that was heaped upon this. 

Michael Klepacki

An exercise in frustration. The author was so concerned with making it clear she’d thought of every little detail and nuance of the world she’s created, she seemingly forgot to tell a story—right up until it’s nearly too late.

The vast majority of A Deadly Education consists of clunky narration over-explaining every mundane facet of the deadly school in which the novel is set. Short breaks are taken for the narrator to complain about how unfair it is that everyone hates her even though all she’s only ever been is completely rude and unpleasant. Which is a shame, because the world is actually quite fun! But every character—and especially the writing—is almost universally anything but. There is just absolutely no room for anything subtle here. It all feels so graceless and abrasive.

A plot does finally start to kick in about two-thirds through—though the exposition dumps never do cease—and I found myself finally curious, if not enraptured. Things take a small and hopeful turn near the end, only for the novel to end on a twisty cliffhanger. I’ll say I’m tempted to hate-read the next in the trilogy, but for now I need a break.

Truly baffled by all the praise that was heaped upon this. 

Itzel

I'm just so frustrated because while I thought it was a fun read while I was going through it, I kept feeling like it dragged on and on and I was sure I'd drop the series when I was finished with this, however the final pages made me change my thoughts and now I want to continue urgently.

Meg Ma. Guerrero 

took me a little too long to finish this considering its length but whatever, i'm done

enjoyed el's personality even though she was a little too stubborn at times but honestly, it only made me relate to her more LOL 

not sure i was a fan of explanations being inserted in there WHILE something important was happening (i feel like this would've done well with a glossary because there's just so much to explain lmao) but it was still a fun experience

mainly, i'm just glad with how this ended. can't wait to read the next one.

Reallly fun world with a storyline that pulls you along. YA level of character development, kind of little delevopment for a lot them, but the story bops along we'll despite this. Main characters (El + friends) are fun. The magic system is interesting and a fun retriction. 

Tove Söderberg

3.5 🌟 
This was more like reading a book with no real story? Quoting what Jess Owens (booktuber) said, it's very much an info dumping book. Maybe I'll reread it one day...

This book was interesting to say the least. I will say that I found it to be really … heavy. The world and the magic system are pretty complex and odd in this book, so it makes sense that so much time is spent of describing how it all works. But there is SOOOO much detail. It isn’t just the first couple chapters and then sprinkled in as needed. Nope, its constant and consistent the entire way through. For that reason alone, I wouldn’t necessarily categorize it as a “fun” read. It was dark, moldy, and uncomfortable at times. So why did I still kind of like it? The characters. I loved the fact that the main character El is destined to be a villain, yet still tries to be good. I loved how sarcastic and rude she was to everyone even if she was saving them. I also loved Orion, the embodiment of a cinnamon roll, who has such a one-track mind of being a hero that he’ll save the one girl who doesn’t want him to multiple times. Their relationship (odd as it was) along with all the other cool side characters is the reason that I kept reading and why I will probably read the next one. While I wish the author understood that sometimes we as the reader don’t need to know every micro detail all the time, I do want to know what happens to everyone and if they graduate this deadly school.

Kendall V

Tatiana

A Deadly Education: 2/5

Um... alright. I had a lot of hope for A Deadly Education since it received a lot of hype and great reviews. I mean, what's not alluring about dark academia? Let it be known I REALLY wanted to like this book. 

The premise of this book is really good. It takes place in a dark academia setting in a school for gifted kids where they learn magic, but there are entities in the school that also try to kill you before graduation. The book follows a prickly protagonist named El who is witty, powerful, and kind of a loner. That's where the problems start.

First off since this book follows El, who has no friends, it is told in first person and follows her stream of consciousness. It is known El does not have many friends, or any at all, so most of the book is long tangents with little dialogue. I would say 90% of this book is world-building and tangents that have nothing to do with anything. I really found myself at a crossroads between finding El cool and badass since she is super powerful and has great sass, but her poor-me mentality made her inner monologue seem very whiney and repetitive. She would think the same things over and over again and as a reader, I just felt like the whole story was going nowhere and every day was repeating with the same plot and same challenges. 

Furthermore, I would go as far as to say that the entire book has no real plot. Topics are mentioned and never brought up again which just seems sloppy. Maybe this whole book was just a setup for the next one? I honestly could not tell you.

The only thing I liked was the relationship between Orion and El. They had some great moments but El eventually ruined them all by being rude which was not funny to read, just frustrating. I think the book would be at least 70% better if Orion was the main protagonist. 

Anyway, this was a huge disappointment and I also want to mention the controversy around this book is extremely warranted. The comment on dreadlocks was so insensitive and not even needed since it didn't add to the plot at all because there is no plot.

