The Golden Enclaves (The Scholomance, #3) (The Golden Enclaves)

by Naomi Novik

Saving the world is a test no school of magic can prepare you for in the triumphant conclusion to the Sunday Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate.

The one thing you never talk about while you're in the Scholomance is what you'll do when you get out - not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way.

But that impossible dream has somehow come true for El and her classmates. And what's more, she didn't even have to become the monstrous dark witch she's prophesised to become to make it happen. Instead of killing enclavers, she saved them, and now the world is safe for all wizards. Peace and harmony have enveloped all the enclaves of the world.

Just kidding.

Instead, someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in El's stead, and everyone she saved is at risk again with a full-scale enclave war on the horizon. And so, the first thing El needs to do after miraculously escaping the Scholomance, is to turn straight around and find a way back in.

• Publish Date: 27 September 2022
• Publish Status: Forthcoming
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Cornerstone
• Imprint: Del Rey
• Edition: Waterstones Exclusive
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• Special: Sprayed Edges

Reviews

[thepunktheory]

Full review on my blog!

This was an amazing finish to a really cool trilogy.
As I mentioned in my past reviews, I tremendously enjoyed the first two Scholomance books (A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate), and I’m glad to say #3 is no exception.

First of all, I love that we finally learn something of the world this is set in outside of the very confined space of the school. While there had been talk about the enclaves before it isn’t until now that we really get to see them up close. The world-building within the Scholomance was great, so I simply hoped that wouldn’t crumple once things became more expansive. I’m not gonna lie, there are one or two things I have questions about. The logic isn’t 100% solid on every tiny aspect, but you know what? I can live with 90-95% percent. I don’t want to go into detail as that would constitute massive spoilers but none of the things I noticed were major aspects of the story or the world-building. Rather small details that might not pass up-close inspection, but it’s fine.

The story is well written with a pace that perfectly matches it. We cover *a lot* of ground in this one. We also get several interesting twists. There were a bunch of different ways this could have gone, how the story could have ended. So, while I had some options mapped out in my head, it still came as a surprise to find out what the actual ending would be. I really appreciate it when a writer can do this well. There aren’t a million options because you don’t get info. There are options because that’s how it is in real life. You can’t really tell what will happen! But at the same time, what does happen in the story is consistent with all the things we learned before. Nothing is just a shocker for the sake of shocking the audience. With the tone of the books thus far, I didn’t even know whether we’d get a happy or a sad ending. Both of the options would have been possible and would have matched the prior plot.

[Quirky Cat]

Wow. I can't believe the end (of the series) is already here. It's time to say goodbye to The Scholomance. The Golden Enclaves is the third and final novel in Naomi Novik's series, and I have been dying to see where things go after that wicked cliffhanger from The Last Graduate.

El and her classmates did the unthinkable. They all survived the Scholomance, tearing the very structure down around them in a desperate attempt to make the world better for everyone. Only...things didn't go as planned, and now El is reeling from it all.

Not that she'll be given much time to relax. Something is happening to the Enclaves of the world, and for some reason, everyone has decided that El is the only one that can fix what has gone wrong.

Wow. Wow! I can't believe that The Golden Enclaves ends the trilogy. And yet I wouldn't have asked for it to go any other way. If you've been a fan of this series from the start, you'll love to see how it all ends.

First, let's discuss the elephant in the room. The Last Graduate left us in a horrible place – that cliffhanger was straight-up mean, if I may say so. Naturally, this made the last year a fairly agonizing wait. So, was it worth it? I would have to say: yes. Though I would still have preferred not to suffer like that in the first place, thank you very much.

There was a lot to enjoy from The Golden Enclaves. I love that Novik didn't beat around the bush – we went right back to that horrible moment and got to see El's reaction. No time wasted. I think it's what the readers need to see.

Several plots or elements really caught my attention in this novel. First, everything that is happening with the Enclaves. It's a mess, yet it's also a (darkly) fascinating mess. I've wanted to learn more about the Enclaves since the beginning, and I finally got my wish here.

This leads us to the second interesting point. The magical trolley problem that El found herself in. That was not something I expected from this series! That being said, I love that there are actual consequences to these actions and decisions. They should carry weight, given how much they change.

Overall, I would have to say that I'm delighted with how The Golden Enclaves played out. It had a lot of surprises, but they were all carefully thought out. More importantly, they kept the world and series fascinating until the very last.

Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy