A Deadly Education: A Novel (The Scholomance)

A Deadly Education (The Scholomance Book 1) was just way too much fun. It was one of those books you just don’t want to put down because the world is just so engaging. Yes, there were elements that seemed derivative, except some ideas are universal and Novik adds her own unique twists, for example: moving staircases became so much more deadly and purposeful than some other famous moving staircases, as the school ratchets itself down, moving the students over the course of four years down to the graduation hall. There was great inner monologue that really added to the story, just fantastically well-done, believable, and relatable (if you’re an evil sorceress in the making or other potential evil human). So many relatable and likable characters. Enough information that you become invested in the characters and hope that they survive their deadly education. And there are some astonishingly well-incorporated life lessons. Trust me, I’ve just finished a couple of books where the themes were bludgeoned into the hapless reader over and over with no hint of subtlety or finesse. Novik does it right. The story is the lesson, with no bludgeons required. Just realistic situations and reactions. Kudos! I’d recently come off a semi-binge on Novik’s Temeraire series and have really been enjoying it, so I had to grab A Deadly Education when it came up recommended. (Wish I’d noticed it when it first came out.) If I were to meet you in an isle at the local bookstore, I’d steer you over to this book as a must-read. The only downside to A Deadly Education is that I hit the end full-stop, almost shattered. I’d assumed, for some reason, that the next book was already out and popped over to buy it, only to discover it was a preorder. (Instantly preordered.) Now, I shall have to practice waiting patiently for the next installment. Just to be clear; this is not a cliffhanger or a serial. This is a true series where minor and many major plot lines are wrapped up, but some are left to be answered in the next story. Highly recommended to fantasy lovers and those who love a good story.

Galadriel and Orion are the students at Scholomance. Right off the bat there’s tension between them. She doesn’t want help. He can’t stop giving it. They’re both powerful and interesting. You know how it goes. The world building happens at lightning speed as does character development. I’ve read Novik’s Temeraire series but I guess Scholomance is written for a younger audience and therefore the pace. It’s an entertaining, plot-driven story and on the surface about how magic works and the age old fight between good vs evil. But I liked that Novik described building up the potential for good magic - mana - through music, exercise, doing chores, and bad magic - malia - by stealing from others. It’s not subtle but the message is sound. The writing is crisp and tight. Not one word wasted, even though the sentences are longer than average. It’s also funny. A couple of things I didn’t love: the prolonged instances of the protagonist Galadriel talking about herself. Too often and for too long. It deepened her character but did largely nothing for the plot. Second, because the entire story is so action packed, the climax was a non event. It felt like we were building towards something major, but I was disappointed with the end. Still, overall an entertaining and easy read. I’d recommend it if you like fantasy and are looking for something very light to fill the gap between two more serious books.

“I decided that Orion Lake needed to die after the second time he saved my life.” That’s the first line of A Deadly Education, the first book in Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series, and like so many things in the series, it does a lot of things at once. It gives you a sense of the world we’re diving into (it’s obviously a dangerous place – lots of life-saving going on! – and also a place where apparently people are a big threat to each other), but also tells you a lot about our protagonist, El Higgins, an independent, surly, angsty student at the Scholomance who would just as soon kill someone as be helped by them. Although, honestly, with the Scholomance being the kind of place it is – a magical school where you graduate by surviving, and where graduation is a slaughterhouse full of monsters where you’re in a rush to get out, and who cares who else doesn’t make it? – well, maybe El should be getting some help. But that independence, stubbornness, and (quite frankly) bitchiness is part of what makes El such a great protagonist for the series, and gets at the heart of how A Deadly Education hooked me so effortlessly. The idea of a magic school full of monsters and threats, where students just have to survive…well, any time I’ve mentioned the series to anyone, they say “Oh, it’s like a blend of Hunger Games and Harry Potter.” And they’re not wrong…but it doesn’t capture the tone of A Deadly Education, as Novik approaches it all not with wonder at magic, not with horror at the cost of survival, but just with dry snark, casual apathy, and an inured sense of loss, because when this many people are dying, you can’t afford to be that kind and caring. And if you’re an outcast like El – already unpopular, plus there’s the fact that any time she learns a spell, it turns into a weapon of massive destruction and death – well, you know, screw these guys. And so, if you meet Orion Lake, who’s clearly the “hero”/”chosen one” of this story, and he wants to help everyone…well, screw him too. It’s that angsty teen surliness that makes A Deadly Education stand out from the pack of Hunger Games and Potter knockoffs. It’s snarky, and it’s funny, and it’s also rivetingly dangerous – from the walls of your dorms that open into the void to the little creatures that live in shower heads, Novik has created an absolute nightmare of a school, and manages it even better by fleshing out the unexpected details. Of course people wouldn’t shower without someone to watch their back; of course the first person to get food needs to watch out for the monsters lurking in the potatoes. And through it all, there’s Orion to save the day…but there’s also El, left out, grouchy, irritated, and just needing to survive – and doing her best to not become a villain of historic proportions. All of which makes A Deadly Education just a blast of a first book, and that’s before a dynamite climax that feels like a real game-changer for the world - and one heck of a last line. It all left me diving for the "next book" button, and let me tell you - the rest of the series more than delivers. What a treat.

A story with a 'chosen one', a magic school, absurd levels of danger, and good character development. The story builds on itself with backstory revealed in a natural fashion. Characters (and more than just the protagonist) grow emotionally over the course of the story in believable ways. The best bit? The world justifies the situation - no parents sending kids to a school with obvious danger when keeping them home would be safer. In general the world building is consistent and character decisions make sense within context. Definitely looking forward to the sequel.

Quite a disappointing read, especially from Naomi novik:(

The packaging was just as shown truly incredible .

The world-building isn't too complex yet but it definitely has potential to be and it's still very interesting by being familiar but new at the same time. While some might think that she is using the worldwide popularity of the Harry Potter franchise, I'd say yes and no. The idea of a school of witchcraft in fantasy has been there for a quite a while and Novik's new novel isn't original nor it pretends to be. But where the book really shines is the characters and their relations with one another. The protagonist is strong enough on her own and I found myself loving her and her sarcasm which never felt forced or overdone because the author knows that sarcasm isn't a personality. Therefore, the heroine has other very meaningful traits which creates a delightful and relatable personality (and this is where the majority of YA authors often fail with their heroine). And that also what happens for all the other characters in the book : nobody is downright evil or angelic and the author was successful in showing the depth in each one of them. I also wasn't very surprised of liking this book, Naomi Novik has proved herself before even though this entry feels very different from her previous "Uprooted" and "Spinning Silver", which were more fairy/folk-tale like, it stands strongly on its own. It has a much lighter tone thant I expected, so don't expect a very dark story like the summary suggests but a relatively light tone that doesn't shy away from more serious themes. Anyhow, A Deadly Education is a very enjoyable book that I read in a handful of hours and if the future two entries are as strong as this one, it might become one of my favorite YA/light fantasy series.

Naomi Novik never disappoints. Very entertaining. I'm currently waiting for the package with the next one. The paper quality could be better, though. I feel like Penguin always uses the cheapest paper. Penguin books get yellow so quickly.