The Last Graduate picks up right where A Deadly Education left off. Not knowing whether they were truly able to fix the cleansing equipment in the graduation hall, El and the other seniors must prepare for graduation as if their lives depended on it because, well, they do. Alliances are shored up, plans are made, and classes continue. Despite her mother's warning, El finds herself closer to Orion than ever. With her incredible - albeit dark and destructive - power and his ability to kill mals, they make an unstoppable pair. This gives El a radical idea...What if she can save them? What if, together, she and Orion can get them all out?

I have to say I thought A Deadly Education was better. The biggest problem with this book was that Novik relied on exposition rather than scene. She was telling rather than showing. There were some informational tangents that went on for so long that I forgot where I was at the start. I just wanted more interaction between the characters. However, The Last Graduate moves the story forward enough and ends on such an insane cliffhanger that you'll be desperate for the next book.

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik is the second book in her Scholomance Trilogy. It is a worthy sequel to the first book, A Deadly Education. Like the first book, I was utterly sucked in and could not put the book down! The Last Graduate continues the story of the students of the scholomance, and we learn more about the characters and the school
itself. The book features a diverse and fascinating cast of characters, and the story moves along quickly and kept me thoroughly engaged. I am eagerly awaiting the third book!
4.5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik will be published on September 29, 2021.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing / DelRey for the eARC.

This series has only gotten better with the newest edition. The Last Graduate is unique and keeps you engaged through the whole book. Definitely recommended for adults that miss those late nights reading the newest Harry Potter.

Hurrah! The second in the Scholomance series does not disappoint in the least. There are none of the second book issues here, (such as being essentially filler and/or setting up for more action in subsequent books). There is plenty of action and character growth, all of it completely in line with how the series started. In other words, Novik provides continuity in the world that has already been created, from characters to the external and, more often than not, hazardous obstacles that they continue to face.
One aspect of both books 1 and 2 (that I failed to mention in my first review) were not only how the author both illustrates teenage angst, emotions, impulsivity etc….but also uses the situations in the book to highlight these characterizations.
Finally, while the ending may be the most controversial aspect of the book, I for one bought into it completely. This book was a pleasure to read.

I feel emotionally shredded after finishing this book. Fair warning, Novik leaves us with another crazy cliffhanger! What I loved about this book were the dramatic character arcs. While I loved El and Orion in "A Deadly Education," there were still aspects of their personalities and backgrounds I didn't understand. Orion's character is fully developed now and I absolutely fell in love with his story. His monologue near the end of the book almost brought me to tears. I'm crossing my fingers that Novik doesn't kill him off!

As for El, I love her more now than ever before. The best way to describe El is a teenage Maleficent. She's snarky, strong-willed, and crazy smart. I honestly want to be her best friend and help her take over the world. I can't wait to see her reunite with her mom and travel the world. Also, I didn't think I could ship her with Orion more than I already did, but wow, they are one of my favorite fictional couples now.

The only reason I didn't rate this book higher is that I felt it could've been at least a hundred pages shorter. The middle part dragged so much that I almost stopped reading the book. However, the ending was so phenomenal that it turned everything around. Also, I got the feeling that Novik kept hinting at all the possible ways the school was magical, almost personifying it with a personality we haven't seen yet, but that plotline didn't really go any way. I'm hoping we get some clarification in the final book!

Last year’s A Deadly Education kicked off author Naomi Novik’s new Scholomance series with a bang. One of the best fantasy books of 2020, it introduced us to a whole new kind of magical boarding school saga, one with a difficult, often unlikeable heroine and plenty of deadly monsters lurking in air shafts to eat unsuspecting students.

Second installment The Last Graduate takes the story to the next level, asking thornier moral questions, broadening its scope, and showing us an El Higgins in the midst of transformation – into a true friend, a determined leader, and maybe even someone capable of changing the world.

It’s senior year for El’s class at the Scholomance and just because she survived the magical cleansing of the graduation hall during last year’s ceremonies and made it back to take her final round of classes doesn’t mean she’s safe – or guaranteed a future. As her class stares down the barrel of their own hall full of hungry malificaria that means only a fraction of the group will survive graduation day, El must decide what she’s willing to do to make sure that she and her chosen allies make it back to the real world.

