The Golden Enclaves is the final book of the Scholomance trilogy and I'm glad to be able to say that it is just as wonderful and satisfying as I hoped that it would be. It begins directly after the end of The Last Graduate, with El trying (and mostly failing) to process graduation. The first part of the book moves a bit slowly because of this, as El definitely has issues and spends a lot of time being depressed and angry. However, once the action starts to move the book is pretty much perfect and offers some amazing bits of world building that pull the entire series together. Here we finally get the full story behind enclaves and the world power structure of the magic users, as well as resolution for El and her friends (also, I kind of love Liesel now, she was awesome in this book).

I really don't want to say too much here because the book is better experienced on your own. I will say that when I finished The Golden Enclaves I immediately picked up my copy of the first book in the trilogy so that I could read it again. This is a truly fantastic trilogy, and one of the best things about it is that it's all about choosing to be kind in a world where it would be so simple to choose the easy option. Over and over again El chooses kindness over selfishness, and through her struggle she slowly begins to convince others to do the same. She shows them that there is another choice. I love that these books don't act as if kindness is easy. El struggles constantly when it would be so easy to give in, and it makes her story wonderful to read. With this trilogy Naomi Novik has really cemented herself as a must read for me. I'm sorry that this series is over, only because it was so wonderful. I can't wait to see what Novik does next.

Really fantastic final entry in this amazing series. The character arcs end quite tidily, but maybe at the expense of some bigger drama? The late-game villain fizzles out as the very end gets maaaaaaybe a little too kumbaya for my taste. I mean, I still cried cathartically!! All I want is for El to be happy!!!

I'm really excited to read this series back to back, without the agony of The Last Graduate's cliffhanger.

I have already read the first two books in this series, and have loved them and everything else Naomi Novik has ever written, but I was wondering how the author would handle this volume, AFTER graduation, and what on earth she would have the longsuffering El DO.
I didn't need to worry. This was a great trilogy ender (although if there are more El stories coming I will totally read them!)
I think Novik kept the excitement and pace up perfectly as the graduating class tries to clean up the mess the elders have made. I love these characters and really enjoyed more time with them.
Excited to get this for our library and promote the series as my favorite of the recent surge in "dark academia." This appeals to both longtime SFF readers and teens and newcomers and I am thrilled the book was so good.

A beautiful ending for Naomi Novik's Scholomance trilogy. Everything you hope for and dread. Friendships made in the Scholomance becoming life long alliances and loyalty. I love the characters and their striving to right some of the wrongs in their world. It made me laugh and cry. I will miss this world and these characters.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

I have been aching for this book ever since the ridiculously unfair cliffhanger ending of The Last Graduate, and I am thrilled and relieved to report it did not disappoint. The entire book is full of even more and more satisfying twists than its two predecessors, wrapping up the trilogy in a way that feels right and also leaves the reader desperate for more.

You don’t often get a whole new world building in book three of a series, it’s a lot to unpack for an established series. I knew coming out of the Scholomance there would have to be some, based on almost no information given about the enclaves interior in previous books or how they truly operate. There’s also a lot of explaining and re-explaining, more so than normal for a third book in a established series. So it felt like the first quarter of this reads like a first book. Then the rest of the info dumps and introspective monologues (and there’s A LOT of them, like almost every other paragraph) can get tedious at times and almost felt unedited. All that aside, here is what I did like. El’s grief, trauma and ptsd were well written and very relatable. It definitely punched me in the feels and made me cry more than a few times. Once the gang gets backs together it really starts getting going on this quest that things just keep piling on top of, however it moves along quickly after that. Orion made me sad, El and Orion made me sad. All their scenes I cried. I did enjoy meeting everyone families and enclaves. As well as the differences in each enclave. I liked that people showed up for El even when she thought she wasn’t worthy of it or didn’t realize the impact she has made on them. I’ve really enjoyed El’s journey. I think I cried the entirety of chapter 16. That was a nice and tidy HEA and I have thoroughly enjoyed this entire series. This would have been a five star read for me if it didn’t have so many info dumps and inner monologues, it was just too much.

I very much enjoyed this final installment of the Scholomance trilogy. I was concerned the final book wouldn't live up to the others as it's not set in the Scholomance, but it was a fun adventure! The Golden Enclaves was quite different than the prior two, and the world-building wasn't quite as precise, but that didn't distract from my enjoyment of it. 4.5 stars

I love this series. While reading, I wondered if Naomi Novik could pull off an ending in one book, but she did. I thought I had the world figured out, but then there were twists to show how horrible this magic world is. Everything had a reason. Do a reread of the previous book(s). There are a lot of characters, and there isn’t a reintroduction of everyone.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

3.5/5

I've had a great time with the Scholomance series overall. I had some quibbles with the pacing and logic in this book (it felt like the characters took some logical leaps on a few notable occasions), but I liked El's character growth and developing friendships, and the aftermath of the plan to rescue everyone from the Scholomance. There were a few major reveals that represented the climax of the major mysteries of the series--some where quite satisfying (such as the discovery of the source of the destroyed enclaves) while others felt a little convoluted (such as the source of Orion's power). Nevertheless, this was compulsively readable, and a good ending to the trilogy.

I've waited so long for this final book in the trilogy and it wildly exceeded my expectations. I love El's simmering anger at the petty annoyances and deep unfairness of life. The character and world building in this series is top notch. Naomi Novik does a wonderful job of ending this series and leaving us wanting more. If you're looking for a traditional happily ever after, read this book and you'll get something much much better. I've always recommended A Deadly Education to my book clubs and in reader's advisory programming, now I can recommend the entire trilogy!