Erhm. What happened?

I had to take some time to think about this book before writing a review, because while I still enjoyed it overall, it was rather disappointing.

The Golden Enclaves some how suffers from middle book syndrome, despite not being a middle book. I can't decide if this book was unneccessary or if it needed to be longer. SO MUCH STUFF HAPPENS. But where as in the first two books we spent a lot of time preparing for stuff to happen, we spend almost no time here and just jump from one big event to another. The pacing is kinda wild and there are character and relationship progressions that didn't totally sit right.

Weak 4 stars because I still got emotional during some scenes.

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

In the thrilling conclusion to The Scholomance series, I found myself immersed in a rollercoaster of emotions. While the main character did test my patience on occasion, I ultimately relished the journey. My only minor quibble is that I wished for a deeper exploration of the rich world and its lore. Nevertheless, the side characters shine brilliantly, stealing the spotlight and leaving a lasting impact on the story. A truly enjoyable read!

Fantastic! An excellent conclusion. It felt earned. I couldn’t put it down! This book really put events from book 1 into a new light. I’m so glad I read this series!

Thank you netgalley for giving me an arch of this novel in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This was a really really good conclusion to the scholomance trilogy and I enjoyed them all a lot. It tied everything up super well and like the other books, was easy and fun to read. I can't wait to read more from Naomi Novik!

These books have been a rollercoaster of fantasy. The Golden Enclaves is an amazing adventure full of l of YA angst and self-doubt but somehow is still fun. The plan to save everyone worked almost. Enclaves all over the world want El’s help. What she wants is to save Orion. But to save him she must go back into the Scholomance.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Del Rey for the eARC and the opportunity to post my honest review of The Golden Enclaves: Book Three of the Scholomance by Naomi Novik.
5 Stars- Pub.Date: 9-27-22 – Archive Date: October 21, 2023

The Golden Enclaves is the stunning conclusion to The Scholomance series. In this novel, El, Orion, and their allies had successfully saved the entire student body from the Scholomance, but there was one problem. There was one person left behind. El was determined to get back into the school to rescue him, and she enlisted her friends and the help of the New York Enclave to do so. Meanwhile someone was attacking enclaves and many lives were being lost. With her book on Golden Enclave spells, El and her friends found themselves racing around the world to stop more enclaves from disappearing. Who would have thought that the girl prophesied to destroy the world might actually be the one to save it? This book was so much fun. Abrasive El hadn’t changed that much despite everything she accomplished at the Scholomance, but she had good friends who were willing to support her unconditionally as she embarked on her quest to save the young man she loved and the rest of the world while she was at it. The dedication that this group of young adults shows to this selfless goal is admirable. They all continued to grow as human beings, learning to work together and use the skills they gained during their terrifying years of education. Lovers of fantasy cannot miss this amazing book and the trilogy as a whole. I suspect that no one will expect the outcome of this venture and the true story behind Orion Lake. I am voluntarily submitting this review after reading a complimentary copy of this novel thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey.

This was easily the best book in the series, and I found it really tied the entire story together well! It was a well written last book to the trilogy that I found really wrapped up the story nicely, making sure all the loose ends were tied up and wrapped with a bow before the final page.

I really enjoyed it for what it was and the story, it was something I didn't focus too hard on and just enjoyed in the moment.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book being the end of the Scholomance series.

On the one hand, I feel like the main storyline was tied up nicely and we learned a lot that helped tie up any plot points from the first two books. I also enjoyed El’s growth as a character and person.

Now on to the negatives for me. While the main storyline was tied up, I feel like there were still so many subplots/potential subplots that were just left hanging. I’m all for authors leaving things a bit open at the end of a series so that readers can make their own conclusions, but I feel like we needed some resolution on certain storylines/characters. The other negative for me was the recapping throughout the book on the two previous books. A recap is all well and good but it got a bit repetitive in this one.

Overall I really did enjoy this series and it’s originality, and I’ll miss the inner dialogue of El, who really is badass!

I liked this a lot, the characters and the plot was just amazing. The way everything happened had me hooked like aaaa
thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

**Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and Naomi Novik for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Book #3 in the Scholomance Trilogy and I was here for it! Naomi Novik did a great job with this trilogy. The world building and characters sucked me right in. In the third book, we pick up with Galadriel "El" after the WTF cliffhanger in book 2. She has made it out of Scholomance, the dark magical school. Did their plan work? At what cost?

El has been haunted her entire life by her great-grandmother's prophecy that she would be the dark sorceress to bring about the destruction of enclaves. Enclaves are communities of powerful wizards scattered throughout the world. The most powerful enclaves are located in London and New York. Some of the enclaves around the world attempted to vie for El's alliance and recruit her while she was still at Scholomance.

