A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Feb 13, 2020 Carrie marked it as to-read

Shelves: m-g

When I read the series name, Scholomance, my first thoughts are World of Warcraft.

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Oct 01, 2020 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: provided-by-publisher, arc-are

In its simplest terms A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik could be described as a cross between Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, but this imaginative, darkly funny fantasy has a magic all of its own.

Galadriel ‘El’ Higgins is in her last term of her second last year at Scholomance, a sentient school built in the void to educate the children of the magical community’, an education only one in four survive thanks in part to its gruelling and competitive nature, and the maleficaria who roam the hall In its simplest terms A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik could be described as a cross between Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, but this imaginative, darkly funny fantasy has a magic all of its own.

Galadriel ‘El’ Higgins is in her last term of her second last year at Scholomance, a sentient school built in the void to educate the children of the magical community’, an education only one in four survive thanks in part to its gruelling and competitive nature, and the maleficaria who roam the halls. To make it to and through the school’s most deadly test, Graduation Day, the students need to make alliances, something which is proving difficult for El whose very being, not to mention her snarky and abrasive attitude, seems to repel her classmates. That is until the class hero Orion Lake saves her life for the third time.

In this first book of the Scholomance series, Novik has created an imaginative and complex world full of magic and monsters. I’m not going to even try to explain the details of how the school operates because discovering them for yourself is part of the fun. Suffice it to say, navigating every activity within the Scholomance from bathroom visits to classroom assignments is a matter of life and death. Such an intricate setup does result in a bit of info-dumping, but I think Novik tempers it by using the first person perspective.

It took me a little while to warm up to El, in the initial introduction she’s complaining about her life being saved and appears ungrateful and abrasive, she never really loses that edge, but it didn’t take long til I developed some empathy for her, and even grew to like to her quite a lot. El has some pretty good reasons for being who she is, not the least of which is being in possession of a magical strength that could level the entire school and everyone it.

El’s fellow classmates are a mixed bunch, as in any highschool there is a clear social hierarchy with groups, namely the children born in magical enclaves (communities), that have distinct cache and advantages, and ‘independents’, whose best chance to survive Scholomance is to gain an invitation to join an enclave, or form a strong alliance with other independent students. El is essentially friendless when A Deadly Education begins despite her best efforts so she’s shocked by the notice of Orion Lake, the hero of the much sought after New York enclave. Orion’s attention indirectly helps El to connect with several other students, most importantly Liu and Aadhya.

There is plenty of action in A Deadly Education given that a large number, and variety of, mal’s lurk everywhere eager for a tasty meal in the form of a careless or inattentive student. And as if monsters aren’t enough to worry about, the teens aren’t above sabotaging, or even killing, each other, and Scholomance itself is wholly indifferent to its charges survival.

Exciting, creative and fun, I found A Deadly Education to be an entertaining YA read, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. ...more

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May 23, 2022 Tatiana rated it it was amazing

Whaaaat this book is AWESOME!! I love me some quick-and-dirty fantasy and it’s quite a contrast when I read someone like Novik who’s actually a technically great writer. It’s Battle Royale meets H*rry P*tter meets Pretty in Pink with that huge sprinkling of Novik magic. Absolutely loved everything about this book with a caveat that Novik’s idea of flirting/connection/whatever being verbal abuse is disquieting. You can be sassy and cantankerous and outspoken without constantly hurling insults. Ev ...more

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Aug 09, 2021 D rated it it was amazing

Novik continues to impress. Uprooted became an instant favorite for me, which is surprising since I don't tend to favor standalones.

A Deadly Education's unique concept and world-building is likely to appeal to appreciators of many genres: YA, fantasy, sci-fi, etc. I also think it will easily appeal to many age groups. Novik's quality writing is a breath of fresh air adults too can appreciate. I'm even contemplating sending this to my partner who doesn't love fantasy generally but enjoys novel i ...more

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