I enjoyed the first book, but so much of it is exposition and explanation in such excruciating detail. I was able to forgive that, it being the first book, but that somehow continues to an even more brutal extent. So I found myself skimming the first 50% or more of this book.

That being said, things of course did start to get interesting. Although the endless overexplanation of things was grating, I still enjoy El and Orion's interactions. The ending was brutal, too. Is it enough to make me continue? I guess we will see once we get hints of the plot of the next book.

I actually read this book when it first came out and have it on my bookshelf already. Love love love! And that cliffhanger!!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this second book in the series and can't wait to find out what happens next. If you like magic and fantasy with an academic type setting and a female protagonist, this book series is for you. This book picks up right where the first book left off where El received a note from her mother telling her to avoid her "boyfriend" Orion. I liked finding out how El Navigated her final year in the scholomance and the growth she experienced from book one. I didn't really care for Orion much in this book but it didn't take away from the story. I'm still a bit confused why her mom gave the warning but I can make a few guesses. I don't want to put any spoilers so I'll stop here but get your hands on this book! I gave both the first book and this one 5 stars!

These are fun books, with the characters constantly in danger of being attacked by everything, even snow banks or their lunch. Now that it's senior year, El is worrying about how she's going to get through graduation. She also has new friends and a maybe boyfriend to think of and she's starting to think maybe she should help all the kids in school too, why else would she have been tested so much?

I was hoping El and Orion would be more of a couple in this, instead of kissing and then running away. At least we got some sweet moments of them and Orion continued to be such a cinnamon roll. I also enjoyed El getting close to others and actually forming a circle of allies. She's been alone too long and it's time she gets friends.

The pacing of this was a bit slow in places, but the ending is great and action packed. I didn't know there was another book and had a mini freak out for a second. Hopefully book three will be out soon!

**I received an electronic copy of this book post-publication from the publisher through NetGalley. I originally read this book audibly in November of 2021 and was provided the book in May of 2022. As such, my recollection may be somewhat foggy.**

The Last Graduate is the sequel to A Deadly Education and continues the story of the Scholomance. After hearing multiple readers of A Deadly Education express distaste for reading in El's voice (a complaint I also had about book one), I opted for the audiobook for book two. The audiobook made all the difference and I far preferred my experience reading via audiobook instead of with my eyes for this series.

The strength of this series is undoubtedly the concepts. The Scholomance itself is incredibly interesting to read about as are the monsters that reside there. Novik keeps a steady, fast-moving pace throughout the novel and allows the threat of the Graduation ceremony to loom large. Combined with the fact that El is absolutely not dating Orion and the sub-plot of their not-romance whenever they aren't heavily focused on survival, Novik manages a rather compulsively readable book.

After the cliffhanger ending, I will absolutely be reading book three on its release, and have intentions of picking up the audiobook there as well.

That ending though........... Well now we get to wait for the next one to find out what happens. :/ Looking forward to finding out.

The Last Graduate is a smashing sequel that leaves you in the edge of your seat and desperate for more. This was one of my favorite reads of the year, and I am foaming at the mouth for book 3. I have yet to read a Naomi Novik book that I didn’t love.

This is a nice continuation from Book 1 and creates a nice new threat that has to be dealt with. In the end there was some predictable settings for how it left off to make way for the next one.

For a moment I was terrified this was a duology. Absolutely perfect followup to A DEADLY EDUCATION and I can't wait until the next book.

WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT CLIFF HANGER. OH MY GOD. I LOVE HOW WACKY AND WEIRD AND MAGICAL THIS SERIES IS. I read this when it was released, but this series is one of my favorites...so I'm not ashamed to be leaving this short but sweet review...especially since they granted my wish for it...1 year later?

I liked this first book a lot more, but this was still enjoyable. I appreciate that these are fantasy stories that are not too dense or inaccessible, but I do wish there was more character development in this entry into the series. I also do not love how Novik always ends these books with huge cliffhangers.

This is a sequel to Deadly Education, and I will say, if you liked that, you will like this. It continues the story of El and her friends as they try to stay alive at the Scholomance, the “school” they attend. Graduation is drawing nearer, and El and her friends come up with a plan to thwart the school and possibly save everyone, not just their group.

