Wow. That’s all I can say. I received the arc for The Last Graduate and then went to pick up A Deadly Education and Imwas blown away. I actually loved the world-building. This is definitely not completely adult it does have more of an NA feel but I didn’t mind either way. I was blown away and all I can say is…

THAT. ENDING.

Please let the next book come quickly. Please. Please. Please.

I loved seeing El grow and the focus of the books shift from her and Orion to include the other friends she’s reluctantly made along the way. I loved every second of the book and that cliffhanger ended me. I’m deceased and can only be brought back to love by a copy of book 3.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in advanced. You’ve introduced me to a new favorite fantasy series.

This starts out a little slow, it fooled me into thinking that this was only a sequel. This is a classic in its own right. The characters, more and better. The morals, growing and changing and all encompassing. The plot, getting faster the whole way until the pace is unbearable. The ending, is everything! So good! Absolutely unbearable wait until the next book.

Novik really impressed me with this expert followup to my favourite book from last year in “A Deadly Education”. The way she slowly peels back the layers of El’s inaccurate assumptions about the people and situations she comes into contact with cleverly subverts the reader’s expectations without cheap fakeouts common to less competent attempts at similar narrative efforts. Even the assumptions the reader makes about the title of the book itself is subverted as the story progresses.

Ugh that ending just sent a dagger through my heart and now I have to wait who knows how long until I can find out more. I cannot believe that ending, it had me on the edge of my seat waiting for something horrific to happen and then the very last line. I have no words to express just how I am feeling after reading that last line. I loved this book right up until that last line which destroyed me.

Novik once again displays her YA fantasy chops in Book 2 of the Scholomance series.

It's a pleasure to see El's character development in this installment, as well as side characters getting their chances to shine in the spotlight. A Novik book through and through, which means "The Last Graduate" has the expected amounts of sundry explanations that attempt to build the world, but only serve to make me yawn. Now, there is also the added drudgery of mundane high school/secondary school routines that stall the plot even more.

Despite this, I'm having a lot of fun. The edginess borders on camp. The power of friendship rivals the power of magic. The characters remain true to their teenage selves no matter how high the stakes rise. Pockets of cheesiness crop up, but don't detract much from the general vibe. The romance is mad and our characters acknowledge that it's mad yet they (I) insanely persevere. I had my suspicions early in Book 1 and I'm extraordinarily pleased to say that Novik confirmed them here. Worth the finish.

If you know what you like and you know the genre, this series can't steer you wrong. I'm already salivating over the next installment. 4.5/5

Naomi MiddleName Novik! I'm still basically struck speechless by that ending, but I'll try my hand at a coherent review.

This is book 2 in the Scholomance series and it picks up right where book 1, A Deadly Education, left off. The massacre of a graduation ceremony has possibly been temporarily fixed, El's class has shifted to seniors, a new group of first years are in, and El is about to get far more acquainted with them than is normal by Scholomance standards or any other. Despite dire warnings, she's also about to get more acquainted with Orion Can't-Keep-His-Beaky-Nose-To-Himself Lake, the Scholomance itself, and the world of wizard alliances.

For a closed-door, boarding-school story, this is an impressively expansive tale. Book 2 expands the scope of the action, the cast of characters, the depth of intrigue, El's perspectives... But it doesn't expand it into a different kind of story. If you liked the first book, you'll be happy with this one. Except the ending. No one is happy with that ending, Naomi MiddleName Novik!

(The audiobooks for these are also great. Narrator Anisha Dadia perfectly captures El's smart, snarky dark humor.)

My thanks to #NetGalley, Del Rey, and Libro.fm for digital ARC and listening ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley, Naomi Novik, and Random House Publishing for letting me read and review an advanced copy of this book.

The Last Graduate picks up right where A Deadly Education ended. El, Orion, and the crew have saved the day for many others, but now, as seniors, they must save their own. Unsure of whether they've truly fixed the cleansing system to reduce the population of the mal's that will undoubtedly attach them graduate day, El is feeling more pressure than ever to get prepared. The only problem? The school, the actual literal school, seems to have it out for her.

A Deadly Education, which felt more like a typical school-set YA fantasy, The Last Graduate delves more into the politics of their world, and its people, forcing El to not only confront the physical challenges that lay ahead but the psychological and mental ones that are much harder to figure out. Prejudice, distrust, power plays- it's all here. I, for one, really enjoyed that aspect.

I also fell more in love with El as a character. She's grown a lot since the first book, and here, you see her figure out who she wants to be, not only in the school but if she ever makes it out alive. There were definitely times I wanted to yell at her (and Orion) for many of their immature behaviors, but they're only 17/18... what can you expect?

