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lennie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for this arc.
Full disclosure I did listen to the audiobook via the library though.
So I liked book one of the Scholomance series but I Loved book two.
In this one we see El is just as grumpy and hilarious as ever but that having friends has clearly rubbed off on her because now she's actively trying to save people and look out for them.
I think part of why I liked this book more than the first one was because the first one just explains in great detail how awful, oppressive, deadly, gruesome etc the Scholomance is and I felt constantly one edge, whereas this one had a very different vibe. I won't go into details because of spoilers but it's a much more optimistic book than the first!
I loved seeing El grow as a character and watch how her friendships blossomed. She was still the same spiky, sarcastic cow who I fell in love with in book one but in being allowed that breathing space, she's really expanded into herself and her powers.
Very much here for ElOrion romance, although they're maybe not the healthiest of examples... 😅
And that ending!?
I'm even more annoyed because the library copy of book three currently has a 6 week wait 😠But I will be reading The Golden Enclaves as soon as I can get my hands on it!
Also, the audio narrator was absolutely fantastic and embodied El *perfectly*. I need to find more books narrated by Anisha Dadia.
Full disclosure I did listen to the audiobook via the library though.
So I liked book one of the Scholomance series but I Loved book two.
In this one we see El is just as grumpy and hilarious as ever but that having friends has clearly rubbed off on her because now she's actively trying to save people and look out for them.
I think part of why I liked this book more than the first one was because the first one just explains in great detail how awful, oppressive, deadly, gruesome etc the Scholomance is and I felt constantly one edge, whereas this one had a very different vibe. I won't go into details because of spoilers but it's a much more optimistic book than the first!
I loved seeing El grow as a character and watch how her friendships blossomed. She was still the same spiky, sarcastic cow who I fell in love with in book one but in being allowed that breathing space, she's really expanded into herself and her powers.
Very much here for ElOrion romance, although they're maybe not the healthiest of examples... 😅
And that ending!?
I'm even more annoyed because the library copy of book three currently has a 6 week wait 😠But I will be reading The Golden Enclaves as soon as I can get my hands on it!
Also, the audio narrator was absolutely fantastic and embodied El *perfectly*. I need to find more books narrated by Anisha Dadia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Blood, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Death
athryn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Picks up right where the previous one left off, but managed to surprise me with subverting my expectations of where I thought it was going. Still darkly humorous, and hard to put down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Child death, Gore, and Vomit
Minor: Blood
jkneebone's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
In the sequel to A Deadly Education, El and her allies/friends face down their senior year in the Scholomance, and the terrifying graduation run that will conclude it. However, it quickly becomes clear that it’s not going to be a normal year for El, or for anyone - the school knows how powerful she is, and is taking action because of it.
I loved this one, if possible, even more than the first book. Naomi Novik continues to build on the already-amazing world building by giving us new features and new cognizance from the Scholomance. We get to find out more about the friends El made in book one, such as Aadhya and Liu, while meeting even more players. And similarly to what I adored in book one, El continues to make the harder choices - the ones that are right and good - at every step of the way.And obviously the fact that everyone had to learn to work together - the opposite of what everything else about the Scholomance had taught them! - in order to save everyone really got me. Plus, Novik gives us such a tragic full circle moment with that ending - even though I was expecting something might happen to Orion, I wasn’t expecting it LIKE THAT. Gah.
If you liked book one, you will like book two - and if you didn’t like book one, you probably don’t want to read book two anyway!
I loved this one, if possible, even more than the first book. Naomi Novik continues to build on the already-amazing world building by giving us new features and new cognizance from the Scholomance. We get to find out more about the friends El made in book one, such as Aadhya and Liu, while meeting even more players. And similarly to what I adored in book one, El continues to make the harder choices - the ones that are right and good - at every step of the way.
If you liked book one, you will like book two - and if you didn’t like book one, you probably don’t want to read book two anyway!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
pages_with_panda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The pacing felt a LOT better in this book. And even though we got El’s monologuing and side stories, I felt like the world building was pretty solidly done by this book and it left us more time to get to know the characters better.
El’s development was great - she still has the same attitude and rudeness (which I love for her), but her resolve to help people (even people she hated) was amazing. I loved her overall.
Orion is so bland but we did get to know him a little better; and I’m glad that him and El had an actual conversation, considering they’re "dating."
Overall a great story - I wanted to cry during El’s realization that everyone deserved to live. It was a great way to describe the classism of our world and link it to the magical society.
Great story that wrapped up nicely while still leaving us with an AWFUL cliffhanger and enough material for the next book. Couldn't wait to pick it up.
El’s development was great - she still has the same attitude and rudeness (which I love for her), but her resolve to help people (even people she hated) was amazing. I loved her overall.
Orion is so bland but we did get to know him a little better; and I’m glad that him and El had an actual conversation, considering they’re "dating."
Overall a great story - I wanted to cry during El’s realization that everyone deserved to live. It was a great way to describe the classism of our world and link it to the magical society.
Great story that wrapped up nicely while still leaving us with an AWFUL cliffhanger and enough material for the next book. Couldn't wait to pick it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Gore, Body horror, Sexual content, and Child death
Minor: Death of parent
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
a great sequel with the most brutal cliffhanger one could imagine. thrilling.
quite a curious read, especially regarding the characters and their development. the whole book centers around graduation, and a very important and substantial twist in el's thinking. the ideas behind the book were brilliant, if perhaps a little "out of character" with a lot of new concepts that make the reader basically scrap everything they know about the dark school of magic (and partly the characters as well) from the first book. it wasn't at all unpleasant or anything, quite the opposite - it filled the sequel with fresh and interest-evoking ideas, but just know that this one is swerving in the 'everything is going to be alright' and positive-thinking direction. i seriously missed the 'fuck we're all gonna die' mood from the first book and also just some death in general, but alright.
the romance sort of peaks in this one as well, and i'm really in love with the dynamic. the cliffhanger made me want to haul the book against the wall because it was just so so ... screaming crying throwing up yk, in a good way.
the one awkward sex scene made me a little uncomfortable because it was simply so uncalled for and just an unnecessary like, three-page-filler, so nope, didn't like that at all.
quite a curious read, especially regarding the characters and their development. the whole book centers around graduation, and a very important and substantial twist in el's thinking. the ideas behind the book were brilliant, if perhaps a little "out of character" with a lot of new concepts that make the reader basically scrap everything they know about the dark school of magic (and partly the characters as well) from the first book. it wasn't at all unpleasant or anything, quite the opposite - it filled the sequel with fresh and interest-evoking ideas, but just know that this one is swerving in the 'everything is going to be alright' and positive-thinking direction. i seriously missed the 'fuck we're all gonna die' mood from the first book and also just some death in general, but alright.
the romance sort of peaks in this one as well, and i'm really in love with the dynamic. the cliffhanger made me want to haul the book against the wall because it was just so so ... screaming crying throwing up yk, in a good way.
the one awkward sex scene made me a little uncomfortable because it was simply so uncalled for and just an unnecessary like, three-page-filler, so nope, didn't like that at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Sexual content
Minor: Blood, Medical content, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Child death, and Vomit
_nem_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As with the first book, I enjoyed the descriptive passages sprinkled into the story. The middle of the book seemed fairly slow and then the end went so fast. I do like the world created in the Scholomance and after the cliffhanger that it ended with, I will definitely be reading the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Classism
danicakvcs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Genocide, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, War, Death of parent, Animal death, and Murder
the_quickening_tree's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
ishouldreadthat's review
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book - it just didn't feel like there was much of a plot - but it was a good instalment in the series and I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
kadtide's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail