An imaginative series that answers the question… what if Hogwarts was filled with dementors?
It's always mattered a lot to me to keep a wall up round my dignity, even though dignity matters fuck-all when the monsters under your bed are real.
Synopsis (A Deadly Education)
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.
Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series is an entertaining foray into the realm of young adult fantasy, blending elements of horror, intricate magic systems, and a refreshingly unconventional take on the “chosen one” trope. With three books currently released, Novik has crafted a cohesive and meticulously planned narrative that delves into complex lore and world-building.
One of the standout aspects of the Scholomance series is its intricate magic system. Novik has meticulously crafted a world where magic is not only intricate but also inherently dangerous, with the titular Scholomance school itself taking on a life of its own. The setting is dynamic and ever-evolving, as the school’s sentience adds an extra layer of unpredictability and intrigue to the narrative.
While the series is marketed as young adult fiction, Novik also weaves in elements of horror that are surprisingly unsettling for a series that otherwise relatively tame. The descriptions of terrifying creatures like the maw-mouths, monsters that endlessly consume and digest humans while keeping them conscious and in agony for eternity, are both haunting and imaginative. As someone who used to have nightmares about the dementors from Harry Potter as a child, I can attest that if Scholomance became a movie – which it very well might be, considering Universal Pictures has acquired the rights – the maw mouths would certainly be keeping me up at night. These moments of visceral horror provide a thrilling contrast to the more lighthearted aspects of the story.
Novik’s use of the “chosen one” narrative arc is a refreshing take on a well-trodden path. Rather than feeling clichéd or predictable, she cleverly integrates this trope into the broader magic system, providing a logical and compelling reason for the characters’ extraordinary abilities.
One aspect that might divide readers is the extensive exposition, particularly in the third book. While Novik’s detailed explanations of the magic system are undoubtedly engaging for those who relish intricate world-building, some readers may find the level of detail overwhelming or excessive at times. Even as someone who loves learning about magic systems, it felt a bit much at times.
Additionally, some characters may come across as grating or one-dimensional to certain readers. While El’s single-minded anger is undoubtedly relatable and entertaining for many (me included), other reviewers have said to find her personality off-putting or repetitive.
Lastly, the pacing of the climactic action sequences, particularly in the first novel, left me feeling rushed or unsatisfied. The build-up to these moments can be slow and exposition-heavy, only for the resolution to unfold at a breakneck pace. More than once I turned the last page only to look to see if I had accidentally ripped off a section of the book.
Despite some flaws, Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series is a captivating and imaginative addition to the young adult fantasy genre. The series is sure to resonate with readers seeking a light and engaging fantasy adventure.
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Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.
Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.
That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.
Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.
Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation.
Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications.
When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society’s archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will.
Most of them.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?
Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.
Some thoughts from other reviewers
“Went into it expecting grimdark fantasy but instead we got grumpy one falls for the sunshine one OTP??!”
Delirious Disquisitions
Goodreads
“Wow okay, I did not enjoy this. There were too many info dumps and I wasn’t a fan of the “rambling” and textbook-like writing style. It took me right out of the story. Being inside El’s head was grating because she would constantly berate Orion and the things around her. Her internal thoughts, however, were witty and entertaining – so I give her that.”
Emma☀️
Goodreads
“I loved it. It was wild, very YA, but also all those no-holds-barred tropes that make me tumble in love. You know, like saying screw all the cliques, going total nonconformist, feeling that vast loneliness, and yet — somehow — making really good friends. Old stuff, but I honestly fell entirely under its spell. No icky stuff. Just pure-fun.”
Bradley
Goodreads
“The story itself could have been something really great but, for me, it was let down in all aspects by the writing and execution. The characters all fell flat and despite a large cast, the MC was the only character with any defining characteristics.”
kate
Goodreads
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