Naomi Novik’s A Deadly Education is a dangerous and frightening fantasy novel that draws you into the world and then traps you there until you turn the last page and close the book. Fans of the Harry Potter books who want something similar, this story is perfect! It’s set in the much loved, magical boarding school setting, except this school isn’t just hidden in the Scottish highlands. This one is hidden away from the mortal realm in an abyss that keeps the students trapped inside until they graduate. That is, if they graduate. For protagonist El that is a daunting accomplishment as even though she is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful student to ever attend the school, she is lacking in one thing. Friends. To graduate she will have to escape the school through the graduation hall that is littered with magic sucking demons that litter the area, feasting on each crop of graduating seniors who aren’t lucky enough to fight their way through with the help of the ever important commodity in this battle, allies. El unfortunately has not managed to secure any allies yet, and with her next year being the last one before graduation time, she needs some. Unfortunately due to the fact that no one seems to want to get to know her, the only way to get allies is to be able to show off her cataclysmic powers. There’s only one problem with that plan however, and it has a name that El has come to hate over her time here. Orion Lake. Although the rest of the school hero worships him for constantly saving their lives, El despises Orion for taking away every opportunity she has had to prove herself, by showing up and stealing her thunder. After the second time Orion saves her life El is not playing nice anymore and her actions warrant him to be suspicious of her and he begins to wonder if she’s the one who killed another girl by draining all her magic from her for herself. As the two’s paths merge closer and closer into a similar line tensions between them rise. But what will happen? Will El do what she wishes she could and kill Orion? Will he defeat her for being a dark witch like he believes her to be? Or will they learn to work together for not just their sake but the sake of the entire schools when the demon attacks become more frequent and dangerous? Who knows? But maybe along the way El will realize that she doesn’t have to be quite so alone. There are many diverse characters in this novel afterall, which is something I personally love as this school has characters from all over the world resulting in a diverse cast with characters from all reaches of the globe. Even the main character herself is not your usual skinny white girl who’s effortlessly pretty. The characters in this story manage to be relatable even while they’re enormously powerful witches who kill demons. In between the major events there are moments that show that hey, this is a magical deadly school in a mystical abyss. But it’s still a school and the students are still kids who like to gossip with their friends and crack jokes, and overall still be humans just like the reader who comes to love them ever so much. That is the true goal of a great book after all. Not to tell a simple quest with unmemorable characters. But to tell a story that will stick with you even after you finish because while flipping the pages, you have made an unmistakable connection with the world. 

Checkout A Deadly Education from the Newport Beach Public Library.