Why is my rating not higher? I remember A Deadly Education being a bit dense to read due to the writing style. I feel like it's gotten even worse here. There were so many paragraphs I ended up skimming (which I never do) simply because they felt so unnecessarily long. The writing style, itself, is also a bit cumbersome to read. Several times I had to say the sentences out loud because I couldn't figure out what it was trying to say.

Also, there's a lot of worldbuilding here if you count descriptions of the mals (the monsters attempting to eat them) but the logic of the school and the world itself has been a bit difficult to believe. Wizards are supposed to be the apex predators as adults, but for some reason, they've never been able to figure out a better system than sending all of their children to a school that feeds them moldy food each day? I'll admit that Novik does attempt to explain/justify this in the text, but it never feels believable (at least, to me).

Have no doubt though, I'm super excited to read the next installment!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book (given how the last one ended), but wow! This is even better than the first. El's still frustrating, but has softened a bit and actually learns about emotions from her various experiences. It made her perspective much more pleasant to read from. Novik took the plot in directions I never would have predicted, much to my delight. This is an absolute ride of a novel and I loved it. I can't wait for the next book... in fact, I need it ASAP!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy.

First off, be aware this is the second book in a trilogy so you will want to read the first one before reading this one. And this ends in a cliffhanger much like the beloved shows i watched as a kid and then had to wait all summer to find out what happened, everyone has to wait another year or so to fund out what happens after the end.

In this book, the writing style is the same as the previous which I am not a huge fan of. We do get to see more of the side characters and see more personality from El which is nice. I personally, just find the writing hard to stay interested in, even in exciting scenes. I think this concept would work better as a TV show than a book but it is definitely worth giving a try.

Like in the first book, we return to the Scholomance, a place like Hogwarts but with a feel like Hunger Games, because this magical school tries to kill you the entire four years you attend while learning magic.

I enjoyed this sequel more so than the first. Partly I believe, because I was attached to the characters already and loved the continuation of their next semester. I was flying through this book and really enjoying the storyline. However, about midway through the book, I hit a snag and began to drift and lose interest making it harder to finish. I feel the author spent too much time in the trial obstacle course the students were practicing before the big finale of graduation and I became bored with it.

I still enjoy the characters. I like sarcastic El and good natured Orion. I also liked how Chloe had more of a likeable role in this book and played a bigger part. I also enjoyed the political aspect with the enclaves and how it played a significant role with the students as they neared graduation.

It definitely picked back up for me at the end. It was action packed! And whew! That ending! This one ends on another cliffhanger and, of course, left me ready to read book 3!

***Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book!

The second book in the Scholomance trilogy, The Last Graduate, follows El and her friends as they begin their senior year and preparations for the lethal graduation run. El also has to reckon with a warning she received from her mother, to stay away from Orion Lake, her kind-of-boyfriend.

Our reluctant protagonist has to deal with a terrible class schedule, the discomfort of being popular after years of social ostracism, and a host of other problems. El’s voice remains unique and prickly, the narrative style is one of my favorite things about this series. She’s snarky, and she would love to believe that she doesn’t care about people, but she can’t help it. El is a better person than she wants to be be, despite dire prophesies of her future.

I liked that Aadhya and Liu got a lot of time on the page, because their friendship is at least as important at the El-Orion relationship, and I love their dynamic. In particular, I liked the extra time we got to spend with Aadhya, because I think Liu got more characterization in the first book and this one really fleshed Aadhya out for me more.The new freshmen were pretty decent additions too. I think Orion took a pretty visible backseat in this one, but he still has an arc and it works for the book. He had a lot going on in A Deadly Education and it makes sense to divert focus a little more and really zoom in on some other stuff, like El’s journey.

The thing that most bothered me about the previous book was the first third kind of feeling like an info-dump, but this one didn’t have that problem. El’s voice is pretty chatty, but it comes across naturally and I liked it. The controversy about the first book and potential racial insensitivity made me inclined to read this one a little more closely, but I don’t think there’s anything racist in this book. Overall, I really loved the book, but beware the cliffhanger ending! If the ending of the last book was difficult, just wait until you read this one.

This book is so good. It blows almost every other modern set fantasy I've read out of the water. From the expertly paced plot and brilliant character development to the unexpected turns the plot takes, every word in this book is there to pull you into the story and care deeply about its characters. It's not just about El and Orion anymore, it's about the friends El never thought she'd have, the other graduating seniors, and all the kids fighting for survival within the Scholomance. The stakes are even higher and it's going to take everything El and the rest of the students have to make sure they survive Graduation.
I try not to mention things like this in reviews but I am mightily peeved at Novik for the cliffhanger she leaves us with and would have appreciated some advanced warning. I am reading the next book in this series as soon as I can get my hands on it because my heart cannot accept that ending.
I don't have the words to recommend this book as much as I want to other than just promising that the read is truly worth it.

