My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

Much anticipated and well worth the wait, this book picks up immediately after the previous book in this series. We see Galadriel (aka "El") continuing to figure out how to deal with more normal relations and interactions with the rest of her schoolmates. Now in her senior year, her goals are to pass her classes, deal with a budding romance and then survive the graduation process along with her classmates. If you loved the first book (my favorite fantasy of 2020), this book should be among your must-reads for this year. And the ending of this one leaves no doubt that there will be at least one more book in this delightful series.

I enjoyed this book, but it was not exceptional. The writing was expository and the story felt superficial. I adored the first book, but it felt like the author set us up for a second book and then got bored with the series. The ending of the first book wasn't well tied in to the second book, although I loved how abruptly the second book ended.

I loved the first one so much and I loved this one so much and I regret reading it when the third one isn't out yet because how am I supposed to wait?????

I'm glad to see that Novik clearly added some sensitivity readers - I didn't note (although certainly I may have missed something) any of the lazy and biased cultural mistakes that she was so correctly panned for on the first book. I'm glad, because this continues to be a page turning trilogy - I read it in two days and now I'm heartbroken that I won't find out what happens until book 3!

Give me more now! I loved this. Devoured it way too fast. El would be a standard "I can't have friends" heroine, except she realizes how dumb that would actually be, so friends! And adventure! And saving everyone's collective butts. I don't think I've ever come across a chosen-one story where the lead character was actually so sensible, rude, sure, but sensible. Alliances to survive, sure, but it doesn't mean I agree with you. I just love her so much. If you even had a tiny bit of affection for the first book in this series, you will eat this up and then stare hopelessly at a wall while we all wait for the next one.

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik is an excellent fantasy fiction novel that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

This is the second book of the Scholomance series and starts immediately where the first book (which is epic by the way) A Deadly Education left off.

This is amazing, gripping, entertaining, and I loved it! El is awesome and the chemistry with Orion is spot on. The mystery, suspense, and oh the cliffhanger!!!!! are all right up my alley.

I cannot wait until I find out what happens in the next book! Ugh!!!!!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Del Ray/Random House for this awesome arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

The first book of the Scholomance series “Deadly Education” is my favorite book of 2021, and the second book in the series reaffirmed the Scholomance series as one of my all time favorites. Readers who enjoyed the first book will also enjoy this book.

This book picks up right where the last book ended. The second book takes place over an entire year compared to the first book only going over the last 2 weeks of the school year. Although I would have loved more details about the school and El and Orion’s school life, I didn’t feel like the pacing was rushed. This second book allows readers to see a complete year at the Scholomance which I really enjoyed.

The writing style from the first book continues mostly into this book. I love Novik’s extensive foreshadowing that is sneaked into El’s long rants about the school and it’s students and into the students' daily conversations in the first book. This style of writing continues into the second book. One of my favorite aspects about this series is how extensively thought out it is. Some reviewers didn’t enjoy El’s heavy info dumps and ranting in the first book. Novik still tries to cram as much information into this book as possible, but this book is a lot less rant-y and more action-y.

The biggest change to the writing is because El is a very different character and is in a completely different situation from the first book. There are a lot more conversations and group moments in this book than the first. El is an active part of the school rather than just an angry observer. We also learn more about Orion. It was very interesting to get a glimpse on how he views the world and how the world views him. I hope Orion gets the character growth he so desperately needs in the third book. El and Orion’s relationship is beautiful, and I wish they had more scenes together. I missed their banter in this book.

The side characters also received a lot of development which was much needed from the first book. Aadhya, Liu, Chloe, Alfie, Nkoyo, Cara, and Ibrahim all returned in this book, and we got to know them a lot better. We also got to know a bunch of new characters, but Precious is the best. I found a lot of the new characters stepped up into the roles of the seniors from the last book. This may be a nod to the theory of balance, and El’s comments about how no one is truly that special at the Scholomance (even her and Orion), but I may be overthinking this.

The cliffhanger is a killer. I hope the third book comes soon.

I know that opinions vary on A Deadly Education, but it was EXACTLY tailored to my tastes -- I loved the blend of cranky monologue, reluctant hero, and slow-burn developing friendships. I thought the school was a pretty on-the-nose metaphor for the horrors of late capitalism, as well. All of this is to say that if you liked A Deadly Education, I think you'll like The Last Graduate, and if you didn't... you won't? The stakes expand somewhat, but the whole book still takes place within the confines of the Scholomance, and aside from getting to know some new characters, you're still dealing with the same people. Not complaining -- "more of the same" was great for me since I loved the first book! That said, the cliffhanger at the end of book two is even worse than book one, just FYI.

