A Deadly Education

A Novel (The Scholomance, Book 1)

By: Naomi Novik

Narrated by: Anisha Dadia

Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins

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)

©2020 Naomi Novik (P)2020 Random House Audio

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

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.

All Shall Love this book and Despair!

That this is the only one of the series that is currently available. It is absolutely fantastic.

Sooooo good

2020 has been terrible but finding Naomi Novik has made a beginning in making up for it. This was possibly better than Spinning Silver, and I didn't think it was going to be possible for her to top that. I found myself starting chapters over just to extend the experience. I'm so happy, and you will be too!

fun, wizard school + random battles

its like you go to hogwarts, but instead of teachers there's an empty void which gives you your assignments, and mini cthulu's pop to try and kill you every other day, plus the upper class students have more magic than you, and this is actually an improvement on the way things used to be.

can't wait for more!

Novik once again delivers a darkly compelling saga that I couldn't put down. I was hooked right away and finished it way to fast! Looking forward to future storya set in the scholarmance!

great book

I loved the book as well as the performance. the narrator is very skilled, and the writing was top notch

Another Captivating Novel from Novik

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this, but when I see a new Novik novel I buy it. Other than the main character being a little too mopey, I loved the story. I blew through this in a couple days, staying up late to listen because I was so vested in seeing what would happen next.

Can’t wait for the next one. Also, this would be an amazing tv show/movie.

really excellent... and excellently read.

Best new story Ive read in ages. I am so sad I have to wait until September for the sequel. Great voice and characterization. I laughed out loud a lot. Make this your next read (or listen!)

Just a bit more.

This book was very hard for me to get into. I did not like the narration at all in the beginning. The way it was being narrated made it hard to focus on what was being said. I had to re-listen to the first chapter twice. By the end of the book I have SO MANY QUESTIONS and because I came to like the main characters I will be listening to book 2.

Wonderfully interesting!

I love the complicated and 'real' take on the 'magic school's idea. As always Ms. Novak has created a rich main character worth getting to know. I can't wait for part two.