I am glad this second book wasn’t a dud like most second books in series. This was so much fun like the first one but more dark. I can’t wait to jump into the 3rd one because the end left me hanging.

The 2nd book in the series did not disappoint! I really enjoyed the first book, as it did remind me of a teacherless Hogwarts with loads more chaos, but the last graduate excited me all over again! Great read for young adults and everyone who enjoyed harry potter.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for approving my request of this eARC, even after the release of this series.

The Last Graduate picks up directly after A Deadly Education. The story flows seamlessly between the two, with El beginning her senior year in what is going to be the pinnacle of her scholomance education. The stakes are high, and it seems these only get higher as the school begins to take out a personal vendetta against her.

While the year is new, the story is much the same and I did find myself flipping pages in hopes of something new. It began to drag around the 20-40% mark where it’s really just a story of El’s misfortunes and miraculous escapes.

It isn’t my favorite series, nor is it something I’ll reach for, but it still delivers a unique take on common themes that appeal to a wide audience of readers.

The Scholomance Trilogy is definitely one I will finish and recommend to anyone in search of a YA magical fantasy, similar to Harry Potter and with a strong antagonist of a protagonist, akin to Katniss.

In the second installment of the Scholomance, El is faced with more turmoil, emotional growth, and the will to overcome her innate nature to be destructive.

I don't really understand the hype for the series, other than the strength of the narrator. The only reason I picked up the second one was because it was a Lodestar finalist last year, and this year I just skipped that award list entirely. I also don't like the swapping between adult/ya for this series.

OH.MY.GOD! I absolutely loved this book so much!! I tore through it so frickin fast. I couldn't put it down!! The whole series is amazing. Naomi Novik immediately became an auto buy for me after this!

The world- AMAZING!!! The characters- AMAZING!!! The plot- AMAZING!!! It was just amazing! Think Harry Potter but add in the Hunger Game and make it more deadly? That's the best way to describe it. I don't want to say anymore because I don't think I can talk about it without spoiling it, but 10/10 hands down!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What?

No. Really.

What?

Thank goodness I am reading this with the third book already published because what the hell. The cliff hanger ending in Deadly Education wasn't that bad. It left a lingering desire for more but if I did not have access to The Last Graduate immediately I could have survived.

The ending for The Last Graduate is not survivable. What the hell.

That said, The Last Graduate is just as strong as the first book. I devoured it with just as much enthusiasm. I love Orion even more so than before. He's so awkwardly adorable. El's just as prickly if not a tinnnnyy bit more fluffy thanks to her friendship with Aad and Liu.

But seriously. That ending. I'm moving on book 3 now.

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. All thoughs and opinions are my own.

'Keep far away from Orion Lake'.

'The Last Graduate', the second book of the Sholomance series, picks up from this cliffhanger with all the brilliance of the first book - and more! The book follows El through her last year at the Scholomance as her friends (yes, she realizes she has friends!), and she try to rescue every student from the world's maleficaria until the very last graduate.

El's character growth is considerable in this book, always listening to her conscience and driving the story forward - her bubble of 'us' grows from one to three to dozens to hundreds, her sarcasm and impertinence notwithstanding. Orion's character arc provides a great complement to El's as he finally finds himself looking beyond just fighting mals and cares about something for himself.

The world-building is well done, especially as we hear it from El's snarky point of view. We find out more about how this world works along with the magic system. The Scholomance itself is finally seen as an individual entity with (artificial or natural) intelligence as it 'protects all the wise-gifted children of the world'. It actively prods El and the other students towards definite plans and conclusions, even driving the story at certain points.

Novik's masterful writing interspaces the story with world-building as well as character growth. Many secondary characters are given time and space to grow and overcome the politics of the outside world, some even proving we can't truly know what people would rise to do in a crisis. It was wonderful to see many people take the reins on different projects and working together in the end. The book, on the whole, makes for a great second part of the series and ends with a cliffhanger (of course) for the third and final book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Random House Publishing group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters; One star for the writing; One star for the story; One star for the world-building - Five stars in total.]

