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bluejayreads's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was already on my reading list, but when I realized the author was the same author who wrote Spinning Silver, it jumped to the top of the list. And it was 100% worth it.
I'm going to start here with an apology. I hate when people compare books to the Harry Potter series, not in the least because Harry Potter is just not that great. (I will do a full post on this eventually but for now please bear with me.) So it is with the deepest apologies that I call A Deadly Education "Harry Potter but darker and much, much better."
You want a magical school? I give you the Scholomance. You want a magical school with halls that move on their own? I'll do you one better: A magical school that is sentient to some degree, warps space for its own purposes, will only put classrooms and staircases in a particular place if you believe they will be there hard enough, and is literally built inside a magical void.
You want a powerful protagonist? I give you El, the protagonist, whose magic specialty means that defending herself with magic could mean killing everyone in the Scholomance. You want a protagonist with interesting heritage and a prophecy about them? I'll do you one better: El's mother is famous for her magical ability, and El's own extended family tried to kill her due to a prophecy about her.
You want a constant sense of danger even on school grounds? The Scholomance is infested with malevolent monsters, to the point where every bite has to be checked for poison, every cafeteria table has to be inspected for monsters, and going to the bathroom alone is a death sentence. There are no teachers because it isn't needed - if you don't learn, you die. You only have an 80% chance of surviving the Scholomance, but only a 40% chance of surviving the monsters out in the world without the training the Scholomance gives you. The Scholomance may be hellish but it's everyone's best shot.
El herself is fantastic. She doesn't know why people don't like her on sight, but she hides under layers of anger and sarcasm and biting ... I was going to say biting wit, but it's not even witty, it's just biting but I enjoyed it. She is prickly and unfriendly but so damn relatable at times and the kind of absurdly-powerful-but-always-underestimated that I absolutely love. Plus she has so much character growth in this story and I can't wait to see where she goes in the rest of the series.
Admittedly, this book is not perfect. There is a ton of exposition dumped in to explain the world, the way the Scholomance and the magical world works, and El's backstory. It did slow the action and very much felt like an info-dump. I found it to be interesting info, and I was intrigued enough by the world that it didn't interrupt my enjoyment of the story. I do recognize, though, that if you're not engaged enough in the world, it will come across as really boring and poorly paced.
I cannot say enough good things about this world, this magic system, this magic school, everything. It's dark, violent, magical, and real, with all the grittiness of a bunch of high schoolers cloistered in a sentient school where at least 20% of them will die before graduation and the dark whimsy of a magic system that would just as soon drain you dry and toss aside your desiccated corpse as help you create a magic mirror. Classism and privilege are major themes and they fit seamlessly into the story. I can't say too much more without spoilers - this story unfolds like a black rose, each petal opening and revealing more darkness and danger within. And it deserves to be read without spoilers. It deserves to be experienced as fully and wonderfully as it exists - unapologetic, dark, enthralling, full of beautiful and hideous magic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Body horror
Minor: Racism and Animal death
beehives'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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
maurabee'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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
jesseybean's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Body horror, Murder, and Gore
maia_ep's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
3.0
naomi novik's writing is like candy for me and this was so much fun to read, if a little chaotic at times
el was such a refreshing narrative voice in this type of fantasy
i will say that i honestly could care less about orion and their relationship, he falls flat for me as a character
el was such a refreshing narrative voice in this type of fantasy
i will say that i honestly could care less about orion and their relationship, he falls flat for me as a character
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Body horror and Death
nixieba25f's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
rileyeffective's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is very clearly a YA-novel. I didn't enjoy the typical YA tropes that much, but the magical school idea was enough to keep me going through this relatively short, fast-paced book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Blood, Body horror, and Murder
lililoves's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was told before reading this book that it was meant to be like a dark, edgy Harry Potter. Yes the book has teenaged wizards in a school, but that is really where the similarities end. I actually don't think big fans of Harry Potter would like this. It doesn't have the whimsy of the Harry Potter books, and doesn't invoke the same awe for magic as HP does. I don't think people will finish reading this and say 'gee, I wish I were a wizard' as the magic system in this is not nearly as charming as HP. In saying that, I did enjoy this far more than other dark magic school books I've read (i.e. the Magicians... which I loathed). The concept is interesting. The characters were likeable and sympathetic. You really did want them to succeed. The thing I enjoyed the most was the development of the female friendships throughout the book, which I hope will be explored further as the series progresses. I also liked that we were introduced to El in her penultimate year as I think it's more relatable for adult readers. What stops me from giving this more stars is two things.
