a deadly education

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A Deadly Education

By naomi novik, by naomi novik read by anisha dadia, part of the scholomance, category: epic fantasy | contemporary fantasy, category: epic fantasy | contemporary fantasy | audiobooks.

May 04, 2021 | ISBN 9780593128503 | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 --> | ISBN 9780593128503 --> Buy

Sep 29, 2020 | ISBN 9780593128480 | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 --> | ISBN 9780593128480 --> Buy

Sep 29, 2020 | ISBN 9780593128497 | ISBN 9780593128497 --> Buy

Sep 29, 2020 | 660 Minutes | ISBN 9780593287415 --> Buy

Buy from Other Retailers:

May 04, 2021 | ISBN 9780593128503

Sep 29, 2020 | ISBN 9780593128480

Sep 29, 2020 | ISBN 9780593128497

Sep 29, 2020 | ISBN 9780593287415

660 Minutes

Buy the Audiobook Download:

• audiobooks.com

About A Deadly Education

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 and The Golden Enclaves “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)

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Also by Naomi Novik

About Naomi Novik

Naomi Novik is the New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Education, The Last Graduate, and The Golden Enclaves, the award-winning novels Uprooted and Spinning Silver, and the Temeraire series. She is a founder of the Organization for Transformative Works and the Archive of Our Own. She… More about Naomi Novik

Product Details

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“I loved this book. It’s such a nail-biter, it’s funny, it’s thought-provoking, and it’s such a good read.” — BuzzFeed “Novik deliciously undoes expectations about magic schools, destined heroes, and family legacies. A gorgeous book about monsters and monstrousness, chockablock with action, cleverness, and wit.” —Holly Black, #1 New York Times bestselling author “At the Scholomance, monsters are everywhere and the breakfast might kill you, but the wonderful cast of characters will grab ahold of your heart and you’ll never want to leave this deadly school. Naomi Novik skillfully combines sharp humor with layers of imagination to build a fantasy that delights on every level. I loved this brilliant book.” —Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series “Eyeball-meltingly brilliant . . . Novik is, quite simply, a genius.” —Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken “Hilarious and wild! Take any fictional magic school, make it as over-the-top dangerous as possible, and populate it with a bunch of snarky teenagers; the result is pure batshit fun.” —N. K. Jemisin, New York Times bestselling author of The City We Became “ A Deadly Education is a nightmare from which I never wished to wake: savage, inventive, and soulful. Novik grasps the totems of childhood that linger in your mind—schools of magic, curses, cutthroat classmates, monsters—only to twist them into a grand new tale that’ll make you believe in magic again.” —Pierce Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Age “ A Deadly Education is a book that lives up to its gobsmacker of an opening sentence and follows right through to its shocker of an ending that promises more to come. Naomi Novik is relentlessly innovative and entertaining.” —Terry Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Druid “Friendship in spite of itself; danger that doesn’t quit—what a wildly magical ride!” —Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of Tempests and Slaughter “The magic and mystery of this chillingly lovely novel will appeal to both YA and adult fans of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. . . . An unresolved ending leaves readers eager for the next installment.” —Library Journal (starred review)

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A Deadly Education: A Novel

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A Deadly Education

• A Novel (The Scholomance, Book 1)

By: Naomi Novik

• Narrated by: Anisha Dadia
• Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
• 4.6 out of 5 stars 4.6 (5,581 ratings)

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Publisher's summary

New York Times Best Seller

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, making 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)

• Series: Scholomance , Book 1
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Categories: Literature & Fiction

Critic reviews

“I loved this book. It’s such a nail-biter, it’s funny, it’s thought-provoking, and it’s such a good read.” — BuzzFeed

“Novik deliciously undoes expectations about magic schools, destined heroes, and family legacies. A gorgeous book about monsters and monstrousness, chockablock with action, cleverness, and wit.” —Holly Black, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Hilarious and wild! Take any fictional magic school, make it as over-the-top dangerous as possible, and populate it with a bunch of snarky teenagers; the result is pure batshit fun.” —N. K. Jemisin, New York Times bestselling author of The City We Became

Featured Article: Get Lost in the Drama and Intrigue of Dark Academia

Both an aesthetic and a subgenre of fiction, dark academia explores morally gray characters with impious or evil intentions set against the backdrop of beautiful, hallowed, and unsettling boarding schools and university campuses. The dark academia subgenre encompasses everything from murder mysteries to horror and fantasy, so there's a little something in it for everyone. From angst-filled fiction to brooding novels, we've rounded up the very best listens.

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• The Last Graduate
• The Golden Enclaves

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A Girl in a world of magic, where she has none!

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• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 28,852

It's a simple story. Boy finds proof that reality is a computer program. Boy uses program to manipulate time and space. Boy gets in trouble. Boy flees back in time to Medieval England to live as a wizard while he tries to think of a way to fix things. Boy gets in more trouble. Oh, and boy meets girl at some point.

Hang in there

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• An Author-Read Audio Exclusive

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• Narrated by: Jodi Taylor
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Jodi Taylor reads the long-awaited prequel in her Chronicles of St Mary’s series, as Dr Bairstow struggles to set up St Mary’s as we know it in a world still scarred by the ravages of civil war. Ever wondered how it all began? It’s two years since the final victory at the Battersea Barricades. The fighting might be finished, but for Dr Bairstow, just now setting up St Mary's, the struggle is only beginning. How will he assemble his team? From where will his funding come?

Wait for it on Kindle. Not the best on audio

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Chosen Omnibus

• The Brindle Dragon, Books 1-3
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• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 157
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 145
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 143

Eist was born to be a dragon rider; she just knows it. When fate conspires to take her parents and leave her orphaned and injured, her future appears bleak. Unwilling to back down, she must overcome a system stacked against her. Even if she passes all the tests, there’s no guarantee she will ever fly on a dragon. Can she beat the odds and find her destiny, or will she be stranded on the ground?

• By Anonymous User on 03-27-21

By: Gordon Korman

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• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 425
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 341
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 345

Cameron Boxer is very happy to spend his life avoiding homework, hanging out with his friends, and gaming for hours in his basement. It's not too hard for him to get away with it...until he gets so caught up in one game that he almost lets his house burn down around him. Oops. It's time for some serious damage control - so Cameron and his friends invent a fake school club that will make it seem like they're doing good deeds instead of slacking off. The problem? Some kids think the club is real.

Confessions of a dad listener!

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Big Trouble

• Small Medium, Book 1

By: Andrew Seiple

• Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
• Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 474
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 429
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 427

Chase Berrymore dreams of adventure, excitement, and getting the heck out of her pastoral halven village. But when adventure finds her, she'll be scrambling to save her family and friends from a necromancer's wrath. Outmatched in almost every way, she'll have to use her wits, charisma, and a bit of divine favor to figure out the path to victory. Even worse, she'll have to figure out ways to deal with the weird and nigh-immortal beings that call themselves "playas"...and she'll have to do it with the most powerful weapon she has available: words.

Great continuation of threadbear-verse

• By Randall on 08-17-19

By: Robin McKinley

• Narrated by: Laural Merlington
• Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 1,427
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 1,099
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 1,109

There are places in the world where darkness rules, where it's unwise to walk. Sunshine knew that. But there hadn't been any trouble out at the lake for years, and she needed a place to be alone for a while. Unfortunately, she wasn't alone. She never heard them coming. Of course you don't, when they're vampires.

An absolutely riveting, addictive tale

• By Amazon Customer on 12-30-08

By: Marty Mayberry

• Narrated by: Nicole Parnell
• Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 65
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 65

Magic doesn't exist in the human world. As far as I know. But when I fling a fireball at a bully, my horrified mom dumps me at Crystal Wing Academy, a place straight out of my favorite fantasy books. They tell me I'm an Outling, a wizard born from non-magical parents. Mom's human. Dad? I don't exactly know who he is....

