It took me a little bit to get into this because, as I mentioned earlier, there wasn't alot of descriptions and it felt like this should have come with a Wiki page BUT as time went on I actually started to enjoy the fact that it wasn't full of info dumps. If it stopped to explain every monster (or Mal) or every spell or rule, this would have gone on for hundreds and hundreds of pages. It also added to the tension and pace of the story as at any minute you could be killed so you, along with out somewhat unlikable MC is constantly moving from one point to the next, not looking back. An almost hunger games of magic, the title is incredibly appropriate in a school where any moment can be your last. If you don't have a mana supply, street smarts, wit, people to watch your back or an alliance, your pretty screwed. It's so action packed with survival being thought about every second of the day that there's hardly room for anything else. Every single character is living with a noose around their neck so to them, every single person is seen as only assets, regardless of their race or sexual orientation. I enjoyed the running theme of privilege and inequality throughout - which El often comments on and stands up against; if your not part of an enclave going in (a sort of Magic community set up in different cities around the globe) or align with one, your considered cannon fodder. (Think the Career packs from the hunger games. I thought it was hilarious, fast paced, and incredibly intriguing. Even though El comes across as unlikable, you can't help but fall in love with her. She is incredibly antisocial, can be cold and is to the point - mainly due to the abuse she has suffered in her life and how people seem to shy away from her, even adults. The side characters were amazing too, and I enjoyed that when a deal or a trade was stuck, it was honoured, which was almost refreshing in an environment so cutthroat. Although you won't catch me at that school, magic or not.