Gabriela H. (timeenoughatlast) reviewed A Deadly Education (Scholomance, Bk 1) on + 34 more book reviews
Galadriel (referencing, of course, a character created by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings series) is an angry, resentful, and sullen outsider with monstrous yet hidden power in a magical school for wizard teens (Harry Potter fans, that's about the end of the similarity).
Hideous monsters attack and eat budding young wizards for their "mana" or magical energy, which is burgeoning during puberty. To improve the chances of their children's survival, powerful wizards create a school that is removed from reality except for one set of gates. Children are "inducted" (meaning they pop magically inside the school one day a year) and spend the next four years desperately learning magic - without teachers- while surviving a relentless onslaught of monsters, poisoned food, and murderous fellow students. This is all in preparation for a "graduation" which involves being thrown into the hall that leads to the exit gates... and is full of slavering, deadly and starving monsters.
This is a darkly humorous fantasy and is both inventive and well-written. I loved it - it made it into that category of books I can actually read more than once.
Hideous monsters attack and eat budding young wizards for their "mana" or magical energy, which is burgeoning during puberty. To improve the chances of their children's survival, powerful wizards create a school that is removed from reality except for one set of gates. Children are "inducted" (meaning they pop magically inside the school one day a year) and spend the next four years desperately learning magic - without teachers- while surviving a relentless onslaught of monsters, poisoned food, and murderous fellow students. This is all in preparation for a "graduation" which involves being thrown into the hall that leads to the exit gates... and is full of slavering, deadly and starving monsters.
This is a darkly humorous fantasy and is both inventive and well-written. I loved it - it made it into that category of books I can actually read more than once.