UNEXPECTED TREAT Kent Junge

• By Anonymous User on 04-02-20

• Dark Elite, Book 1

By: Chloe Neill

• Narrated by: Mary Kane
• Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 205
• Performance 3.5 out of 5 stars 182
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From the author of the Chicagoland Vampires novels, a new series about a boarding school filled with something worse than homework. Lily's parents have sent her to a fancy boarding school in Chicago filled with the ultra-rich. If that wasn't bad enough, she's hearing and seeing bizarre things on St. Sophie's creepy campus. Her roommate, Scout, keeps her sane, but keeps disappearing at night. When one day Lily finds Scout running from real-life monsters, she learns the hard way that Scout is involved in a splinter group of rebel teens.They protect Chicago from demons, vamps, and dark magic users....

The Narrator OMG

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• Alex Verus Series, Book 1

By: Benedict Jacka

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Alex Verus is part of a world hidden in plain sight, running a magic shop in London. And while Alex's own powers aren't as showy as some mages, he does have the advantage of foreseeing the possible future-allowing him to pull off operations that have a million-to-one-chance of success. But when Alex is approached by multiple factions to crack open a relic from a long-ago mage war, he knows that whatever's inside must be beyond powerful.

Harry Dresden meets the Temple of Doom

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• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 689
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 685

In this new series, set in the bestselling world of Valdemar, Heralds Mags and Amily must continue to protect the realm of Valdemar while raising their children and preparing them to follow in their footsteps.

Mags, Herald Spy of Valdemar, and his wife, Amily, the King’s Own Herald, are happily married with three kids. The oldest, Peregrine, has the Gift of Animal Mindspeech—he can talk to animals and persuade them to act as he wishes. Perry's dream is to follow in his father's footsteps as a Herald Spy, but he has yet to be Chosen by a Companion.

Great continuation of the series!

• By Peter on 06-28-18

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie

By: David Lubar

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• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 138

From the author of Dunk comes this sparkling new novel that covers a year in the life of high school freshman Scott Hudson, who is sideswiped by the unexpected news that his mother is about to have another baby.

Pick Me! Pick Me!

• By Misty on 12-10-07

Eliza and Her Monsters

By: Francesca Zappia

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Eighteen-year-old Eliza Mirk is the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea , but when a new boy at school tempts her to live a life offline, everything she’s worked for begins to crumble. In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, Eliza is LadyConstellation, anonymous creator of a popular webcomic called Monstrous Sea . With millions of followers and fans throughout the world, Eliza’s persona is popular. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves her digital community.

Just...... Breathtaking

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Ward of the FBI

• School of Necessary Magic: Raine Campbell, Book 1
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• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 80
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After Raine discovers that she has magic, she attends a school to help her develop it. But when evil forces threaten her, she must take on the danger to restore balance.

• 2 out of 5 stars

Just not that good

• By Jennifer W. on 08-17-20

By: Judith Berens , and others

The Designate

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Brooklyn, 2095. Seventeen-year-old Riley Taylor longs to escape the crushing poverty of the slums. Stuck with her best friend in a totalitarian police state, their only hope of freedom is joining the military. But when Riley gets ripped away from him in their first brutal combat, she’s shocked to discover why so many recruits come home in coffins.

Where do I start

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What listeners say about A Deadly Education

• 4.5 out of 5 stars 4.6 out of 5.0
• 5 Stars 3,983
• 4 Stars 1,046
• 3 Stars 356
• 2 Stars 124
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 4.7 out of 5.0
• 5 Stars 3,909
• 4 Stars 668
• 3 Stars 204
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 4.5 out of 5.0
• 5 Stars 3,410
• 4 Stars 924
• 3 Stars 335
• 2 Stars 121

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com reviews, amazon reviews.

• Overall 2 out of 5 stars
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars
• Story 2 out of 5 stars

Intersting concept, way too much self pity

I was very excited to read another book by Naomi Novik, as I absolutely loved Uprooted and Spinning Silver. However, once I realized I was 2 hours in to this one and nothing had happened beyond a few monster attacks and the main character whining about how hard her life is, my enthusiasm waned. I love stories about underdogs just as much as the next person, but when the underdog is constantly comparing everything they have to everything everyone else has and feeling sorry for themselves *all the time*, it gets old. The main character is also blessed with amazing insights into other people's thought processes, allowing her to look past people's seemingly kind actions to herself and others and see them for the greedy attempts at manipulation that they invariably are. I kept waiting for someone to explain to her that the reason she didn't have any friends wasn't really because she has a bad aura or whatever, but because she's an absolute jerk to everyone. Then she could have slowly realized it was true and changed her ways, though of course keeping much of her snarky nature. But no one did, and she didn't. She is a bit nicer by the end of the book, and will probably improve further with the next one, but the revelation about the way she treats people never came. After all that it may sound like I hated this book. I didn't, although I found much of it very tiresome. Once things actually start happening and there is a plot to follow I would say it's a decent book, with a lot of really cool concepts and fun ideas. I wanted more when it ended, things were just starting to become really interesting. I just hope in the next book there is more plot and a lot less self pity.

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71 people found this helpful

• Overall 5 out of 5 stars
• Story 5 out of 5 stars

Conflicted about canceling JK Rowling? No worries, this is better.

Novik is queen of the remake/ upgrade. In the way her dragon series remade Horatio Hornblower, this book is Hogwarts cleared of all the useless teachers and an extra level of danger added. Boring Harry has been sidelined to make room for a much more interesting heroine with a deeper and funnier inner life. This is the escape to the high school from hell read we all need in 2020.

36 people found this helpful

• Overall 3 out of 5 stars
• Story 1 out of 5 stars

Edgy Teen Girl goes to Magical HighSchool

The story wasn’t my type of thing. A lot of teen drama and cliques, great performance though.

28 people found this helpful

Fully realized, completely engaging, unexpected protagonist

And she’s mixed race, good (but it’s a struggle) and never saccharine. Naomi Novik is a master storyteller and while some of the tropes are familiar, they are made fresh by her characters. The narrator is absolutely pitch perfect.

27 people found this helpful

Not your average YA

This series is YA in the same way The Hunger Games is YA: teenage protagonist but deadly stakes. Yes, there’s a focus on cliques and interpersonal drama, but in this world being part of a strong clique means you have a better chance of not getting eaten by monsters, so it’s just not the same as your average petty teenage gossip. Here’s the thing that will be make or break for a lot of readers: one of the themes of this series is privilege. The school is basically a war zone and all the kids are trying to survive, but the kids with resources and connections have a much better chance at survival. The story is told from the perspective of a Have Not who openly resents the Haves. Some reviewers seem to interpret this as making the main character whiny, but I think this story will resonate with a lot of people. The narration was pretty good too. There were a few places where I thought the flow was a little off – like a verbal comma in the wrong place – but it really was in only a couple of places and overall the tone of the narration seemed just right for the voice of the main character: acerbic and dryly witty. I love this book and I am so looking forward to the next in the series. The main character is complex and cynical and intentionally a little hard to like at first, but she reveals herself to be absolutely amazing. There are strong supporting characters and plenty of action. Overall, just a really great listen.

23 people found this helpful

• Performance 3 out of 5 stars

Very weak showing by a fantastic author

This book could have benefitted from some much better editing. As it is, it's a jumble of stream-of-consciousness style with bits of plot scattered throughout. I was not impressed by the repetitive nature of the storytelling (just count the number of times the narrator describes what a Malificer is, for example). Nor was I impressed by the compulsion to tell rather than show everything about the school or most characters outside the action of the narrow scope of this first-person narrative. When I heard this book was the first of a duology, it made sense because it does feel very stretched and verbose for what was mostly world building with some interesting action at the end.

15 people found this helpful

Another home run from Naomi Novik

I found Naomi Novik through her marvellous Temeraire series and was pleased to find she had tried her hand at the well-trodden Magic School genre. But she does something new and fresh with it, and every minute is enjoyable. Novik builds an intriguing world - I am so glad this is a series because I want to know ALL about it and I have so many unanswered questions - and our heroine is smart, cynical, and wrong in all the right ways from moment one. (Those who liked Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands will definitely want to give A Deadly Education a go.) Going with El as she puzzled through problems, yells at everyone, and tries assiduously to survive school, is a great ride, and Anisha Dadia’s reading brings her to life. I can’t wait for book 2; till then, I am listening to A Deadly Education all over again.

