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A review by bhnmt61
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
5.0
A Deadly Education is far from a perfect book, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. There have been enough magical boarding school books now that I think we can stop always referring back to Hogwarts (I read plenty of boarding school books when I was a kid that were written well before JKRowling). But as a shorthand, imagine Hogwarts but students actually die regularly, and since not everyone will make it out alive, students don’t have the luxury of friendships or easy relaxation—unless you are part of an enclave, a group of wizards who have banded together and can send their children to the school with far more resources than un-allied students can manage. It actually has more in common with The Hunger Games than it does with Harry Potter.
I read a fairly vicious takedown of this book based on Naomi Novik’s white privilege and I have to say that I think the reviewer isn’t giving Novik quite enough credit for being aware of what she’s doing. Sure, all of us (including Novik) who are white and come from colonizing countries have ways that we are unaware of our privilege, but I think this book actually does a great job of showing how privilege works, without ever actually mentioning the word. If you have a white friend who doesn’t believe privilege exists, you could hand them this book without a word and let it teach them.
I thoroughly related to socially awkward El, who is trying her best to protect her fellow students at the same time that they have no use for her as either a friend or an ally. After Orion, one of the most powerful wizards in the school, unexpectedly begins to hang out with her, she slowly learns to let other people in. It is occasionally hilarious, even as it is awkward and disturbing as hell. It’s not exactly a five-star book but I’m rounding up because I had so much fun reading it.
I read a fairly vicious takedown of this book based on Naomi Novik’s white privilege and I have to say that I think the reviewer isn’t giving Novik quite enough credit for being aware of what she’s doing. Sure, all of us (including Novik) who are white and come from colonizing countries have ways that we are unaware of our privilege, but I think this book actually does a great job of showing how privilege works, without ever actually mentioning the word. If you have a white friend who doesn’t believe privilege exists, you could hand them this book without a word and let it teach them.
I thoroughly related to socially awkward El, who is trying her best to protect her fellow students at the same time that they have no use for her as either a friend or an ally. After Orion, one of the most powerful wizards in the school, unexpectedly begins to hang out with her, she slowly learns to let other people in. It is occasionally hilarious, even as it is awkward and disturbing as hell. It’s not exactly a five-star book but I’m rounding up because I had so much fun reading it.