A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

 

Greetings Stack Worms!

It's the revenge of the 5th! I finished A Deadly Education yesterday (May 4th). I read the entire day to get it finished and if you're here from Goodreads you'll know that I gave the book 5 stars. Though I must admit that I really hate/fear 5s. Let's move on to the summary and review. 

Galadriel Higgins is a very hated (feared?) wizard. Which has isolated her from the rest of the Scholomance community. Though she was used to that after having spent most of her life in a commune that treated her much the same way. Now a Junior at the Scholomance she has big plans to join an enclave. Getting into an enclave will help with mana use. But it isn't easy to do. Especially, if Orion Lake doesn't stop saving her life and making her look weak. As El gets closer with Orion and his friendship brings with it new friendships she realizes she doesn't want an enclave. She wants friendship and despite her fiery temper, she has managed to form an alliance. But Orion's attention comes with some consequences as well. 

The New York enclave, which Orion belongs to, tries to kill El. Despite it being in her power and right to get revenge against the attempt on her life, she doesn't. She doesn't want to become a dark wizard. Since she was a child, she was prophecized to be this big bad. She wants to prove everyone, including herself, wrong. She's not a maleficer user. She's not a bad person. 

As she tries to prove this, she sticks up for Orion after the entire senior year turns against him. Orion has caused an imbalance from constantly saving people from these demonic kinds of animals known as mals. They kill and eat anything with mana (magic). Now the school is hungry from the life and mana it's usually being fed by the mals. The seniors try and make Orion sacrifice himself so that the senior class has more of a chance during "graduation". Of course, El doesn't allow this and helps cook up a plan to fix this magical fire device that helps thin out the mals in the auditorium. 

After accomplishing this El and Orion admit their feelings for each, but don't do much about them. Not until they've graduated themselves. 

So, of course, there are a few things I left out in that summary. There is a lot of details such as the rules for mana and malia. What makes you a maleficer or a strict mana user and how hard it is being a strict mana user when trying to survive mals trying to eat you multiple times a day. A few projects and lessons that El goes through. How she ends up making friends and alliances. Just how freaking powerful El is when she does let herself use a lot of mana. Or has access to lots of mana. 

You should read the book. I loved it. It's not perfect. No story is. I know some people couldn't get into it because of El's attitude but honestly, I related to El a lot. There are so many parallels between us that I'm sure people think it's sad. But during high school, I had to be rude and mean, distant and violent. I've never been good at making friends unless people approach me first. I flirt by insulting the people I like. Mainly because if they can't handle my sarcasm then they don't get my kindness. Kind of my way of testing people, while also giving them a way out before things get too deep. Yes, I know I'm a terrible person, but I've been in my relationship for 11 years and my girlfriend (somehow) keeps loving me. 

Anyway, moving on. 

Likes: 

- El, Orion, Liu, Aadhya: Their interactions and relationships 

- How mana works

- The Scholomance is a very imaginative building 

- It's not all rainbows and butterflies 

- The plot is great

Dislikes: 

- WHY the FUCK would these wizard parents create a place that is infested w/ demons and has no adult protection?! They say it's safer to be in the Scholomance w/ the mals than out in the world w/ the mals, but I'm not sure how! Especially, with mana having such a limitation on it, and it forces kids to use malia to survive SCHOOL! Only enclavers are "safe". Why would the adult wizards have allowed the school to get infested in the first place? How can children be strong enough to protect themselves if even the adults that come in get their asses killed so easily. WTF?!?!?! Also, WHO is POISONING THE FOOD?!

- Did I really read that El's family tried to kill her? Really?! Do these people not understand that alienating the person that is supposed to be the big bad, gets them exactly what they're trying to avoid, yet? FUUUUCK YOU family! 

- Why did people automatically hate El? There is an explanation but it doesn't make sense to me. Just because it feels like rain doesn't equal automatic hate. Also, everyone believes El is a malia user, but El goes into detail that malia literally decays the body. That there are physical signs of being a malia user. El doesn't have these signs and others do but have friends. Other malia users aren't as hated as El, so I don't really get it. Also, I love rainy days. El and I would be best friends. 

That's mostly it. But I dislike people comparing this to Harry Potter and/or hating it for not being like Harry Potter. Unpopular opinion but Harry Potter isn't that good. Yes, I grew up with Harry Potter, but I always like the world better than the actual story. It's great to write Fanfiction with. And J.K. Rowlings is a horrible person (but I won't jump down that rabbit hole quite yet). Please stop comparing all magic academia to Harry Potter. There have been other and better magic academia before and even after HP. 

- Wizards of Earthsea by Ursula K, Le Guin

- Wizard's Hall by Jane Yolen

- The Secret of Platform Thirteen by Eva Ibbotson

- The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper 

These all predate Harry Potter, please go read them instead. 

I guess I must mention that Naomi Novik did get into some trouble w/ racist sentences in the book. However, Novik did apologize and plans on doing better for the next volume. I'm willing to give her a second chance. Everyone makes mistakes and she's willing to learn from them. That's what I care about. Also, I'm white, I don't feel informed enough to really comment on the racism in the book. Sorry. The one thing I did spot was the "dreadlocks" scene. Which I did cringe at. I was thankful that it didn't go on for too long. With the next book, hopefully, I'll be more educated on the issues to see racism (if it's there) as I read.