The first is the name of the main character, Galadriel. It was very on the nose if you ask me. It reminded me of Ready Player One. Like, yes we get it you've read other fantasy/SciFi. So has literally everyone else that has picked up your book. Maybe it's meant to be a nod to how powerful El is supposed to end up being, but it just annoyed me every time I read it; which to be fair, is very few times because the book is written in the first person.
The second thing that stoped me from rating this book higher was the sheer amount of exposition. I would have much preferred this book be 200 pages longer if it meant we had things shown to us, the reader, instead of explained in lengthy paragraphs. I don't know whether this is just Naomi Novik's writing style, as this is my first Novik read, but I struggled to pay attention through some of the explanations. I think the magic system is pretty cool in this book and the dynamics between the enclaves but I desperately wanted to be shown that, not just given a lengthly explanation that I'll probably end up forgetting when I actually need to remember it. Towards the end, it picked up and there was less explaining and more action, but I found it tough going initially.
The first is the name of the main character, Galadriel. It was very on the nose if you ask me. It reminded me of Ready Player One. Like, yes we get it you've read other fantasy/SciFi. So has literally everyone else that has picked up your book. Maybe it's meant to be a nod to how powerful El is supposed to end up being, but it just annoyed me every time I read it; which to be fair, is very few times because the book is written in the first person.
The second thing that stoped me from rating this book higher was the sheer amount of exposition. I would have much preferred this book be 200 pages longer if it meant we had things shown to us, the reader, instead of explained in lengthy paragraphs. I don't know whether this is just Naomi Novik's writing style, as this is my first Novik read, but I struggled to pay attention through some of the explanations. I think the magic system is pretty cool in this book and the dynamics between the enclaves but I desperately wanted to be shown that, not just given a lengthly explanation that I'll probably end up forgetting when I actually need to remember it. Towards the end, it picked up and there was less explaining and more action, but I found it tough going initially.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Body horror
keen's review against another edition
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/
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/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Death, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Bullying, and Body horror
Moderate: Vomit and Racism
Minor: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, and Cursing
multiplyoctopi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? Yes
4.25
Fast paced, entertaining - I enjoyed the relationships/dynamics between characters.
*However* there is an entire paragraph where the MC describes dreadlocks being a bad idea in the school due to a specific monster being able to infest them. Especially since this was the only hairstyle specifically mentioned, it just serves to perpetuate discriminatory ideas re: back hairstyles. The fact that this paragraph was even written and then published is just completely thoughtless.
Since publication, Novik has apologised and future prints and e-books won't contain that paragraph.
There has been a lot of talk about racism throughout this book which this review, I think, does a really good job of addressing a lot of the points people have made (it's not entirely spoiler-free tho):
https://nusantaranaga.wordpress.com/2020/10/11/the-intersectionality-of-magical-academia-a-review-of-naomi-noviks-a-deadly-education/
*However* there is an entire paragraph where the MC describes dreadlocks being a bad idea in the school due to a specific monster being able to infest them. Especially since this was the only hairstyle specifically mentioned, it just serves to perpetuate discriminatory ideas re: back hairstyles. The fact that this paragraph was even written and then published is just completely thoughtless.
Since publication, Novik has apologised and future prints and e-books won't contain that paragraph.
There has been a lot of talk about racism throughout this book which this review, I think, does a really good job of addressing a lot of the points people have made (it's not entirely spoiler-free tho):
https://nusantaranaga.wordpress.com/2020/10/11/the-intersectionality-of-magical-academia-a-review-of-naomi-noviks-a-deadly-education/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Violence
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, and Vomit