A Deadly Education, by Naomi Novik

 

A Deadly Education, by Naomi Novik, follows a girl named El who attends a magical school. The school allows the students to learn about their magic until graduation, but everyday new monsters come that try to eat or kill the students. El finds herself confronted and being saved by Orion Lake who is seen a a savior by everyone else. We see El progress in her magic and in her relationships. She is determined to not let herself become evil like how the others expect her to be and graduate.

I enjoyed the magical aspect of this book along with the character development. As readers we come to understand who El is as a person and really appreciate how she grows throughout the book. The world building was very well done and the magic system was easy to follow. I think anyone who enjoyed Harry Potter will enjoy this book. It has the magical school elements with and added twist of the school trying to eat the students every day. The interactions between El and Orion Lake are very enjoyable and make you laugh, understand, cringe, and overall understand the relationship. They are the heart of this book.

Reviewed by TB, Grade 12

Glendale Central Library