In A Deadly Education, Naomi Novik augments this tried-and-true recipe with the cathartic thrill of danger - think Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games – in a novel that will delight YA and adult readers alike. Forget the safe, fluffy enchantments of contemporary children's stories, Novik cleaves to an older and darker mythology in which magic comes with costs and consequences. Although trained since birth to restrain her destructive tendencies, black magic comes naturally to Galadriel (El) Higgins. Now, with only two years at the Scholomance remaining, El is trying to advertise her abilities to potential allies. Their children arrive at Scholomance with pre-formed alliances and ready access to mana from Enclave stores, totally blind to their own privilege.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 25, 2020 23:15 UTC