This book! This. Book. <insert wailing and gnashing of teeth and silent screaming here> I can't decide if I am grateful to have read this early or perhaps made the biggest mistake of my reading life...This was, of course, excellent. Surpassed all expectations after A Deadly Education. The writing was magical, witty, sharp, and with deeply felt heart. El is a masterpiece of a character. All of that said this was very much a middle book. It didn't travel anywhere especially quickly and wasn't as action packed as the first book. However the character development and THAT ENDING and the lead up to it was phenomenal. I cannot possibly recommend this title enough. Just, maybe wait as long as possible to read it so you don't have to look as far down the long, dark hallway of desperate waiting as I do....Just in case I wasn't clear. Cliffhanger warning of the direst sort.

This has been the best book I've read so far this year, by far. Naomi Novik, as usual, crushes it! The only part I had an issue with is the cliffhanger (or gate-hanger) at the end. Please write faster ...

This is the second book in a very unique series. The story is set in a very scary magic/wizard boarding school called The Scholomance. Young budding wizards are inducted into the school and have to find a way to survive the 4 years until graduation. The entire world was set up in book one and ended with a big cliffhanger.

Book two takes off directly from there and we get to join El - Gaadriel, the female MC - and her gang for their senior year as they fight off various forms of maleficaria (types of dangerous monster like creatures) and begin to plan how they are going to survive the gauntlet of the graduation run.

Book one was a surprise as it was so very different from other types of supernatural books that the info dumping that occurred was balanced out by the fact that the world was interesting and different. As the second book gets started, the pacing and amount of descriptive information made it VERY difficult to keep the interest level up. Honestly, nothing really even happens for the first 50% of the book. But there are tons and tons of descriptions. Descriptions of spells, of the school, of her schedule, of running the trials....SO much information.

What makes things even harder is that El - the female protagonist - is a VERY unlikable character. I really didn't like her in book one, but she kind of grows on you by the end of the book. Unfortunately, you kind of start back at square one with El and it was easy to remember how much she bothered me. She is so very negative and so mean to Orion. I do understand her mindset, but it doesn't make it any easier to like her.

With all that being said, the last 50% of the book - actually the last 25% - completely makes up for the beginning. Things start to take off and it is a race to the finish as things hit their peak. The ending....the actual very last sentence.... comes out of NOWHERE and just hits you like a punch....completely taking your breath away. So, another cliff hanger. But as cliff hangers go, this one is really a doozy. I guess that means that I will be eagerly awaiting book three.

Thank you to Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. The opinions expressed above are mine and mine alone.

The Last Graduate is an excellent follow-up to A Deadly Education. I struggled with the amount of info-dumps in ADE, but those were much fewer in TLG. I also really like El's character growth as she began to trust and rely on her classmates. It's wonderful to see more and more books coming out that highlight female friendship and enemies-to-friends subplots. The plot took a surprising twist and I stayed up much too late to finish it. Students who enjoyed ADE will not be disappointed, however, I'm sure there will be grumblings with another cliff-hanger ending. Recommended for high school students.

In a way this book suffers from "middle book syndrome" in which it moves a little slower and is a little more detail and world building based than plot based. However, I will say that while a little slower it was still an excellent read. This book took me longer to get through, but at no point was I bored or disinterested. I also got weirdly emotional at the very end, which could have been a me thing, but I feel like it's evidence of good character development and growth.

After reading this, I am still heavily recommending "A Deadly Education" and am excited to have "The Last Graduate" on the shelves soon.

I will be eagerly await our conclusion to this epic tale!

As a huge fan of A Deadly Education, I was eager to get my hands on a copy of this sequel and Naomi Novik did not disappoint.

The Last Graduate picks up exactly where A Deadly Education left off and throws the reader back immediately into the lives of the students at the Scholomance. With the threats increasingly directed at El and a lack of mals for Orion to eviscerate, El starts to hatch a plan to save not just all the graduating Seniors, but every last student at the school.

