Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik Narrator: Anisha Dadia
Series: Scholomance #1
Published by Penguin Audio, Del Rey Books on September 29, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy
Length: 11 hours, minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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I decided that Orion Lake needed to die after the second time he saved my life.
Everyone loves Orion Lake. Everyone else, that is. Far as I’m concerned, he can keep his flashy combat magic to himself. I’m not joining his pack of adoring fans.
I don’t need help surviving the Scholomance, even if they do. Forget the hordes of monsters and cursed artifacts, I’m probably the most dangerous thing in the place. Just give me a chance and I’ll level mountains and kill untold millions, make myself the dark queen of the world.
At least, that’s what the world expects me to do. Most of the other students in here would be delighted if Orion killed me like one more evil thing that’s crawled out of the drains. Sometimes I think they want me to turn into the evil witch they assume I am. The school itself certainly does.
But the Scholomance isn’t getting what it wants from me. And neither is Orion Lake. I may not be anyone’s idea of the shining hero, but I’m going to make it out of this place alive, and I’m not going to slaughter thousands to do it, either.
Although I’m giving serious consideration to just one.
This is an author who is a favorite of mine and I love magic, so it seemed a great choice for me to read. I do sometimes not like young adult, and this is a high school, so there is a bit of that feeling. But the school terms are life and death, so the students are a bit more adult. There is still some pettiness, cliques, and other bad behaviors. There isn’t much romance in the school though.
El has been an outcast her whole life because of her type of magic. Her mother is a famous healer, but she doesn’t want people to like her because of her mom. It’s easier to stay alive if one has friends so she has a battle every day. There are groups called enclaves who even come to the school together and plan to help each other survive.
Then she ends up friends? with Orion Lake who is the most popular boy in school and part of an enclave from New York. He fights the monsters to help everyone survive. But El doesn’t want him to save her. She is mad and rude to him, so they become friends.
They are juniors and the seniors as part of graduation have to go through a hall of monsters to exit the school. Many don’t make it out alive. Orion’s monster killing has meant more students living, but more monsters starving. It’s causing a problem with people having some dire solutions.
I loved this world of magic and building friendships. The battles with monsters and the magic spells were exciting. A Deadly Education is a great start to this world. I can’t help wondering if it will go beyond school to the real world after next year’s senior year. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Narration:
This narrator was new to me but I enjoyed the performance. Since the point of view was El and mostly her thoughts, a female narrator was appropriate. I don’t know if the accents were accurate but I was comfortable with them. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Naomi Novik
An avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, when she first made her way through The Lord of the Rings, Naomi Novik is also a history buff with a particular interest in the Napoleonic era and a fondness for the work of Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen. She studied English literature at Brown University, and did graduate work in computer science at Columbia University before leaving to participate in the design and development of the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadow of Undrentide. Over the course of a brief winter sojourn spent working on the game in Edmonton, Canada (accompanied by a truly alarming coat that now lives brooding in the depths of her closet), she realized she preferred writing to programming, and on returning to New York, decided to try her hand at novels.
Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- COYER-20
I can’t wait to read this? I preordered it so I hope I can get to it in October. I’m happy to see your 4 star rating!
It’s always hard to decide exactly on a rating. I liked this one quite a lot. And I’m excited to go on with the series.
Nice to hear you enjoyed the start of the series. I hope there’s more romance in the future installments. Great review, Anne!
They are in high school so I don’t want or expect too much romance. The action and magic are great.
Oh, Anne, this sounds right up your alley! Excellent review?
Thank you. I really enjoy this author and the young adult aspect is only a bit annoying.
Great review, Anne:). I’m delighted that you enjoyed this one, as I’ve got it pre-ordered and I’m really looking forward to tucking into it. Thank you for sharing.
I really enjoyed this. Other than the high school aspects it was great. I hope you enjoy it as much as me
I love her books so much. I’m so excited for this new series.
Exactly! I was thrilled to see she was starting to write a new series.