Now that she has made it out, El's great-grandmother's prophecy is coming true. Someone is attacking and destroying the world's enclaves. However, it isn't El. Who is doing this and why? As suspicion rises, an all out enclave war is approaching, pitting very powerful enclaves against each other. El and her friends attempt to put a stop to the war. The answer to their questions are hidden somewhere in Scholomance. El and her friends must try to find a way back into the dark school that they had fought so hard to get out of. Can they save what remains of the enclaves?

I was scared of this book and able to predict most of it. But still was a great ending to this trilogy (I hope there aren't more books). But I felt that most of the book was just El and friends wandering around the world, solving things, and getting on planes again. It was a bit tedious, but I still read it in only two days and would have read it in one day only if I didn't have to work. I get why some people disliked it so much. It is the first book out of Scholomance, and some things are a little chiché for me, but still, everything worked together. And for the ending and political stuff: sometimes it was a bit too real, a bit too disturbing. The "evil" didn't have to pay for what they did, even if it was made with good intentions. And that is too real and at the same time it was what made the story very great and very truthful.

The third and final book in Naomi Novik's excellent Scholomance trilogy, The Golden Enclaves follows El, Orion, and their friends after they escape/survive the Scholomance. Unfortunately, this book didn't quite live up to the first two installments, at least in part because they have left the school--a fascinating setting worthy of much more exploration--behind. But it's still a solid story for fans of Novik. I'll read anything she writes.

"The Golden Enclaves" is the third and final chapter of "The Scholomance," a ya fantasy trilogy, with dark academia overtones, written by Naomi Novik and concluded.

I won't include the plot to avoid spoilers, but I can say that the story picks up from the end of the second book, with El and the survivors finally out of the Scholomance and busy facing new threats around the world.

I admit that of the three chapters "The Golden Enclaves" is the one I liked the least. It's not a bad book, in the end I still liked it, however I found it inferior compared to the others and partly disappointed me.

I really like the author's writing! As in the previous two books, here we have a continuous stream of consciousness on El's part, with the protagonist's various thoughts and ramblings alternating with the actual plot.

The plot intrigued me very much! The Scholomance for me remains wonderful and on a completely different level as a setting, but I enjoyed the exploration of the world outside its borders. However, unlike the previous chapters, I felt an uneven pace in this conclusion. Indeed, the narration alternates between slower moments and others that are decidedly rushed, with important questions addressed superficially and then abandoned. I don't know, some choices left me unsatisfied. I also didn't understand the reason for certain episodes! I can't do spoilers, but certain scenes seemed rather forced and inserted without any specific purpose other than to create angst and chaos! Seriously, I was so disappointed! On the other hand, I liked the ending, even though I suffered a lot!

About the characters, what can I say? I think I have already amply demonstrated my appreciation for Galadriel "El" Higgins, protagonist with her single first person pov. In this book I continue to love her, although I don't understand or share some of her choices. And Orion! I can't say anything specific about him, but I couldn't wait to see him again after "The Last Graduate"! I have loved Orion from the beginning and suffer for him! In my opinion, unfortunately, he has been worsening over the course of the series, with fewer and fewer appearances and sort of minor characterization. I feel sorry for the group of friends, scarcely present here. El has created a nice relationship with them and I was hoping to see them interact more. I honestly don't understand why to give more space to a certain character, who had little presence in the previous chapters (she basically appears in "The Last Graduate," but becomes incisive only from around the second half of the book) rather than those present from the beginning. I also expected more from the appearances of El's mother and from Ophelia!

All in all, I enjoyed "The Golden Enclaves," but in my opinion it didn't live up to the previous two books. I expected more from the finale of this beautiful series and instead, in some aspects, it disappointed me. Overall, however, "The Scholomance" remains a series that I loved and recommend to lovers of the genre!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It reads similar to the first and feels very exposition heavy. I stopped at the end of chapter 1 (7%). Not for me, but I imagine those who read and enjoyed the first will also enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

This was a really masterful conclusion to the trilogy. I love when you can tell an author had everything planned out from the beginning. There were revelations in this book from actions that happened in book one that make so much sense now and were crazy and exciting to discover.

This book also was a continuation of what I loved from the series:
- Our BA main character El being amazing and so caring but angry and loveable and deserving of love. I just love her so much.
- Our wonderful side characters. I loved getting more of El's mom in this one. She is someone I would love to meet if she were real. It's also so cool to see how much her mom influenced her even though El is still very much a distinct character, there is still such a strong influence. Other wonderful characters include Aadhya, Liu, Leisel, Orion, Deepthi, and so on. Loved them all so much.
- The major conflict in the trilogy being about morality and the ramifications of people saving themselves at the cost of others. Like wow the major revelation in this book was just so heartbreaking. I loved how El could point out the wrong-doing but still value the lives of the people making those choices. She could understand but also be horrified and angry and yet still save them and help them. She is one of the strongest characters I've ever read. But it honestly makes so much sense too when you think about her mom and also her dad's and great great grandmother's characters. Her family definitely shaped her in such a beautiful way.

I just loved this series so much.