I really do like the idea for this story, and that is what kept me holding on for this book, but barely. And it will force me to read the third, so I can see what happens. But unfortunately that is where my enjoyment ends for this series. I have never read this author before, so perhaps she is just not for me. I REALLY struggle with this sort of writing style, I am not even sure what to call it. The sort of internal monologue that goes on for pages and pages and makes me forget what is even happening in the scene taking place.

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Eagerly awaited sequel to the brilliantly written book Deadly Education by Naomi Novak is out to the delight of faithful fans. The Last Graduate continues the coming of age tale of maturing and change. If in the first instalment it seemed to be just a wicked fairy tale full of horrors of wizarding world, The Last Graduate brings to the surface a deeper layer of the story filled with eternal questions about fine balance of the good and evil in the world we live in, the matters of social justice, human nature concept, character traits aspects of a person's behavior, nature vs nurture debate. Can a person who was born with the predilection of being a powerful wicked sorceress ready to set free death and destruction use her immeasurable potential for good if she was raised by a loving person practicing cleansing sins from the soul magics? Can free will we obtain as human beings when we are born overturn or redirect the prophecy of our path in this world?
The Last Graduate proved to be much more than just another magical school story. The second Scholomance book is everything you would want after the first one.

I really love Naomi Novik's work, but these characters were simply not compelling to me. It was a DNF. I also really couldn't get into a book about such a difficult situation where characters can't trust anyone. It makes the story less satisfying to me. I want to see more growth fueled by trusted friends and found family kind of things. I really just am not the target market for this book, unfortunately.

"The Last Graduate," like most Naomi Novik titles, is a book that rewards re-reading. Novik has made an art of clear-eyed, tough-minded protagonists ("Spinning Silver," "A Deadly Education," the Temeraire books) who grapple with complex ethical decisions and grow without compromising their fundamental decency and ferocious independence.

Novik's world-building skills are in full view as she expands on the foundation of "A Deadly Education," adding nuance, a trail of intriguing clues that lead to the next adventure, and deep, strong female friendships. The romance subplot, while a driving force that sets the entire narrative in motion, is perhaps the least interesting of the relationships in this series -- Orion Lake's appeal is somewhat diluted by El's pragmatic and self-aware observations and -- it must be said -- infinitely more appealing approach to the world they share. But Lake's value in this story is not primarily as a romantic lead, but as a doorway through which to observe the inequalities of the wizarding world that are at the center of El's story and concerns.

This book holds up to the best storytellers on every feminist fantasy reader's shelf -- Dianna Wynne Jones, Susanna Clarke, Robin McKinley, Madeleine L'Engle, Shirley Jackson and Ursula K. LeGuin. A highly recommended addition to a long list of Novik's very best books.

I had no idea where this book was going, and it kept me guessing right up to the end! I'd suggest it to readers who like flawed characters, snarky dialogue, a fast pace, some genre touchstones but also plenty of surprises. My one complaint would be that it got a bit repetitive in the third act, but pull of wanting to know how it would end was definitely strong enough to pull me through. those who enjoy The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo might want to give it a try.

While I enjoyed this sequel, and the development of the characters and their relationships throughout the book, I didn’t love the ending. While the journey was fun, it all kind of felt like it was leading up to this somewhat predictable (and frustrating) note to end the book on, so I was kind of disappointed when it did end there. Still liked it, and still looking forward to the next book though!

** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

that ending killed me but i want more

Loved the continuation of this story, my language loving self still can't get over the foreign language requirements and how they're used throughout the books. And who doesn't love an incredibly unlikable main character?

This ending!! So shocking, and now I'm stuck waiting for the next book! Great character development, great romantic development. I'm really glad this didn't follow the pattern where the romance breaks off for the middle book to create tension.

I want to take this book by the shoulders and shake it. It’s actually very good - it just doesn’t ever give me what I want from it!

Grumpy Galadriel “El” discovering her found family inside the pressure cooker of the Scholomance is undeniably charming. Yet Naomi Novik’s repeated choice to favor an internal monologue of exposition dumping instead of more natural dialogue between the characters makes my teeth itch. I’ve seen Novik do amazing world-building in her other work, so I know it’s intentional on her part. She seems to want us stuck in the claustrophobia of El’s highly cerebral self-doubt for this entire series.

I confess that I greatly enjoyed the final third of the book, but it was tough going for a while there. I still want more of Orion Lake, lovable himbo. I will be back for book 3 this fall, which I guess says it all, doesn’t it?