A Deadly Education - Naomi Novik

[goodreads]

Title: A Deadly Education (The Scholomance #1)
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~11hrs
Date read: October, 2023

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets.

There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere.

El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.


I wasn't too impressed by the other book I've read by Naomi Novik ("Uprooted"), so I was a bit reluctant to start this series. However, it came strongly recommended by a friend whose taste in books I trust, so when I found it at the library, I decided to give it a shot.

I'm so glad I did! I listened to 11 hours in just a week and loved every minute of it. This is Harry Potter if Hogwarts was evil and out to get you! I will admit that the writing style takes some getting used to - there's a lot more telling than showing going on in the beginning, but for some reason it worked with the atmosphere of the book, and I was instantly drawn in.

I loved reading about El's growth and almost reluctant way of making friends, and was fascinated by the way magic works in this world - crocheting to gain manna seems like the perfect deal to me! (which I know means it wouldn't gain me much, but hey - a girl can dream, right? ;-) )

The end was a bit more sudden than I had expected, and I'm very intrigued to see what will happen next!