first_edition 's review for:

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

3.5

dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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█▓▒▒░░RATINGS░░▒▒▓█

Ratings are out of 5 stars

• Fun Factor:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Writing Style:  ⭐️⭐️
• Characters:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
• Plot:  ⭐️⭐️
• Setting:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Romance:  ⭐️💫
• Spiciness:  N/A
• Narrator(s):  N/A

OVERALL:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
❤️Favorite character(s):  Orion
👎🏻Least Fav. Character(s):  El (Galadriel)


█▓▒▒░░NOTES░░▒▒▓█

• 1st Person POV
• Unlikable FMC (first half)
• Uneven pacing
• Unclear plot
• Info dumps
• Disjointed and jarring writing
• 1st half of the book is slow, boring, and irritating (because of the FMC)
• 2nd half of the book is much better! The last 3 chapters are the best of the entire book.

▓▒▒░░CONCLUSION░░▒▒▓█

I initially wanted to DNF this after reading the first 2 or 3 chapters because I found the FMC highly irritating and unlikable, and the writing style jarring.  The MC constantly rambles and goes off on a tangent of providing info dumps for several pages before suddenly coming back to the present, which often leaves me confused and forces me to go back to reread what occurred just before the tangent.  It takes a while to get used to the unpleasant writing style but as the MC slowly becomes more likable and less hostile in her thoughts, the writing style also becomes tolerable. 

Unfortunately, I don't start to like the FMC until around 50-60% of the book.  I pushed through the first boring half of the book mostly because of my interest in Orion, and out of stubborn curiosity. Luckily, by the second half of the book, I became genuinely interested in the other characters, as well—even the FMC. 

It's a slow and arduous beginning but the vibe  eventually hook me and get me invested enough to want to continue this trilogy.