I really enjoyed A Deadly Education but I couldn't quite connect with this one and I can't really put my finger on why. Regardless, I'll still be picking up the third book because I want to see how this all turns out.

This is a story about an education.

I love dark acadamia, and I enjoy magic schools so I was sure these were going to be right up my alley.. and they were, sort of? Something about the tone didn’t fully land with me- but overall I think this was a solid follow up to the initial entry & if you don’t need your characters to be likeable it’s a quick read.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ . 🌟
Thank you so much Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the eArc!

The Last Graduate is packed with action and a steady pace in the increasingly interesting world of the Scholomance. Not as info-dumpy as the first in the series this sequel was easier to follow and kept my interest. The narrative is dark and brash, with an attitude that is quite to the point.

There was some heavy repetition in the fight scenes that did drag the pace down a bit here and there, but overall things moved pretty well. A lot of those pieces could likely have been edited out (or at least pared down), as they did feel somewhat excessive and unnecessary to understanding the plot. This is a very rare case where I would say that telling me what happened would likely have been more effective than showing.

The primary characters are interesting, though beyond the protagonist they really don't get a lot of importance in the plot. This story is primarily about the world and secondarily about El herself. I am liking her more and I find her increasingly accessible. She is a perfectly sarcastic character. I appreciated the growth she showed in this installment and thought her character arc was done quite well. I look forward to seeing how she rounds out.

Like the first installment, the final third is where I really took a liking to this book. Things which were already moving at a good pace took on an even faster clip and I started to get a bit more intrigued about how things were going to go. And...like it's predecessor, this one ended with a bang and a cliffhanger that have me ready to go for the next read. If you're considering the series, don't get too bogged down by the world building in the first book and hang on...it's a ride worth taking if you have the patience to let the ball get rolling.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

Let’s take a moment to put that cliff hanger of an ending aside and talk about the book as a whole. I had some concerns with A Deadly Education in that I felt there was a lot of time spent on confusing world building at the expense of character development. That was definitely not a problem in The Last Graduate. It felt like Novik developed a great balance of continuing to develop her world and the history of the school while really concentrating on El’s own growth and coming into her own as both a wizard and a member of the wizarding community.

The romance took a backseat for the first half of the novel to the development of El and her relationships with both her freshmen and her alliance. El really came into her own and while she may not “love people” yet, she has discovered a passion for helping others and helping those who are less fortunate to have the opportunity to still grow. In a way, as best put by Aadhya herself, El and Orion do complement each other, they aren’t the opposites we saw in book 1 but rather both complex characters who wish to use their abilities to challenge others’ perception of them and to benefit others. We really get to see El grow into her own person and passions outside of the shadows that have followed her.

The fantastical elements were also great as we got to see a lot more use of incantations and the wizards using their abilities to battle mals in the obstacles or in the ceremony. It was something that seemed to be more scarce in A Deadly Education, so it set’s up quite nicely for Novik’s 3rd book.

Back that ending though! Flipping the last page after that cliff-hanger and seeing blankness made me toss the book across the room and scream (no books were actually damaged in the writing of this review). But it felt like a crazy way to finish that insane graduation sequence. I have to say I do love the parallels that Novik has set up between El and Orion’s story and that of El’s parents. That being said that was the only part I love because I really hope that Orion isn’t actually gone and that El is able to give him the life together that they both want and deserve. I can’t help but think that maybe this is really what Gwen was trying to warn El about and trying to keep her daughter from suffering the same pain of losing a person they loved to a mal. I cannot wait until we see where Novik picks up in the conclusion to the Scholomance series!

Overall I blew through this book and found that I somehow enjoyed it more than the first! I would definitely recommend this series for any fantasy fans who love world building, magic, and just a touch of romance.

Thank you to Netgalley, Naomi Novik, and Del Rey publishing for an advanced copy of The Last Graduate in exchange for an honest review.

This series revolves around a magical school that tries to kill its own students. The only way out? To make it through your final year and battle your way out during graduation.

While I enjoyed the concept of this sequel, I feel like it felt like a placeholder. Novik uses this installment to explore relationships and characters, but it is missing the additional world building I was searching for. If you like the main character and her relationship with Orion, I think you’d enjoy this. However, I was looking for more explanation into the way society works in the enclaves and it’s history.

Overall, this book was just “okay” for me. I understand it’s purpose, but it was a bit of a let down.