The last graduate is second book of the deadly education Trilogy. This is definitely better than the first book. I liked El and Orion overall. But I feel the character development could have been better.

The end cliffhanger was really good so I will be reading the third and last book of this triology. Good for one time read.

Thank you Netgalley and Random house publishing group Ballantine for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Another great installment to this series. What a cliffhanger at the end though! Can't wait to see what happens to El next!

Fantastic! An excellent follow up to the first book. I couldn’t put it down! And that cliffhanger!!! I loved it and so did my wife.

This is book 2 of The Scholomance series, after A Deadly Education. After having read the first novel I was prepared for the vocabulary of this world. I think I enjoyed this book more than the first one, because I had information and was able to focus on the characters developing and working towards a common goal.

I loved getting to see El and Orion and their weird relationship affect them both in different ways. It was interesting to see more characters introduced and how they related to the politics and the journey of survival. It's hard to believe how much action is packed into this book, considering the story takes place in single building cut off from the world.

Of the 3 books in this trilogy, I believe this one is my favorite. Ragtag characters with unique backgrounds and skills all working together in the hopes of survival will always pull me in.

Fun dark academia, sometimes a little too dark without a reason but ultimately with a "it will be ok" vibe that I love it. I already read the last book of the series and despite liking the series as a whole the second book is my favorite.

This was a reread of Lesson Two for me in preparation for it’s NetGalley archive date. The Last Graduate was not your typical act two of a three act play. El is now an incredibly powerful sorcerer and she has powerful alliances. She and Orion are going to save everyone, not just all the seniors. And the school will be destroyed. If the plan works…
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Del Rey for the eARC and the opportunity to post my honest review of The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik.
4 Stars – Pub. Date: 9-28-21 – Archive Date: 10-21-23

I didn't like this one as much as A Deadly Education, but I still enjoyed it a lot! There was much less info-dumping this time and there was more plot going on as well. I also liked the new characters that were introduced and how everyone worked together to help each other out despite previously only looking out for themselves or their individual alliances. I also liked the way the book started immediately after the events of the first book, so it's like you're just reading another chapter instead of a whole new book.

However, I did not like Orion as much in this book, he was just more whiny and reckless and foolish about everything. And I know he has a valid reason to feel that way, but he just rubbed me the wrong way this time. Because of that, I also did not feel as connected to his and El's relationship as I felt that they did not have much chemistry together. But that cliffhanger was SO cliffhangery that I need to read the last book right away!!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

So, I was delayed on receiving this ARC long after I had read the book...but, I highly recommend this series. Especially if you enjoy books about a morally gray heroine, witty banter, cinnamon roll hero, life or death situations daily at a magical school and an ending that leaves you saying WHAT?! NOOOOOOO!

5 stars

I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into the middle book of The Scholomance series. But as soon as I had read a chapter or so of The Last Graduate, I knew I was in trouble because work, social obligations, all that humdrum jazz etc. was gonna get in the way of gobbling this book up faster than a maw-mouth on a rampage. I have finally finished this masterpiece, and I’m shook, exhilarated, thrilled and slightly dazed. I’m not even exaggerating. I’d interpret that as if you enjoyed A Deadly Education, you’re likely to enjoy this one even more.

Things get even wilder than they did in book one while retaining the same razor-sharp, snark-infused narration of alleged dark sorceress, Galadriel Higgins, plus immersive, cut-away exposition and world-building (you’ll either love or hate it), clever parallels to real-life in class and privilege, a gorgeous diverse cast full of authentic culture and languages, and a whole lot more of Orion, Aadhya & Liu.

Beyond that, The Last Graduate was a surprisingly lot more emotional read for me than A Deadly Education. I really cared about El’s character growth, her relationships, and her choices. The book really builds up to one of the biggest crescendos I’ve ever experienced and I’m so darn relieved I don’t have to wait for the third book to come out to find out what happens because I would not know how to cope.

My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and author Naomi Novik for the opportunity to read this work in exchange for an honest review.