The Golden Enclaves wraps up Naomi Navik’s “Scholamance “trilogy with style. This urban fantasy series began as dark academia story in a killer school where kids literally die trying to graduate. The last novel begins just after El and the other students have all escaped the Scholamance. Everyone, that is, except Orion. While El grieves, she must figure out what to do with her life. But soon she discovers that enclaves are being destroyed and it is up to her to help save everyone. Novik’s talent at world building proves itself with the descriptions of various enclaves in minute detail. The characters established in the first two novels continue to evolve. The action is compelling as El travels around the world in an effort to save various enclaves and learns startling information about the nature of enclaves and about herself as well.

This novel offers a satisfying conclusion to the Scholamance series while answering many questions along the way.

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novak

Even a school of magic cannot prepare you to save the world. Not even the richest and most powerful of the enclaves in the school would tempt fate by thinking about what they’ll do once they leave. Not everyone makes it out in the end after all. But the impossible dream has somehow come true for our main character and her fellow classmates.

And she didn’t even have to succumb to the monstrous dark powers that have plagued her her entire life to make it happen. She saved everyone, almost everyone, and she didn’t have to kill anyone to do it. Not yet at least. It would seem that someone else has stepped up inn her place to fulfil the prophecy by destroying the enclaves and everything that she holds dear.

An epic conclusion to the trilogy that sees the stakes rise even higher when the fate of everyone in the world is in danger nit just those within the walls of the school. Nothing could prepare them for the triumphant ending and adventures along the way.

This series is filled with clever characters, witty banter and a story line that hooks you from the very first page. This book was unputdownable. It will have you reading long into the night, your heart racing and the fate of the world in your hands. All you have to do is keep reading to find out if they do the impossible and save the world before the story ends.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for an advanced reader copy via NetGalley of The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

This story is written by Naomi Novik and is about a school of magic, where there are no teachers, no holidays, friendships are purely strategic, and the odds of survival are never equal. Once you're inside, there are only two ways out: you graduate or you die. El Higgins is uniquely prepared for the school's many dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions - never mind easily destroy the countless monsters that prowl the school.

Except, she might accidentally kill all the other students, too. So El is trying her hardest not to use it . . . that is, unless she has no other choice.

These books are absolutely brilliant and written in such a smart way, I just loved everything about them. Novik is a genius with storytelling and world creating and it is just a pleasure to read her books. Definitely recommended!

Overall, there is far too much going on in this book. Too many mysteries to unravel from before, with new ones cropping up and also new antagonists. Some of the plotlines are entertaining, but with all of them shoved together, there's no time to enjoy the best parts. I wanted to know how the story resolved itself and what would happen to Orion and El, so I pushed through all that I didn't like.

The ideas of the Scholomance school, the world, and the magic are all intriguing. They're worth reading this trilogy.
The actual stories in the books, though, I feel are more convoluted than necessary and just aren't written too well. This last book followed the others in that it had chaotic pacing that was a slog at times and then a confusing race at others, stuffed with everyone's emotions being shown on their faces and whole giant swathes of information being suddenly gleaned by a partial reveal, and was generally nonsensical in many regards. There are loads of convenient coincidences or help just being handed right over to the MC in unbelievable ways, along with several underwhelming scenes that were being built up but then fizzled with no climax. Many parts felt unsatisfying. Then there was the implausible forced relationship that was just fine being platonic, but was pushed over the line with no actual reason behind it or need for it to further the story, but I suspect was just a nod to being inclusive because it was same-sex. It was a waste of page space, no matter the genders of the people involved. The friendship had been sufficient.
Some of my favorite aspects are the idea of family and close bonds that we get to see played out, and the magic system is fascinating. I loved seeing people stand with El when necessary, and the strong sense of loyalty expressed by many. It was comforting to read of tight-knit groups who were there for each other. The magic part was interesting to read about from the very beginning, with the intricate workings between different types of magic and how it could be used. I'd have rather had more examples of people using various types of magic than the focus on El being nOt LiKe OtHeR gIrLs, a destroyer of worlds, wanting to be angry all the time, being a superbeing with powers randomly showing up to be greater than before, yada yada.

I am glad to have read this book, and when I look back on the story as a whole, I can say that I enjoyed it. I'm glad to have the general storyline in my memory. I can just also say that there were many parts of the whole that I disliked, so it leaves a confusing sensation.

It is hard to review this book without revealing spoilers. If you liked the first two continue reading! Think twice before you pick up The golden Enclaves if there were aspects in the first two books you did not like. The writing style is the same as the other books and you will still spend a lot of time with El’s thoughts.

This book concludes the trilogy in a satisfying way without the cliffhangers that the first two books had. The questions I had during the first two books got addressed and for me they made sense. The book was a bit unbalanced because the last part of the book went very quickly and you are being told what happened afterwards through El’s thoughts. I expected that El would have some deep conversations about the future with some of her friends but that did not happen. This made the second half of the book and especially the ending too rushed.