Series Name:
The Scholomance, # 1
Review By Veronica
A Deadly Education is a lush and magical story that will capture your attention right from the first chapter.
Favourite Quote:
I decided that Orion needed to die after the second time he saved my life. I hadn’t really cared much about him before then one way or another, but I had limits. It would’ve been all right if he’d saved my life some really extraordinary number of times, ten or thirteen or so—thirteen is a number with distinction. Orion Lake, my personal bodyguard; I could have lived with that.
Goodreads Synopsis:
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. 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 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.
Bookworms, this book is so good! If you are a fan of books about magic, you need to add A Deadly Education to your TBR list. What surprised me most about this book is the sheer amount of detail it has. For a fantasy novel, this book isn’t very big; it clocks in at just over 300 pages. I was expecting a fun, fast read about a girl trying to survive in a school that teaches magic. What I got was this dark and dangerous world filled with lush and vivid detail. This book is one of those books that does require all of your attention while you are reading it. Naomi throws a lot of world details at you, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with what is what. I had to re-read a few scenes to comprehend what was happening fully. But it was so worth it. You can read this book again and again and still feel like you are learning something new about the world.
The school that Galadriel or Gal attends is called The Scholomance and can be considered a character in its own right. It’s one of my favourite schools to get lost in (besides Hogwarts, of course). The Scholomance is a living sentient magical building built in the Void. Teens go to this school to learn magic, but it is also a slightly safer place to live while they grow into their magic. This isn’t a cozy and safe environment to learn in it, and the Scholomance is not something you should trust. Many students die while studying there. I loved being able to explore and learn about The Scholomance with Gal. It’s such a unique and fascinating setting for a book. The sheer amount of thought Naomi put into creating this school really blows my mind. I loved the darkness and this unknownness that exists within it. I never knew what would happen next. I also appreciate the school maps at the beginning and back of the book. It was a great reference that I used while reading.
I loved Gal! She is a different kind of heroine. By all accounts, she should be the bad guy in the book. She has a natural affinity for dark and destructive magic and just gives off this aurora of doom and gloom. Everyone thinks she is into dark magic. In reality, she is the only one (besides Orion) who is truly good. All the other characters often act in a morally grey area to survive. I loved her sarcastic and abrupt attitude, especially toward Orion.
The story itself is interesting. I loved the approach that Naomi took in telling this story. The whole book is told from Gal’s POV, and often she talks to the readers directly about what is going on or explains things to us as the story progresses. It helped to create this personal connection with Gal. There are plenty of unexpected twists in this book, and the ending leaves you wanting to rush out to the bookstore to pick up the second installment in the series.
A Deadly Education is a dark and dangerous tale about surviving in the world of magic.
