Much like the first book in series I wasn’t really sure what was going on because so much is going on and it is both overwhelming and underwhelming all at the same time. That makes zero sense, but just trust me.

The first half of the book was pretty on par with what I expected after everything that happened in book one. El is in her final year at scholomance the school seems to be targeting her directly now, and she’s trying to survive what it dishes out while protecting some newbs.

But the last half… Buckle the fuck up y’all!!!!! I wasn’t expecting any of that, and that ending??????????

This was such an engrossing read. It completely sucked me in from start to finish! El is in her last year at the killer magic school and the school seems to be out to get her like she has a target on her back! El would like to try and focus on graduation, but instead she’s defending herself and some new freshmen from maleficaria. This is an action packed, entertaining second book full of the sarcasm I loved in the first one. But that ending!!! Ahhhh!!

Naomi Novik is a master of fantasy and this book os no exception. Every time I read one of her books, I am amazed at the worlds she is able to create.

The second book in the Scholomance series starts on the first day of senior year. El’s mother has warned her to stay away from Orion, the school seems to be out to get El and they have graduation to prepare for.

The year starts out the way it has every year with the Scholomance impeding El's every move. The stakes are higher and the tension is greater as the students form their graduation alliances. I am in awe at the world of magic Novik created in just two books. I loved this book and wish that I had read it a little slower because now I have to wait that much longer.

Fair warning, the ending of this book had me scream out loud and practically throwing the book against the wall. Don’t say I didn’t warn you but it was worth every second. When does the third book come out?

This series can be summed up as "El is altruistic and really grumpy about it."

If you liked the first book, you'll like this one too. It feels like part two of A Deadly Education rather than its own separate installment, which is no bad thing.

It's hard to talk about much without giving things away. Some vague explorations of plot and themes below.

The high stakes and timeline are clearly defined so the tension stays high. The central challenges in this book (and the solutions El and company come up with) were NOT the ones I would have predicted and I love that. The amount of worldbuilding logic Novik has put into this series still blows my mind. While the tone is just as dark and grisly as the previous book, there's enough snarky humor and hopeful friendship to help cut through it.

There's a thoughtful exploration of privilege here, and how those in power have just accepted that a certain number of "have nots" will need to be sacrificed because "that's just the way it is." Or is it? The Scholomance is a nearly self-contained microcosm of the real world, a mini global ecosystem where its inhabitants start to realize that they, collectively, have the ability to try things a different way. Who bears the cost, and can such ideals be applied outside of a magical puzzle box floating in the void?

I do have some complaints: This time El's stream of consciousness exposition-ing occasionally intruded too much. When a pages-long explanation occurred in a conversation, by the time the next person responded I would have to flip back to remind myself what was even being talked about.

As much as I love most of Novik's work overall, none of her romances have really landed for me, this series included. Orion is sort of an enigma (despite some explanation about why he is The Way He Is) but he does not feel entirely "real" to me the way El does, even after two books. I was also annoyed at having to skip over some sexual content.

I could dock a star but I had so much fun racing through this book that I just don't want to.

I have a pretty good sense of where things are headed for book 3 and I'm excited about it, but knowing Naomi Novik there's definitely going to be some twists I do not foresee...

i've been a devoted fan of novik since uprooted, and have been having the best time with her scholomance series. it's so original and strange, and the voice is really distinctive. (admittedly, i found el a really annoying narrator for a good chunk of the read, but once i adjusted, i had a great time). so excited about this one!

What a wonderful compelling sequel to A Deadly Education! The ending left me wanting more and wondering if there will be a third book in the series!

Novik's second story in the Scholomance series left something to be desired. While I did enjoy being back in the world with my favorite dark heroine El, I couldn't help but constantly skip pages and think to myself "ugh there is SO much filler"

If you loved the first one you may enjoy this read too. There is still a lot of random info dumping as well as tangent thinking; however, the story progresses in a nice manner.

The ending IS a shocking cliffhanger and i'm still reeling from it because I did not enjoy this book enough to pick up a copy of the third book. you have been warned.

Wow! If you liked A Deadly Education, you'll love the Last Graduate. This was an excellent sequel.

Ok, so the first book ends in a cliffhanger, which is immediately resolved. I won't tell you how, but one way or another, things work out....or don't.

The last book had to do a lot of worldbuilding and didn't have loads of plot, but this book, much of the worldbuilding having been taken care of, gets a bit more in the plot department. And it's a masterclass in character development. El, who grew a lot in the first one, grew in ways I never saw coming in this one. And gosh, my love for the character grew in leaps and bounds as well. The side. characters continue to be a lot of fun, and Precious is...well...precious.