10 people found this helpful

• Overall 1 out of 5 stars

• Alexander G.

Did Novik really write this?

This is nothing like her other books, not the cadence of the writing, not the world building, not the language choice, nothing. Did some kid write this and she published it under her name? No plot whatsoever. So far, 5 hours of victimhood and whining, for some reason? Im okay with unlikable characters, but MC is just not interesting. In total, 3 hours have been about who sits with whom at lunch, and who walks with whom. The whole time I am writing this review, the narrator has been describing a VERY EMOTIONAL sequence of people sitting down at a lunch table. They haven't started eating yet. Going to finish my tacos. Okay, back now. MY GOD, IT'S STILL GOING. Im gonna finish out of morbid curiosity only. The narrator did a great job; I think people just hated the material so much they keep knocking her down. All the inflections and emotion were spot on. Well done.

9 people found this helpful

• Overall 4 out of 5 stars
• Performance 2 out of 5 stars
• Story 3 out of 5 stars

Disappointing after Spinning Silver

I liked a great deal of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted, and adored Spinning Silver. This author does great heroines. So I grabbed A Deadly Education as soon as it was available. I was disappointed though. The heroine is admirable, but the descriptions of how the school operates go on and on, and the monster attacks are so relentless they lose any power. On top of this, Anisha Dadia’s reading is very poor. She reads almost mechanically, as if she’s been told to stand up and read aloud in class, and isn’t following what she’s reading. Pauses and emphases in the wrong places. I will look forward to the next Novik book and hope that it is better.

• Eric W. Brown

I loved it, started a bit slow, but it's worth it. Harry potter meets forging hephestus meets Dresden Files..

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Naomi Novik Wiki

A Deadly Education (The Scholomance Book 1)

• View history
• 1 About the Book
• 2 Description
• 3.1 Chapter 1: Soul-Eater
• 3.2 Chapter 2: Mimics
• 3.3 Chapter 3: Maleficer
• 3.4 Chapter 4: Things That Go Bump In The Night
• 3.5 Chapter 5: Sirenspiders
• 3.6 Chapter 6: Manifestation
• 3.7 Chapter 7: Misery
• 3.8 Chapter 8: Crawler
• 3.9 Chapter 9: Unknown
• 3.10 Chapter 10: Grogler
• 3.11 Chapter 11: Seniors
• 3.12 Chapter 12: The Graduation Horde
• 3.13 Chapter 13: Mortal Flame
• 4.1.1 Juniors in the Scholomance
• 4.1.2 Seniors in the Scholomance
• 4.1.3 Incoming freshmen inducted in the last chapter
• 4.1.4 Outside the Scholomance (characters in flashbacks or mentioned)
• 5 References:

About the Book [ ]

• Genres: Magic School Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy
• Narrative style: First person, limited.

Description [ ]

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.

Chapter Summaries [ ]

Chapter 1: soul-eater [ ].

Orion Lake breaks down the door to Galadriel Higgin's cell while chasing a soul-eater and melts it. El does not appreciate this as it is three weeks before the end of term and she is studying for final exams, and the melted soul-eater stinks horribly. El kicks him out of her room and tells Orion to stay away from her. El tries six times to get a spell from the void to clean her room before the school gives her a large tome of household cleaning spells in Old English. After cleaning her room she goes to the cafeteria to eat dinner, and she is temporarily popular because everyone is convinced Orion saved her life. [1]

Chapter 2: Mimics [ ]

El asks for company to go to the shop for supplies. Jack Westing offers to go with her but then backs out when he suspects El knows he is a maleficer; Orion ends up going with her. While walking El tries to figure out why Orion went with her and learns that he enjoys fighting mals and is never attacked by them. In the shop a group of mimics attack and Orion kills them all. He realizes she's strict mana as he guards her while she's mending her door, After El gets angry that Orion doesn't believe her when she says she can't cheat with mana, she temporarily pulls Orion's mana from his body convincing him that she is a maleficer. He asks her suspiciously about a student named Luisa who disappeared early in the year, and is not convinced when she says she doesn't know. She is confident it was Jack Westing, but doesn't say so. [2]

Chapter 3: Maleficer [ ]

The next day, Aadhya invites El and Orion to walk to breakfast with her. During the day Orion follows El around the school, hinting that he'd kill her if she ever starts pulling malia from others. El gets little work done, and in maleficaria studies comes up with a new plan: to convince everyone that they are dating. After lunch, the rumor starts spreading through the school. People invite El to sit with her and do small favors, hoping to get in with Orion. As dinner ends Orion kills a mal and is splattered by its guts, so he stops following El around to get a shower. When someone knocks on her door, she expects to see Orion, but instead Jack, smeared with the mal's guts to trick her, stabs her. Since El had gotten ready for bed, she had put her mana crystal away, so she couldn't access any of her stored power. Even knowing she might die, she refuses to pull malia from Jack to kill him. She hears another knock on the door and casts a spell to open the door, revealing Orion. Jack turns around, covered in El's blood, some of it smeared on his face. El collapses while Orion kills Jack. [3]

Chapter 4: Things That Go Bump In The Night [ ]

After killing Jack, Orion uses a linen flax patch that El's mother made to start healing her wound. El explains that Jack was a maleficer. Orion decides to protect El during the night, even though staying in another student's room causes mals to rampage. Outside El's door, mals fought over Jack's body. Mals begin to attack, making their way into the room through the gaps under El's door and the air vents. During the night Orion kills all the mals that come to eat them. El and Orion leave El's room the next morning looking exhausted and overwhelmed. Other kids see them, and the gossip that they slept together spread throughout the school. Kids from the London enclave begin being kind to El, seeing her as a way to poach Orion, while the New York kids start to get nervous. Several enclavers decide to make an effort to hang out with El. Each time they talk to El she snubs them, instead talking to the independent kids who tolerated her before Orion started to 'date' her. [4]

Chapter 5: Sirenspiders [ ]

El asks Orion and Aadhya for help with a magic mirror, as she needs an alchemist and an artificer for the project. The three of them head down to the shop and get to work. Using the opportunity to work with Orion, Aadhya shows off her skills in artifice. El also plans to show off, but for Aadhya instead of Orion. While they work, two sirenspiders drop down from the vents. Orion grabs a hammer and vaults over the table to attack them. During the fight, El is able to finish the mirror with a powerful spell, and grabs a sirenspider leg that lands next to her on the table. El returns to her room where she hangs the mirror on the wall; she covers it when it offers unsolicited prophecies. At lunch, Chloe asks Orion for advice to help her with a potion. Instead of following them to the New York table like a trailing girlfriend, El sits at an empty table. She reflects on how because Orion was with her, she didn't strategize at all for lunch because she expected to sit with him and pretend for one meal more that she was a normal student, not the class reject. While she sits alone El thinks about the first time a mal came after her when she was nine. Her mother was ill, and a member of the commune took Gwen to the hospital, leaving El scared and alone; when she was attacked by a scratcher, none of the commune members came to her aid. She had to rescue herself. The enclavers are all ignoring her now, but Aadhya, Liu, and other independent kids eventually join her. After lunch Orion asks why El didn't sit with him and his fellow enclavers, and she snaps at him. El realizes that he was now hanging around her because she won't genuflect to him, and the two become friends. [5]

Chapter 6: Manifestation [ ]

El drags Orion up to the library, which is the safest place in the school. Orion usually avoids the library since everyone wants to use him to protect themselves. El takes him to her desk in the stacks and they study together. They argue about the privileges that enclavers enjoy, and how often non-enclavers get jumped by mals. He suggests coming back to the library the next morning, but El has a maintenance shift; Orion asks to work El's shift with her since he's never done one. The next morning he helps her clean the alchemy labs, and El and Orion then spend the rest of the weekend in the library. Aadhya suggests that evening that El use her friendship with Orion to get into an enclave. Instead El continues to snub enclavers when they invite her, deciding not to use Orion for her own gain. Later, Orion hears faint screaming and runs towards the reading room, leaving El behind. She follows, but Orion is so far ahead she can't catch up before the library extends the aisles. As she continues down the Sanskrit aisle she spots a book with a gilded spine with no label and grabs it.

