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abookwormspov's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, War, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Sexual content, Murder, Torture, Domestic abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, and Body horror
wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
It's been a while since I read book 2 in the series and I contemplated re-reading before picking this volume up because when I initially tried to read it I was overwhelmed. Book 2 leaves on a cliffhanger and book 3 starts right after and so you see the immediate events and it was a little difficult to jump right it.
I thought that the series was quite solid. Book 3 really tied it all together and bits that were resolved were introduced in book 1 so it was quite good closure to see actions that have consequences and a resolution all together.
Some of the reveals were also top notch, since there's (in hindsight) a lot of foreshadowing but to be able to put it all together wasn't something I managed. I don't know if it was because of the gap between the books and it would have been obvious if I read them in closer succession but I was satisfied with how it came together.
I thought that the series was quite solid. Book 3 really tied it all together and bits that were resolved were introduced in book 1 so it was quite good closure to see actions that have consequences and a resolution all together.
Some of the reveals were also top notch, since there's (in hindsight) a lot of foreshadowing but to be able to put it all together wasn't something I managed. I don't know if it was because of the gap between the books and it would have been obvious if I read them in closer succession but I was satisfied with how it came together.
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, Body horror, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Vomit, War, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, and Medical trauma
athryn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
A great conclusion to a great trilogy. Maintains the same quality as the previous books, but changes things up with a view of the world outside the school. It managed to surprise me with a few swerves towards the ending. Sad to leave this world behind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Sexual content
Minor: Grief
pages_with_panda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
- 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
I really liked the entire series as a whole. The premise was interesting, El as a character who was the unwilling, snarky hero who still tried to do as little harm as she could, the overarching themes of classism and elitism...I think this book was a good ending for El's story, but I did think this book had a whole lot of things to get through in a very short amount of time.
My issue is with the pacing because we've spent two books, years setting up how to escape the Scholomancy, and then we're given half a book to explore the world outside and how to save it. There was a large amount of information given to us, new characters to meet with entirely new dynamics and politics from each enclave.
I did like the reveals though. The truth about the Enclaves, El's prophecy and her family, and how the book was ultimately about hope and wanting to do good for others without wanting a reward. I loved El's character for that. No matter how bad things got or how angry and hopeless she felt, she still didn't give in to that destructive power within her.
The pacing at the end was a little off too - It seems everything happens very, very quickly despite entire pages at the beginning where nothing happened, but even though I liked the happy-ish ending, I would've liked to see more of the aftermath and spent some more time with the characters.
Overall really good series. Might have teared up once or twice.
407 pages.
(⚠️Content Warnings;
Graphic: Death, Torture, Grief
My issue is with the pacing because we've spent two books, years setting up how to escape the Scholomancy, and then we're given half a book to explore the world outside and how to save it. There was a large amount of information given to us, new characters to meet with entirely new dynamics and politics from each enclave.
I did like the reveals though. The truth about the Enclaves, El's prophecy and her family, and how the book was ultimately about hope and wanting to do good for others without wanting a reward. I loved El's character for that. No matter how bad things got or how angry and hopeless she felt, she still didn't give in to that destructive power within her.
The pacing at the end was a little off too - It seems everything happens very, very quickly despite entire pages at the beginning where nothing happened, but even though I liked the happy-ish ending, I would've liked to see more of the aftermath and spent some more time with the characters.
Overall really good series. Might have teared up once or twice.
407 pages.
(⚠️Content Warnings;
Graphic: Death, Torture, Grief
Moderate: War, Child abuse, Child death
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent )
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and War
Minor: Sexual content and Death of parent
flyintothestorm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
4.5
Me ha gustado, pero hubiese preferido un final distinto. Hay veces que la muerte de un personaje importante encaja más que que se salve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Child abuse, Confinement, Grief, Torture, and Child death
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
Minor: Dysphoria
yourpal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A great finale to the series! I honestly think it would’ve been more beneficial had the book been longer as it kind of felt like the author was bored by the end and rushed through the big parts but good none the less!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, War, and Death
jkneebone's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
In this final book of The Scholomance, El & co have made it through graduation - and now have to face the problems that face their larger world: enclaves collapsing, power struggles, and the questionable motivations of those in power.
It is challenging to write a good series conclusion, let alone a conclusion in which your characters are outside of the very specific physical location-slash-minor character that has dominated the first two books, and I think Naomi Novik does a pretty freaking good job of it. While I did have a few gripes, it still kept me so enraptured and emotionally invested that, at various major reveal points, I had to put the book down and walk around to calm down.
My gripes were mainly with the pacing, and with how little of the side characters we get in the front half of this book. I totally understand El’s emotional and mental state after “graduating” - in fact I really liked that in this book, it was made more explicit just how traumatizing and prison-like the Scholomance was, as if only now being free of it can El let herself think about that - however I personally would have liked it if the plot had moved along a bit quicker. Similarly, although I find Liesel hilarious, I was really missing the crew from the first two books, especially Aadhya and Liu! Luckily that was rectified in the later half, but I still would have liked a bit more time with the side characters.We don’t even hear about Chloe after El leaves New York!