Cody Degen

4.5 stars. Love the world building a lot. The main character's motivations were a little frustrating to follow at first, but got better toward the end. Really excited to see what happens in the next book

The Scholomance is a school for those with magic. Contrary to many wholesome depictions of magical schools, the Scholomance could possibly be one of the worst schools ever, given that there's the constant threat of death. El, the protagonist, is preparing for her graduation that is coming up after her next school year and which is perhaps the most dangerous event after years of enduring constant threats. With no allies, her task is quite daunting. That doesn't stop her from expressing herself, perhaps a little too frankly. All together, El's chances aren't large of making it out alive, even with her dark powers that could endanger others however. Still, El is determined to succeed.

I really liked the characters’ developments throughout the story, particularly El’s.

At first she appeared quite bitter and rude, arguably due to understandable reasons, but later on she kind of lost that. Even though she could technically still come across as rude, it wasn’t with bad intentions anymore and as a joke. Due to the threats and competition in the Scholomance, El often acted only for her own gain initially, but became more selfless the more allies and better relationships she had with her peers. I really like how El began to trust and rely on others.

Orion was pretty naive at first, but it was also understandable due to his sheltered life in the New York enclave. The other enclave students, particularly New York, were no better. However, he started to become more aware, especially due to El’s comments, of the issues the other students experienced and that the world wasn’t as simple as he thought. He didn’t let these bad news change his character and his inherent kindness though, so it was good to see him grow, but not turn into a completely different person.

Aadhya and Liu were great characters as well. It was interesting to read about them, especially when El got to know them better and more of their personality started to show.

The presentation of the enclave children was also well done. As they grew up in their sheltered enclaves, they never had to truly experience the fear of being devoured by the maleficaria. Because of that, it was understandable why they did not understand the privilege they had and also why El disliked it so much. Especially in a situation where less privileged students have to fear for their lives, the ignorance of the enclavers must’ve been frustrating.

The plot moved quickly which I loved. It made the book more addictive and fun to read. Even when I had some issues with the book throughout, it was still too much fun to really stop.

One of the biggest issues perhaps was the descriptions of the Scholomance for me. Some descriptions seemed a bit convoluted and not clear. However, the clearer Scholomance descriptions were interesting to read about due to the fascinating and sinister nature of the school.

While I was reading “A Deadly Education”, I was often debating on whether I should continue reading this trilogy and had actually already decided on “no”, however, about the last 20% convinced me to read the remaining books. Now I can’t wait to pick those up and see how El’s journey in the Scholomance and outside of it proceeds.

Sophia Wolf

The Scholomance is a school for those with magic. Contrary to many wholesome depictions of magical schools, the Scholomance could possibly be one of the worst schools ever, given that there's the constant threat of death. El, the protagonist, is preparing for her graduation that is coming up after her next school year and which is perhaps the most dangerous event after years of enduring constant threats. With no allies, her task is quite daunting. That doesn't stop her from expressing herself, perhaps a little too frankly. All together, El's chances aren't large of making it out alive, even with her dark powers that could endanger others however. Still, El is determined to succeed.

I really liked the characters’ developments throughout the story, particularly El’s.

At first she appeared quite bitter and rude, arguably due to understandable reasons, but later on she kind of lost that. Even though she could technically still come across as rude, it wasn’t with bad intentions anymore and as a joke. Due to the threats and competition in the Scholomance, El often acted only for her own gain initially, but became more selfless the more allies and better relationships she had with her peers. I really like how El began to trust and rely on others.

Orion was pretty naive at first, but it was also understandable due to his sheltered life in the New York enclave. The other enclave students, particularly New York, were no better. However, he started to become more aware, especially due to El’s comments, of the issues the other students experienced and that the world wasn’t as simple as he thought. He didn’t let these bad news change his character and his inherent kindness though, so it was good to see him grow, but not turn into a completely different person.

Aadhya and Liu were great characters as well. It was interesting to read about them, especially when El got to know them better and more of their personality started to show.

The presentation of the enclave children was also well done. As they grew up in their sheltered enclaves, they never had to truly experience the fear of being devoured by the maleficaria. Because of that, it was understandable why they did not understand the privilege they had and also why El disliked it so much. Especially in a situation where less privileged students have to fear for their lives, the ignorance of the enclavers must’ve been frustrating.

The plot moved quickly which I loved. It made the book more addictive and fun to read. Even when I had some issues with the book throughout, it was still too much fun to really stop.

One of the biggest issues perhaps was the descriptions of the Scholomance for me. Some descriptions seemed a bit convoluted and not clear. However, the clearer Scholomance descriptions were interesting to read about due to the fascinating and sinister nature of the school.

