Bretta

In this series, the Scholomance is a school where magical children are sent to learn their craft. It was built in the Void and is intended to be safe, but there are some issues with the wards. It has become overrun by Maleficaria (mals), which are basically all manner of magical monsters. The FMC, Galadriel “El”, is studying to become a sorceress at the Scholomance. Her abilities are more destructive than helpful, and to top it off, she has a dark prophecy hanging over her head. During the course of her education she has been saved by the MMC, Orion, on two occasions, which irks her to no end.

The Scholomance is sentient, in that it moves around based on certain events, but there is the added problem of the magical monsters that it houses. They are able to hunt the students, but Orion has this incessant need to protect them, and he’s unnaturally good at it and at staying alive. This results in the students all having a bit of hero worship, and we learn that he can’t stand that everyone fawns over him. El’s animosity toward him is a breath of fresh air for him, and thus a reluctant friendship begins.

Throughout this story there are high stakes, due to the nature of the school's mals, and there is this budding friendship between the main characters. Orion metaphorically cracks El’s armor, which leads to a plethora of other characters coming into the mix. Hope becomes a tangible thing for her, because she has always felt like an outcast and this newfound popularity opens the door for real friendships to develop.

This is a definite coming-of-age story, with a lot of other complexities mixed in for the two main characters. Orion is faced with the unintended consequences of his actions, and El faces down her own preconceived notions of who she is, and what she can do to change her story. The plot is well thought out and interesting, and there are times where El is a bit irritating, but it’s intended to be part of her overall growth as a character.

There are friendships and rivalries deeply rooted in the typical high school cliques, but they are relevant to the story and to the outcome of this first book. Each side character seems to bring a unique skill to the team that begins to develop and, in that, it becomes a bit too convenient for me, but it is still good storytelling. This first book is not super long, only 338 pages, so I feel like the story’s pacing could have benefitted from a bit more build up.

If you’re a fan of magical schools, this is a good read for jumping into this type of world without being overwhelmed. There are moments where you may need to re-read for clarity, but overall it’s a pretty straightforward plot with a budding friendship that you can’t help but root for as you watch El and Orion banter.