What makes me not care about that, though, and what makes this a 5-star series in my opinion, is the sheer level of planning that Novik has clearly put into this series from the very beginning, all of which pays off in The Golden Enclaves. The world building is tight; there were no plot holes. So many pieces of information that seemed insignificant or merely descriptive in books 1 and 2 suddenly make perfect sense. I literally had a “holy shit” moment while driving as a bunch of pieces fell into place, and a few chapters later my hunch was confirmed. Spoilers about foreshadowing:Seriously, think about it - one of the first things we find out about mals is just how bad maw-mouths are. I think El described within the first few chapters of book 1 what happened to her dad. From the beginning, we’ve understood that even in this world of monsters upon monsters, getting taken by a maw-mouth is THE WORST THING that can happen to you…so when we find out that enclaves create maw-mouths (and don’t forget that El’s disdain for enclaves is also established pretty fucking early) it is just as horrifying to the reader as it is to El. In literally chapter one of <I>A Deadly Education</i> El describes the year that only 12 maleficers graduated and quips that Orion was probably conceived around the same time. There’s the joke Aadhya makes also in book one about how Orion doesn’t recognize her without El, like his brain is saying “I’m being bad at being human” - which he is, obviously, and now we know why!
This whole series is just good. I’m thrilled that book 3 lived up to the first two; I was absolutely floored by all the clever foreshadowing and the way everything was clearly planned out. And most of all I adore the philosophical message - how El always tries to do the right thing, to choose the path of least harm, and how apt her observations are about her fellow wizards. So many times she forces herself to realize that even people she dislikes can be cared for by others, can have value; that even people who have benefitted off of pain and suffering in the past don’t deserve to have more suffering delivered unto them, especially if they didn’t know about it. I think El’s morals got (understandably) a bit more nuanced in this book, but I loved that at her heart she is still always her mother’s daughter, always trying to do good.
I loved this series SO MUCH. I’m torn between an immediate reread and lending the books to a friend right away so I have someone to discuss it with. This is why Naomi Novik is one of my all-time favorite authors.
It is challenging to write a good series conclusion, let alone a conclusion in which your characters are outside of the very specific physical location-slash-minor character that has dominated the first two books, and I think Naomi Novik does a pretty freaking good job of it. While I did have a few gripes, it still kept me so enraptured and emotionally invested that, at various major reveal points, I had to put the book down and walk around to calm down.
My gripes were mainly with the pacing, and with how little of the side characters we get in the front half of this book. I totally understand El’s emotional and mental state after “graduating” - in fact I really liked that in this book, it was made more explicit just how traumatizing and prison-like the Scholomance was, as if only now being free of it can El let herself think about that - however I personally would have liked it if the plot had moved along a bit quicker. Similarly, although I find Liesel hilarious, I was really missing the crew from the first two books, especially Aadhya and Liu! Luckily that was rectified in the later half, but I still would have liked a bit more time with the side characters.
What makes me not care about that, though, and what makes this a 5-star series in my opinion, is the sheer level of planning that Novik has clearly put into this series from the very beginning, all of which pays off in The Golden Enclaves. The world building is tight; there were no plot holes. So many pieces of information that seemed insignificant or merely descriptive in books 1 and 2 suddenly make perfect sense. I literally had a “holy shit” moment while driving as a bunch of pieces fell into place, and a few chapters later my hunch was confirmed. Spoilers about foreshadowing:
This whole series is just good. I’m thrilled that book 3 lived up to the first two; I was absolutely floored by all the clever foreshadowing and the way everything was clearly planned out. And most of all I adore the philosophical message - how El always tries to do the right thing, to choose the path of least harm, and how apt her observations are about her fellow wizards. So many times she forces herself to realize that even people she dislikes can be cared for by others, can have value; that even people who have benefitted off of pain and suffering in the past don’t deserve to have more suffering delivered unto them, especially if they didn’t know about it. I think El’s morals got (understandably) a bit more nuanced in this book, but I loved that at her heart she is still always her mother’s daughter, always trying to do good.
I loved this series SO MUCH. I’m torn between an immediate reread and lending the books to a friend right away so I have someone to discuss it with. This is why Naomi Novik is one of my all-time favorite authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
mysamfoster's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Torture
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i am utterly disappointed.
such a shattering cliffhanger in book two, and for what?
this book has 400 pages and i kid you not, around 300 were horribly uninteresting. the whole first half of the book was useless rambling - boring, uninspiring and devastatingly dry.
the twist and reveal and all that were fun and had potential, the delivery however was super unexciting and the wow-moment shadowed by the absolute nothingness the whole rest of the book was. great concept, such poor execution.
and don't even get me started on the ending.
the ending was the most frustrating thing ever. like yeah, we all love a happy ending, but just how did orion survive? and i'm not saying that out of spite or malice, i liked him as a character. i just think he seriously should've died, because that would've been the most realistic and sensible outcome.
also, watching all the conflict and problems get solved in a little godlike act 20 pages before the end made me want to claw my eyes out.
there were a couple of scenes and happenings that hooked me for a few pages, a chapter at best - for examplethe little liaison thing with liesel which surprised me BIG TIME, in a good way, but the rest was absolutely not it.
i loved book one and two, and the author's catchy and quick writing style didn't disappoint in this one either, but the story - tragic.
such a shattering cliffhanger in book two, and for what?
this book has 400 pages and i kid you not, around 300 were horribly uninteresting. the whole first half of the book was useless rambling - boring, uninspiring and devastatingly dry.
the twist and reveal and all that were fun and had potential, the delivery however was super unexciting and the wow-moment shadowed by the absolute nothingness the whole rest of the book was. great concept, such poor execution.
and don't even get me started on the ending.
the ending was the most frustrating thing ever. like yeah, we all love a happy ending, but
also, watching all the conflict and problems get solved in a little godlike act 20 pages before the end made me want to claw my eyes out.
there were a couple of scenes and happenings that hooked me for a few pages, a chapter at best - for example
i loved book one and two, and the author's catchy and quick writing style didn't disappoint in this one either, but the story - tragic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Murder, Child death, War, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
emilymia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, and Body horror
Moderate: War