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased a copy from Waterstones.*

I loved this book! It was one of my favorite reads of 2021 and yes, it was emotionally devastating. If you thought the cliffhanger at the end of A Deadly Education was bad, just get ready for the ending of The Last Graduate.

The Scholomance is a different place in The Last Graduate. Most of the mals are now gone, but the ones that do remain head straight to El. It seems like the school is working overtime to turn her into an evil sorceress, but El is doing everything she can to fight the monsters, do her homework, and hopefully graduate alive. While that sounds like a cliche plotline of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, I promise it is a lot better than that.

Based on the ending, the third book is going to be a lot different than the first two (hopefully in a good way). I am super excited for it!

I read this book in 2 sittings, but would have read it straight through if I'd had the time. This was a good follow-up to first book and I can't wait until the next.

Normally the second book in a series is a let down. Not The Last Graduate. Galadriel and Orion are back and set to train for their own graduation ceremony. Expect a fast paced plot and new insights to the magic system. A great recommendation for readers who enter books through characters, plot, or setting.

3.5 Stars rounded up

THAT CLIFFHANGER-
WHAT. THE. F*CK.

I actually liked this book more than Deadly Education. This book (and series in general) has so much going for it due to the well written characters, interesting plot, and the great setting but the writing style takes away from all of that.

Long story short.... so much potential but so much meh. Its not a bad book by any means, it just isn't a great one in my opinion. I am looking forward to reading the next one because I want to know what happens next!

If you enjoyed reading the first book, you will enjoy reading this one!

Oooh, this book is going to drive people nuts, and I'm all for it. This sequel to A Deadly Education is much simpler than the first book — less to explain and set up, but also less focus on characters besides El, and more focus on her plans and her internal struggles. I'm surprised to see this one's actually longer than the first book, because it feels so much shorter and goes so much faster as the action and urgency wrap up. And then it ends on a monster of a note that people will see coming a long way off and stress over right up until it happens… the author is a monster, and again, I'm all for it.

I interviewed Novik (whose previous long-running series, the Temeraire novels, quite literally got me through the initial endless COVID quarantine) about this series, what inspired the Scholomance, how it all ties into Harry Potter, and what's coming next. That interview, along with an excerpt of the book, is available here: https://www.polygon.com/22697256/the-last-graduate-naomi-novik-scholomance-series

As far as sequels go, “The Last Graduate” is exactly what you want. Even though the third book has yet to be released, you can see the bridge Novik is building to the third. That may seem like I didn't love "The Last Graduate" but that would be untrue. It was a spectacular rollercoaster ride from beginning to end. It also seems to know its place as a sequel and gave me everything I wanted out of it. I was satisfied with how relationships moved forward; the advancement of El both in character development and the development of her powers. And yet, I still thirst for the next stage of the story.

What if the main purpose of attending school was to survive? The Last Graduate continues the story started in A Dead;y Education where the well-intentioned family of budding magic workers puts their children in the Scholomance, for their safety. But the Scholomance, when the school itself isn't attempting and succeeding too often, to kill as many students as possible, the vicious magical creatures who make their way into the "safe" school slaughter as many students as they can.

The students learn to survive, learn to be aware, learn to be wary, and make as many alliances as possible because students don't survive on their own. It's the senior year for El and Orion--can they survive one more year, and more importantly can they ensure everyone else survives?

I could not wait to jump back into the world of the Scholomance and this book delivered. I absolutely love the friendships in this story and it draws strength from both the sarcastic humor and El's relationships. El's relationship with Orion is especially captivating and I loved watching El struggle against her mother's advice (warning her away from him). The only complaint I have from this second installment is that it ended on a cliffhanger! It will be a long wait for book 3!

I absolutely loved the first book in Novik's Scholomance series, and I was so thrilled to read this one. It picks up right after the first one ends, and even though it had been a bit since I read the first one, I was able to jump right back in very easily because of Novik's writing. If you liked the first book, you'll thoroughly enjoy this one as well. Just when you think you know where it's going to go, you find out that you don't. Novik always has something up her sleeve!

Actual Rating: 3.5, rounded up to 4

A Deadly Education was one of my most surprising reads of 2020, so I was really looking forward to The Last Graduate.

