Reviews with content warning for Racism - Een dodelijke opleiding

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/

Content Warnings

multiplyoctopi's review against another edition

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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/

Content Warnings

ruuntvoces's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

hollowspine's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wrote this in my review of Otaku and I think it applies here too, sometimes authors just need to remember that they are taking up space when they write, and if they are a white author remember that there are already plenty of spaces for them and their books. I appreciate that Novik wanted to create a story with a diverse cast of characters, including the MC, but the author admitted that she made mistakes, and it just goes to show the lack of diversity in publishing, and the need for more BIPOC writers, editors, reviewers, marketers, etc., and that more space needs to be given to BIPOC authors rather than white authors peppering their books with BIPOC characters.

As for the story, I enjoyed it. It has a classic coming-of-age fantasy set up in a lot of ways - it's about a "Chosen One" going to a magic school. It has a classic Taming of the Shrew/10 Things I Hate About You romance between the MCs. The book sets a good pace, there are both enough action sequences to keep things moving and exciting, and enough world-building and character development to get readers invested in the world and characters. Folks who enjoyed when Harry Potter got dark and moody might enjoy this, but those who found HP's darker notes less so might not like the 'unlikable' main character. Because I'm a bit of a downer myself, I kind of enjoyed the outsider aspect of the MC.

Content Warnings