Unfortunately, the Scholomance seems to have it out for El more than ever in her final year, pushing her to her breaking point often enough to make one wonder: Does the Scholomance want El to embrace her inner dark sorceress and fulfill the prophecy that says she’s meant to destroy the enclaves of the world? Or is it trying to teach her something else in her last days as a student? And if so, what?

Novik’s world of the Scholomance feels more fully realized here than ever before, which may leave readers to feel – as I certainly did – that you’d happily spend a lot more time in this weird world of sentient air vent slime and kids doing their best in a world that’s asking far too much of them.

Truly one of the best fantasy series out there right now, and it’s not close.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

Much anticipated and well worth the wait, this book picks up immediately after the previous book in this series. We see Galadriel (aka "El") continuing to figure out how to deal with more normal relations and interactions with the rest of her schoolmates. Now in her senior year, her goals are to pass her classes, deal with a budding romance and then survive the graduation process along with her classmates. If you loved the first book (my favorite fantasy of 2020), this book should be among your must-reads for this year. And the ending of this one leaves no doubt that there will be at least one more book in this delightful series.

I enjoyed this book, but it was not exceptional. The writing was expository and the story felt superficial. I adored the first book, but it felt like the author set us up for a second book and then got bored with the series. The ending of the first book wasn't well tied in to the second book, although I loved how abruptly the second book ended.

I loved the first one so much and I loved this one so much and I regret reading it when the third one isn't out yet because how am I supposed to wait?????

I'm glad to see that Novik clearly added some sensitivity readers - I didn't note (although certainly I may have missed something) any of the lazy and biased cultural mistakes that she was so correctly panned for on the first book. I'm glad, because this continues to be a page turning trilogy - I read it in two days and now I'm heartbroken that I won't find out what happens until book 3!

Give me more now! I loved this. Devoured it way too fast. El would be a standard "I can't have friends" heroine, except she realizes how dumb that would actually be, so friends! And adventure! And saving everyone's collective butts. I don't think I've ever come across a chosen-one story where the lead character was actually so sensible, rude, sure, but sensible. Alliances to survive, sure, but it doesn't mean I agree with you. I just love her so much. If you even had a tiny bit of affection for the first book in this series, you will eat this up and then stare hopelessly at a wall while we all wait for the next one.

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik is an excellent fantasy fiction novel that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

This is the second book of the Scholomance series and starts immediately where the first book (which is epic by the way) A Deadly Education left off.

This is amazing, gripping, entertaining, and I loved it! El is awesome and the chemistry with Orion is spot on. The mystery, suspense, and oh the cliffhanger!!!!! are all right up my alley.

I cannot wait until I find out what happens in the next book! Ugh!!!!!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Del Ray/Random House for this awesome arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

The first book of the Scholomance series “Deadly Education” is my favorite book of 2021, and the second book in the series reaffirmed the Scholomance series as one of my all time favorites. Readers who enjoyed the first book will also enjoy this book.

This book picks up right where the last book ended. The second book takes place over an entire year compared to the first book only going over the last 2 weeks of the school year. Although I would have loved more details about the school and El and Orion’s school life, I didn’t feel like the pacing was rushed. This second book allows readers to see a complete year at the Scholomance which I really enjoyed.

The writing style from the first book continues mostly into this book. I love Novik’s extensive foreshadowing that is sneaked into El’s long rants about the school and it’s students and into the students' daily conversations in the first book. This style of writing continues into the second book. One of my favorite aspects about this series is how extensively thought out it is. Some reviewers didn’t enjoy El’s heavy info dumps and ranting in the first book. Novik still tries to cram as much information into this book as possible, but this book is a lot less rant-y and more action-y.

The biggest change to the writing is because El is a very different character and is in a completely different situation from the first book. There are a lot more conversations and group moments in this book than the first. El is an active part of the school rather than just an angry observer. We also learn more about Orion. It was very interesting to get a glimpse on how he views the world and how the world views him. I hope Orion gets the character growth he so desperately needs in the third book. El and Orion’s relationship is beautiful, and I wish they had more scenes together. I missed their banter in this book.

The side characters also received a lot of development which was much needed from the first book. Aadhya, Liu, Chloe, Alfie, Nkoyo, Cara, and Ibrahim all returned in this book, and we got to know them a lot better. We also got to know a bunch of new characters, but Precious is the best. I found a lot of the new characters stepped up into the roles of the seniors from the last book. This may be a nod to the theory of balance, and El’s comments about how no one is truly that special at the Scholomance (even her and Orion), but I may be overthinking this.

The cliffhanger is a killer. I hope the third book comes soon.

I know that opinions vary on A Deadly Education, but it was EXACTLY tailored to my tastes -- I loved the blend of cranky monologue, reluctant hero, and slow-burn developing friendships. I thought the school was a pretty on-the-nose metaphor for the horrors of late capitalism, as well. All of this is to say that if you liked A Deadly Education, I think you'll like The Last Graduate, and if you didn't... you won't? The stakes expand somewhat, but the whole book still takes place within the confines of the Scholomance, and aside from getting to know some new characters, you're still dealing with the same people. Not complaining -- "more of the same" was great for me since I loved the first book! That said, the cliffhanger at the end of book two is even worse than book one, just FYI.

The Last Graduate picks up right where A Deadly Education ends with Freshman induction, and El getting a note from her Mom. Now that El is a senior and has an alliance, they all need to survive until July and Graduation, hoping that the fix made holds till then. But things are a bit strange this year. El has homeroom with a bunch of Freshmen and seems to be a target. But what seems to be is not always what is as El finds out. The situation has changed, and the Schoolmance seems to be acting weird. Surviving to Graduation seems not to be in the cards unless the whole school does the opposite of normal and starts working together. Will El, Orion, Liu, and Aadhya come up with a plan that draws everyone in or will disaster overtake them on Graduation Day? Read and find out in this twisting tale of a very strange educational experience!

Novik has created another exceptional end to a unique saga. Senior year in the Schoolmance has always been something to survive, literally. But the students of El's class are heading to graduation unsure if their efforts to clear the graduation hall of the deadliest creatures actually worked. The unknown is compounded when the school seems to be out to get El by sending the vicious mals her way at every opportunity. Will El and her classmates survive to see their families?
With a strong female voice, The Last Graduate, keeps readers on their toes as the characters face external trouble and internal dilemmas.

A Deadly Education left me a bit wanting but excited for the potential of this series, and I think The Last Graduate really delivered. The pacing was a bit slower in the beginning but by the second half of the novel, it really picks up and went in a direction I definitely did not expect.

I enjoyed El in The Last Graduate more so than I did in A Deadly Education. She’s grown so much from the prickly girl from before, but she still has that cutting wit that is so her. El and Orion’s relationship also progresses more, and I really enjoyed them as a couple.

The ending was insane! So, prepare yourself for quite the cliff hanger. I am absolutely desperate for the next one, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

It was really daring of me to request this title--knowing that I tore through A Deadly Education and could not wait to get my mitts on The Last Graduate. Now here I am, stunned by this book, gut-punched by that cliffhanger, and facing an incredibly difficult wait until I can devour the last volume. It's like I am living in the Scholomance, trying so desperately to run to the library where Lesson Three must be, and it's taking ages and ages and ages and ages.

El is probably my favorite protagonist...ever? While the story sometimes parks for a minute to dump some exposition, I never ever got tired of El's voice. As a potential destroyer of worlds, I can picture her constantly ruminating over the state of the world and how she can change it, like she's building up to her big villain speech. She's got one of the most satisfying character arcs because we're getting all that sweet growth AND she gets to do more of the magic she excels at.

If I could do jumping jacks or cross stitch to build mana to help Naomi write Lesson Three faster, I would. The title of the last chapter feels pointed and I don't appreciate it!

Holy moly. I almost didn’t request this title because I knew it would be excruciating to wait so long for the third one…but I can’t regret a reading experience that I’ll be processing for years to come. Like other readers, I occasionally got impatient with present events pausing for El to offer bounteous exposition. But that annoyance was wholly outweighed by unrelenting, propulsive consideration of human nature and how to design a social order in which everyone can flourish.

As the sequel to my favorite book of 2020, I wasn't let down. The energy and fantastic world building Novik established in A Deadly Education were carried over beautifully into The Last Graduate. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for reminders that when the world seems dark there's always ways to find a way forward, even for those of us who are cynics. The grit we deserved for a magical school system with a main character whose cynicism feels real, relatable, and funny.