My full review on my blog (link attached).

[...]
I read A Deadly Education last year, at the recommendation of carol. (thanks again, carol., that was a very cool read along!), and while I found it moderately enjoyable there was a bit too much angst, too much desperation in the snark, and too much implausibility for me to fall in love with the world and the characters. I mentally filed the sequels as unlikely to be read, despite many bloggers’ assertions that the series gets better – but when I saw this sequel offered on NetGalley last month I decided to give it a chance.

And I’m happy that I did – I can confirm, humbly, that all those bloggers were right and that the sequel is actually better, in all dimensions that matter to me in a typical genre book – character development, worldbuilding, and storytelling. Even the snark gets a bit more bearable and less desperate – not much, but it’s still progress. And while the main character remains stubbornly less than three-dimensional, which is noticeable since we’re sitting in her head for the entirety of the book – not to mention the supporting cast assembled according to instructions out of ready-made building sets – the story got way more engaging and the worldbuilding improved considerably.

Novik upped her game in that last regard, creating a scenario that requires some suspension of disbelief and feels retrofitted to the shape of the first book, but nevertheless addresses most of my criticisms directed at the first installment. The world gets wider and more nuanced, and thankfully less YA with politics and factions thrown into the mix, and an ongoing (granted, light) commentary on class privilege that together describe the world outside and its incarnation inside the school in more realistic terms.

The Last Graduate is a quick read, and so it will be a quick review. Novik is a decent writer, who can maintain a consistent voice and style. While she still seems to be withholding a lot of crucial information from the reader for the magician’s flourish at what she’ll deem an appropriate time, she did get more control over this little vice compared to the first book. That said, the cliffhanger at the end of the book feels abrupt, and is another of those flourishes this book could live without – I guess considering how you look at it it could be read as a symptom of insecurity on the part of the author or a simple publishing decision. It kind of made me reconsider my budding idea that I could happily read the third installment, the contrarian that I am, but I’m sure many other readers would jump at the chance to read the conclusion. The series is enjoyable, solidly written, and presents a refreshing take on the dark academia trope. While Novik has clearly laudable ambitions to deliver social commentary on class privilege, power and inequality, the execution seems somewhat flat, perhaps stilted by the teenage perspective she assumes in this series. Nevertheless, kudos for trying to infuse the YA genre with some substance!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik is the second book in The Scholomance series and begins not long after A Deadly Education ends. During the book, our protagonist, El, continues to develop both socially and emotionally and her relationships with her peers reflects this change. Her determination not to harm any living thing drives many of her actions. Orion continues to be a constant presence in her life and time would tell how this relationship would progress. It was inspiring to read as El, who was prophesied to destroy everything, as she became a leader who went from being concerned only for herself to someone who was concerned with the wellbeing of the entire student body. This was El and Orion’s graduation year and they were making every effort to make it out of the school alive. This fantasy world that the author has built is original and incredibly creative. Her ability to write the journey of an extremely awkward, socially inept teen to a still abrasive but much more connected young woman was a joy to experience. The friendships that were formed between the students were important and meaningful.. I found it hard to put this book down, despite the fact that it was harder work to read and follow than the author’s other novels. I wholeheartedly recommend The Last Graduate to all readers of fantasy, especially YA fantasy. It has magic, it has danger, it has friendship and love, and it has a well developed plot, and it ends in a very unexpected cliffhanger. How can it miss? I am voluntarily submitting this honest review after reading a complementary copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey .

Well that book was quite the experience. I liked it more than the first, but I think only because I knew the characters better.
Overall I LOVE her writing and the romance. While slow and sort of sudden at times, El and Orion are such a good depiction of a teen romance. I also liked how El got over her loner behavior and made friends.
Often times in books when the MC tries to step up and overthrow a system it is like they are the hero, but I LOVED that the school wanted them to destroy it and that El COULD NOT do it on her own. She needed other people's powers and Orion.
So far this series is a beautiful mix of teen angst, dark academia, fantasy, and dystopian.