Holy crapola Batman! The Last Graduate may have been THE most anticipated sequel on my TBR for 2021 and boy, did it live up to all my hopes and dreams! This book was so much fun that I couldn’t put it down for two days. Every moment of free time I had, I spent with my nose stuffed in the pages of this book (or rather, with eyes glued to my phone).

This picks up hot on the heels of the enigmatic ending of A Deadly Education, where El’s mother sends her a note saying to stay away from Orion Lake. I spent nearly a year wondering what that vague note could have possibly meant. We aren’t given too much time to ponder it and El has little desire to dwell upon it, so we get right into the groove of things. Her senior year has started and it proves to be somewhat… unexpected. Since clearing out the graduation hall and fixing up some machinery, there aren’t many mals attacking people. Orion is devastated of course, because he draws loads of mana from them when he goes all monster slaying hero and he thinks it’s assloads of fun. El on the other hand, seems to be getting the brunt of the mal attacks and she is not amused. The Scholomance seems to have it out for her – she’s in tons of difficult classes, has a weird one all by herself so she can be ambushed, and one where she’s the only senior in a room full of dewy eyed freshmen and mals just keep trying to eat them.

This is how pretty much the whole first half of the book goes – El’s trying to figure out why the school has it out for her, she sneaks peeks at Orion at every chance (while also trying to avoid him??), and she’s blowing up mals. The second half shifts focus quite a bit to graduation preparation, which was rather exciting at first. It did wear on me after some time because it goes on for so long. It never really stopped being fun, I just wanted them to move on to the next big, fun thing. The ending was a real cliffhanger – I mean, absolutely jaw dropping – and I am dying to get my hands on the next book to see how that turns out!

Overall, if you enjoyed the first book, this is more of the same awesomeness with slightly less acting on romantic tendencies and slightly more trying to avoid Orion. Mostly so El doesn’t get all stupid for him right before she’s about to fight for her life. The snark is still present, though somewhat toned down since she’s actually made some real friends, and there’s more focus on her insecurities about having actual friends. It’s loads of fun and I can’t wait to see more reviews as it gets closer to release day! Also, I couldn’t resist adding the hardcovers to my library and pre-ordered this already and picked up A Deadly Education.

Wow, moment of silence for that devastating last line. Grateful The Last Graduate is the sequel in a trilogy. This book hits its stride and voice must faster than A Deadly Education. There’s still some repetitive exposition but you have more context so it reads more endearingly than in the first book. Can’t wait for Book 3.

Magic, Monsters, and Mayhem come together in the sequel to A Deadly Education. This is the second book in the trilogy and picks up immediately after the first one. El is now in her senior year and she is in for one hell of a ride. After barely making it through her junior year she is now prepping along with her friends their ultimate battle plan for dealing with the monsters as their graduation looms over them... but strange things have been occurring, and they have specifically been surrounding El. She is given a schedule that is almost impossible to work with and more monsters have been showing up to attack her while running away from her sort of boyfriend Orion, who is desperate to kill more monsters. In fact, it’s almost as if they school is coming after El, and wants something from her. Soon El and her friends find that their graduation plans are going to have to change and that things are about to get even more hectic as El resolves herself to save everyone and Orion is hellbent on killing every single monster. On top of this, El and Orion have to sort out what they want to do after graduation, specifically where they stand with one another.... and that ending. THAT ENDING HAD ME GASPING BECAUSE I NOW NEED THE NEXT BOOK IMMEDIATELY!!! I NEED TO KNOW HOW THIS ENDS AHHH. This book felt a bit slower for me compared to the intense atmosphere of the first book despite El being more at risk and having this be her graduate year. Maybe its due to the fact that she is now surrounded by more friends and has built an actual support system for herself in this book. I really loved Orion and El’s relationship growth and how they get to know each other more and go out of their way to care for the other despite El being a bit of a mean crank and Orion being a bit of a single goal orientated on just hunting monsters type of guy. They just work in a way that I like, overall this story did not go the way I had expected, especially with the whole graduation arc and what the school actually wanted from El in the end. Their game plan definitely was not something I was expecting after everything happened in the first book and I can’t wait to see how the third book wraps up everything!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I love this series so much, it’s going to take all my will power to exist whilst waiting for the resolution of that cliffhanger. If you love the first book of this series, you’ll find The Last Graduate is equally as appealing. The characters only get more fleshed out, the horrors of the Scholomance get more harried and the emotional roller coaster of the Orion and El saga continues. I am sublimely fulfilled by this installment, but I can’t wait for the next and that’s how you know this series and Naomi Novik is a treasure.