El makes it to the end of the aisle and realizes that the library wanted to keep her out of the aisle she's in, not the reading room. When she stops and turns around, she sees a maw-mouth coming out of a vent. She backs away slowly and reflects on what she knows about maw-mouths, including the fact one ate her father. Instead of attacking her, the maw-mouth goes in the opposite direction, heading towards the freshman dorms. Even though she realizes she might die, El goes after the maw-mouth. She casts a shielding spell and pushes into its body, knowing the only way to kill it is from the inside. When she gets inside she tries to get to the core, but has to stop moving as being inside the maw-mouth is too horrible. She instinctively casts a mass killing spell, then she casts it over and over, as well as casting other mass killing spells, until the maw-mouth collapses around her and disintegrates into a puddle. Orion arrives after the last of the maw-mouth remains goes down the drains in the floor created to help clean up the remains of students and mals. He is slightly annoyed that El is fine and ran away from the fight, until El bursts into tears. [6]

Chapter 7: Misery [ ]

Orion takes El back to her room and stays with her, then takes her to the cafeteria. Thinking she is drained of mana, Orion kills some mals and pushes the mana into El. In order to avoid being mana poisoned, El instinctively casts her mother's Simple Gifts spell to 'make yourself right,' which jerks her out of her disassociated state. She casts it using so much mana that it effects the nearby students; the effects from Liu's malia use is reversed. When she returns to her room she inventories her remaining mana stash and finds it greatly depleted. El realizes that if she were to reveal how powerful she is, people would start to fear her. She reflects on her great-grandmother's prophecy that she will bring death and destruction to the enclaves. After she spends time doing mana building exercises she rewards herself by looking over the book she took from the library. El realizes that the spell book is from the Baghdad Enclave, and contains the Golden Stone Sutras--ancient and powerful spells for building enclaves. She promises to build the Sutras a special book chest. El shows the book to Aadhya, who agrees to run an auction for one of the spells which controls the phase of matter. [7]

Chapter 8: Crawler [ ]

The next day at breakfast, El and the group she walked with spots Todd Quayle sitting alone. She soon learns that Todd poached another student's room, which is only possible if one student pushes another into the void, because he heard a maw-mouth go by his old room. When Orion confronts him, Todd dumps Orion's food tray over his head and blames him for the increased maleficaria activity. El proceeds to chew Todd out in front of the entire school. All the enclave kids who were previously being kind start avoiding her. In the library, El fixes a ripped chair so she can sit near the Dubai enclavers in order to pick up some conversational Arabic. At dinner Orion admits he went hunting the maw-mouth, but Liu convinces everyone that there is no maw-mouth, since maw-mouths don't hide. After dinner, El claims her chair in the Dubai corner of the library reading room, and Orion, Ibrahim and Nadia join her. Watching El and Orion in the Dubai corner, Magnus , Chloe, and the other New York enclavers suspect El has joined Dubai and taken Orion with her. Magnus creates a crawler construct and sends it to hurt or kill El. Orion sees it and saves her, and based on the New York kid's reactions, El realizes Magnus was responsible.

Back in her room, El tries to control her anger and thinks about going after Magnus in retaliation. While she seethes, Aadhya knocks on her door. Aadhya asks if El took out the maw-mouth, which makes El remember being inside the maw-mouth. She proceeds to throw up violently, and after recovering, confirms Aadhya's guess. After she explains how she guessed, Aadhya asks why El didn't show everyone how powerful she was freshman year and let the enclavers fight over her. El declares that she doesn't want to join an enclave. [8]

Chapter 9: Unknown [ ]

El spends the night reflecting on her opinions about enclaves. After deciding Aadhya is her best chance at alliance, El tries to score points with her by suggesting Liu bid her hair--which Aadhya wants for her lute--in the auction Aadhya is setting up for the phase control spell. Aadhya instead offers a three-way alliance between all of them. Orion kills a mal that was about to bite El preventing them from discussing it further. In class El and Liu sit together; Liu shows El her mana amplification song spell. Liu explains that she's behind on her mana building which confirms El's suspicion that she isn't going back to malia use. Despite this meaning Liu is not a great strategic choice, El realizes that she doesn't want to lose Aadhya and Liu. She wants them both to live. Later in the library, Chloe warns El not to go to her desk, revealing that Magnus and Jennifer left an unbreaking sleep spell at her desk. Chloe also explains that the crawler the New York kids sent to attack El only had a malia siphon spell. Chloe tries to invite El to New York, but El repeatedly declines her while Chloe tries to negotiate.

When El gets angry about Chloe and the other New York kids wanting her to lock down Orion, even though they aren't actually dating, Chloe tells her that El is the only person Orion's ever hung out with. All Orion ever wanted to do was hunt mals. When she was nine, Orion saved her from a swarm of lyefly mals, and Chloe followed him around trying to be his friend. El realizes that Orion has been living the same life she has in reverse, with people deciding who they were--a dark sorceress, a selfless hero--and acted accordingly without ever trying to know them. El tells Chloe off and rudely suggests she try treating Orion like a human being. [9]

Chapter 10: Grogler [ ]

El runs down the stairs to her room and trips, skinning her knee. Aadhya goes with her to the bathroom so she can wash it off. El, Aadhya, and Liu head to the snack bar, then discuss their alliance while eating in Aadhya's room. El and Liu write all of their names together on the wall outside the bathroom, where alliances are written down, in English, Hindi and Mandarin. The next morning El half-dreams about her mother, and tells her she isn't joining an enclave and has friends. When she realizes Orion isn't up yet, she wakes him and drags him to breakfast, where he keeps falling asleep at the table. She helps him throughout the day until Orion freaks out, worried that El is mad with him. When she realizes she is mad, but at the New York kids, she reassures him by snapping and storming off. In the shop, El and Aadhya demonstrate the phase control spell by starting on the book chest, changing the lignin in a piece of wood to liquid and then back to a solid as a curved shape. During the demonstration the shop starts shaking violently. Orion runs down the stairs and El follows, where finds Orion fighting a grogler . El realizes that the grogler is trying to tear open the staircase, which leads to the graduation hall, which would start graduation early and kill most of the students if opened. Using the phase control spell El turns the nitrogen in the air around the grogler liquid, killing it. As they walk to the cafeteria, El realizes that Orion is exhausted because he's been staying up late patrolling. [10]

Chapter 11: Seniors [ ]

While at lunch Orion, El, Aadhya, Liu, and Ibrahim make plans to fix the damaged stairwell. After realizing that the seniors could use the stairwell to open the graduation hall and increase their odds, they decide to bring as few people as possible into the repairs. Aadhya suggests they use the phase control spell to turn the iron wall liquid, add carbon, and turn it into steel. When Orion reveals he has a block on his power-sharer and can't give them the mana for the project, the group brings Chloe in to help. While practicing in the shop the group overhears a team of seniors discussing plans to break down the wall. The group heads down to start work immediately, but they are discovered by the team of seniors. Chloe tries to de-escalate the situation, but the seniors attack, trying to destroy the repairs. One of them grabs Orion using a fire whip. Liu puts up a shield, Ibrahim tries to free Orion, and Chloe panics and runs. El and Aadhya try to fix the entire wall, pulling it down to reveal an argonet. The seniors use a yanker to quickly travel away and pull Orion and Ibrahim along after them. While Aadhya mixes the iron and carbon in her crucible, El disintegrates the argonet with a spell and grabs one of its teeth. El and Aadhya repair the wall but not before a shrike makes it through Liu's shield. Orion surfs down the stairs on a steam tray and ends up colliding with the group, knocking everyone into the repaired wall and breaking Aadhya's crucible. He has also killed the shrike. The four of them head upstairs where they find Chloe returning with Magnus and a large chunk of the Junior class. After El tells everyone the wall is repaired, the entire group heads to the cafeteria.

