Inaguration of The Pleasure Dome (1954)
Movie
A Slavonic Mass by Leos Janácek plays as historical figures, biblical characters, and mythical...
Through the Uncrossable Boundary
6.0
Rate It
Book
Gigan Ticks foretell the end of time. The world is beginning to fade. As the NIGHTMARE army...
childrens young adult ya fantasy fiction magic
lurkykitty (3 KP) rated The Queen's Assassin in Books
Mar 26, 2020
White Sand, Vol 1
8.5
Rate It
Book
A brand new saga of magic and adventure by #1 New York Times best-selling author Brandon Sanderson. ...
fantasy cosmere
The Sandman (Audible Original #1)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Torn from his realm, The Sandman - Morpheus, the immortal king of dreams, stories and the...
Not for children! Horror Urban Fantasy Mythology Magic Audiobook
Fire in the Rain (Wraidd Elfennol #4)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Fire in the Rain finds trouble once more in the island of Wraidd Elfennol. One of the Water...
Epic Fantasy Myth_and_Magic
A Theory of Crystal: A Paladins of Crystal Novella
8.0
Rate It
Book
Holy gods. There’s three of them. And they’re all gorgeous. Rebellious farm girl Yelena Kozar...
Fantasy Romance Reverse Harem
Solomon Wendt (30 KP) rated A Deadly Education: Lesson One of the Scholomance in Books
Aug 28, 2021
For those who want the quick recommendation, if you enjoy wizard teens and magic schools, you will enjoy this book. Outside of that category, it is a decent fantasy novel that is worth a read, but no need to go and get right away.
First and foremost, books like "A Deadly Education" have the unfortunate hurdle of separating itself from the magic school genre alpha that is Harry Potter, to which I believe Naomi Novik did really well. Whenever I read such stories, I can't help compare to the Potter series, but the world that Novik builds is such a stark contrast that I quickly forgot about Hogwarts and Muggles and traded in for the Scholomance and mundanes.
The world that Novik builds is dark and untrusting. Inside the school, there are maleficera, or 'mals,' that try to consume the students' mana at every turn. This puts the place on edge, making almost every character paranoid to open anything or even go anywhere without at least one other person with them, usually at a cost. This darker side is refreshing, especially because the magic in Novik's world is hard magic as opposed to the soft magic of other series. To those who don't know the difference, soft magic is that magic just exists and spells come without consequence. Hard, on the other hand, has limits and comes from a source and takes skills and finesse to learn and use them. Any author who takes it upon themselves to make the magic in their world hard magic gives themselves a challenge, something that Novik clears easily.
The other part of the world that is dangerous are the mals that attack students. There are a lot of them, so much to the point there should be a separate book that could be referenced to know what they are fighting. Although your imagination can run wild, some of the descriptions, or lack there of, leave you to fill in a lot of blanks. I'm still not sure if they are shadows and/or goo with various metal attached or part of their bodies. The variety is so immense that you don't encounter the same thing twice it seems. When reading the encounters, it was hard to picture the exact nature of the fight in my mind. However, the sense of danger was ever present throughout the whole book.
The story itself is coming of age, or more so coming of friendship, mixed with a slice of life feel. Although there is a starting event, Orion saving Galadriel for the second time, there is not an overarching plot for the story. It is just to survive and possibly make an alliance for graduation. This is not my cup of tea when it comes to stories as I enjoy seeing a defined goal or enemy that leads to a finale or into the next book of the series. This story does not have that, which seems to lack an overall plot other that "just survive." Even the climax of this story felt a little out of the blue in terms of action, and then is superseded by a social bombshell and cliffhanger for the next in the series.
To wrap and reiterate, I enjoy the world that this story takes place. It is inventive and unique to standout against others within the magic school genre. There was some plot lacking, but is still enjoyable for not quite knowing what is coming around the next corning. This a clearly the first book of series which is not the strongest as its own installment, but definitely has me waiting for the next in the line.
Withering Rose (Once Upon A Curse #2)
9.0
Rate It
Book
Beauty is cursed, and only the Beast can save her... Don't miss WITHERING ROSE, a fantasy romance...
Scarlett dreams of the world of Caraval for years, begs for them to visit so she can see the show. Finally she is accepted to attend a private show with her sister before she is to be married to a man she has never even met.
She is thrust into a world of adventure with her sister and an unlikely companion, but the unlikely one is always the one you should watch out for.
After her sister is kidnapped Scarlett what complete the game is get her back unharmed. This book if full of mind games, magic, and plenty of adventure. It is sure to keep you interested until the last page. I for one can't wait to read the next book!!
Just remember, all the best books have a suprise twist at the end!