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Cover of A Deadly Education

A Deadly Education

by Naomi Novik

🥛clean·spoiler·The Scholomance #1

Why Read This?

survival academy triumph

Synopsis

Lesson One of the Scholomance: Learning has never been this deadly. A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

At a Glance

3.93 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🥛clean
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingslow burn
Energymedium

Top Tropes

forced proximityhidden identityadventure romancerivals competingsurvival romance

Mood

wittymysteriousintensedarksuspenseful

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

3.93 ★

Page Count

320 pages

Published

2020

Primary Genre

Young Adult

Pairing

M/F

POV

First Person

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Standard

Narrator

Anisha Dadia

Narrator Count

Single

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

Mood & Vibe

Mood

Writing Style

wittyconversationalsarcasticimmersive

Story Pacing

fast

Emotional Weight

heavy

Energy Required

medium

Vibes

A darkly witty survival story in a magical school where every day could be your last, with a morally gray heroine and relentless tension.

Characters

FMC Archetype

morally grayreluctant heroacademic / bookworm

MMC Archetype

golden retriever

Relationship Dynamics

mutual piningreluctant allies to loversslow burngrumpy sunshine
deathgoretraumaviolencebloodbullyingcaptivity
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World & Setting

World Type

high fantasy

Primary Setting

academy / campus

Fantasy Creatures

Representation

diverse cast

Reading Context

Emotional Payoff

Best Time of Year

autumn

When & Where to Read

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