Full of danger, excitement, teen drama, and romance, this was a satisfying continuation of the series and I cannot wait for the next installment.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Naomi Novik’s sequel to a Deadly Education finds El (NEVER call her Galadriel) in a slightly better position to survive than the year before, with friends, alliances and not a boyfriend Orion. What is she supposed to do about the warning from her mum in the outside world, to avoid Orion? Her senior classmates grow to respect (and fear) her power, which is always trying to force her into becoming an evil sorceress but struggles with small, simple magic. As her final year in the hellish school comes to an end, she is fairly certain she will live to graduate and the monsters have been whittled down to stop killing the ones she can’t seem to stop caring about, but now it”s not enough. While Orion pouts about not having enough monsters to kill, El comes to the conclusion that this will be the last graduation, one way or the the other.

Written in the first person, about a horrendous, prison-like school with no adults and a utterly relatable main character, this book will be great for both teens and adults. I wanted it to keep going at the end, and hope that there is another book after this one.

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book oh man I fell in love. I really enjoyed the pacing of this book, how all the characters came to life and got quite a lot of depth to them. I really don't want to go into spoilers so I am going to leave this review here. Just know if you liked the first I shall bet you will like this one even more.

El and Orion are at it again! The second book in the series is just as much fun as "A Deadly Education." They think they got rid of the monsters, but they are still seeping through the cracks of the Scholomance and waiting for the feast at graduation. El is still determined not to be an all-powerful dark magician, but she isn't sure exactly who/what she wants to be instead.

Throughout this adorable romp, alliances at the Scholomance are forged, and shift, and make room for new friends and enemies, but this is no ordinary high school clique tale; it ain't the Breakfast Club if you're the breakfast. I didn't think there was any way the ending of this one could be as epic as the first one, but it was. Fantastical, sarcastical, nonstop fun. Can't wait for the third in the trilogy, to see where Novik takes these crazy magical kids next.

Naomi Novik is my queen! She is the most exciting voice in Fantasy today because the magnitude of her worldbuilding is utterly original. The Scholomance is a punishing, terrifying place of magical knowledge, and the character of El is a brilliant heroine for the modern-day teenager—a young person who always leads with love, no matter how much she hates that. This is a book that makes kids feel brave and powerful and capable. This is absolutely a book for the "pandemic generation". It's about children making sacrifices and surviving against all odds while still wrestling with the feels all young adults have. THE LAST GRADUATE is an allegory for kids with old souls and fresh ideas who want to make the world a better place by working together! There is so much wisdom and worldbuilding to unpack, and SO. MUCH. FUN. TOO. And that ending ... my god, that ending. Has there ever been a more stressful cliffhanger?! How long must I slowly die before I can read book #3?

Disclaimer: I received a free e-galley copy of this book from NetGalley on June 29, 2021 in exchange for an honest review.

The second book of The Scholomance series, The Last Graduate picks up moments after the end of book one, A Deadly Education. El, the protagonist and narrator of the book, is just starting her senior year at the only school for wizards in the world. She faces a deadly challenge: getting through graduation without dying or worse - using dark magic. Juggling a possible romance, a fledgling graduation alliance, and multiple attacks per day from the school itself, El must figure out a way to survive and get out of the school in one piece.

The Last Graduate had me reading to the middle of the night, barely able to glance away from the page. The action picked up from the end of the first book, so there was no need for introductions or slow build-up; it was action-packed the whole way through. I enjoyed the first book of the series, and was looking forward to reading the second, so I was happy to discover that NetGalley was offering it as an e-galley. I finished the entire book in one sitting, staying up until after 2am to finish.

Things I liked:
El grows as a character, and we learn more about Orion and others of the supporting characters. The plot addresses the consequences of what happened in the first book. Most of the world-building details were introduced in the first book, but we get some fresh nuggets of information in this one that help to round out the feel of the magic system and the world. Even though the book ends on a cliffhanger, the story arc is good and satisfying on its own. I wouldn’t recommend reading this book without having read the first in the series, though.

Things that weren’t my favorite:
I’m not a fan of cliffhangers, especially at the end of a book, but I understand why this one is there. Honestly, the first two books of this series read like the first two volumes of one epic book. Each has its own story arc, yes, but the flow and pacing make them feel so closely connected that they might as well be part one and part two of the same story. The third book will probably be much the same, considering where the second book ended. Hopefully everything will get addressed in the next book!