The Last Graduate picks up right where A Deadly Education ends with Freshman induction, and El getting a note from her Mom. Now that El is a senior and has an alliance, they all need to survive until July and Graduation, hoping that the fix made holds till then. But things are a bit strange this year. El has homeroom with a bunch of Freshmen and seems to be a target. But what seems to be is not always what is as El finds out. The situation has changed, and the Schoolmance seems to be acting weird. Surviving to Graduation seems not to be in the cards unless the whole school does the opposite of normal and starts working together. Will El, Orion, Liu, and Aadhya come up with a plan that draws everyone in or will disaster overtake them on Graduation Day? Read and find out in this twisting tale of a very strange educational experience!

Novik has created another exceptional end to a unique saga. Senior year in the Schoolmance has always been something to survive, literally. But the students of El's class are heading to graduation unsure if their efforts to clear the graduation hall of the deadliest creatures actually worked. The unknown is compounded when the school seems to be out to get El by sending the vicious mals her way at every opportunity. Will El and her classmates survive to see their families?
With a strong female voice, The Last Graduate, keeps readers on their toes as the characters face external trouble and internal dilemmas.

A Deadly Education left me a bit wanting but excited for the potential of this series, and I think The Last Graduate really delivered. The pacing was a bit slower in the beginning but by the second half of the novel, it really picks up and went in a direction I definitely did not expect.

I enjoyed El in The Last Graduate more so than I did in A Deadly Education. She’s grown so much from the prickly girl from before, but she still has that cutting wit that is so her. El and Orion’s relationship also progresses more, and I really enjoyed them as a couple.

The ending was insane! So, prepare yourself for quite the cliff hanger. I am absolutely desperate for the next one, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

It was really daring of me to request this title--knowing that I tore through A Deadly Education and could not wait to get my mitts on The Last Graduate. Now here I am, stunned by this book, gut-punched by that cliffhanger, and facing an incredibly difficult wait until I can devour the last volume. It's like I am living in the Scholomance, trying so desperately to run to the library where Lesson Three must be, and it's taking ages and ages and ages and ages.

El is probably my favorite protagonist...ever? While the story sometimes parks for a minute to dump some exposition, I never ever got tired of El's voice. As a potential destroyer of worlds, I can picture her constantly ruminating over the state of the world and how she can change it, like she's building up to her big villain speech. She's got one of the most satisfying character arcs because we're getting all that sweet growth AND she gets to do more of the magic she excels at.

If I could do jumping jacks or cross stitch to build mana to help Naomi write Lesson Three faster, I would. The title of the last chapter feels pointed and I don't appreciate it!

Holy moly. I almost didn’t request this title because I knew it would be excruciating to wait so long for the third one…but I can’t regret a reading experience that I’ll be processing for years to come. Like other readers, I occasionally got impatient with present events pausing for El to offer bounteous exposition. But that annoyance was wholly outweighed by unrelenting, propulsive consideration of human nature and how to design a social order in which everyone can flourish.

As the sequel to my favorite book of 2020, I wasn't let down. The energy and fantastic world building Novik established in A Deadly Education were carried over beautifully into The Last Graduate. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for reminders that when the world seems dark there's always ways to find a way forward, even for those of us who are cynics. The grit we deserved for a magical school system with a main character whose cynicism feels real, relatable, and funny.

The Last Graduate picks up right where A Deadly Education leaves off, at the beginning of El’s senior year at Scholomance. The year where alliances are made and the pressure is on because the percentage of kids who make it through the graduation hall is low indeed. After fixing the cleansing equipment, though, it looks like El’s class might have the best graduation rate of Scholomance in years—if they can make it through their senior year.

The chances of that look high, too. Monster attacks have largely left off and El has a class schedule that should allow her to build up enough mana to make it home—if the monsters would stop seeking her out. While everyone else is breezing through, only dealing with the smallest of threats, all the big monsters who are left seem to drop right into whatever room El is in. She has to decide to look after herself or everyone else as each attack takes mana she can’t afford to lose. New alliances might be the answer, but sometimes thinking bigger is the only way to get the school off you’re back, and El’s dreams are already really big. Maybe she’ll actually be able to see them through.

The Last Graduate is a fantastic book in large part to Naomi Novik’s stunning world. I wish it hadn’t ended where it did, but after ranting about it to a friend for a few hours, she realized I was well and truly invested, and that’s all that we ask for in our favorite reads.

May the next book come quickly, and the wait not be slow.

If you loved the first, you’ll love the second. Novik turned everything upside down in a really wonderful way—I was amazed and delighted at how things developed. That cliffhanger ending did me in, but I adore this author, and I can’t wait for book three!