Many extremely happy thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the early read!

I loved the book, couldn't put it down. And it ended on a cliffhanger. Now I will have to suffer enormously until the last part gets done. The writing is good, the characters are good, and you do care about them.
It is really not like Hogwarts at all, it is very different and all its own. I want to know more about the world and about the people in it.

I received a free digital copy of the book from NetGalley

Ok. I'll start with the standard: thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to NetGalley, to Del Rey, and to Ms. Novik for the opportunity to read an ARC of this amazing book. An honest review was requested but not required.

I've been sitting on reviewing this because, well, THAT ENDING. OMG. THAT ENDING. That ending in which I frantically tried to turn pages on my kindle app, absolutely convinced that there was more, please God let there be more, maybe my copy is defective?
So, basically, this happened:

denial: THIS CAN'T BE IT. Obviously my ARC is defective. There are more pages; I just can't get to them. Power down, restart, re-open app, WHERE ARE THEY?!?!?!?!?

anger: This is such crap. Naomi Novik, you absolute jerk. How DARE YOU end the book this way?

bargaining: Ugh. Ok. Let's check Amazon and Goodreads RIGHT NOW and see if there are any comments from people who maybe, possibly, got a non-defective ARC? And I can just message them and find out the REAL ending?

depression: How am I going to make it through the next year/year and a half/two years? How could it end this way? This is the WORST.

acceptance: OK. There is a book #3. There *IS* a book #3. All is not lost. I can wait patiently. I can plow through my TBR while I wait to distract myself. CURSE YOU NAOMI NOVIK.

Yes well ok so basically this book was amazing. El is so much more relatable now that her crusty, cranky exterior has been exposed and we all know there is a tiny, vulnerable, caring heart on the inside. Her friendships with Aadhya and Liu are so rewarding, not to mention her gradual thaw towards Orion (finally!). There is just *so* much to love here. Every little tiny detail just adds to the atmosphere of the school, the magic, the relationships between the kids, the world in general. Naomi Novik is such a master of building these complete worlds that the reader can totally believe and immerse themselves in.

Don't be fooled: this is definitely a sequel; you should ABSOLUTELY NOT read this without having read A Deadly Education. But good news abounds also! It's also NOT a bridge book. This book has a definite plot of its own, with a forward momentum and an end goal (graduation). Best of all, That Ending leaves El in a perfect position for a third story, which OMG, please be advised, to get my hands on it, I will trample you like a senior in the middle of an enclaver team heading out the front doors of the Scholomance.

Sigh. It was amazing.... and now I will have to waaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiit patiently for book #3.

I jumped right into this one immediately after finishing the first so they've blurred together a little bit, but I can say for sure that I absolutely loved it.

The writing style is gorgeous and I love El. She has the best sarcasm and knee-jerk angry reactions to things. Her default state is basically seething with fury. And having her as a narrator and seeing the Scholomance through her eyes made me love it so much more. She has such a vivid personality and is basically a force of nature that makes it impossible to look away from her.

I loved seeing El grow through the story as she learned how to be herself when not alone all the time, how to depend on (and like, and even care about) other people. I also love the incredibly wide variety of terrible monsters that Naomi Novik has dreamed up. It's impressive, really, in a horrifying sort of way.

I saw the twist at the end coming from a ways off (really it was inevitable) but it still got me and that cliffhanger was terrible! I can't believe I have to wait a year for the conclusion lol.

As with the first book, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I started, and I've spent rather a lot of time since finishing it dreaming up potential ways it could continue. Honestly I've got no clue where the story is going next but I will be happy to be along for the ride.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for providing an e-arc for review.

The end and cliffhanger is really good but also makes me anxious for the next book. I hope that the reason for cliffhanger is for a long story line in the next book, and not a quick resolution. I have been really enjoying this series and how the author, even though not POC, puts in the effort to gather information and knowledge about different cultures and incorporate it into their writing and world building. Some mistakes happen along the way but the author should be willing to go through sensitivity readings, be open to comments and criticisms.

I also found the book/writing style to feel a little focused on what's in front of you. El is narrating the story and everything we know is due to what she chooses, when she thinks is appropriate to tell. It causes the book to feel a little one dimensional. This series is my only encounter with first-person narration in fantasy genre. I personally don't prefer it due to the above reasons which hinders world-building. But, for The Deadly Education, I found listening to the audiobook to be far better experience than reading the text. The voice actor also did a pretty good job with it.

