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soundlysmitten's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
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!
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.
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
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and Vomit
anniefwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Mixed feelings about this one. I prefer fantasy that has some sort of puzzle or mystery involved, and this was more an exploration of the world. I couldn't quite get behind the characters, but the world was really interesting, very Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
readwithria's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
*review from 2022 reread*
A Deadly Education is full of magic, monsters, and mayhem. It’s smart, funny, and full of interesting world building and politicking.
I love this book so much. How Novik fits the magic into the world is so interesting, and how the school works makes it feel like another world entirely.
The characters are so fun, and everyone is so smart and so good at what they do. El is such a snarky MC, I love getting to see through her eyes and understand her worldview. Aadhya and Liu are such great friends (as far as friends go in the Scholomance) and Orion is such a lovably dummy. The whole cast of characters feel fleshed out and have real wants and needs that make the stakes feel even higher.
This book goes by fast, the first 250 pages is about two weeks and the next week goes by in barely 50 pages, but so much happens. I almost wish the timespan had been a bit longer, but I completely understand why it wasn’t. The chapters are also a bit long, this 313 page book only has 13 chapters in it! But I read this book in a day, and I couldn’t put it down. 4.5 stars (up from 4 on my first read, though it’s possible I wasn’t using the partial star system yet).
A Deadly Education is full of magic, monsters, and mayhem. It’s smart, funny, and full of interesting world building and politicking.
I love this book so much. How Novik fits the magic into the world is so interesting, and how the school works makes it feel like another world entirely.
The characters are so fun, and everyone is so smart and so good at what they do. El is such a snarky MC, I love getting to see through her eyes and understand her worldview. Aadhya and Liu are such great friends (as far as friends go in the Scholomance) and Orion is such a lovably dummy. The whole cast of characters feel fleshed out and have real wants and needs that make the stakes feel even higher.
This book goes by fast, the first 250 pages is about two weeks and the next week goes by in barely 50 pages, but so much happens. I almost wish the timespan had been a bit longer, but I completely understand why it wasn’t. The chapters are also a bit long, this 313 page book only has 13 chapters in it! But I read this book in a day, and I couldn’t put it down. 4.5 stars (up from 4 on my first read, though it’s possible I wasn’t using the partial star system yet).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Gore
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Classism, and Blood
Minor: Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Colonisation, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
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
ashleycmms's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Violence and Blood
rini's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Colonisation, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
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