Chapter 12: The Graduation Horde [ ]

The large group of students head to the cafeteria where they eat and discuss what to do about the seniors. After the rest of the students come in, El's group is approached by the Senior Valedictorian Clarita Acevedo-Cruz . She proposes sending Orion down to the graduation hall to fix the cleansing machinery, since he is responsible for the imbalance. El tells Clarita off and then counters by suggesting she, Orion, and a team of the most skilled students in the Senior class go down to fix the machinery instead. The Berlin Enclave offers guaranteed spots in their enclave to whomever goes on the mission; when the rest of the enclaves promise the same the matter is settled. The whole school builds mana to support the effort. A team of the best seniors is assembled: five incanters to hold the shield, including Clarita and El; Wen Wu, a Shanghainese independent who had volunteered for a guaranteed spot in the Shanghai enclave, selects and leads the artificers and maintenance-track kids to fabricate and install the repair to the mechanism; and Orion to kill the mals. The morning of graduation the team goes down to the Graduation Hall and head for the machinery. The mals do not notice them at first, but then begin attacking, and Orion holds them off. The team successfully fixes the machine after more than an hour, and they use a yanker to get back upstairs to the senior dorms. El and Orion try to get upstairs to the junior level, but they only get to the workshop level before the cleansing fire of mortal flame begins sweeping the hallways. Orion, thinking they're going to die, kisses El. El knees him in the crotch to get him out of the way so she can cast her own wall of mortal flame as a firebreak.

Chapter 13: Mortal Flame [ ]

El's mortal flame firebreak protects them from the cleansing fires. Orion is overwhelmed by the realization that El saved his life, but then shoves her down so he can kill some mals about to attack them on the ceiling. At that point a crowd appears to ask Orion how he fixed the graduation hall machinery, and El escapes to the workshop to grab supplies. She goes back to her room and Chloe knocks on the door to ask how she is. El gives Chloe back the power-sharer she borrowed, and Chloe apologizes for her ingrained behavior as an enclaver. El takes a nap and a while later Aadhya and Liu come by, bringing some lunch. They discuss the mission and Orion kissing El, and then budget numbers for mana building next quarter. Liu goes back to her room to bring a mouse that she is training as a familiar, and offers to train mice for El and Aadhya as well. The girls get up to go see the rest of the mice in Liu's room but are surprised to find Orion trying to get the courage to knock at El's door. Aadhya and Liu leave while El stays behind to talk to Orion. She tells him she kicked him downstairs to get him out of her way, thinking he would prefer to have his life saved, but she was not kicking him out of her life. Orion says he'd like to ask to date her, but not in the Scholomance; El says in a year he can come visit her in Wales and ask.

They all go to dinner in time for Induction of the new freshmen; Liu's two cousins are among them, as well as a girl named Pamyla from New Jersey who brings a letter for Aadhya, and a boy named Aaron from Manchester. Aaron asks for Galadriel, the daughter of Gwen Higgins, as he had a note for her. El gets the message from her mother, which says, "My darling girl, I love you, have courage, and stay far away from Orion Lake."

Additional Info [ ]

Characters [ ], juniors in the scholomance [ ].

• Galadriel Higgins aka El
• Orion Lake , from the New York enclave
• Chloe Rasmussen , from the New York enclave
• Magnus Tebow , from the New York enclave
• Aadhya , from New Jersey, independent
• Guo Yi Liu , from China, independent
• Jack Westing , from America
• Luisa , not from any magical family (deceased)
• Nkoyo , independent
• Cora , a friend of Nkoyo
• Jowani , a friend of Nkoyo
• Ibrahim , independent
• Yaakov, close to Ibrahim
• Nadia, a friend of Ibrahim's
• Alfie , from the London enclave
• Sarah, from the London enclave

Seniors in the Scholomance [ ]

• Clarita Acevedo-Cruz , Senior class Valedictorian, guaranteed a spot in the New York enclave
• Todd Quayle , from the New York enclave, room poacher
• Annabel, River, Jessamy - Clarita's and Todd's other alliance members
• Victoria, from the Seattle enclave
• David Pires, saluditorian, incanter on the mission to the graduation hall
• Wu Wen, from Shanghai, in charge of artifice for the mission
• Maya Wulandari, from Canada, incanter on the mission
• Angel Torres, incanter on the mission
• Ellen Cheng
• Kaito Nakamura

Incoming freshmen inducted in the last chapter [ ]

• Pamyla from Newark
• Guo Yi Zheng, one of Liu's twin cousins
• Guo Yi Min, the other of Liu's twin cousins
• Aaron from Manchester

Outside the Scholomance (characters in flashbacks or mentioned) [ ]

• Gwen Higgins , El's mother
• Philippa Wax, a disagreeable personality at the commune
• Deepthi Sharma , El's several-times-great-grandmother on her dad's side, and a famous seer
• Arjun Sharma , El's dad, deceased
• Ophelia Rhys-Lake , Orion's mom, next in line for Domina of New York
• Li Shan Feng , Dominus of Shanghai, leader of the best-recorded time a maw-mouth has been killed
• Sir Alfred Cooper Browning, the Dominus of Manchester who led the building of the Scholomance

References: [ ]

• ↑ Novik, Naomi. A Deadly Education (The Scholomance) (Chapter 1). Random House Publishing Group. Audiobook Edition.
• ↑ Novik, Naomi. A Deadly Education (The Scholomance) (Chapter 2). Random House Publishing Group. Audiobook Edition.
• ↑ Novik, Naomi. A Deadly Education. (The Scholomance) (Chapter 3). Random House Publishing Group. Audiobook Edition
• ↑ Novik, Naomi. A Deadly Education. (The Scholomance) (Chapter 4). Random House Publishing Group. Audiobook Edition.
• ↑ Novik, Naomi. A Deadly Education. (The Scholomance) (Chapter 5) Random House Publishing Group. Audiobook Edition.
• ↑ Novik, Naomi. A Deadly Education. (The Scholomance) (Chapter 6). Random House Publishing Group. Audiobook Edition.
• ↑ Novik, Naomi. A Deadly Education. (The Scholomance) (Chapter 7). Random House Publishing Group. Audiobook Edition.
• ↑ Novik, Naomi. A Deadly Education. (The Scholomance) (Chapter 8). Random House Publishing Group. Audiobook Edition.
• ↑ Novik, Naomi. A Deadly Education. (The Scholomance) (Chapter 9). Random House Publishing Group. Audiobook Edition.
• ↑ Novik, Naomi. A Deadly Education. (The Scholomance) (Chapter 10). Random House Publishing Group. Audiobook Edition.
• 1 Galadriel Higgins
• 2 Orion Lake
• 3 Dragon Breeds

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A Deadly Education

By naomi novik.

Book review and synopsis for A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, a story about a young female wizard in a dangerous school of magic.

In A Deadly Education (Scholomance #1) , Galadriel, or El, is a junior enrolled in a school of magic, where dangers lurk around every corner. El has a strong natural ability for the dark arts, but is determined to stay away from all that. Still, it's been prophesized that El is the bringer of death and will sow destruction in her wake.

When the school's golden boy, Orion Lake, takes an interest in El, it opens up new possibilities for her, but new dangers as well.

(The Full Plot Summary is also available, below)

Full Plot Summary

Galadriel ("El") is a junior at Scholomance , a school of magic. She's also someone with a very strong natural ability for mass destruction and the dark arts. She doesn't want to be a dark wizard (a " maleficer "), but her affinity for destruction limits her ability to use her powers in other ways. Learning non-destructive spells is much more difficult for her, while destructive spells are overpowered in her hands. Others can often sense her darkness, too, which is why El is a loner.

There are two types of power that can fuel spells: malia and mana . Malia (the "bad" type) draws from the life-force of other living things, and users of it are known as "maleficers". Whereas Mana (the "good" type) is generated through effort, like exercise or labor. El is "strict mana".

Orion Lake is a very well-connected classmate, considered the "hero" of their class. Orion's family is part of the New York enclave, the most powerful enclave in the world and his mother is soon to be the leader of it. Enclaves (identified based on location) are groupings of wizards that share power and protect each other. Entry into an enclave is highly sought-after, and everyone sucks up to students born into enclaves, called " enclavers ", in hopes of securing a spot.

