A review by yosiabiy
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

medium-paced

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

4.25

This was a really solid fantasy book. I thought El was a fun and compelling main character, and though she had a tendency to be prickly and unlikeable by her peers, I found her very sympathetic. I really liked the magic system as well, the differences between mana and mal, the spell-casting, etc. Some of the writing was a bit confusing, I think in part because El is supposed to be half welsh and seems to narrate and speak in that dialect, but it wasn’t significantly distracting. The author wrapped it up really well in the end so I’m excited to read book 2!