As a series, the Scholomance is not what I usually go for when I read fantasy. It’s action packed and 80% of the book is world building that is often described in long winded and detailed paragraphs. These qualities usually turn me off of a book, but I found A Deadly Education, and now The Last Graduate, extremely engrossing and inventive. Naomi Novik has created such an intricate and fascinating world. Different monsters pop up in what feels like every chapter, and El and her friends are in constant motion, working to graduate from the Scholomance, a brutal and unforgiving school.

I am a character driven reader. The plot and world of the Scholomance take up most of the space in this story, but Novik always gives the perfect amount of development and interactions between El and her classmates that always makes me want to read on, even when the world building or an action scene is losing my interest.

My feelings about The Last Graduate are kind of complicated. I love the world, the magic, and the characters of this series, but the constant action and long chapters filled with detailed world building lose me at times. I left this novel knowing I enjoyed it very much, but the reading experience as a whole wasn't always perfect.

I’d definitely say that The Last Graduate is worth reading if you enjoyed A Deadly Education and I would recommend this to readers who love fantasy that centers world building and a complicated magic system. If you enjoy character driven novels, The Last Graduate has a lot to offer, but the characters are sometimes pushed aside in favor of the world, its magic, and its monsters.

I am looking forward to the last book in this trilogy. The way The Last Graduate ends left me wishing I already had the next book in hand!

Pardon me as I squee, because the new Scholomance novel is finally here! Noami Novik's second Scholomance novel, The Last Graduate, is a book that I have been counting down the days for. This is a dark world that immediately captivated me, and I am not ready to say goodbye anytime soon.

The Scholomance is a place where magical children are sent to be safe. Well, safer. The school is still dangerous as hell, but it has better odds than trying to make it out in the world on your own. As it turns out, there are lots of monsters that love to eat those with magic but no knowledge of how to defend themselves.

El is one such student, and she has made quite the impression in her time here. Mostly on Orion, one of the top students of her class. Yet the time draws nearer for their graduation, and there's no telling how many lives will be lost when that happens. Unless El and Orion have something to say on the matter.

“I couldn’t be his savior; I had enough to do saving myself.”

As a huge fan of the first novel in the Scholomance series, I was absolutely thrilled when I got my hands on the sequel: The Last Graduate. This world is exactly what I picture when I think of a dark magical academy, and with good reason.

First, let's discuss the world. I love the idea of the big bad monsters in the world being SO bad that the safest option is to lock up all the children and hope for the best. It's dark, yes, but also pretty fascinating. It makes for the perfect excuse to throw all of these characters together into such a deadly situation.

Speaking of the characters – yes, please! El changed so much throughout The Last Graduate. I'm so proud of her! I am also proud of many of the secondary characters; including the rest of her team and a few newer characters.

Then there's Orion. For a time there, I was really worried about him. I suppose, in a way, I still am worried about him. We learned a lot about his character in this book, and I feel like at least some of it will explain the cliffhanger that came with the conclusion of A Deadly Education.

That being said, if I thought the cliffhanger from A Deadly Education was bad, I was not emotionally or mentally prepared for the conclusion of The Last Graduate. It hit me SO HARD in all the feels. It was brilliant, intense, and horrifically evil on Novik's part. Now pardon me as I go and pretend that The Golden Enclaves releases soon (September 27, 2022, according to Goodreads, for those curious).

As the seniors prepare for graduation, they begin to seek alliances that can help them survive that dangerous day. Even El finds herself in a (small) alliance of three; but what a three they turn out to be! While the mals (malevolent beings) start to focus their negative attention on El, El focuses on how she can rid the school of mals. As in the first novel in this series, Orion Lake, enemy of mals, has an important role to play in El’s plans as well as her life. El’s calculated strategy slowly takes effect but before she gets the chance to take her final planned actions, the novel ends . . . on a major cliffhanger.

The Last Graduate is so much better than the previous novel in this series, A Deadly Education; it's more action-oriented with more attention paid to the panoply of other students. Looking forward to reading The Golden Enclave to find out what happens next. The blurb for that novel makes it sound most intriguing.

I have never been a particular fan of Novik's books, but this duology has softened me. The Last Graduate is a great sequel to its predecessor, and I was immersed into the storyline from the first page. That being said, I did find myself zoning out a bit here and there. I feel like some parts of the plot could have been accelerated for better flow, but it was still an enjoyable read regardless.

Stunning worldbuilding and complex characters. Readers of fantasy will love this book. For fans of Harry Potter and Cassandra Clare.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!