This was so much fun. I will tell you that it ends in a cliffhanger that puts the book 1 cliffhanger to shame (which is to say, it's massive), and I'm going to be on pins and needles waiting for the last book. What a fun read! If you liked the first one, the sequel is absolutely not to be missed. 5 stars. I loved it.

The Last Graduate picks up right where A Deadly Education left off: with our protagonist El in the Scholomance, staring down at a message from her mother which warns her to stay far away from Orion Lake, a heroic fellow student whom she somewhat begrudgingly calls a friend (and whom, according to everyone but El herself, she is currently dating.)

Novik excels at creating interesting and fully-formed, three-dimensional characters. One of the most compelling things about El is that she’s constantly struggling against her darker impulses. She has a natural affinity for destruction and the use of malia, but she resists because – though at first she may claim otherwise - she genuinely wants to be a good person, and she finds the strength to do what’s right instead of what’s easy. The peripheral characters are also well fleshed out. I really adored the friendship between El, Aadhya and Liu, seeing how well they complement each other and how much that relationship means to them after so long fending for themselves.

I think I liked this better than the first installment. I did listen to the audio of the first one, though, so maybe that has something to do with why I liked it less, even though I don’t remember having any specific problem with the narrator when I read book one. Or it could be because there was a little less time spent on infodumps. The pacing was a bit uneven in this one, but I appreciated the character and relationship development, and the worldbuilding felt more solid (I found it a little wobbly in the first book, less so in this one. I’m not sure why.)

This book ends on a hell of a cliffhanger, so if that’s not something you can stomach, maybe wait for book three before you continue the trilogy.

Representation: Many people of color, and strong women. A number of the major characters are kick-ass women of color, and I’m HERE FOR IT. Also, queer relationships between minor characters.

TW: consensual sex (nothing too spicy, but slightly above standard YA content)

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Graduate picks up where we last left El, inside the Scholomance trying to make it through her senior year. When the school starts putting El in precarious and dangerous situations, is it trying to take her out, or prepare her for what's to come next?

These characters are such fun to visit. They all have their place in the Scholomance and absolutely shatter those expectations. Orion is more of a secondary character in this book, which left me wishing for more of him, but the expansion on the others surrounding El was well worth the exchange. My one massive gripe with this book AND it's predicessor is how repetitive and unnecessarily drawn out some explanations are. You have a 50 page chapter where almost nothing happens, followed by another one where only the beginning and ending 5 pages actually matter. It can get a bit maddening.

Four stars for our second trip to one of my favorite dark academia tales, just prepare for one hell of a hangover and cliffhanger. I recommend this for anyone 14+ who can hang on through some drawn out and repetitive chapters for a great payoff in the end.

A book I had to read all in one day because I couldn't put it down. Fast-paced and filled with dark sarcastic humor that just thrills my New England born and raised heart, the main character El is the most likeable and relatable grumpy person ever. The school itself is a character that is both sinister and beloved. The persistent hope that shines despite all the darkness is just so lovely to read.
Also, beware the dreaded cliffhanger ending! The first book in the series did that to us and this one does as well. Novik has an evil heart and I am enraged while also waiting with baited breath for the next in the series.

The upsetting thing about getting an ARC of this book is that I now have to wait even longer for the third. This picks up straight where A Deadly Education leaves off. El is still getting used to having friends and decides, instead of accepting that most of the graduating class dying in graduation is normal, that she and Orion will save everyone. El and Orion's relationship is well done, though I was very frustrated with El for being so stubborn, and I loved the general optimism of a graduating class reluctantly working together in order to make it through alive. We learn more about enclaves and the politics behind them, as well as more of Orion's backstory. All in all, this is a very solid follow-up to A Deadly Education and I'm now on tenterhooks for the third book. It can't come soon enough!

The second book in Novik's "The Scholomance" series, "The Last Graduate" follows El, Orion, and company as they plan to graduate the Scholomance with their lives intact. This book was great fun to read and ends on a true cliffhanger. Perfect for fans of Novik's other work or "Vita Nostra" by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko.

Book 2 in Naomi Novik’sThe Scholomance series is coming out in September and I have been not so patiently waiting for it’s releases since I read A Deadly Education last year. I think Novik is an incredibly Imaginative writer who does a wonderful job of world building and creating unique

characters.

A DEADLY EDUCATION REVIEW

El and the gang are back for their senior year. Set with Novik’s impressive world building, and packed with action this book will keep you on the edge of your seat. I ended up binging this one in one sitting, and then couldn’t go to sleep, because THAT ENDING!I cannot believe we got left with such a massive CLIFF HANGER. Fair warning you may want to wait to read book 2 until book 3 comes out!