This was such a good follow up to A Deadly Education, picking up exactly where the first book ends. "The Last Graduate" follows El through her senior year as she and her allies struggle with the looming spectre of graduation. While the first book presented the Scholomance as a place that normalizes selfishness through necessity, this book addresses the basic flaws in that idea and wonders what would happen if they students began to look out for each other instead of just for themselves. El's slow growth from prickly loner to prickly ally and champion is fantastic. I love seeing her slowly figure herself out and learn to follow her ideals instead of doing what she feels is expected of her.

The Scholomance itself is as terrifying and fascinating as ever. Novik really digs into why people in a magical world would take such a lethal gamble with their children's lives, and we get more background on exactly how the school is supposed to function. The mals are super creepy as always, and I love how the book never lets us forget that all of this magic comes at a price. The few friends that El ended up with at the end of book one are back and just as good as ever, and she even manages to widen her friend group (kicking and screaming the whole time of course). Orion continues to be an adorable moron, and his relationship with El definitely progresses in this book, although it never takes center stage (which I like, since there's so much going on in the Scholomance that it would feel pretty off if the students were obsessing too much over romance).

As other reviewers have mentioned, this book ends on a pretty massive cliffhanger (although it also does reach a satisfying conclusion for the main arc of the book). If this is the kind of thing that bothers you then you may want to wait until book three is available before reading. I promise that after reading the last line you will immediately want more. The only reason that I'm sad that I got to read an ARC is that it makes the wait for book three that much longer. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Another excellent entry in Naomi Novik's newest series, and one that picks up directly after the ending to the first book so that title is required reading if you want to understand pretty much anything that is going on.

El continues to be a deliciously frustrating protagonist who is trying to grow as a person in light of what she has experienced, and I enjoyed her character arc as she tries to face down what she views as an now overtly hostile school that has its sights set directly on her. Despite feeling like I had a handle on what was going on in the book, I was surprised multiple times by some mid and late twists that had me skimming back over my copy of Deadly Education and this book to refresh my memory on some details to make sure I understood what was going on correctly.

An easy recommend for fans of the first book, though a warning should be issued that the same kind of cliffhanger ending situation that A Deadly Education had going on absolutely happens in this book as well, so be prepared to wait for the next book when starting this one.

This starts exactly where the last one ended. The last sentence of the first book if the first sentence in this one, which I liked, because I didn't have to worry about any time jumps. I did not re-read the first one, and it's definitely not necessary as Novik gives enough of a summary in spots to reorient the readers.

But the real MVP of the story is Precious. And I can't really say more than that because of spoilers, but I love Precious.

It does suffer a little from middle book syndrome. The pacing was a little off--not necessarily slow, but off--in a few places that's preventing me from giving it 5 stars.

It does feel like the first book--El's snarkiness knows no bounds--and I don't think readers will be disappointed. I really enjoyed El's character growth and learning more about the world outside the Scholomance.

Of course, there's a MASSIVE cliffhanger which is going to be agonizing waiting for book three. That's what I get for reading a galley a week after it's available.

I just finished reading an advance reader copy of The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik, and my initial reaction is

WHAT JUST HAPPENED? WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT?

Novik did an exceptional a job ratcheting up the tension at the end and making me want that next book NOW! Did what just seemed to happen really happen? I want to know! Now!

Overall I did not think The Last Graduate was quite as good as the first book, A Deadly Education, although it was still quite good. Main character El’s personality changed a little too much, other than her snark and her meanness toward Orion (which is hardly deserved when he is just a nice guy who wants to date her). I found it a little hard to believe that she changed that much. But I was looking for character growth, and I got it. I wasn’t quite sure why the mouse familiars exist. They didn’t really seem to add a lot to the story. (And why doesn’t El’s mouse Precious like Orion? Is it just jealousy?) Also, that title? It’s a spoiler.

There is some very nice stuff about being different and finding friends anyway. (“[I]t was the miracle all over again, the miracle I still couldn’t quite believe in: I wasn’t alone anymore. They were saving me, and I was going to save them. It felt more like magic than magic. As though it could make everything all right. As if the whole world had become a different place.” (Chapter 2 of the advance reader copy) There is a romance, but the friendships are every bit as important, as are the relationships between people who aren’t friends but still agree to work together to achieve a goal. At no point did my interest in reading this book wane.

If you enjoy books about magical schools, I highly recommend The Scholomance series; however you might want to wait until book 3 is on the horizon so you don’t have to wait, like me. The ending of book one left me in a similar state. When is that third book coming out, anyway?
#TheLastGraduate #NetGalley