Naomi Novik's "A Deadly Education"

 I wasn't familiar with the tale of the Scholomance, and therefore, was missing the knowledge that would have made this book an "A-HA" one from the beginning. But not knowing the legend of the Scholomance ("fabled school of black magic in Transylvania, which was run by the Devil, according to folkloric accounts"as per Wikipedia's article) does not renege from the joy of this book. Might even add to it.

As an academic who has to continuously motivate herself to write papers, and a professor who has to grade students (and continually give them extensions), I found the idea of projects that kill you if you don’t finish them by the deadline absolutely *lovely*. I'm not fond of high school angst, or reading about that angst, but if you are going to pick up a YA book, that's the least you should grid yourself for. But it's Novik, so even the angst is well written. Very well written. Few of her books hook me completely (I read all of her 11 books in 2020....Why? What were *you* doing during the pandemic?), but each one is well written enough to get absorbed in the story.

A Deadly Education is the first of the Scholomance trilogy, with the second one (The Last Graduate) expected in June 2021. Hooked or not, I will definitely get it (although I might wait for the library to get it). Novik leaves her readers with a cliffhanger at the end of the first one - which was fun.