I loved the sequel to A Deadly Education. I love the concept of a magical school that is trying to kill its students. The second book finds Gal and her growing group of friends and allies gearing up for the graduation ceremony, which few of them will survive.
I think this may have been my favorite book in the series, which is rare for a 2nd book. I loved the school politics and the different enclave cultures. I also loved that how all the characters came together to defeat the systemic problems with the school. Gal remains prickly, but starts to realize that her powers are more than her magic.

I was absolutely obsessed with this book. By the second half I couldn’t put it down and had to finish it in one night.

The ending made me super excited to immediately read the 3rd book in the series.

I can’t get enough of the drama and character arcs, truly some of the best I’ve read in a long time.

This was a DNF for me- I'm super disappointed but I just felt like it was so similar to the first book that I couldn't get invested. Everything felt repetitive- the characters, their interactions, the plot. I just couldn't see myself finishing it and then reading a third.

I absolutely loved everything about the first book, except its ending. (Seriously, why write and entire story about learning to trust someone against all the odds and against your own better judgment and overcoming adversity together based on the strength of that trust you’ve built together—and then have mommy say “Don’t do trust him!” And somehow expect that warning to carry weight as a cliffhanger. Baffling) Luckily El has the same common sense and immediately reacts appropriately (“I had friends. Which felt even more unreal than surviving long enough to become a senior, and I owed that, I owed every last bit of it, to Orion Lake, and I didn’t care, actually, what the price tag was going to be. There’d be one, no question. Mum hadn’t warned me for no reason. But I didn’t care. I’d pay it back, whatever it was.”)

So then, can move along back into the story and really get going. The story has its strengths less in the magic and more in its social commentary. A solid second installment.

There just aren't enough words or space for praise of this story on this plane of existence. It's accolades would bleed out into the space beyond the Scholomance eliminating Mal's on their journey. Honestly, I need a graphic novel, a series on Netflix, more fan art, and three more novels set in this world because El and Orion are the perfect blend of polish and blemish you root for.

So this is part of a triology. I was already losing interest in the triology by the second book so I wasnt too sure about this one. I did not like it. It was not thrilling and it was not enjoyable. The characters were a little much and I felt like there was too many things going on at one time.

SO I read this first book and loved it, and was absolutely ecstatic when I received this arc!

The book did not disappoint and lived up to my harry-potter-esque fantasy boarding school dreams.

Loved it!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for the arc

Was not able to read the entirety of the book and cannot give an accurate or overall rating/review . As a librarian for a big library system, we most likely have a copy of this item. I will look forward to reading it in future since I am sure I will. We have gotten positive feedback for this title thus far and I am excited to read it when possible.

I absolutely adore El's sarcastic witty personality. I will say however that this author is starting to kill me slowly with the endings of her books. Its like no worries just leave me hanging here off a cliff. But on a serious note there is something about the way that these books are written that transport me back to being a childhood and reading something like Harry Potter for the first time.. just pure magic. I am very impatiently waiting now to hopefully be pulled up from this cliffs edge to see how the story further develops.

Once again I'm impressed by Novik's writing and characters. The main character is as interesting and charming, in a strange way, as ever before. Although some of the enchantment of the characters and Scholomance itself is lost from the first book just because of how good the first one is, this is a very good sequel. It does end with a cliffhanger, fair warning. I look forward to the next book whenever it comes out, I will be more than happy to reread the two previous books once again beforehand. If you are a dark academia fan, then this will be right down your alley.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

5 Stars - Brilliant second part of the trilogy, brimming with great ideas

I was lucky to receive an ARC of this book via NetGalley as I had hoped to check out the Scholomance trilogy anyway. The first part set up the rather unusual magical school scenario and was fun but also really heavy on the exposition and info-dumps.

This really paid off now in the second part. The world is mostly established and we can fully focus on El and her last year in the Scholomance. We pick up right after we left and and since I don't want to spoil anything I'll just say that the way the plot progresses over the course of the school-year was in many regards unexpected, full of new developments and still making perfect sense in the end.

What did come expected was El finally finding, or rather making, friends and finding a place among her fellow students. This made for some very satisfying character development and really made me enjoy her voice even more. She stayed a snark-monster, but at the same time became so much more grounded in herself, accepting who she is and growing into the person she will become.

