Lia

A Deadly Education is volume 1 of the Scholomance, a surprisingly mature entry into the magic school subgenre.

The somewhat unreliable narrator is El, aka Galadriel, an independent teenager studying at the Scholomance, a magic school in a pocket dimension. The sentient -- and ornery -- Scholomance is chock full of dangerous monsters and life-threatening assignments for its high-school-age inhabitants. El and her classmates much reach past extreme cases of trauma-induced teenage self-centeredness to make "allies" if they want to graduate alive.

As the book begins, El finds herself rescued against her will by Orion Lake, the school hero. As news spreads that the two are 'dating', El struggles to maintain her isolation. She begins to make friends and frenemies, all while facing down mean girls and monsters.

A Deadly Education is a fun and ultimately meaningful take on the power of friendship. It's a school-age flight of fancy grounded by the idea that we must all remember to question the stories we tell about ourselves.

Highly recommended, especially for teens.