Ugh, I want to like this series more than I actually do. The concept is so unique and interesting and there is such a darkness to the novel and the plot. For me, I think I just don’t like the author’s writing style. It is a lot of internal monologue and descriptions that I find the plot dragging. There is a lot of telling and not a lot of showing.

I did feel like I learned a bit more about some of the side characters in this book. But how these backstories were told was a bit under developed. After this book, I still only really felt connected to El as a character.

The ending was another cliffhanger so that will probably make me keep reading. Overall I think the writing style just misses the mark for me when it comes to fantasy writing.

What I Loved

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik is an exciting, original, and fascinating story of a magical school and its students. El, the main character, is the story for me, and I adore the character. She sets the tone and pace of the book, which is sardonic and fast, respectively. El (Galadriel) is a strong young woman who doesn’t see herself as others see her. She thinks everyone sees a black cloud destined to doom life as they know it, as was predicted by her father’s family when she was born. What I see is a young woman coming into her own. She’s a natural-born leader who solves problems creatively and with ease. Her magical powers are beyond compare, and her relationships are held solid and firm in mutual respect and love. She is one of the best, most admirable characters I have experienced in a long time, and the growth she has been experiencing during this story leaves me in awe.

I also adored her pet mouse, Precious, who is intelligent and sassy, just like El. A pet has never reflected its person more than Precious does El, and it adds bits of humor throughout the story. And how fun is it that the small group of friends she surrounds herself with each has their per mice, and they all carry them in a container around their necks.

The themes in the story are universal. The prophecy versus free will theme reflects the importance of not letting other people define us and the importance of our choices. At the same time, the theme of community is probably the most important one. The kids in this school tend to think on individual terms—every man for himself and survival of the fittest. There is no room for “we.” Only thinking of the “I” is how you might survive. Yet each student longs to be part of an enclave. The students who were born into one are the most likely to survive this school. They have the means and the resources to aid them. They traverse this dangerous world in a pack rather than as individuals.

Lastly, the romance between El and Orion Lake is funny and sweet and adds truly heartwarming components to the story. Orion has made it his mission to save everybody from killer mals that infiltrate the school anytime a portal is opened. El quickly became the one he enjoyed saving the most. In book 1, A Deadly Education, El realizes that Orion is around her a lot, and her reaction is priceless. There is much about them that fits, and it is to the point where it feels like they are two parts of a whole.


Characters
I’ve already said a lot about El, but she is also surrounded by the most well-developed support characters that I just loved reading about. Aadhya, Chloe, and the rest are a collection of misfit toys that don’t have an enclave and enclave friends. Their friendship is solid and true, and the genuineness feels right.

What I Wish

My only wish is that there was more dialogue in the story. With a large amount of exposition, I sometimes felt like I was reading and reading and not advancing very many pages. The story is very dense, and more dialogue would free it up and make the pages turn more quickly.

To Read or Not to Read
If you love original fantasy stories with incredible world-building and characters that shine with relatable quirks and issues, you need to read the Scholomance series today.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the chance to read The Last Graduate in return for my honest opinion.
The Last Graduate picks up right where A Deadly Education left off. We join El and the rest of the seniors as their last year picks up and we soon find that the school has more in store for some than others. It’s hard to say much more without giving away too much, but let me just say, that this book is just as exciting as the first. And if you were mad at the cliffhanger in book one, well…..
I only with that we had more Orion in this book, it felt lacking for most of it.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Del Rey publishers for an ARC of this book. This is in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the first book of this series horribly. It was so incredibly good, and I was hooked on it from start to finish. With this book, I wasn't drawn in as completely. This is partially because the pacing of the book was very slow for the first 60%, and I found myself often setting it aside for something else more to my interests. The latter portion of the book though did pick up in pace, reminding me why I enjoyed the first book so much. Throughout the book, there was a lot of info-dumping that may have also contributed to the slow-pacing.

I did feel we lost some of El in this book. Granted, I understand that she needs to grow and change, but I felt that the shift was fairly dramatic (spoiler: In fact, I feel it happened as soon as she got that mana-sharer. She seemed to just step into all of that power so easily, which felt unnatural, and it left some of the old grumpy El behind, who I truly loved. Part of why I enjoyed the first book so much was that El wasn't the regular "Chosen One" trope, and this book turned her into that a bit more. Not as much as Orion, who I still found comical and sweet, but enough for me to become a bit more disenchanted with her overall arch.)

I know I'm largely in the minority for these views, and they haven't dissuaded me from looking forward to the final novel in the series.