Adult AudioBook Review: The Scholomance #1 A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Posted September 6, 2022 by jrsbookr in Audibook Review, Fantasy, Horror / 0 Comments

by Naomi novik
Adult AudioBook Review: The Scholomance #1 A Deadly Education by Naomi NovikA Deadly Education Series: Scholomance #1
Published by Random House Worlds on September 5, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Coming of Age, Fiction / Fantasy / Contemporary, Fiction / Fantasy / Epic
Pages: 320
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Goodreads

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver comes the first book of the Scholomance trilogy, the story of an unwilling dark sorceress who is destined to rewrite the rules of magic.

FINALIST FOR THE LODESTAR AWARD * "The dark school of magic I've been waiting for."--Katherine Arden, author of the Winternight Trilogy

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.

With flawless mastery, Naomi Novik creates a school bursting with magic like you've never seen before, and a heroine for the ages--a character so sharply realized and so richly nuanced that she will live on in hearts and minds for generations to come.

The magic of the Scholomance trilogy continues in The Last Graduate

"The can't-miss fantasy of fall 2020, a brutal coming-of-power story steeped in the aesthetics of dark academia. . . . A Deadly Education will cement Naomi Novik's place as one of the greatest and most versatile fantasy writers of our time."--BookPage (starred review)

"A must-read . . . Novik puts a refreshingly dark, adult spin on the magical boarding school. . . . Readers will delight in the push-and-pull of El and Orion's relationship, the fantastically detailed world, the clever magic system, and the matter-of-fact diversity of the student body."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Review:

A Deadly Education is the first book in a trilogy about a place called Scholoomance, a school for those who are magically gifted, and this is not Hogwarts; you fail, you die. The big takeaway here is you don’t leave until you graduate or you pass, no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships except strategic alliances. However, the main character El and her mysterious, dark solid power kept me reading beyond these enticing elements.
I have read other books by this author and know how overly descriptive this author can be, so I was expecting it and felt that this first book gave you a lot of information in short bursts that kept the story interesting. However, I can also see how this might put another reader off from reading it, as, again, it is a lot of info, but the school is set up with no teachers, etc., so you have to get the background somehow.
If you like books about magic, mysterious characters, schools for magic, or just dark fantasy, this one is for you.

 

Audiobook Sample:

 

 

About Naomi novik

An avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, Naomi Novik is also a history buff with a particular fascination with the Napoleonic era and a fondness for the work of Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen. She lives with her husband and daughter in New York City along with many purring computers.