These days, any book with young wizards and a school is going to get compared to Harry Potter, so we'll get that out of the way: this school has no adults and there are things actively trying to kill you every day. Novik is an excellent writer and I enjoyed this very much. El is a wonderfully unlikeable likeable character. Novik does a really nice job making you want to smack her for the first half and then feeling a lot more sympathetic towards her. Obviously the start of a series as there is an annoying amount of set-up - explanations about the school and how things work in this world easily take up half the book. Told with El's first-person POV, it's not dull, but it does go on and on. We get to know a couple other likable characters but the cast is fairly small. Interesting world, good setup for further books, but the last half is definitely faster-paced than the first.
Melissa B. (dragoneyes) -
I've had this one on my shelf for quite a long time and just got a whim to pull it down and read it. I had a feeling I would like it but ended up really adoring it.
The story is about a school for witches and wizards. Yeah, you might think you've heard of that before but this one is different. This school there is no teachers and you spend your days not only learning but trying not to be killed by the creatures that lurk in the shadows. Not all students survive to graduate. I really like this dark and twisted turn.
The characters are awesome. There was some of the more minor characters that I got confused with and mixed them up a few times. As for our main character, El, she was a gem. Full of gloominess, sarcasm and wit, she was someone I could see befriending. Then the other main character, Orion, who was quite the opposite. It was fun watching these two interact. Great banter between them.
The story was fun and the characters made it even better. Excited to read the 2nd book in the series.
The story is about a school for witches and wizards. Yeah, you might think you've heard of that before but this one is different. This school there is no teachers and you spend your days not only learning but trying not to be killed by the creatures that lurk in the shadows. Not all students survive to graduate. I really like this dark and twisted turn.
The characters are awesome. There was some of the more minor characters that I got confused with and mixed them up a few times. As for our main character, El, she was a gem. Full of gloominess, sarcasm and wit, she was someone I could see befriending. Then the other main character, Orion, who was quite the opposite. It was fun watching these two interact. Great banter between them.
The story was fun and the characters made it even better. Excited to read the 2nd book in the series.
