Reviews

A Deadly Education had one problem, it was full of information and the story was spread out through pages of lectures about what is this whole world about. And yet, in the end, you get to know a lot about the school and nothing really important. Also, El rarely did spells, which was a letdown. But that last comment is only my own preference and can be set aside. However, the information torrent in this book turned it into a slow read, with a textbook feel to it.

Other than that, the main character and narrator, El, is pretty entertaining, enjoyable, and likable, even though she is a difficult character. Still, the author did an amazing job presenting her rude and antisocial hero, and building up the stream of events to slowly explain her change in character, her own inner thoughts, and her decisions, all of which made our young magic-user relatable and realistic.

The writing, moreover, was light (yes, it was, despite the loads and loads of facts), humourous, magical and simple. The rest of the characters were also a sweet combination that helped El and the story move forward. As for Orion, he was seen through the eyes of El, but he was also explained and reasoned. Plus, their relationship was cute and, fortunately, was not the focus of the book.

So, overall, 3 stars out of 5. Hopefully the second book will be less informative and more about the story.

wrendeavor's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

emmacjmeyer's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition

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5.0

Brilliant

alex_oviedo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

La premisa es interesante, el worldbuilding se desarrolla en diálogos internos que tienen un sentido y es el de la exclusión de Gal, cosa que puede ser muy tediosa para muchas personas, sin embargo me pareció apropiado e interesante hacerlo desde el punto de vista el anti-héroe y no desde el clásico héroe que todos amarían.

shandyt's review against another edition

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4.0

4.25 stars.

A snarky-but-lovable heroine, a grimdark magic school with fantastic worldbuilding, plus a deliciously fanficcy romance subplot all make for an entertaining and surprisingly breezy read, despite a preponderance of infodumps and internal monologuing.

swagsterx0's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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