Reviews

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

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dreamofbookspines's review against another edition

fast-paced

4.0

Determination and grit got her through the graduation. I appreciate the empathy woven throughout the book. Writing this review rather later than was desirable after finishing the book, hence the lack of details.

graham_h's review

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adventurous dark funny 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

blove0312's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad 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

5.0

I mean this with every single bit of my soul, every atom of my body, my entire heart and mind:

Fuck this ending.

Fuck the last 57 words in this book.

I couldn’t try to review this book now if someone were standing here with a million in cash. I am fucking furious. Ope and here comes the sorrow; just crashed over me as I finished typing that.

Fuck reviewing this book, too. (ima go right into the third one still, just yanno, fuck this one and how it ended.)

wolfmouse's review against another edition

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4.0

Orion really looked at El, looked at the maw-mouth, looked back at El, looked back at the maw-mouth and said, “Mmmm breakfast.”

nucifera's review

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adventurous dark reflective 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

4.25

Minor nitpick is the writing and the incessant flashbacks during the story? Their not normal flashbacks, their just non-linear-why-didnt-she-just-write-this-as-it-happened-chronologically. Like, El will be going about her day, talk about the morning events, jump to the evening, and then in the middle of the scene have a flashback about what happened at lunch? And then go back to the scene?. I didn't hate it, but it did make some things confusing if I wasn't paying enough attention and didn't realize she started Flashbacking to something that happened an hour ago. Especially because there doesn't seem to be any particular reason for it?

Another one would be the amount of exposition and info dumps and overall here-is-Els-psychoanalysis-of-random-character/TheSchool. Probably a criticism for some people, but I'm always down for exposition and info dumps as long as its interesting, and because the magical system and world building is so detailed I dont mind them. Also, its consistent throughout and it still retains El's narration voice so it doesn't break any immersion and it still feels in character, so I had no actual problem with them.

Side note, she occasionally addresses the audience (i.e "If you're wondering which of those two options I picked, then you mist not know me") and I don't hate it but I do wonder if its just Naomi's writing style of if there's some type of meta reason for it? If there is I have no idea. Its also not consistent so I don't know what was happening there

I was also surprised that I actually loved the Orion El stuff. Its so silly and cute and their obviously foils/parallels so of course I love it. There were a couple of times in the beginning and middle where I actually wished she spent more time on the romance kinda-side-plot so that's how I know I was sold on them.

I loved El's little existential crisis and mini arcs. I actually really like El as a character all throughout this book. Her entire arc was basically the opposite of Rin.

Btw the mana system reminds me of that reel I watched about the aMCC in your brain and how it grows when you do things you don't like (i.e taking cold showers) and then when you start liking it, it stops working and you need to do something else. Very similar to building mana doing something you hate.

abbeybiggs's review

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5.0

even knowing what happened, the ending was devastating.

this one had a more defined plot, but was still very much a character-driven story. and man those characters. el was out there girlbossing and gaslighting and, by the end, even gatekeeping! (lol) there's something about a character whom anger and violence come so easily to, but who doesn't want to hurt people and actually tries so hard to save everyone, that makes me so soft. i get orion, i really do. i'd be head over heels, too. i get her, too. orion's a certified himbo and i would lay down my life for him.

my hopes for the next one: that i see my boy again, that i finally meet her mom??? didn't expect to want that so bad, and that i see all those scholomance bitches again. i already miss them.

there will be a hole in my heart until i can read the golden enclaves.