Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - A Deadly Education

The premise of this story is unlike any I’ve ever read and I think the author built a brilliant world for such a narrative. I was a little disappointed to find a lot of details relayed through info dumps. But for a story without a clear plotline which takes place in a confined setting, I seldom found it boring. It’s a rather tense read and though the action seems paced pretty well, the chapters are longer than I personally like. Still, any issues I took note of felt minor and didn’t negatively impact my experience much.

When I first started reading, I thought I was going to hate the book because I found the main character extremely annoying. El’s hostile narration can get repetitive fast, but the way she holds herself makes sense once you learn how her experience differs from others. So I’m glad I kept reading. Truly, I was so happy when things started to look up for El, you’d think she was a real person 😹

My favorite part of the book was the dynamic between El and her allies. The development of their relationships is heartwarming as it marks El's first experience of social acceptance and support.

El and Orion have an amusing kind of chemistry, her being really smart but somewhat of a jerk and him being totally nice but a bit of a moron. And as for Aadhya & Liu, they're probably the most genuine chicks El could’ve made friends with, so I really enjoyed how that played out too.

I also appreciated the ethnic and financial diversity of the different characters and think the author did a good job mirroring certain real world inequalities that are perpetuated by the corrupt social systems we’ve established.

All in all, I'd say give this one a shot. It won't be for everyone, but no book is!

Content Warnings

keen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny 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

3.5

So I came into this story excited... then less excited after hearing a lot of warnings about poor handling of races. I try to avoid most information about a book before I read it, only focusing on the plot and overall like/dislike ratio of a book. Learning about the controversy, unfortunately, made me focus more on it as I read, unable to focus on the book for what I thought about it.

But first, let's focus on my general feelings of the book, I found it enjoyable. It was slow at first, and for a bit I went to read some other books before speeding through it. I enjoyed the main characters, Galadriel, for being this snarky "I'm not like other girls" teenager. Surprisingly. Usually I hate those types of characters. The real fun of it came from how it contrasted the world she's in: a school that wants to kill her and she's responding to it nonchalantly. Thankfully, that doesn't stick throughout the story. It is made clear that her snark isn't healthy. It's also made clear that her school life is giving her some serious trauma that she has gotten "comfortable" with.

I'm not a fan of teenage romances. I'm not a fan of misunderstandings either. Surprisingly, I didn't have an issue with either here. The romance isn't really a romance, just a misunderstanding everyone outside of it. It's not focused on more than it needs to be either. It has a purpose in the plot and character development, which I appreciate.

Now, to get to my comments on the controversies. Honestly, I didn't have any issues with the book. I can only speak as a black person, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, because there's A LOT of cultures mixing in this book. Children from all over the world are sent to this school, and the author makes sure you remember that.

My Kindle version was updated, so there's no mentions of the dreadlocks passage that many were unhappy about. I found a passage of the book on Google, which I can both see and can't see the issue with. The safety of how you style your hair is a cause for concern in the setting. If your hair is long, it's easier for the monsters to grab onto it as an advantage. As such, hair of all kinds is cut short, and materials to do so are valued. Hygiene problems are an issue every character in this book faces, because the school is not set up well for that. HOWEVER, if that wasn't expanded on, it is weird to focus on dreadlocks as being an issue instead of long hair in general.

I also heard of criticism over the main character not being in touch with her Indian heritage. Which is... weird? There's a whole backstory to why that's the case, but even so, plenty of people aren't in touch with their heritage for all sorts of reasons. It honestly offends me to hear a complaint that boils down to "She's not X enough," which is something I've struggled with in my life. I'm a black person, but I've been told I don't "act black," as if there's a defining way to act black. Additionally, I avoid my Jamaican heritage because that's from my dad's side and it has negative memories for me, similar to Galadriel's trouble with the Indian side of her family.

Aside from that, I can't actually comment on how well other races are described in the book. Truly, the worst part was a black girl with beaded braids. It reminded me of the kind I had when I was a kid, and how I got a concussion every time I moved my head even an inch. Shame on you, Naomi Novik, for resurfacing such a painful memory. (This is all a joke.)

For a better explanation on how I viewed the book, this post from Reddit was lovely: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/j8o7om/so_naomi_noviks_a_deadly_education_is_accused_of/

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dana_kuku's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

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angelareads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Amazing book! Info-dumpy at the beginning, though.

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