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Hot new releases and under-the-radar gems for adults and kids.
Staff Pick
Naomi Novik is a drop-all-chores, ignore-the-clock author for me, so I ran straight for the first book in her new series about… wait for it… a magic school for wizards! I know, you’re thinking you’ve been here before, but you really haven’t. The Scholomance is a terrifying place filled with monsters and ambitious teenagers (not the same thing, incredibly), and at its heart is rude, snarky, upright El, who does everything in her power not to give in to her natural predilection for mass violence. So funny, so intricately built, so absorbing (you will read this at the dinner table), A Deadly Education — for all its deadliness — was a much-needed break from the many stresses of 2020. I mean, I’d rather wear a mask than be eternally eaten by a maw-mouth, you know? Recommended By Rhianna W., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
From the New York Times bestselling author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver comes the story of an unwilling dark sorceress who is destined to rewrite the rules of magic.
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, make myself the dark queen of the
world.
At least, that's what the world expects me to do. 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 itself
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.
Review
“A Deadly Education is a nightmare from which I never wished to wake: savage, inventive, and soulful. Novik grasps the totems of childhood that linger in your mind — schools of magic, curses, cutthroat classmates, monsters — only to twist them into a grand new tale that’ll make you believe in magic again.” Pierce Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Age
Review
“Friendship in spite of itself; danger that doesn’t quit — what a wildly magical ride!” Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of Tempests and Slaughter
Review
“A Deadly Education is a book that lives up to its gobsmacker of an opening sentence and follows right through to its shocker of an ending that promises more to come. Naomi Novik is relentlessly innovative and entertaining.” Terry Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Druid
Review
"At the Scholomance,
monsters are everywhere and the breakfast might kill you, but the
wonderful cast of characters will grab ahold of your heart and you'll
never want to leave this deadly school. Naomi Novik skillfully combines
sharp humor with layers of imagination to build a fantasy that delights
on every level. I loved this brilliant book."
Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series
Review
"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
Review
"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. This is a must-read for fantasy fans." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Naomi Novik is the acclaimed author of the Temeraire series and the award-winning novels
Uprooted and
Spinning Silver. She is a founder of the Organization for
Transformative Works and the Archive of Our Own. She lives in New York
City with her family and six computers.