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A Deadly Education: A Novel (The Scholomance)

Naomi Novik

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver comes the first book of the Scholomance trilogy, the story of an unwilling dark sorceress who is destined to rewrite the rules of magic.

FINALIST FOR THE LODESTAR AWARD •

“The dark school of magic I’ve been waiting for.”—Katherine Arden, author of the Winternight Trilogy.

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.

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 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. The magic of the Scholomance trilogy continues in The Last Graduate and The Golden Enclaves.

“The can’t-miss fantasy of fall 2020, a brutal coming-of-power story steeped in the aesthetics of dark academia. . . . A Deadly Education will cement Naomi Novik’s place as one of the greatest and most versatile fantasy writers of our time.”—BookPage (starred review).

“A must-read . . . Novik puts a refreshingly dark, adult spin on the magical boarding school. . . . 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.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Posts about this title from Not So Well Read

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Apr 2 2025

Academic Fantasy Book Recs!

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From magic school concepts to post-graduate research these scholarly fantasy books have the perfect #darkacademia or #lightacademia vibes.

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Look, I love a good special edition, but a lot of the times the hype and scarcity behind them makes them inaccessible to most readers. Very few people have the ability to pay $50-$100+ to a Pango reseller for an "exclusive" edition of their favorite book.\ \ Here are 8 books in my own collection, as well as a couple of authors/publishers who are creating beautiful books that feel like a "special edition" every time.\ \ \ \ Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson (Hardcover Edition) \ \ As I mentioned on Instagram earlier today, I am an endpapers-fangirl. These gorgeous moody floral are from the hardcover edition of Bloom, the farmer's market horror novella that took the internet by storm earlier this year. This one is from Titan Books and the list price was only $22.99. And while not every book does, a lot of Titan's hardcovers have an extra little touch to them.\ \ \ \ House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig (Hardcover Edition) \ \ I might be bias, because this is one of my all-time favorite authors and series, but holy moly this book is gorgeous. Not only does it have gorgeous green endpapers, it also has an incredible foil-stamped case, and it still retails for only $19.99. Delacorte Press is another publisher that puts incredible detail into a lot of their YA hardcover editions\ \ \ \ Masters of Death by Olivie Blake (B&N Exclusive, Hardcover Edition) \ \ Olivie Blake is an automatic buy author for me and I always buy in hardcover for the reasons shown above. And while yes, this particular book is an "exclusive edition", all of her books have this level or treatment (and they usually come with illustrations inside as well).This edition still only cost $26.99, I just wanted the white cover to match the One For My Enemy cover. Tor Books is my favorite publisher for many reasons and they are unmatched in the hardcover fantasy realm.\ \ \ \ The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab (Hardcover Edition) \ \ Another Tor Books publication, this book design is relatively simple, but I simply can't resist the little surprise bird skull under the dust jacket. Tor is releasing all 3 of the Shades of Magic in the new cover designs in hardcover later this year, and you better believe I will be buying one of each. And, they're still under $30 each.\ \ \ \ The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik (Hardcover Edition) \ \ While this particular photo is of the third book in the Scholomance series, I can attest that each book in the series is equally as gorgeous. Del Rey is know to use world-building maps as their endpapers in a lot of their fantasy releases and we can all agree that this is the superior treatment. You keep being you Del Rey; we love you.\ \ \ \ Ancient Sorceries, Deluxe Edition by Algernon Blackwood (Hardcover Edition) \ \ This little cutie from Pushkin Press, a UK-based independent press, is here to prove that pretty books aren't just reserved for the biggest publishers. They have a delightful little collection of classics that each get the star treatment–all for under $20!\ \ \ \ The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (Hardcover Edition) \ \ Look, no one is surprised that an Erin Morgenstern book looks and feels magical, but I couldn't leave this one out. I love its gorgeous simplicity and the way it mimics an antique foil-embossed cloth cover. Double Day doesn't do a ton of special treatment, and this one is a bit more expensive than a lot of their other books, so I'm not sure if that's due to length or the special design treatment. Still, this edition was the standard edition at only $32.00.\ \ \ \ She Is A Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran \ \ Okay, this one is last because it might be cheating. I got this one used, but I'm pretty sure it's the B&N YA Book Club Edition and I'm unsure if the standard editions have these endpapers. I'm a little suspicious, because Bloomsbury isn't known for fanciful book design. They typically only reserve those things for their biggest publications–like SJM releases–and this was a debut author. Regardless, it's absolutely stunning and I wanted to include it here, because even if it is a B&N exclusive, it's still only $18.99.

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Posts about this book from across Bindery

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Oct 13 2025

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The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • Sep 30 2025

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somenoveltea's bindery\ \ Maddie\ \ • Sep 4 2025

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