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icarusandthesun's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i didn't expect a lot going into this book. i thought it was just gonna be another ordinary young adult fantasy that's a little silly and a little over the top.
now, that wasn't quite the case, but i wasn't a hundred percent wrong either.
the main character, el, struck me as a little bit of a deus ex machina with insane killing powers only she has that could get her out of every dangerous situation if only she wanted.
she's also the tiniest bit unlikable, but given her circumstances, i get it. plus, the character development made up for it.
i was fairly disappointed in orion's character though. we had some chunks of interesting back story thrown at us, but the actual reasons for his behavior, singling out el, were simply boring.
i just thought the author could've given orion some more depth and more profound motives because i thought he was quite a unique and relatable person. but perhaps we'll find out more about him in the next book, which the cliffhanger hints at anyway.
the writing was catchy, some descriptions a tad too long, but that's alright. the romance was very curious and i'm totally here for the dynamic.
now, that wasn't quite the case, but i wasn't a hundred percent wrong either.
the main character, el, struck me as a little bit of a deus ex machina with insane killing powers only she has that could get her out of every dangerous situation if only she wanted.
she's also the tiniest bit unlikable, but given her circumstances, i get it. plus, the character development made up for it.
i was fairly disappointed in orion's character though. we had some chunks of interesting back story thrown at us, but the actual reasons for his behavior, singling out el, were simply boring.
i just thought the author could've given orion some more depth and more profound motives because i thought he was quite a unique and relatable person. but perhaps we'll find out more about him in the next book, which the cliffhanger hints at anyway.
the writing was catchy, some descriptions a tad too long, but that's alright. the romance was very curious and i'm totally here for the dynamic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Cursing
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Blood
rodes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
Moderate: Vomit and Classism
Minor: Death of parent
the_quickening_tree's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Fantastic book, Naomi Novik truly is a master wordsmith. Fast paced and engaging- I've never read a book before that actually triggered and adrenaline response! Very witty, you will be drawn in from the first page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Blood, Body horror, and Vomit
iksme's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Solid book, the main character couldn't be more self insert if she tried, if you ignore all the cliche it's kinda a good premace.
The world building is why this book has a 4 star rating because the characters are iffy.
The world building is why this book has a 4 star rating because the characters are iffy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Classism, Gore, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Infidelity, and Murder
myaphrodiite's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
‘a deadly education’ is set in a boarding school for magically gifted students. the downside is in this school failure = death, not very inspiring huh?
in this school survival is more important than anything, due to the school not letting students leave until they graduate..or die.
el, the main character of this story is a student determined to rebel against what the school wants to make her, which is evil.
this book is magical and dark with lots of tension and suspense, it’s a good read that i would recommend to anyone.
in this school survival is more important than anything, due to the school not letting students leave until they graduate..or die.
el, the main character of this story is a student determined to rebel against what the school wants to make her, which is evil.
this book is magical and dark with lots of tension and suspense, it’s a good read that i would recommend to anyone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Gore, Murder, Child death, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: Bullying and Fire/Fire injury
noblenumbat's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood and Violence
luciiee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Cursing, and Blood
laursyloo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
If you like the magic or Harry Potter, the characters of Twilight and the gore and disregard for life of Game of Thrones, this is your book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
chalkletters's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
When A Deadly Education was introduced as ‘a nasty magic school’, I was worried it would be another Witchsign; I couldn’t have been more wrong. The tone and the characters are completely different, and while both books have similar themes, A Deadly Education delivers friendship overcoming the odds far more effectively.
The Scholomance is a dangerous place which thrives on inequality, but nothing about A Deadly Education is delivered to grind the reader down. Instead, El’s savviness, self-knowledge and pragmatism are immediately captivating. Naomi Novik creates an amazing contrast between El and her non-privileged peers who have to be smart to survive versus the 'enclave kids’ who can coast on generations of magical alliance.
El’s character development is awesome, and ties seamlessly in to an action-packed plot. It’s rare that a moment of intense self-discovery will also be an attempted murder, but Naomi Novik manages it. Against the background of self-interest and betrayal, El’s developing friendships shine particularly brightly. While there is a romance, it doesn’t overshadow the platonic relationships.
Even though El’s mother never appears 'on stage’, their relationship is beautifully portrayed. Gwen Higgins is the goodest of good witches, but the mother-daughter bond isn’t all unconditional love and endless support; it’s complicated and realistic and oh, so fantastic to read about.
It’s always a good sign when there’s enough plot going on that the reader can make guesses about a situation and be wrong. No detail of the plot felt wasted or cumbersome, and Naomi Novik manages to set-up such a brilliant cliffhanger that even if you know there is one, you probably won’t guess what it’s going to be.
A Deadly Education was a complete joy to read, despite the darkness of the world and setting, and I can hardly wait to move on to the next book in the series!
Content Warnings
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Animal death, Blood, Death, and Death of parent
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A bit less dark academia than I was expecting. The world building is a bit confusing, you kind of just have to go with it. Since it's a series, I hope that a lot of things will be much more fleshed out and deepened in the subsequent books. I really loved the MC's mom ~haha. There's a bit of dry humor throughout. Minor romance subplot. I will be continuing the series, but I am expecting a lot now from the next books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Classism, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Grief, Pregnancy, and Racism