Overall takeaway:
I enjoyed reading this book, especially in conjunction with the rest of the series. The narrative perspective drew me in to the point that I felt the anxiety and stress of El’s situation along with her. I could not put it down until I finished it, and I immediately wanted the sequel to be available so I could continue the adventure.

The worst part of the book?? It's a cliffhanger! Really enjoyed the first book, and this is also great...we learn more about the school, and how the new seniors are trying to graduate without dying. Highly recommend this title, and cant wait for the next one.

This book is the sequel to A Deadly Education, which was flat-out amazing if you like slightly dark and broody sarcastic protagonists and unique world building. It’s not often a sequel matches the epic-ness of a really fantastic first novel, but let me say to all of you Deadly Education fans: you will not be disappointed with The Last Graduate.
The sequel picks up right where the first book leaves off. Galadriel – ehm, El – has actually acquired friends, and a not-boyfriend-but-kind-of in Orion. Things could be looking up, but this is the Scholomance and it only moves down. El has possibly the worst senior class schedule ever, and the school seems to be setting her up to eat some of the first-years and embrace the malificer path or be forced to save them over and over. Orion, of course, has been hunting mals since he was entombed in the school, and sees no reason to give up his hunting now. So as the seniors rush to survive their last semester of classes, mals become more scarce, and Orion spends more time hunting them to the detriment of his schoolwork. El’s mouse familiar (I will not spoil the delight of her name here) gains a personality to match her mistress and she quickly became one of my favorite parts of the story, adjacent to El and Orion not-dating, which was delightful.
The second half of the book, like the second half senior year in the Scholomance, is focused on the run to survive the graduation hall filled with mals. As the school presents more and more dangerous scenarios in the gym, it quickly becomes clear to the senior class that their graduation might be unlike any other before. This duology has joined my list of favorite books alongside Novik’s earlier Uprooted, and Robin McKinley’s Sunshine. The world is unique, the characters matter-of-factly diverse, and the plot solid. Naomi Novik is simply a magician. Five stars. Go read it.

I thought this was a duology and I am ruined because I need the next book.

I love this series. I think it's weird and dark and mysterious, like a grumpy Hermione and golden retriever Harry are trying to save the entire school together against monsters and without any outside help. I loved it.

Do not continue reading if you don't want spoilers....

You've been warned....

DID HE GO WITH HER?!?!?! DID HE?! There are books with cliff hangers and then there is this book. I finished it a day ago and I lost sleep over the ending. I'm an emotional mess. If Novik left Orion in that school when everyone else got out I am going...well I'm going to do nothing because she's the author and I will continue to read this series because I love everything else about it. But I will be devastated. Crying into my oatmeal devastated. Is this what sets El off to fulfill her dark prophecy?! Oh God, I don't think I can wait a year and some change to find out. Naomi, if you need beta readers before this goes to NeGalley or just need someone to talk through the plot points for the next book, I'm your gal.

Some are put off by the stream of consciousness like prose in this series, but this is how my brain works and the entire format makes complete sense to me. If you are a little put off by it, please give it a few chapters because I assure you they are well worth it. It's inspiring how El, with the help of her closest comrades and the school, convince all the students to get the hell out of that place. Let me out, let me out, let me out. The school itself takes on a personality and you are rooting for everyone to get home safely, even with the last chapter being nail biting, sitting on the edge of your chair intense.

The Last Graduate picks up shortly after events of A Deadly Education (and if you didn't read A Deadly Education and ever though to yourself while reading HP that going to school where dark magic is trying to kill you every year doesn't sound great...this is the book for you) . El is still trying to resist her fate as a dark sorceress, Orion Lake is still running around killing monsters, and all of the new seniors are trying to figure out if last year's seniors truly escaped and how they can prepare for their own graduation. This installment in the series is plot-wise focused on preps for senior graduation and thematically still focused on the responsibilities of privilege and power. Orion and El's kind of romance is present but not a huge focus-- like the first installment, this one is more concerned with El's other relationships, particularly her female friendships. It was a joy to be re-immersed in this complicated and compelling world and the ending cliffhanger has me anxious for the next installment. Definitely plan on getting this one for my library and recommending it to my students!

