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ingi's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Murder, Animal cruelty, and Racism
rubyroses's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book has been described as: Harry Potter (if the school was sentient & trying to kill the students). In my opinion this couldn’t be further from the truth and overall undersells the premise. Yes, okay… sure. The book contains wizards and a magical school but that’s where the similarities end. Deadly Education is it’s own entity.
If you are someone that enjoys a good slow burn then I think you’ll enjoy the romantic dynamic of this book. If your someone that avoids romance then I think you could potentially enjoy this book too. Romance is definitely a theme but it plays such an underwhelming small role that it’s easy to forget it’s even there.
This book’s main focus is its kick ass OP female protagonist & the friends she makes along the way. That’s it’s selling point !! Overall it was a really enjoyable novel and the magical world building was unique.
Whilst the book is quite diverse with its range of characters from different backgrounds… I wish there was more discussed about El’s. Like sure it’s mentioned briefly but not really explored at all. I get it’s not a focus of the book but would of been nice.
If you are someone that enjoys a good slow burn then I think you’ll enjoy the romantic dynamic of this book. If your someone that avoids romance then I think you could potentially enjoy this book too. Romance is definitely a theme but it plays such an underwhelming small role that it’s easy to forget it’s even there.
This book’s main focus is its kick ass OP female protagonist & the friends she makes along the way. That’s it’s selling point !! Overall it was a really enjoyable novel and the magical world building was unique.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child death
bookcasey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If you enjoy magical, dark academia like Atlas Six, you’ll enjoy this one, aimed at a YA audience. That doesn’t mean the themes aren’t dark — what do you do when your school is constantly trying to kill you? But the cast is lovable, and the book keeps you guessing, a great pick for the darker seasons.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Animal cruelty
cdt96's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Violence, Abandonment, Animal death, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Child death, and Murder
cakeylu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Vomit, and Body horror
Moderate: Grief, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Confinement
Minor: Alcohol and Mental illness
bookishchef's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
I was bored for most of the book. Some of the worldbuilding was interesting. I liked the concept of the school library and different books showing up based on the hardship you went through to get to that part of the library.
The rest of the book did not pique my interest though. A shame, because I do love some of Novik's other work. I had high hopes for this one and it started off with a lot of potential.
Unfortunately, for me it did not stick the landing.
The introduction of a bazillion new characters to fill out the climax also did not work for me. I don't know how I was supposed to care about the death of a character I met barely 10 pages ago, but I didn't. The climax itself also seemed a bit contrived and deus ex machina.
Suddenly a new character gets introduced (like 75-80% into the book!) who thinks of a plan with the MC and her love interest to get rid of all the mals (monsters) in a part of the school. It comes out of nowhere and feels very cheap.
The rest of the book did not pique my interest though. A shame, because I do love some of Novik's other work. I had high hopes for this one and it started off with a lot of potential.
Unfortunately, for me it did not stick the landing.
The introduction of a bazillion new characters to fill out the climax also did not work for me. I don't know how I was supposed to care about the death of a character I met barely 10 pages ago, but I didn't. The climax itself also seemed a bit contrived and deus ex machina.
Suddenly a new character gets introduced (like 75-80% into the book!) who thinks of a plan with the MC and her love interest to get rid of all the mals (monsters) in a part of the school. It comes out of nowhere and feels very cheap.
Content Warnings
Minor: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Murder, Animal cruelty, Violence, and Sexual content
aleighc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Scholomance: /Skal-oh-mans/ (n)
1. A magical school built in a void and constantly attacked by magical monsters.
2. A place where magical teens learn by being thrown into the deep end.
I really enjoyed this book. The writing of this one reminds me of her other two books Uprooted and Spinning Silver, but with a bit more spunk. My favorite magical mechanic was how different spells being cast in different languages and the students can learn spells by studying the language. And man, the cliffhanger at the end! I'll definitely be reading the second one to see what happens.
1. A magical school built in a void and constantly attacked by magical monsters.
2. A place where magical teens learn by being thrown into the deep end.
I really enjoyed this book. The writing of this one reminds me of her other two books Uprooted and Spinning Silver, but with a bit more spunk. My favorite magical mechanic was how different spells being cast in different languages and the students can learn spells by studying the language. And man, the cliffhanger at the end! I'll definitely be reading the second one to see what happens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Bullying, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent
nutm3g's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A quick way to describe A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik would be to say it is like Harry Potter meets The Magicians meets Deadly Class. The students are all fighting to stay alive till graduation day (and especially make it through that day) whether it be from themselves, fellow students turned dark, the mal creeping in, and even the magic they are learning. There is a great sense of wrongness with how there are enclaves, and how the world and school itself was designed with them in mind at the sacrifice of those with the unfortunate luck of being born into nothing. The friendships are developed well, considering the Scholomance is not a place where trust is taken lightly.
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS** It was very interesting how it starts off letting us know El is evil-inclined (regardless of if she wants to be) and with a foreboding prophecy about her supposed destruction, but as the story unfolds you begin to see that she is very much a hero and that her fate may be leaning more towards salvation for the disenfranchised magic-wielders.
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS** It was very interesting how it starts off letting us know El is evil-inclined (regardless of if she wants to be) and with a foreboding prophecy about her supposed destruction, but as the story unfolds you begin to see that she is very much a hero and that her fate may be leaning more towards salvation for the disenfranchised magic-wielders.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Vomit
oliverreeds's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
good vibes. very dark. the lore was good but not spread out enough and very thick and dense in some areas. believable characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
baexlee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Deadly Education is truly something special. If you are at all a fan of dark academia, then you will likely devour this book the way the mals devour the wizards in the Scholomance. Novik creates a rich and vivid world that is both globally expansive and simultaneously isolating - similar to the feeling of staring into the darkness of a starry night. Outside of the delightfully dark atmosphere of the ever dangerous Scholomance, Galadriel is a uniquely crafted character that asks the audience to ponder their own behaviors and morality as she struggles with her natural affinity towards dark and dangerous magic and her loving devotion to her mother and the values she was raised with.
I'd had that scream inside me since I was nine, knotted up with Mum's love, the only thing keeping it in, and it wasn't enough.
My praise for this book feels horribly inadequate for the emotions, thoughts and questions that it raised for me throughout my reading experience. It is an absolute pleasure that I was unable to put down and something that I will likely return to again and again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Body horror, and Murder
Minor: Abandonment and Animal cruelty