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A review by thelilbookwitch
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
5.0
I failed to mention in my full review that I got through this book in a single night, I couldn't put it down!
During students' time in the Scholomance, a school that exists in a magically created void where teenage arcane users are sucked in on their 14th birthday, it's learn, survive, graduate through a ravenous blood thirsty maleficaria horde, or be eaten by the terrifying "smaller" mals that lurk within every darkened corner of the school. El, the arcane equivalent to the Anti-Christ, has sworn to only use mana magic to make it out of here alive instead of her affinity for life draining malia magic. And the goddamn hero won't stop saving her.
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I didn't think another book could fill the Nevernight shaped hole in my heart, and then I cracked open A Deadly Education.
Galadriel, commonly known as "El," is an acerbic, witty, in-her-own-head protagonist that is on a mission to survive until and through Graduation at the deadly Scholomance. She is written incredibly well, and will appeal to older teens as well as adults. Her grim inner monologue had me cackling out loud many times, although it took me a chapter or two to fully adjust to her tone. Due to the constant threat she lives in, she does read as older with her no-nonsense voice, but her life is still that of a teenager, albeit one living under extraordinary circumstances.
Her character development aligns well with her latent magic abilities, some that she can't control, and have created deep seated anger inside her. Her mother acts as both a foil and foundation for that writing to be done so well - because rather than irrationally and inexplicably swimming in it, El knows she's angry. She just doesn't care at times, and Novik captures what it's like to be self-aware and angry so well. It's also easy to see past El's bias because of her anger, which lets other characters shine and develop despite her glowering.
The other thing I absolutely loved learning about was the magic system. Novik balances throwing the reader in the deep end with a semi-self aware narration style from El, allowing for the occasional explanation to eke through in a straight forward manner. The magic system Novik has created, with some background in video games and D&D, was easier for me to pick up and understand, but may prove an obstacle for readers not as well-versed.
Though there is a definitive cost to do magic and two predominant sources (mana or malia, as well as ways to draw them), which gives Novik a lot of wiggle room for spellcraft in the future novels, I'm still not sure exactly how balanced it is given the addition of affinities. In particular, the hero character (you know, the one who keeps saving El, much to her chagrin) seems incredibly unbalanced. I'm sure more will be revealed with him in the future novels.
There are moments in the novel, especially towards the last third of it, that A Deadly Education began to feel familiar and more squarely YA. I kept waiting for something to happen to El that would subvert it, and Novik did deliver. I have faith that with El's signature attitude, future novels won't devolve into anything too derivative either.
I have certain expectations going forward, thanks to Nevernight, that I hope to see played with by Novik as well. My only gripe with this novel is the "cliff hanger" inserted at the end. It felt a little lazy to me, a little easy to predict, although I don't know if that's because I've become used to such endings happening in YA. It didn't leave me with my jaw on the floor, and that was disappointing.
That being said, I'm looking forward to reading the next novel in this series, and hope to see more gritty, dark, and dire circumstances. I hope, if I haven't convinced you by now to go read this book, that you do it anyway!
I can see it being nominated for the Printz awards, no doubt, as it plays with darkness without being depressing in a way that's wholly original for YA in my opinion. There's nothing else quite like it out there for teens either, and I'm looking forward to putting this in the hands of the right teen. It does require a specific type of humor to enjoy, so the mass appeal is a little questionable. Definitely for fans of Nevernight or the Murderbot series.
During students' time in the Scholomance, a school that exists in a magically created void where teenage arcane users are sucked in on their 14th birthday, it's learn, survive, graduate through a ravenous blood thirsty maleficaria horde, or be eaten by the terrifying "smaller" mals that lurk within every darkened corner of the school. El, the arcane equivalent to the Anti-Christ, has sworn to only use mana magic to make it out of here alive instead of her affinity for life draining malia magic. And the goddamn hero won't stop saving her.
---------
I didn't think another book could fill the Nevernight shaped hole in my heart, and then I cracked open A Deadly Education.
Galadriel, commonly known as "El," is an acerbic, witty, in-her-own-head protagonist that is on a mission to survive until and through Graduation at the deadly Scholomance. She is written incredibly well, and will appeal to older teens as well as adults. Her grim inner monologue had me cackling out loud many times, although it took me a chapter or two to fully adjust to her tone. Due to the constant threat she lives in, she does read as older with her no-nonsense voice, but her life is still that of a teenager, albeit one living under extraordinary circumstances.
Her character development aligns well with her latent magic abilities, some that she can't control, and have created deep seated anger inside her. Her mother acts as both a foil and foundation for that writing to be done so well - because rather than irrationally and inexplicably swimming in it, El knows she's angry. She just doesn't care at times, and Novik captures what it's like to be self-aware and angry so well. It's also easy to see past El's bias because of her anger, which lets other characters shine and develop despite her glowering.
The other thing I absolutely loved learning about was the magic system. Novik balances throwing the reader in the deep end with a semi-self aware narration style from El, allowing for the occasional explanation to eke through in a straight forward manner. The magic system Novik has created, with some background in video games and D&D, was easier for me to pick up and understand, but may prove an obstacle for readers not as well-versed.
Though there is a definitive cost to do magic and two predominant sources (mana or malia, as well as ways to draw them), which gives Novik a lot of wiggle room for spellcraft in the future novels, I'm still not sure exactly how balanced it is given the addition of affinities. In particular, the hero character (you know, the one who keeps saving El, much to her chagrin) seems incredibly unbalanced. I'm sure more will be revealed with him in the future novels.
There are moments in the novel, especially towards the last third of it, that A Deadly Education began to feel familiar and more squarely YA. I kept waiting for something to happen to El that would subvert it, and Novik did deliver. I have faith that with El's signature attitude, future novels won't devolve into anything too derivative either.
I have certain expectations going forward, thanks to Nevernight, that I hope to see played with by Novik as well. My only gripe with this novel is the "cliff hanger" inserted at the end. It felt a little lazy to me, a little easy to predict, although I don't know if that's because I've become used to such endings happening in YA. It didn't leave me with my jaw on the floor, and that was disappointing.
That being said, I'm looking forward to reading the next novel in this series, and hope to see more gritty, dark, and dire circumstances. I hope, if I haven't convinced you by now to go read this book, that you do it anyway!
I can see it being nominated for the Printz awards, no doubt, as it plays with darkness without being depressing in a way that's wholly original for YA in my opinion. There's nothing else quite like it out there for teens either, and I'm looking forward to putting this in the hands of the right teen. It does require a specific type of humor to enjoy, so the mass appeal is a little questionable. Definitely for fans of Nevernight or the Murderbot series.