One of my anticipated sequels for this year! Author Naomi Novik is back at it again with her prose writing and world building. Each character is diverse enough to understand apart. And the magic system is extremely well thought.

Where do I even start with this book? So, no spoilers, but A Deadly Education quickly became my favorite book of 2020. I’ve read it 3 times. I knew there was going to be a sequel and part of me just knew it wasn’t going to live up to my expectations! I love that The Last Graduate starts moments after the events at the end of A Deadly Education. It felt like the immersion that I enjoyed about the Scholomance and El’s journey never stopped. I love El’s combination of violent empathy, her snarky wit, her absolute revulsion for everyone around her while simultaneously wanting desperately for everyone to get out of the Scholomance alive. I found myself easily relating to her relationship to her mother. As a person with low empathy I often think about how I could be a better person so that my mother is somehow honored, or at least tangentially knows that I’m a good person. El has fought her whole life against becoming the sort of world destroying terror that prophecy would have her be. The side characters are wonderful, the details are tremendous and I can’t believe how much Naomi Novik makes me believe this world exists. Everything, down to the smallest detail, is complete and tied back into the mals and defense of such. Orion Lake is such a good foil to El’s character. In both books he exasperatedly saves everyone he can, all while frustratingly trying to break through El’s walls. When they team up to train for getting through graduation the excitement ramps up and when the explosive conclusion finally happens…it left me dying for more of the story! Waiting for the third installment is the most difficult thing about reading The Last Graduate, here’s to hoping that Novik writes fast!

Oh poor Galadriel Higgins. El’s affinity for super destructive magic, her desire to be semi-anti-social, and her torn feelings for one Orion Lake really put her in an interesting spot coming into her senior year at the Scholomance.

Now that graduation is upon El, she has set it in her mind that she will get out as many students as possible. As she begins to enlist more and more of the student body in her seemingly hare-brained plans, they all begin to understand just what a powerhouse El really is. To make matters worse, it appears that the school is beginning to turn on her.

I absolutely love this series, and was super excited to be given the opportunity to tackle an early copy of book 2. The Last Graduate really does take off right where A Deadly Education ended, and Ms. Novik has really honed her masterful craft of deft first-person narration. El really is the embodiment of snarky power, and the wide variety of characters, each with their own foibles, really make for an enjoyable experience.

There is so much more I would love to gush about this book, but I would give away far too much.

Once this book drops, I’ll definitely be picking up the audiobook. Anisha Dadia did an absolute masterful job with the first book, and I really can’t wait to hear her doing book 2.

The Scholomance series is one of those series that is quickly becoming one a favorite. It's managed to squirm its way in as a book that I can't help but theorize and wonder about, not only what happens next, but the character's thoughts and where they'll go. This is coming together more and more as deeply thought through series with echoes of each character is every narrative and more.

The Last Graduate picks up immediately where A Deadly Education leaves off (with a warning from the outside world). While it took me a minute to get back into the world and the characters where the previous book left off, it didn't take long to get back into El's head and the ministrations of the school. This year, in fact, gets more detailed on schooling, despite the fact that El and the other seniors aren't required to spend half the year in actual classes. The students are so intently focused on survival so often, I think I forgot that this was, in fact, a school, and has a purpose of teaching students and they're not just running their education themselves. There's also no end to the different things to learn, even about the previous years which we skipped witnessing with El but can still learn with the other students.

One of my favorite things about this series is how well it builds up the world and makes me eager to learn more, and to discover how the rest of the world operates. I originally thought this series would end with the second book - after all, it's the end of the school year - but I'm positive there's more to explore and develop, both in the world and with El and Orion (their relationship, their motivations, and much more). What's more, I can envision different routes these characters and the plot can take, not just a simple, expected, continuation. I know I'm eagerly awaiting what we will see next in the Scholomance's universe - especially since this last book left me empty in the void, knowing I didn't have another one to read!