While I was reading “A Deadly Education”, I was often debating on whether I should continue reading this trilogy and had actually already decided on “no”, however, about the last 20% convinced me to read the remaining books. Now I can’t wait to pick those up and see how El’s journey in the Scholomance and outside of it proceeds.

it took me some time to get into this book, but once the threads started come together and the plot going, the book became a joy to read. the world building is unique and interesting but also fairly absurd, which i think the author uses quite well to commentate society in the end

Jiji

Lara Engle

I love Naomi Novik. That's all.

Okay, not really. A Deadly Education is another great book by Novik. She is so good at getting into the heads of her protagonists and building worlds. The Scholomance feels like a real magical place, if that's a thing. I love how this book both stands alone and properly sets up the sequel to come. While this book has a YA vibe, with El being a junior in high school and with the coming of age storyline, it is definitely mature in the constant dangers everyone faces both magical and social. The tension rarely subsides. El is constantly having to consider every possible consequence to every action. It's exhausting. I wouldn't seriously consider handing this book to anyone under 15. But for anyone above that age who likes reading fantasy with dark magic, this is for you.

This book was really good I enjoyed the kind of dual personality of the mc , she and the mmc give of black cat and golden retriever vibes . The magic system was a bit hard to understand in the beginning but now I see how unique it really is. Overall this was a good book and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Carmen Neveling

Gabrielle Gonzaga

I loved this book with all my fantasy loving heart. It was everything I've ever wanted to read and I'm so happy to have watched everything in this story unfold through such a powerful female MC pov. I love El so much and I'm so excited to see what else happens in her story.

Banger. Cool world building + maps at the end.

Chase Leitner

What if Hogwarts had deadly monsters around every corner? Well, this is what it felt like and I honestly loved every second of it. It was kind of slow at times with very large paragraphs full of information being thrown at you, but it was a good read. I can't wait to read the next one.

Fell in love. It is one of those books where you come to an end and you‘re just incredibly sad. 

The author has created an amazing world with so much detail. It is a lot of fun to read ( I really mean it - laughed out loud so many times) and I can‘t wait for the next one. So happy it is a trilogy.

Anthea Schuler

Fell in love. It is one of those books where you come to an end and you‘re just incredibly sad. 

The author has created an amazing world with so much detail. It is a lot of fun to read ( I really mean it - laughed out loud so many times) and I can‘t wait for the next one. So happy it is a trilogy.

if I had a nickel for every book I’ve read this week that was fantasy fiction dark academia about a school loosely set in the UK where the main character’s major was languages I would have 2 nickels

this book does raise the question of whether a book can be dark academia if it does not in fact contain any focus on academics. at first I did not like the book bc I don’t like mean narrators who are rude for no reason, but I kept going and came around a bit towards the end. I could see myself reading the second one if there is one

fris🐝

if I had a nickel for every book I’ve read this week that was fantasy fiction dark academia about a school loosely set in the UK where the main character’s major was languages I would have 2 nickels

this book does raise the question of whether a book can be dark academia if it does not in fact contain any focus on academics. at first I did not like the book bc I don’t like mean narrators who are rude for no reason, but I kept going and came around a bit towards the end. I could see myself reading the second one if there is one

I enjoyed the story and the characters. I particularly loved the social commentary in here. At first I thought the protagonist was a bit too much to handle, trust issues, but she and the others grew on me. Though at times the dialogue made me feel like the book is better for teenagers, I enjoyed the story. 

Jeremy Wang

huh well that's illegal. since when has fantasy been this good at social commentary? i'd categorize this together with babel in a budding new subgenre of semi-anti-academy fantasy, but novik blunts the cutting commentary with a distinctly ya flavor. 

in the spirit of this pretty goth novel, i'd compare it to a skeleton; it's been a while since i read the lord of the flies, but i think novik borrows some strategies from it, stripping away the fleshy subtleties of adult society and making explicit all of the most problematic trends underlying this wonderful free market meritocracy we've made for ourselves. there's the (at least partially inadvertent) perpetuation of inequality by parents just trying to protect their children, the nonstop trading of informal but binding favors in a feverish orgy of networking, the suffocating social games played by people always looking to cut a small advantage for themselves.

but the best part comes about two thirds of the way into the book, when novik pulls an extremely meta move and opens the floodgates of nuance; suddenly we take a step back from all the clean explicitness she built up before then and remind ourselves: half the problem comes from the stories we tell ourselves. change the stories and change the problem. 

the craft of the book itself is fairly standard Good Young Adult Fantasy. solid worldbuilding all around and generally compelling characters. i like el's blend of rfkuang-y anger and ya-sass a lot. full marks because the idea of the scholomance is so compelling and the social commentary is done so cleverly!

Scholomance - Tödliche Lektion

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