A Deadly Education

Bookseller recommendation

“This is no ordinary school and you'd be lucky if you make it out alive. This book is rich with interesting lore and fun characters that I can't wait to see more of in the rest of the series. ”

— Lana • E. Shaver, bookseller

Bookseller recommendation

“A school for wizards! The Chosen One! But imagine if the Chosen One was just a sweet, dumb jock with a penchant for slaying monsters who had a hard time saying ‘no.’ And if the bright, often-relegated Lady Sidekick was just as intelligent, rude, and ruthless as she wanted to be. If she was the so-called hero of the story. And one more small thing - if the magical school they attended was actively trying to kill them, morning, noon, and night while they were just trying to study. Self-aware, witty, and brutal, A Deadly Education is your new favorite magical read. You’ll fall in love (or possibly terror) with El from the very first line when she declares her intent to kill Orion after he saves her life for the (gasp) second time.”

— Cassie • Wellesley Books

Bookseller recommendation

“At the Scholomance - think Hogwarts in Hell - graduation is survival, and survival depends on the deaths of your fellow students. El, short for Galadriel, was born with an innate talent for extraordinary evil that she’s doing her best to avoid, along with Orion Lake, the school’s resident golden boy, saving lives whether they like it or not - and El does not. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets Harry Potter meets Hunger Games, with a spellbinding, unputdownable humor, horror, and magic all its own! ”

— Megan • Underground Books

Bookseller recommendation

“What an amazingly fun book to listen to. I loved El and her snarky attitude. I loved that she had all this power but refused to give in to the dark side to use it. I loved the world building, both the specific details of the school and the mals that haunted it, and the glimpse of the larger world where magic users have to band together to survive. Anisha Dadia does such a fantastic job narrating I couldn’t wait to plug back in.”

— Kristine • Buttonwood Books and Toys

Bookseller recommendation

“Galadriel Higgins has known the rules of the Scholamance were cruel, but if the deadly monsters don't get to Orion Lake first, then she will. He has saved her an embarrassingly number of times even when she was perfectly capable of doing it on her own. Her mind is made up, only one of them is surviving until graduation, even if the current seniors have their own plans. From the second I started listening to the ALC of A Deadly Education, I was hooked. I enjoyed Naomi Novak's other stories, but this one takes my heart completely. Novak takes the magical boarding school trope to the next level and honestly surpasses anything else in the genre. El and Orion are hilarious and I love how snarky and angry El is. It's nice to see someone allowed to get mad in a YA novel. I cannot wait for the next installment to be released! ”

— Katlin • Story on the Square

Bookseller recommendation

“K. First up. A HUGE shout out to the narrator of the audiobooks. Anisha Dadia BROUGHT El and this story to life for me in such vivid color. She perfectly captured the prickly, smart, and sarcastic El in all her awkward outcast glory. And this is important because El is telling us the story...I have loved how El changed and developed over the first two books in the series and the cliffhanger at the end of the second one has given me such a book hangover and leaves me counting down the months until the final book in this trilogy is released.”

— Cori • Bright Side Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“This book is a dark, feminist Harry Potter but in this one, Hogwarts is trying to kill the students and terrifying Lovecraftian monsters are sprinkled for extra chaos. How could you not love the premise? This book is terrific fun and the sequel cannot come soon enough!”

— Samantha • Rediscovered Books

Bookseller recommendation

“A Deadly Education takes a fresh stab at the magical boarding school setting in this inventive and compelling new novel from Naomi Novik. Galadriel Higgins is a student at Scholomance, a dangerous institution full of things that don’t just go bump in the night, they tend to maim and murder the students. In such a perilous place, it’s important to have friends. Unfortunately, Galadriel is a sarcastic misanthrope with a potent affinity toward mass destruction and death, but she might have to start relying on her non-magical charms to get out of this school alive. With a wink to all your favorite series, A Deadly Education is guaranteed to enthrall!”

— Heather • Mitzi's Books

Bookseller recommendation

“I loved this book so much. It's great both written and as an audio. Wry, irascible El is such a fantastic narrator who you can't help but to cheer for. Sets up nicely for book two without leaving the plot unfulfilled. ”

— Gwendolyn • Buttonwood Books and Toys

Bookseller recommendation

“A Deadly Education is absolutely delicious, and I enjoyed every page! The Scholomance is a ruthlessly dangerous magic school, where even sitting in the wrong seat at breakfast could mean death. El is a third year student with an affinity for mass destruction, who is struggling to NOT kill all her classmates. Full of scheming, sarcastic teenage angst, and dark humor, this is the fantasy novel I didn't know I was dying for.”

— Julia • Boulder Book Store

Bookseller recommendation

“The audio narration perfectly captures the prickly and snarky El, a lifelong misfit and outcast, as she explains her precarious position in this highly competitive and deadly magical boarding school (think, Hogwarts meets the Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies). In explaining the history and design of the school, El provides us an unexpected and smart commentary on wealth, class and privilege. With no social skills, she has no friends but this is not high on her priority list as her only goals are not getting killed by the monster infested school and harnessing her dark powers while mastering enough magical skills to survive Graduation next year. All this changes when unexpected friendships and alliances are thrust into her face, and she realizes she has to help save the students of the school. It is also absolutely hilarious as she slowly tries to understand how friendship works and how to respond to them in an appropriately friendly manner. I cannot wait for the next one.”

— Cori • Bright Side Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“I loved this so much that I listened to the audiobook twice, back-to-back, the second time to share it with my mother so that we could talk about it. This is the magic school, hella-powered main character, high stakes series we all deserve and I am anxiously awaiting the next book to answer my many questions and give me all new ones!!! ”

— Jane • Avid Bookshop