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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
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
phoebemurtagh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Vomit, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Cursing
Minor: Death of parent and Animal cruelty
kingcrookback's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
After reading the first book, I was prepared for the lengthy bits of exposition. However, I still found myself in a bit of a slog for the first handful of chapters and occasionally in the middle. Most of that is due to the way Novik portrays the passage of time. It's...weird. Weeks and months pass by without much mention, and suddenly, it's the day before graduation. I mean, it's understandable, to an extent. While reading the last book, I did wonder how an international, multi-cultural student body would mean for summer and holiday break and how semesters in the Scholomance were broken up. And I suppose it would be tedious to read about the minutiae of daily events when everyone's really only working on their big project of getting everyone out unscathed. Still, time passes so quickly that it's a bit bewildering and creates sort of a sense of dead space. And it's not like Novik has a problem with maintaining tension; the last chapter in particular had me on the edge of my seat.
I still really like El, though. She has so much heart, however begrudging and reluctant. All the love she has for her mom and all that love that leads her to doing everything in her power to get everyone out of the Scholomance alive. Chapter 8 especially is very good at illustrating this, with the way she logics through how saving yourself is a reasonable, understandable, safe choice, how she can't quite fault anyone for not wanting to sacrifice the entire rest of their life right at their fingertips to save people who wouldn't do the same for them. And then she takes that a step further and comes to the conclusion that just because you can't ask someone else to make that choice, doesn't mean you can't make that choice yourself.
If there isn't a scene of El hugging her mom in the next book, I will riot.
I still really like El, though. She has so much heart, however begrudging and reluctant. All the love she has for her mom and all that love that leads her to doing everything in her power to get everyone out of the Scholomance alive. Chapter 8 especially is very good at illustrating this, with the way she logics through how saving yourself is a reasonable, understandable, safe choice, how she can't quite fault anyone for not wanting to sacrifice the entire rest of their life right at their fingertips to save people who wouldn't do the same for them. And then she takes that a step further and comes to the conclusion that just because you can't ask someone else to make that choice, doesn't mean you can't make that choice yourself.
If there isn't a scene of El hugging her mom in the next book, I will riot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gore, Sexual content, and Child death
Minor: Death of parent and Vomit
ailsaod's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
Certainly didn't disappoint but I liked the first book a bit more. I think the way the cliffhanger ending of book 1 came into play was good as it made Orion an unknown quantity once again and I liked how Novik uses the characters lack of knowledge about the situation outside the school. However the romance between El and Orion made me want to reach for the eye-bleach. It was just so awkward and they both had a terrible case of the stupids but I'm definitely not saying it was badly written - they are both weird teenagers locked in a building together, if anything it is too accurate. I did like the resulting disapproval from El's mouse familiar though!
While the romance was painful I really enjoyed the platonic relationships and rivalries. After seeing the isolation El experiences at the beginning of book one it is very satisfying to see her with such a great group of friends! El very much grows into herself not just socially but also with regards to her powers and what she wants her life after the Scholomance to look like and that is also really nice to watch. Which makes that ending a real kick in the gut!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, and Classism
Minor: Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Child death
gowlstick's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Similar to the first there is a decent amount of info dumping throughout that might have been incorporated in another way. However the characters take on a new level of depth and development. The series up to this point has done a really wonderful job exploring what is morally right, and the idea of balance. I'm incredibly excited to say the least to see what the third book will bring.
The plot twist at the end still hits me right in the emotional gut when I read it, even though it's been more than once
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Death of parent
oliverreeds's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
FIVE STARS IT'S SO GOOD and the time skips are great and i loved this book. i wont lie this is what i needed and im so pissed off at the ending but in a good way and im..asdfno;aje
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Grief, Mental illness, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Child death, Cursing, Murder, and Violence
romiress's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
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
Late 2022 reread update: Nope I still love it. It is just so good.
10/10 fucking love this book.
I think the author did better with the side characters, and I absolutely BURNED through this book in record time. My one regret is that book three isn't out yet.
10/10 fucking love this book.
I think the author did better with the side characters, and I absolutely BURNED through this book in record time. My one regret is that book three isn't out yet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia
saurahsaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Gore, and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Vomit
imds's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Minor: Death of parent