A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Title: A Deadly Education

Author: Naomi Novik

Pages: 313

Finished: October 18, 2020

First Sentence: I decided that Orion needed to die after the second time he saved my life.

Summary: El (Galadriel) is a junior at the Scholomance, a terrifying magic school where it's easy to end up dead if you aren't careful and don't have people watching your back. And El... well, she has a hard time making friends because the school is determined that she is a malificare, a magic user who uses people's life force for destructive means. Except she refuses. And oh, by the way, the star pupil of the school has taken notice of her.

Thoughts: OH MY GOD. It's like the adult's Harry Potter! OK, so El's a little hard to fall in with at first. She has an understandable chip on her shoulder... a similar chip to the one I had on my shoulder at her age. But more than a decade past it, I just want to shake her and tell her to get over it. Maybe I should reexamine these feelings before my own child becomes a teenager... Perhaps the other issue is of the three Novik books I've read, the main character has a similar attitude. Outsider with a chip on their shoulder. Perhaps it's because it's just a really common feeling to have. 

The school sounds interesting and terrifying at the same time. Unlike Hogwarts, I have no desire to go there. But Novik does an admirable job building the world. Characters feel realistic. It's a quick read. 

And yes, it feels like a mature Harry Potter in some ways. So it was not all that surprising when the author thanked someone in her acknowledgements for reminding her who this book is for and how she can't believe they're in their 30s.

It was a quick read and I'm really glad I found it. Definitely looking forward to the next one.