I thought Novik did a wonderfully job of growing her characters throughout the first book, and she continues evolving not just our main character, but all of the characters in this one as well. I also appreciate Novik’s protrayal of the Orion/El love story. I also grew to really enjoy many of our secondary characters.

When you think about this school, where parents send their magical children to learn, with the knowledge that they have a 25% or less chance of Graduating or getting out alive, it’s a pretty scary scenario. But the alternative for many is keeping them home where they have an even higher probability of not making it to adulthood. This scenario breeds complex characters, who know what their chances of survival are, but still make a effort to protect their siblings, cousins, other relatives. The story, especially in The Last Graduate, is such an intense look at the human psyche. Even though looking out for others makes you vulnerable especially in a school such as this one, we as a society continue to look after our young or those less experienced or weaker than us. Generally with the result that more survive when we work collectively. Since this is a YA series, I think this would be a great book for teenagers to read to gain that understanding. I digress.

I knocked half a star off because I did think the book could have been a little shorter. There was one point about midway through the story, that I was ready to get to the big action and thought ‘hurry up already’. It was a fleeting thought and even though this will probably be my favorite read of August, it’s not something I can ignore.

4.5 big stars for this book and I cannot wait til next year when we get to read the still untitled book #3!. I mean how am I going to survive another whole year with that Cliff Hanger! If you enjoyed A Deadly Education, or you are looking for a great, somewhat dark story revolving around a magical school, than this series is for you.

The Last Graduate comes out September 28, 2021. Huge thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, and Del Rey Books for my advanced copy for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, but I did not expect how much I would enjoy being back in the Scholomance world. It was a fun read and I read it over two days. If you liked the first book you'll probably like this one. If you were annoyed in the first book by how slow it was and how much exposition it had--you're not going to be any happier with this book. I enjoyed the first book despite its flaws and feel the same way about The Last Graduate. I'm looking forward to the next book.

DNF 80%
I wanted to love this book so much. I ADORED A Deadly Education. The MC? freakin' awesome. The mals? *chef's kiss*. What killed me with this one, is that it dragged and dragged. I felt like I just kept waiting for the side characters to show some development, for El and Orion to DO SOMETHING remotely romantic, for their plans to fully make sense. In comparison to the first book, this one just seemed tangled and although it was really trying, it just couldn't, untangle itself. Eventually, I was picking it up less and less, and finally not at all. Maybe in the future, I'll reread both the first and this one back to back and it will have some more spark to it in my mind. I still love Naomi Novik, and would still recommend this series, but with caution that you have a clear head and some focus!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title!

OMG this book was amazing! I love how everything is described, it feels like I could be walking down the halls of the Scholomance with El dodging death, and learning all kinds of spells and magic.
I love El, she is as snarky as ever and the thoughts she has, and the ways she talks just makes me laugh.. I would have definitely been friends with her.. or tried to if she let me.. She is so used to being alone that even after she made some friends and alliances she is still expecting everyone to walk away..but everyone to her surprise stands by her.. We get alot more from the other characters this time around, I loved getting more about all of them.
Now at the beginning of the new school year, no one knows if what they did in the previous book actually worked, and if any of the graduating seniors actually made it out alive.. and it seems like the school is out to get El... She has a ton of hard, involved classes, and is having mals attack her left and right.. Leaving her with almost no time to prepare for her own graduation run.. Then they are all preparing for the run, and El is proving how much all the students need her and each other. not just the alliances they have made. When this whole thing takes a Turn! everything goes upsidedown and the goal changes.. I loved it!! I also love the growing relationship between El and Orion.. They are so weirdly perfect for each other.. and just when we thought that it was going to maybe?.... possibly?... ok im sure we all knew that it wasn't going to work out for everyone.. and that ending!! OMG I dont know how im going to be able to wait for the next book.. I really love this series, its definitely one of my favorite YA Fantasty series and can't wait for my physical copy that I preordered as soon as I could gets delivered..

I received an ARC from Random House via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Graduate picks up immediately after Deadly Education and jumps quickly into frantic prep for Graduation. While all the focus was on training and strategizing, it didn't feel repetitive or start to lack urgency halfway through. In fact, every time it seemed like El and her friends had figured out a foolproof strategy for graduation, the school threw a wrench in their plans and they were back at square one.

The female friendships, the romance between El and Orion, and the new alliances that were formed were all so good and developed in unexpected ways. I also loved that we got more of a backstory for our secondary characters (Orion, Aad, and Liu) as well as their hopes for after graduation, which made this feel like more of an ensemble. The new characters that were introduced were also amazing! Liesel and Alfie were scene stealers and I hope we get more of them in the final book.

Overall, I thought this was even better than the first book, as it was way more focused and the stakes felt considerably higher. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this cliffhanger was even more agonizing than the previous one and I can't wait for the final book.

***3.5*** Naomi Novik brings forth her sophomore effort in the Scholomance series. All the students are seniors now and the school is even deadlier than before but what happens when El starts to suspect the school maybe out to get just her? This book picks up right where A Deadly Education left off, thrusting El into a new dangers, new relationships and new roles at the school.

I enjoyed The Last Graduate but I found it much like the first one, entirely too full of exposition and El’s external monologue. This book is at least a hundred pages longer than it needs to be. Half of the book is El rambling about literally whatever subject she comes across. With that said, I still loved her snark and internal conflict regarding her “feelings” for the other students. El takes on a role simpler to Orion in the last book and starts protecting the other students around her and not just her friends Liu and Aadhya. Her growth in this book is both comical and appreciated, as she learns to become a little selfless and work as part of a team. Orion for his part is much the same, still displaying himbo energy with a single focus on killing mals. In this book we do learn why he’s so determined to kill them and he does show El his feelings for her. The development of their relationship was the highlight of the book for me as I had grown quite attached to them during my read of ADE.

The plot of TLG focuses a lot on expanding the world, the growing of alliances and enclave politics take center stage, as well, this part was particularly interesting to me as I want more world-building outside of the Scholomance itself. I found the pacing to be a bit stunted, the first fifty percent of the book is super slow with endless information, and the last fifty percent of the book was so action packed you needed to hold on to your seat. I loved that Novik takes the time to give her side characters some depth and a little back story. Liu and Aadhya become more fleshed out characters and I really enjoyed El’s familiar Precious.

Overall, if you liked A Deadly Education you will probably like this book, as well. Much of the same things present in the last book are present here, mals, magic and mischief. This book ends on a huge cliffhanger that will definitely leave you staggering. I am both excited and anxious for the conclusion. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The worldbuilding and writing style are 100% just as good as in the first book! I love the Scholomance so much--top-notch dark academia right there--and it was great to be back! And the El-does-monologues-and-is-sort-of-a-reliable-but-also-unreliable-narrator things...absolutely love.

Again, the plot, it is great! Twisty! And with logical distortions and un-distortions that made me have to think hard while I was tired! (Which. A good thing, just to be clear.) The ending was again a cliffhanger, actually with the cliffhanger from book 1 still not all the way resolved but in such a way that I'm not rabidly clamoring for the next book, just low-key waiting for it to come out.

So! El! Was! Great! HER FREAKING ARC IN THIS BOOK WHAT. I just...love it. I love her sass and sarcasm and the sheer amount of tired energy coming off of her at all times. *Minor spoiler* The way she just takes that entire freshman group under her wing even though she doesn't want to...<3 <3 <3 *end spoilers* I just...love this girl very much. The whole not-going-to-be-a-dark-sorcerer-sorry thing? Still amazing.

Also, Aad and Liu are cool. Underrated, probably, but cool. *nods*

The way Novik deals with large groups of people, i.e. the entire senior grade of Scholomance, was very, very impressive. Enough people were developed enough for you to feel like you knew them, but not so much that you were overwhelmed by the huge cast.

My one disappointment here was Orion. It seemed like Novik was *trying* to do stuff with his character, and it kind of succeeded close to the end (more or less), but he really wasn't on page all that often, which is fine--he's not my favorite character--but you can't have a character off the page most of the time and then expect to grow them in the last few chapters.

Okay, here's where it gets controversial. And/or just disappointing, so there's that. Even though El herself had a whole lot of growth through the book, Elrion or whatever you want to call the ship had v e r y little development, with El avoiding Orion for very little reason, and then suddenly towards the end they're like 'welp, might as well get in bed together before graduation', and ??? did I miss something? Because that is Not A Well-Written Romance, and I Do Not Approve. Just saying. (Disclaimer: for anyone who hasn't read my blog before, I am a romance curmudgeon with strong opinions. And also a romantic. Very Chestertonian--seemingly paradoxical but really not.)

Also, there were a couple of same-gender romances (with side characters) which I did not appreciate.

And one weird moment where El is commenting on the absolute starvation it is to have no physical relationships with other people. And?? Not starvation, El. Sorry to break it to you. Chastity and continence and celibacy are all very do-able.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for NetGalley/Goodreads