The other, secret, protagonist was the Scholomance itself and the ways it communicated with El by shaping the world around her - this was brilliantly done and we also finally learned more about how this school came to be the dangerous place it ended up being in spite of its founders having something very different in mind.

The conclusion to the plot was an absolute fireworks of ideas and while there is generally a conclusion, there is also a really good cliffhanger.

So, I guess that means I'm going to read the last part as well?

I have received an advance review copy via NetGalley from the publisher and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!

While not quite as good as the first “The Last Graduate” is still the perfect wizard school book for those of us who loved Harry Potter in our younger years. El is such a wonderful character. She is Funny, relatable, frustrating, and just a joy to go on this journey with. Her relationship with Orion is well done and so believable and beautiful. I loved the expansion of the world and the myth building in this one even though at times it dragged the story a little. Sometimes it felt like the story stopped for a huge information dump and it made me put it down a few times. Still, Novik is one of the best fantasy authors working today and she works her magic on this incredible inventive, compelling and thrilling tale. Love a cliffhanger ending and can’t wait to read the next one!

The Last Graduate was an interesting read. I enjoyed the story, but it felt like it was rushed and all over the place (unlike A Deadly Education). I felt like the characters weren't as close, but the story was enchanting and fun to read. It definitely was a bit of a letdown after the amazing relationships, story, and ending of A Deadly Education.

I didn't like how the relationship with El and Orion progressed, but the ending of this story made up for their relationship. I'm reading this story from the perspective of a 36 year old married woman, so that may have something to do with how they speak and act with one another.

The ending left everyone hanging which was the intention, so I will be reading the third and final book in the trilogy, but not sure that I will enjoy it as much as the first.

A Deadly Education was such a thrilling ride, I was eager to continue this series. I appreciate the world Novik has crafted, where magic truly comes at a cost: the children. Also those craving magical school series will delight in the first story.

Unfortunately this one fell apart for me early on. Over half the book is main character inner angst. The slow pace and lack of plot made this feel more like filled than second in a series. I'm not sure I'll continue this series, but will read more of Novik's work geared towards adults.

I so wanted to like this book. I love the whole magic school concept. I Just found the world very confusing. The prose is very wordy and I felt like not much was happening. The best part was the last paragraph. I am going to have to force myself to read the next book to find out how it ends.

I initially gave this four stars, and I have no idea why. I've read it twice now and thought it was fantastic. It's joyful, surprisingly, given the content.

This story picks up exactly where the last installment left off, and I liked that it jumped right in rather than needing to recap what’s happened since we last saw these characters. El has just come back from successfully helping the seniors graduate, and she has one more year at Scholomance to go. But now that she’s let people in, she has to consider what her responsibility is to protect those she cares about.

I love stories with found families sticking it out against all odds, and i love a grouchy protagonist with a heart of gold.

I also thought Novik didn’t make the same missteps she did with the first book in this series regarding her non-white characters.

I’m eagerly anticipating the last book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine!

This knock-out second installment in The Scholomance Series follows El, Orion, and their group of friends as they enter their senior year. However, with the increasing mal attacks on El, will she make it to graduation? Or will the school find a way to kill her beforehand? This second book started a little slow, but man did it pick up the pace towards the end. Readers will enjoy meeting the entire senior class and learn a bit more about the enclaves that rule the outside world. But with a threat looming outside, destroying entire enclaves, is it safer in the school?

This was great! I must say that I liked this book even more than I liked the first book in the series. El is no longer a loner and has a group of friends that she seems to work well with. I really enjoyed seeing El and the rest of the students work together to solve a major problem, which just happens to how to survive graduation. I love the way that El has become a leader in the school and the way that everyone seems to look to her for answers.

I was thrilled to see the progress in the relationship between El and Orion. I think that these two are really good together and I love the connection that they share. They are both very good at magic and have taken on a lot of the responsibility for getting everyone out safely. Anisha Dadia continues to do an excellent job with the narration of this series. I thought that she added a lot of action and excitement to her reading. This book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger which left me eager to jump into the next book in the series.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

GOD this book was everything.
The mere fact that this simply EXISTS in our world is getting me thrilled <3
It's darker than the first book. It's even more fun.
EXCEPT, that ending.
what was that?
I need the 3rd book immediately.

Thoroughly enjoyed this second installment and eagerly await the third book in the series! This kept me reading late into the night; I finished the book in one sitting.