Orion starts hanging around El because he suspects she is a maleficer who had something to do with the recent disappearance of one of their classmates, Louisa . However, the actual culprit, Jack , ends up attacking El, and Orion saves her. After the misunderstand is cleared up, Orion continues to hang out with El. It leads to a major boost to El's popularity.

There are three educational tracks at school: incantations, alchemy, or artifice . El is an incanter and has a project that requires all three disciplines to complete. She recruits Aardhya (artificer), an acquaintance of hers, and Orion (alchemist) to help. They create a magic mirror. Afterwards, the mirror repeats a prophesy that El has already heard before, that El is the bringer of death and will sow death and doom and bring down enclaves.

Scholomance is structurally designed to protect young, untrained wizards from maleficaria ("mals"), dangerous creatures that feed on wizards for their mana. Still, mals manage to get in, so students must be on alert, especially loners like El. Moreoever, in order to graduate, seniors cross through the lowest floor of Scholomance (considered the "graduation ceremony"), which was designed as a barrier to keep mals outs. It's an area overrun with mals and many die in the process. Preparing for the "ceremony" is a major part of being a student at Scholomance. There is a scouring machine that goes through the halls of the entire school twice a year with a wall of mortal flame that kills all the mals. The lowest floor ("graduation hall") has one, too, but it's been broken since 1886. Attempts to repair it have left powerful wizards dead.

El is in the library when she finds a maw-mouth, a unstoppable mal whose presence means certain death. There is only one known instance of killing a maw-mouth, and it involved nine powerful wizards. El manages to single-handedly kill the maw-mouth. She doesn't think anyone will believe her afterwards and tells no one.

The New York enclavers are puzzled by Orion's friendship with El, since he has never show much interest in anyone else including themselves. They eventually extend El a high-prized invitation to join their enclave, but El has come to realize that she wants nothing to do with the elitist enclaves that prey on and exploit others' desperation. Instead, El works to parlay her new social capital into an alliance with Aardhya and another friend, Yi Liu , for their ceremony next year. El feels lucky to have real friends now and people to watch her back.

While Orion's heroics has saved hundreds of students from mals, that means the mals are now desperately hungry, especially the ones in the basement. They've created a hole in the barrier which is how the maw-mouth ended up in the school. Orion has been trying to patch it up, but El learns that a group of seniors have been knocking out his repairs in hopes that mals will feed on the lower-classmen to sate their hunger somewhat before the ceremony.

Together, El, Orion and some of El's friends (all juniors) manage to collectively repair the barrier more securely. But the seniors are angry about this. After some argument, a plan is formed for El, Orion and a group of talented seniors to attempt a repair of the scouring machine in the graduation hall before the ceremony in one week. After much preparation, a group of 20 of them manage to get in and make repairs, though two die.

When they return to the main floors, the warning bell has gone off signaling that the scouring machines are about to run. Soon, the seniors have now departed, though whether they exited into a newly-scoured hall or one crawling with mals is unknown. El and Orion decide to formally start dating. Induction happens, where new freshmen are magically drawn into the school. One of them comes bearing a letter from El's mother. It reads: " My darling girl, I love you, have courage, and keep far away from Orion Lake ."

For more detail, see the full Chapter-by-Chapter Summary .

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Book Review

A Deadly Education (Scholomance #1) , by Naomi Novik, is the first book from Novik’s planned Scholomance Trilogy . In Novik’s new series, the wizarding world is a dangerous one, full of monsters and creatures that feed on wizards and the power they possess. Meanwhile, El is a junior at the school who has unusually powerful natural abilities but is unable to make use of much of it due to its destructive nature.

Like in her previous novels Uprooted or Spinning Silver , Novik has, once again, created a world that is imaginative and compelling. There is a bit of an information dump in this novel, just because there’s a lot of unique qualities in her world that need to be explained, like the mechanics of a school that functions without teachers or the void where everything comes from.

I won’t try to explain it all here, but it works. I thought it was all really interesting and thoroughly conceived, and I loved reading about it. She also lays down a number of details that I imagine will come into play later. Novik’s writing is very accessible, and she imbues the story with some wry humor which I appreciated. The book went by very quickly for me.

In terms of substance, A Deadly Education deals with a lot of issues regarding social divisions and the disparities between classes of people. This is a book that has something to say beyond telling one character’s story. It’s easy to see how these issues, even when dreamed up in a wizarding school located in a magical void, can find parallels in institutions and societies in the real world.

El grew up with her mother, residing outside of the safety and comfort of the “enclave” classes of people. Throughout the book, El tussles with her feelings about the exploitative nature of enclaves and her own desire for the protection that enclaves can provide.

The book also touches upon things like privilege and entitlement. For example, Orion comes from a very well-connected enclave family and certain provisions have been made for him and his comfort without his even knowing it. El and others must take on “maintenance shifts” (mandatory drudge work), but Orion, despite being a well-meaning boy with good intentions, has no idea what it entails or even that he has avoided that responsibility because it’s been taken care of on his behalf and unbeknownst to him.

El also struggles between the relative ease of relying on dark magic (“malia”, which gets power from the life force of other creatures) and the painstaking effort of generating a morally superior power source (“mana”, which is generated based on labor-intensive activities).

I am also a much bigger fan of the El and Orion romance that I have been of Novik’s past romances (in Uprooted or Spinning Silver ). I thought it was charming. El is a bit meaner to him than I’d ideally prefer, but considering that she’s an outcast with her defenses up, I think it probably makes sense initially. I hope it’s something she matures out of as the series progresses.

I had a few quibbles like El acting a bit too petulant sometimes and little things like that, but honestly my main gripe is just that I’m impatient for the next book to come out. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten really excited about a series, so this was definitely a win for me.

YA or Adult Fantasy?

I would recommend this to both YA and adult fantasy fans. While the story does deal with some coming-of-age type issues (typical of YA novels), A Deadly Education also tells a multi-layered story about class, morals and difficult decisions that adult readers can fully appreciate.

The main character, El, is in high school, but she’s also making decisions about what she wants her future to look like that extend beyond school-aged-type concerns.

I have a pet peeve which is that some YA fantasy authors write books that are essentially YA in substance and then throw in very graphic sex scenes in order to argue that they should be adult novels. (And then all their fans go around haranguing people on the internet about book classifications.) That is not all the case here. While the characters act age-appropriate, I’d qualify A Deadly Education as suitable for both YA and adult readers because the issues it deals with can appeal to both YA and adult audiences.

Read it or Skip It?

I had a delightful time reading this fantastical, fun and fully-imagined book. While the characters are in high school, I would have no reservations recommending it to adults who enjoy fantasy novels. I grew up reading the Harry Potter books, and this definitely took me back to anticipating those book releases and the late nights spent reading them the day after.

When I started this book, I was planning on reading for an hour or two, but ended up staying up late into the early hours of the morning finishing it. I loved the fully-imagined world, but also the very specific choices in what type of story Novik was looking to tell. As much as I found this book really enchanting, I’m even more excited about what’s to come for this series.

See A Deadly Education on Amazon.

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Hello Jennifer, typical of your reviews, this is to the point, revealing the weaker side, but raising the stronger and leaving me wanting to read the book and ‘find out for myself!’ In short, for me its a pleasure to read your review, even if I never try the book for myself. Well done and Thank you.

hey peter what a nice comment, I really appreciate the encouragement! Glad you enjoyed it and happy reading! :)

His sounds flippin’ awesome! I’ll need to see if my library has it already, and if they don’t, have them order it because it sounds so good! And I’ve loved Naomi Novik’s books so far, so I’m excited to see what this one has in store.

I hope you love it, her books have definitely found their way to my “must reads” list. Happy reading! :)

Loved it! Desperate for more. Next July seems like a lifetime away.

I KNOW, I think if the second book was already out I would’ve just read them back to back haha

THE EXCITING FINALE TO THE SCHOLOMANCE TRILOGY

Saving the world is a test no school of magic can prepare you for in the triumphant conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate.

