Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by queer_bookwyrm
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
adventurous
dark
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? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: death, blood, gore, violence
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik is Lesson Two of The Scholomance. I enjoyed picking back up in the Scholomance, although I thought the pacing was a bit off in the beginning. The last third of the book really helped this book avoid a three star rating.
We pick back up with El at the start of senior year. This year is different for her, because she actually has friends and allies. But it also seems like the Scholomance has it out for her with her multiple difficult classes and constantly having mals specifically come after her and pretty much no one else. El is doing her best to figure out how to graduate without fulfilling her destiny of destruction. The last thing she wants is to become a maleficer. But destruction might be the only way out.
I love that we get to know more of the side characters in this book, like Liu and Aadiya. El even gets a little mouse familiar with an attitude named Precious. I did think that Orion was a bit one dimensional throughout most of the book. I wanted him to have a bit more depth and growth in order for me to truly buy into El's attraction and relationship with him.
One of the big themes of this book was teamwork and helping others even when it doesn't get you anything. This is a lesson that is hard learned by the students who have lived in survival mode since they entered the Scholomance, but between Orion being a mal killing machine, and El being scary powerful, they come up with a plan to get everyone out. Yes, everyone. That cliffhanger was just mean, so it's a good thing I've got book three handy!
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik is Lesson Two of The Scholomance. I enjoyed picking back up in the Scholomance, although I thought the pacing was a bit off in the beginning. The last third of the book really helped this book avoid a three star rating.
We pick back up with El at the start of senior year. This year is different for her, because she actually has friends and allies. But it also seems like the Scholomance has it out for her with her multiple difficult classes and constantly having mals specifically come after her and pretty much no one else. El is doing her best to figure out how to graduate without fulfilling her destiny of destruction. The last thing she wants is to become a maleficer. But destruction might be the only way out.
I love that we get to know more of the side characters in this book, like Liu and Aadiya. El even gets a little mouse familiar with an attitude named Precious. I did think that Orion was a bit one dimensional throughout most of the book. I wanted him to have a bit more depth and growth in order for me to truly buy into El's attraction and relationship with him.
One of the big themes of this book was teamwork and helping others even when it doesn't get you anything. This is a lesson that is hard learned by the students who have lived in survival mode since they entered the Scholomance, but between Orion being a mal killing machine, and El being scary powerful, they come up with a plan to get everyone out. Yes, everyone. That cliffhanger was just mean, so it's a good thing I've got book three handy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual content