The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

The Last Graduate (The Scholomance, #2)

by Naomi Novik

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The specter of graduation looms large as Naomi Novik’s groundbreaking, New York Times bestselling trilogy continues in the stunning sequel to A Deadly Education.

“The climactic graduation-day battle will bring cheers, tears, and gasps as the second of the Scholomance trilogy closes with a breathtaking cliff-hanger.”—Booklist (starred review)

WINNER OF THE LODESTAR AWARD • HUGO AND LOCUS AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Polygon, Thrillist, She Reads

In Wisdom, Shelter. That’s the official motto of the Scholomance. I suppose you could even argue that it’s true—only the wisdom is hard to come by, so the shelter’s rather scant. 
 
Our beloved school does its best to devour all its students—but now that I’ve reached my senior year and have actually won myself a handful of allies, it’s suddenly developed a very particular craving for me. And even if I somehow make it through the endless waves of maleficaria that it keeps throwing at me in between grueling homework assignments, I haven’t any idea how my allies and I are going to make it through the graduation hall alive. 
 
Unless, of course, I finally accept my foretold destiny of dark sorcery and destruction. That would certainly let me sail straight out of here. The course of wisdom, surely.
 
But I’m not giving in—not to the mals, not to fate, and especially not to the Scholomance. I’m going to get myself and my friends out of this hideous place for good—even if it’s the last thing I do.

With keen insight and mordant humor, Novik reminds us that sometimes it is not enough to rewrite the rules—sometimes, you need to toss out the entire rulebook.

The magic of the Scholomance trilogy continues in The Golden Enclaves

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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Pardon me as I squee, because the new Scholomance novel is finally here! Noami Novik's second Scholomance novel, The Last Graduate, is a book that I have been counting down the days for. This is a dark world that immediately captivated me, and I am not ready to say goodbye anytime soon.

The Scholomance is a place where magical children are sent to be safe. Well, safer. The school is still dangerous as hell, but it has better odds than trying to make it out in the world on your own. As it turns out, there are lots of monsters that love to eat those with magic but no knowledge of how to defend themselves.

El is one such student, and she has made quite the impression in her time here. Mostly on Orion, one of the top students of her class. Yet the time draws nearer for their graduation, and there's no telling how many lives will be lost when that happens. Unless El and Orion have something to say on the matter.

“I couldn’t be his savior; I had enough to do saving myself.”

As a huge fan of the first novel in the Scholomance series, I was absolutely thrilled when I got my hands on the sequel: The Last Graduate. This world is exactly what I picture when I think of a dark magical academy, and with good reason.

First, let's discuss the world. I love the idea of the big bad monsters in the world being SO bad that the safest option is to lock up all the children and hope for the best. It's dark, yes, but also pretty fascinating. It makes for the perfect excuse to throw all of these characters together into such a deadly situation.

Speaking of the characters – yes, please! El changed so much throughout The Last Graduate. I'm so proud of her! I am also proud of many of the secondary characters; including the rest of her team and a few newer characters.

Then there's Orion. For a time there, I was really worried about him. I suppose, in a way, I still am worried about him. We learned a lot about his character in this book, and I feel like at least some of it will explain the cliffhanger that came with the conclusion of A Deadly Education.

That being said, if I thought the cliffhanger from A Deadly Education was bad, I was not emotionally or mentally prepared for the conclusion of The Last Graduate. It hit me SO HARD in all the feels. It was brilliant, intense, and horrifically evil on Novik's part. Now pardon me as I go and pretend that The Golden Enclaves releases soon (September 27, 2022, according to Goodreads, for those curious).

Thanks to Del Rey Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 31 December, 2021: Finished reading
  • 31 December, 2021: Reviewed