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Teachers in Iowa district that had school shooting can get retention bonus next year under new bill

FILE - Police respond to Perry High School in Perry, Iowa., Jan. 4, 2024. Teachers and staff in the rural Iowa district where the deadly school shooting took place could get bonuses if they don’t quit their jobs under a new bill approved by lawmakers and sent to the governor. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, file)

FILE - A local resident prays during a candlelight vigil following a shooting at Perry High School, Jan. 4, 2024, in Perry, Iowa. Teachers and staff in the rural Iowa district where the deadly school shooting took place could get bonuses if they don’t quit their jobs under a new bill approved by lawmakers and sent to the governor. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, file)

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Teachers and staff in the rural Iowa district where a deadly school shooting took place earlier this year could get bonuses if they don’t quit their jobs under a new bill approved by lawmakers and sent to the governor.

The Jan. 4 attack at the high school in Perry, Iowa, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines, killed sixth grader Ahmir Jolliff , fatally injured the high school’s principal, Dan Marburger, and injured six others. The bill allows the school district in Perry, Iowa, to spend $700,000 of local tax dollars on bonuses for employees during the upcoming school year.

The shooting began in the cafeteria as students were gathering for breakfast before classes resumed after winter break. The 17-year-old student, Dylan Butler, who opened fire also died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.

Rep. Carter Nordman, a Republican, said that representatives from Perry and Iowa’s school board association approached lawmakers about the challenge with staff retention that had faced other schools coping with similar tragedies.

This approach was a quick and efficient way of allowing Perry to address staff retention locally, Nordman said, even though “no amount of money” will change what happened. It will be up to Perry to allocate the bonuses; the bill indicates any district employee is eligible, not only those working at the high school or middle school where the shooting took place.

“The reality is that it did happen, and this is one way that Perry could hopefully say to teachers that: ‘We support you, we’re here for you, we want you to continue to be a part of this community and teach here,’ ” Nordman said.

The bill would also waive state requirements on the length of Perry’s school term. The school district canceled classes at the middle and high schools, which share the cafeteria, and the nearby elementary school for several weeks as the community mourned and the district addressed safety concerns .

Hays CISD releases video from deadly Tom Green Elementary school bus crash

Video obtained by the American-Statesman on Wednesday of the deadly Hays school district bus crash in Bastrop County last week shows a commercial concrete truck heading east on Texas 21 veer into the westbound lane of the highway, striking the school bus and causing it to completely roll over before landing on its side.

The Hays school district released the video to the Statesman as part of a public information request for footage of the crash that left 5-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya and Ryan Wallace, 33 , dead and dozens of students and teachers injured. Wallace was a doctoral student at the University of Texas.

The video provides the clearest view yet of how the cement truck veered into the opposite lane and struck the bus, causing it to roll on its side. 

The crash happened about 2 p.m. Friday on Texas 21 near its intersection with Caldwell Road just west of Cedar Creek when a concrete truck collided with a school bus carrying 44 pre-K students and 11 adults from Tom Green Elementary School on their way home from a field trip to a zoo in Bastrop County, law enforcement officials said.

Wallace was driving in a car behind the bus, officials said.

The school district released two 2-minute videos of footage from front-facing and side-facing cameras on the bus.

Texas 21 was busy the day of the crash, according to a video. The school bus drove past about 20 cars in the minute before the crash happened.

The video shows the bus traveling in the only westbound lane on the highway and the concrete truck driving in the left eastbound lane just before 1:59 p.m.

The concrete truck veered over the double yellow lines into the westbound traffic lane, while the bus driver tried to avoid the crash by partly moving onto the shoulder of the road before being hit, according to the video.

Just before the impact, the video recorded someone on the bus cry out.

The concrete truck passed the front of the bus just as it left the view of the bus’s front camera, and then the bus got hit, flipped over and landed on the driver's side, facing the opposite direction in which it was traveling.

As the bus rolled over, metal chunks and papers can be seen flying around. When the bus lands, the video records students crying out in fear.

The entire crash happened in less than 10 seconds, according to the video. Cars driving around the bus began pulling off to the side of the highway and people immediately jumped out of their vehicles and started running toward the bus.

One camera captured someone calling out, "911," and another person crying, “Oh my God.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement officials hadn’t publicly identified the driver of the commercial truck, what company owns the truck or why the truck driver veered out of the westbound lane. Officials also haven't announced if any charges will be filed.

In response to the crash, the Hays community has created fundraisers and rushed to support the families of the people involved in the crash.

Community members have created GoFundMe pages to raise money for Ulises’ family and Ryan's family , for a teacher with serious injuries and for all the families .

The Hays district plans to have counselors at Tom Green Elementary on Thursday for students and staff who want to talk to someone.

Russia Needs New Approach to Migration After Concert Attack, Putin Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to present awards in the field of literature and art to young cultural figures in Moscow, Russia, March 26, 2024. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS/ File photo

By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday called for a new approach to migration after Tajiks living in Russia were detained for a deadly attack on a concert hall outside Moscow that killed at least 144 people and wounded 551 more.

Islamic State, the militant group that once sought control over swathes of Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the mass shooting. Russia has said it suspects Ukraine was linked to the attack, a claim denied by Kyiv and dismissed by Washington.

At least 12 people - including four accused gunmen - have been detained in Russia in connection with the attack. Most are Tajiks who had lived and worked in Russia.

Putin told police chiefs that the attack was aimed at sowing discord, xenophobia and Islamophobia inside Russia. But he said that migration systems needed improvement, as it was clear that work permits were sometimes being issued to people with serious criminal records.

"We need to deeply and radically update our approaches to migration policy," Putin said, adding that some people with almost no knowledge of Russian or Russian culture were being allowed to work without proper checks.

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"The decisive principle should be that only those who respect our traditions, language, culture, and history can come to live and work in Russia."

Russia's room for manoeuvre on migration, though, is limited.

Millions of people from former Soviet republics in Central Asia have flocked to Russia's biggest cities over the past few decades, supporting a blossoming 24-hour consumer society by working as taxi drivers, cleaners, barbers or beauticians.

With Russia's 147 million population forecast to fall over future decades, migrants play an vital role in the economy, also working in heavy industry and farming.

"It is necessary to ensure the interests and security of the state and society, to conserve and preserve interethnic and interreligious harmony, our cultural and linguistic identity, all that is Russia's strength," Putin said.

At least 277 languages and dialects are spoken in Russia. About 10% to 15% of Russia's population are Muslims.

Tajik officials have said they have seen a rise in Tajiks leaving Russia since the attack, and Russian media have reported police raids against unregistered migrants.

A blast ripped through a Central Asian-themed cafe in the southern Russian city of Voronezh in the early hours of Monday, when no one was on the premises.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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Deadly shooting occurs at apartment complex across school in Stuart

by Skyler Shepard

STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — Police are investigating a deadly shooting that prompted multiple schools and a courthouse to step up their security on Monday.

The Stuart Police Department (SPD) said at around 11:44 a.m., officers responded to an apartment complex on 804 Spruce Avenue, off SE Lake Street, to reports of a person shot.

At the scene, officers said they found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Officers attempted life-saving measures until Stuart Fire Rescue arrived to rush the man to a hospital. The victim was flown to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital where he was pronounced dead by medical staff.

See also: One dead in overnight shooting in Palm Beach County

The SPD said it is not releasing the name of the victim until the next-of-kin is notified.

SPD detectives are investigating the crime scene, as well as a second location.

The activity prompted the Martin County Courthouse and nearby schools — Stuart Middle School, JD Parker Elementary School, and Spectrum Academy — to step up their security protocols. Schools enacted their lockout procedures meaning no one could come in or out, the school district said.

Police said there was no threat to the surrounding community and neighborhoods.

A new FAFSA problem could keep families waiting longer for financial aid awards

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Education has found another problem impacting some college financial aid forms that could further delay students' aid awards, leaving them in limbo as they decide where to enroll next year.

The problem involves tax data transferred from the Internal Revenue Service and impacts "fewer than 20%" - or potentially about 1 million - of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) forms previously submitted by students and families this year, the department said Saturday.

It's possible that colleges received inaccurate information about some families' finances after those applicants submitted the FAFSA to the Department of Education.

The new error is the latest complication with this year's FAFSA process, which has been marked with delays and glitches after a long-awaited, updated version of the financial aid form was released. Just over a week ago, the department identified a separate calculation error impacting several hundred thousand forms.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

Students and families typically receive information from colleges in March about how much financial help they'll receive the following academic year, but many are still waiting to receive that information.

Colleges and universities usually request students to make a decision to enroll and pay a deposit by May 1. Many schools, but not all, have already pushed back that date.

That leaves students awaiting important information about how much college will cost next year and whether they can afford to attend their school of choice.

"We recognize how important it is for schools and families to have the information they need to package and receive aid offers," the Education Department said in the notice posted Saturday.

"Accordingly, we will continue our joint efforts with IRS to resolve these issues and implement updates to resolve data inaccuracies as expeditiously as possible," it said.

Problems with this year's FAFSA

Late last year, the Department of Education unveiled major changes to the FAFSA, as required by law. The new version is shorter, simpler and is expected to make more students eligible for financial aid - like federal Pell grants and loans, as well as college grants and scholarships.

The Department of Education was required to release the new version by the end of 2023, and while it met that deadline, the form was only available sporadically, for about 30 minutes at a time, for the first two days. It was not made available 24 hours a day, seven days a week until January 8.

Usually, the form is available on October 1, so this year's application process was delayed from the start.

Later in January, the Department of Education made a last-minute fix to tie the new financial aid calculation to the latest inflation data. The adjustment made $1.8 billion more in financial aid available to students but also slowed down FAFSA processing.

At that point, the department said that it wouldn't start sending students' FAFSA information to colleges until the first half of March - more than a month later than expected and about the same time schools already want to have financial aid letters out the door to students.

Meanwhile, students and families have experienced a number of glitches with the new form. At first, parents who don't have Social Security numbers had problems starting a form for a student or contributing to one their child already started - even though they should be allowed to create an account with Federal Student Aid and access the form.

Applicants who need to make a change or correction to a FAFSA form they already submitted have not been able to do so yet, which could further delay the correct financial information getting to the school of their choice.

The Department of Education has been facing criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for the delays, and the Government Accountability Office has started an investigation into the new form's implementation.

In February, the department announced several new steps it was taking to help colleges process the new FAFSA forms and develop student aid awards.

How the FAFSA has changed

The FAFSA has long been due for an update, and the new version released at the end of last year is a culmination of changes approved by Congress in 2019 and 2020.

In previous years, the FAFSA could be as long as 108 questions. With the new form, some applicants have to answer as few as 18 questions, which takes less than 10 minutes to complete, according to the Department of Education. Some information is now directly taken from a filer's tax return so that the applicant doesn't have to hunt down numbers on old tax returns.

The Department of Education estimates that 610,000 more students will qualify for a Pell grant on an annual basis. The Pell grant program is a key way the federal government helps students from low-income families go to college by providing eligible students with money they don't have to pay back.

And an estimated 1.5 million more students will be eligible for the maximum Pell grant amount, which typically changes each year. The Pell grant is worth up to $7,395 for the 2024-25 school year.

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Houston Grand Opera announces season, initiative to fight fine arts education gap in schools

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston Grand Opera in March announced its upcoming 2024-25 season on the Wortham Theater Center stage, which includes classics like Puccini's La Boheme and the iconic Broadway production of West Side Story.

However, the company made news with new initiatives designed to reach young Houstonians and help bridge the growing gap in fine arts education within the Houston Independent School District, general director and CEO Khori Dastoor said in an interview with ABC13.

"I'm a mom. I have two young girls in HISD, and it's the largest school district in the country with no fine arts program at all. So, HGO really feels compelled to act. How are we going to respond to meet the needs of our youngest community members who deserve access to world-class art? We know the impacts of that access are tremendous, and we really don't have time to wait for a city to provide that need. We're going to jump into the fray and make sure that we are doing our part," Dastoor said.

The company describes its first annual HGO Family Day production of Rossini's Cinderella on Nov. 9 as a 90-minute, relaxed environment performance perfect for young guests, complete with kid-centric lobby activities.

Throughout the 2024-25 season, HGO will present a double bill of touring operas for students and families entitled Opera to Go!: Mo Willems's Bite-Sized Operas! , presented as a bilingual English and Spanish edition.

PREVIOUS REPORT: Houston Grand Opera set to premiere new production 'Intelligence' at Wortham Center for 3 weeks

The show features two children's books by popular Emmy Award-winning author Mo Willems , with music by Carlos Simon . In addition to schools and other community spaces throughout the region, the family-friendly double bill will be presented at Miller Outdoor Theatre from Oct. 8-10 this year.

"One of the perks of living in Houston is that it is not difficult to consume art here. You can be in a museum, you can be at a play, you can be enjoying the ballet. And you can bring your young person and your parents to experience world-class opera with some of the most famous singers on Earth right here in Houston. (This will) set that new standard for what educational programming can be not just in Houston but around the country," Dastoor said.

HGO's mainstage season includes two never-before-seen productions, Il trovatore and Tannhäuser , the Houston debut of Missy Mazzoli's boundary-pushing Breaking the Waves , the family-friendly classic Cinderella , Broadway masterpiece West Side Story , and the iconic opera, La bohème . For more information, visit Houston Grand Opera's website .

For updates on this story, follow Jonathan Bruce on Facebook , X and Instagram .

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Deadly meningococcal disease with a range of symptoms sparks CDC warning as 2024 cases surge

T he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a  health advisory  alerting healthcare providers in response to a surge in invasive meningococcal disease, particularly related to Neisseria meningitidis serogroup Y.

The predominant cause of this surge is a specific meningococcal strain identified as sequence type (ST) 1466, responsible for the majority (68%) of serogroup Y cases in 2023. This  strain  is notably affecting individuals aged 30 to 60 years, Black or African American populations, and those with HIV. 

Furthermore, the clinical presentation of meningococcal disease caused by ST-1466 differs from the typical meningitis manifestation, with a significant proportion (64%) presenting with bacteremia—bacteria in the bloodstream.

This bloodstream infection, called septicemia , causes damage to the walls of blood vessels, resulting in bleeding to the skin and organs. Symptoms include cold hands and feet, severe aches in the muscles, joints, chest, or abdomen, rapid breathing, diarrhea, and, left untreated, a dark purple rash.

Last year saw the highest annual tally of cases reported in the United States since 2014, with 422 cases documented. Alarmingly, as of March 25, 143 cases have already been reported in 2024, marking a significant rise from the 81 cases reported during the same period in 2023.

A considerable number of cases occurred in individuals who were not up to date on meningococcal vaccines, highlighting the urgency of vaccination efforts, particularly among vulnerable populations.

The case fatality rate associated with this strain stands at 18%, surpassing the historical rate reported for serogroup Y cases.

According to CDC recommendations, healthcare providers should:

• have a heightened suspicion for meningococcal disease, particularly among populations disproportionately affected by the current increase
• be aware that patients may present without symptoms typical of meningitis
• ensure that all people recommended for meningococcal vaccination (including people with HIV) are up to date for meningococcal vaccines.

The CDC also emphasizes the critical need for immediate antibiotic treatment for suspected meningococcal disease cases, underscoring the potentially rapid progression of the illness.

Additionally, public awareness campaigns are encouraged, to prompt medical attention upon symptom presentation and facilitating discussions with healthcare providers regarding vaccination recommendations. Collaboration between public health departments, healthcare providers, and the public is crucial in mitigating the impact of this health crisis.

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A deadly education: a novel (the scholomance, book 1) audible audiobook – unabridged.

New York Times Best Seller

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, making 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)

• Listening Length 10 hours and 59 minutes
• Author Naomi Novik
• Narrator Anisha Dadia
• Audible release date September 29, 2020
• Language English
• Publisher Random House Audio
• ASIN B085LM5Z1F
• Version Unabridged
• Program Type Audiobook
• See all details

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