My mind is still reeling after reading this book. Naomi Novik has done this series justice in the absolute masterpiece that is The Last Graduate. The world building in this book was immaculately done in such a way that had me addicted in the first few pages( as if I wasn’t already after A Deadly Education).
El has such amazing character growth in this book and her level of sarcasm is my new personal goal. I’ve heard this series described as a darker version of Harry Potter. Honestly though, this series is so much more than that. Imagine high-grade magic mixed in with Hunger Games and add some snarky romance and this is the book I’ve fallen in love with.
I cannot recommend this book enough and am eagerly waiting for the next installment (and this book isn’t even officially published yet). I cannot fathom how Naomi Novik can top the level of excellence that is this book but I look forward to reading anything else she publishes in the future! I am officially a scholomancer for life.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of THE LAST GRADUATE by Naomi Novik. I literally fist-pumped when I got approved for this book. I loved A DEADLY EDUCATION so much, and Naomi Novik is my idol. This book was also amazing and I'm still reeling in a big way from that cliffhanger ending. I have to wait for another one?? I'm not sure I'm going to make it.
I love the quirky romance in this book between dorky awkward Orion and equally awkward, angry El. I enjoyed watching her continue to grow as a character and watching her mom's influence manifest in a purely El way. I loved watching her take charge and come into her own. Novik sets up her characters so perfectly—they're so flawed but you relate to them and you root for them and she's just a master at it. She also sets it up so when the plot twists come they're completely inevitable and painful. I just admire everything about the way she writes. Everyone go read her books! Now!

First, I was given this copy in exchange for an honest review.

OMG yes! I LOVE Naomi Novik and all her work. I was first introduced to her with Uprooted. It is now my absolute favorite book. This book does not disappoint in the slightest.

I love the description of the school. The atmosphere she creates in this magical world is fantastic. Kids that are thrown together but only looking out for themselves, a school that both teaches and kills, magic that helps heals and hurts, and a system that has been around for a long time.

El is so well written. I love her character. She starts off in the first book completely alone and always skeptical of others. We see her grow and gain a team. In this book, we get to see her friendships truly deepen and grow. We also get to see her make even more friends. I love how absolutely bad ass she is. The fact that she could easily deplete the malia of EVERYONE in the school with barely a sweat. Once her secret gets out, people start to fight over her for her to be on their side.

I really enjoyed getting to know more of the characters from the first. I also enjoyed the new plot. The school WANTS her to go evil. It wants her to start draining other kids. It sets up such a great and amusing story line of just constant attacks and constant "food" being dangled in front of her.

Absolutely 10/10 this is an amazing series.

What a rude ass way to end a book. Straight up I don’t know if this has an actual ending or a cliff hanger for another book in the series.

So keeping spoiler free here, I loved the wildness of the first book and all the world building and odd rules and mana logic. That’s kept at exactly the same caliber with much more… gloss over. Action scenes are mentioned in passing a lot and for 70% of the book everyone is building up alliances and strategy for the graduation run to escape until the plans change pretty last minute. I was itching for a little more variety this time around. I was expecting more bigger better new things for this sequel, especially to find out life after graduation.

Overall though, it was a lot of fun again and I love how grouchy the main character is on her quest to be good. The little romance wasn’t annoying either. And again, this needs to be a video game. PLEASE. I also sincerely hope there is another book in the series or an epilogue somewhere. THAT LAST PAGE THO.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very strong continuation of the Scholomance. I found some of El's character in the first book got a bit annoying, but most of that drops off in this book which was refreshing. Ending was fantastic, start/middle got a bit muddled and was wondering if he school's actions and motivations actually made sense, but the strong ending made me not care if it did or not.

The ending somehow caught me by terrible surprise, and I’m sure other readers share in my misery. Perhaps a prequel that gives more insight to Orion is in our future? I hope this isn’t the end.

This series really throws you into a fantastical world. The endless types of mals give off great Harry Potter beast vibes and I’m here for it.

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Posted to Goodreads on 7/21/21.

I loved the first Scholomance book, A Deadly Education, and the second installment of this series definitely did not disappoint! The story picks right up where the last one left off and follows El, a scrappy, sarcastic and secretly powerful wizard during her final year in the Scholomance, a school for young wizards.

The story built on the relationships that El had begun to build during the first book, including with Orion Lake, as we try to unravel the mystery of the ominous warning at the end of the first book. It also introduced a diverse cast of new characters for us to discover and provided more context for the events occurring in the outside world. There is also plenty of scheming, backstabbing and forming of alliances, as well as battles with dark monsters and evil spells.

What I love most about this book, though, is the main character, El. She is so human in her emotions in her flashes of anger, fear, self-doubt as well as her moments of compassion, ambition and love, and the author describes her internal conflicts and personal growth in such a relatable way. I also enjoyed watching her friendships grow as she slowly learned to let people in instead of shutting them out.

The pace of the book was a little slow in the beginning, but it gave me a nice way to ease back into the world of the Scholomance. The story built up nicely as the book progressed, with multiple threads coming together at the end. I really enjoy the writing style and the subtle ways in which the author brought up philosophical questions and moral quandaries that we all grapple with in our own way in our everyday lives.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to fans of dark academia, fantasy and strong female characters.

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am leaving a review voluntarily.

HERE. FOR. IT. I'm obsessed with this world. The alliances, action scenes, the incredible attention to detail particularly in regards to the world building, and general badassery all just work for me. I've read some reviews where people mentioned that the technical details of spells bogged things down for them but I am the *exact* opposite. I think it's amazing--to make magic as technical and scientific sounding as it does in this world is just a testament to the author's brilliant writing and imagination.

Warning: if cliffhangers fill you with rage (I don't get it, but you do you) then wait until book three is out before starting this one.

I. Am. OBSESSED. with this series. I devoured this book, and am kicking myself for requesting an ARC from Netgalley because now I have to wait EVEN LONGER for the next volume. Novik's worldbuilding only got better in this volume, as did the character development. I didn't see the ending coming, and I cannot recommend this series more highly for people who like low fantasy.

Excellent continuation of this enthralling new series. Novik's writing is funny, tense, evocative, and absolutely original. The characters shine - El is a smart and powerful protagonist and Orion is one of the most interesting and heartwarming characters I've read in a while. Readers will be thrilled to return to the world of The Scholomance, finding it more dangerous, magical, and captivating than ever.

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik is the second title in the Scholomance series. These books are quickly becoming favorites, books I look forward to rereading and consuming in their various formats (print and audio). The way the books play with the magical school trope is so entertaining. And what if the most powerful student isn't inherently good, but instead has to spend all of her energy trying not to be villainous? And at the same time, she is dealing with issues every teenager goes through. As well as other issues very specific to wizard kids going to a school that's trying to kill them. A very good, fast-paced read.

The second installment in the series about the Scholomance, a dangerous and disturbing school for wizards and mages on an alternate Earth where magic is part of the world and magicians are hunted by flesh- and spirit-eating monsters finishes the tale of El and Orion's graduation. But it doesn't stop there: El, Orion, and the others take on the whole Scholomance itself.

I love El's voice and her wry, sarcastic humor - even if some of it is a bit heavy on the teenage drama. El grows up a lot in this one, and it was fun to watch her finally embed in a group and work together with the other students. I'm really looking forward to the next part of the story.

What a great follow up to a dark YA fantasy perfect for those who read Harry Potter growing up and now look for the dark and mature-ish fanfic. I understand the backlash with the first one, and I am happy to say that this one makes efforts to improve those missteps and I felt that this book did well enough to correct those.

I was a huge fan of A Deadly Education so I was SO incredibly excited when I saw this ARC available on NetGalley. The Last Graduate did not disappoint even a bit! The world Naomi Novik has built within this series is so fascinating and Gal is such a relatable character.

I love how the romance between Gal and Orion is being played out, it's necessary for them to stay apart but god it's so painfully hard! The end was a freaking CLIFFHANGER and I'm already anxiously awaiting the next installment.

5/5 would absolutely recommend if you're into magical/fantasy at all! A wonderful story with amazing world building and character development.

This is a fast paced, fun YA horror novel, and I devoured this book so quickly that I want to go back and read the first book, A Deadly Education, and this one again at a more leisurely pace. The Last Graduate picks up just a few minutes after the ending of A Deadly Education, so it is a good idea to read A Deadly Education first. If you liked the first book, you will love the second. We get El's snarky voice and watch her evolve from an outsider to a powerhouse and leader as she and all the other students plot graduation battle strategies. I liked seeing her development and how her relationships changed, not just with Orion and Aadhya but with the rest of the school as well. We also get a deeper look at the world and its politics, about the social and political hierarchy within their magical world. While I thought A Deadly Education set up an interesting illustration of class, highlighting the differences between the haves and have nots within the school, The Last Graduate pulls in the world outside and shows how these forces affect everyone within the Scholomance. El evolves a lot from thinking about not just her own small circle of friends to thinking about the wider world and how to change the status quo to be better for everyone. Highly recommend and I can't wait to read the third and final book in the trilogy.

If I could only read one book this year, this had to be the one. Naomi Novik is a stellar author, and her character of El (short for Galadriel) is a complex and nuanced protagonist that had me cheering for her throughout. Having survived the grueling battle at the end of "A Deadly Education", former outcast El is now a senior, has found a team, and friends.. But with so few students dead in the last year, the school itself seems to be out to get her, and a disaster has struck outside the school which might have changed the balance of power in the magical world forever. As the final battle of Graduation looms ever nearer, El finds herself tested constantly, forced to weigh survival against dreaming of a better future she might not live to see.