A review by gowlstick
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

adventurous dark 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

4.5

On base level this can read as a fairly dark YA fantasy but otherwise the themes and actual events & politics say otherwise. The main character develops her own sense of morality and takes action based on that. Even in a magical world a big player in the safety of many of the characters is due to long standing racism. It does a very good job also exploring the ideas of privilege and colonialism. An idea often explored is "What gives them more of a right to live than me?".
Eventually the El does still give a shit but rises to the much higher ground of still choosing to think "What gives me more of a right to live than them?"
The romance is some of the most refreshing I've come across in YA and honestly I'd have loved to explore their dynamic even as just adults. Overall, there is some info dumping and some sections that might not be entirely accurate seeing as the Author is white. Even with that this book is a pretty cold glass of water in the new YA scene and I'm looking forwards to see how the series wraps up.
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