I enjoyed A Deadly Education, but I loved The Last Graduate even more! It was so exciting and full of adventure. I was torn between being so excited about seeing how it would end but not wanting it to end! If you are a fantasy fan, I highly recommend this series. I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on book 3!

Whoops requested this thinking it was the 3rd upcoming book. Oh well - have already read and enjoyed it!

The second book in the Scholomance series, this one picks up where the first left off. El is now in her senior year and has to figure out how exactly she's going to survive.

I really enjoyed watching El open up and learn to have friends and care about other people. However grudgingly, she looks after the underclassmen too, and gradually realizes there's some value in relationships that aren't fully transactional.

Looking forward to finding out how things end in the third book!

Great continuation of this fantasy series. Novik’s world building is tight and logical, the characters are multifaceted.

This was a great continuation of the Scholomance series! This is my favorite series of Naomi Novik's, and I really like the expansion of the world and the characters. El continues to be so unlikeable she's likeable, and I loved seeing her relationship with Orion and her friends develop. I'm so excited for The Golden Enclaves later this year!

If you enjoyed Deadly Education, you're sure to love The Last Graduate! Once again, we join El as she battles the monsters of the Scholomance, except this time, she has allies to help out, including Orion, hero extraordinaire. A good foil to El's dark demeanor, Orion just wants to battle monsters and seems indifferent to the looming graduation ceremony. But El is determined to make it out alive with her team and perhaps change the rules in of the Scholomance for good.

So I've just finished reading this and I keep staring at the wall and can't think of anything else… I mean, how am i meant to get over ending like that? I’m so excited for book 2 and so thankful to have received this arc. The reason I’m giving a 4 instead of 5 is a few things that bothered me, the description pages got a little boring, there was a lot of redundant facts and El being grumpy is mentioned way too often. But overall I loved this one as much as the first and can’t wait for the third.

Naomi Novik always brings something special to the worlds that she builds. After reading her stand-alone fiction, I am thrilled to be able to dive into a series at her hand.

This was one of my fave 2021 reads. Magical school? Check! Snarky but lovable MC? Check! Sort of enemies to lovers? Check check check!! I loved how the author further developed the world, the story, and the characters, especially El and Orion, and their slowly growing relationship. I loved how El makes real friends and starts to realize that she doesn’t have to do everything herself but can rely on others. That ending though!!! If you don’t like cliffhangers, and who does really, then you might want to wait til closer publication of the third book. I wish I did :)

I really enjoyed this! I loved getting to see El in the savior role in this book. Naomi Novik knows how to write a cliffhanger that’s for sure, can’t wait for the final book to come out!

While the words "Dark" and "Academia" apply to Novik's Scholomance books, they do so in the truest manner. Absent are the earthy tones and stately ivy-clad walls; in their stead are void spaces in crumbling infrastructure and deadly monsters lurking around each corner that one must pray that one's studies will be sufficient to triumph over. While the prior entry introduced us to the delightfully jaded and misunderstood El and her grudgingly gathered friend/allies, this entry picks up right where the previous installment left off and sets off running.

Those who have not read A Deadly Education will likely find themselves a little lost, so I would recommend reading these books in order. That said, this book pleasantly surprised me with some of the twists and turns; the rapidly moving plot along with more excellent world building coupled with that cliffhanger-ish last page has me anticipating the third entry (coming out later this year; can't wait!)

Thanks to Netgalley to granting me access to this "advanced" readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Graduate delivers. The quick pacing and fantastic detail make this atmospheric read enjoyable from start to finish. And don't even get me started on that ending... when does the next book come out? I'll be first in line to get it.

This is such a great series, and the second book just got better than the first. El matures so much throughout the book, and it's just a great journey. I hate the cliffhanger at the end because I just want to know what happens next. Can't wait until the third book!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this brilliant book

2nd part of this series and wow it just blew my mind away...there is so much going on and though i want to compare it to harry potter because it does in a way remind you of hogwarts and wizards but this is by far a more dangerous place to learn your skills...as daily pupils are killed by monsters lurking about...

alliance's are made and broken during this epic storyline and that ending oh my goodness me... no spoilers but whens the next book in this series....honestly i cant wait....

I loved Novik's first Scholomance book, A Deadly Education, so I was excited to read her sequel, The Last Graduate. This was the rare book where the sequel was as good as, if not better, than the first. El continues to be a multi-faceted, unique protagonist who is easy to root for, and the deepening of her relationship with Orien was realistically measured. I can't wait for the release of the Golden Enclaves!

Oh my goodness, that cliffhanger ending! Can we have the third book, like, yesterday?!?! I’m actually glad I waited so long to read this book because now my wait isn’t as long!

To me, fantasy has always been hit or miss but Naomi Novik always writes a great story, and so far, this series has been no different! She manages to take a sometimes bleak world and make the book fun at the same time. We don’t get as much interaction between El and Orion, but we continue so follow their journeys as they’re fighting against something that could literally kill them.

One thing to remember is that these characters are teenagers, so the angst is a bit heavy handed at times, but it never distracted from the great story.

I’m can’t wait until the next one comes out!

After reading the first book I was obsessed with this series! And Naomi Novik does it again! I got hooked on A Deadly Education, and in this one, the characters showed so much growth - especially El! Her writing style is really nice to get immersed on and I DEVOURED THIS. And this book ends on cliffhanger again! Can't wait to read next book!!!

Can we take a moment to appreciate the cover?! It's so beautiful and simple. I wish the story had been as simple as well. It took me about 100 pages to delve back into the world and even then it felt overcomplicated for some reason (actually it was the descriptions). I kept having to re-read parts and remind myself who was who. Once I got the hang of things, I was able to enjoy the story. I will say that El did not annoy me in this book, unlike in the first book. I look forward to reading the third book.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for providing me with a copy of The Last Graduate.

It's a fantastic book, and it gets you hooked up on it really fast, just like the first one in the series.
If you like books with a lot of world building, this is for you (tho most of it is done in the first book).

The bad thing about the book is El's rambling, since it's from her POV, she rambles A LOT, the books is almost like a diary, and sometimes it feels like a lot of useless information that makes me forget where we were in the story and I need to go back and read a few lines back to remember. But I guess without that the book would have 100 pages instead of the 388.
One thing I LOVE are the characters and the way they interact, I'm all for it. I like El, she's your not so typical heroine, and she acts like a teen, which she is, so even though she thinks A LOT, it's quite endearing. Orion's also great, the more he's character grows, the more I love him. The girls from the alliance are also amazing.
Overall, I really like the series and I'm already excited for the next book..

About the ending: cliffhanger (just like the first one) + predictable ending.

Another wonderful book from Naomi Novik! I really enjoyed A Deadly Education and I think this one is actually better. Lots of growth in the characters, especially El, and brilliant writing as usual. The only negative is that I felt the ending didn't quite stick the landing, but at least it sets up for the next book, which I look forward to reading. Overall this is a great followup in the Scholomance series and I highly recommend it.

Naomi Novik does it again! I got hooked on A Deadly Education, and in this one, the characters showed so much growth - especially El! Her writing style is really nice to get immersed on and I DEVOURED THIS. Now my only issue is that I have to wait until the next one.