A review by itsybitsygingie
The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

3.25

Man I have complicated feelings about this book. Major plot spoilers ahead.

Ophelia is a horribly developed big-bad which makes the climax of the story, well, anti-climactic. The previous two books spent ages hinting at the “one graduation year where a group of wizards killed everyone to escape” only to find out that that wasn’t the case and to have the reveal nearly entirely glossed over. It was just uninspiring for a plot point. Also… I would understand if El had hooked up with literally ANY other character in this series. The hookup scenes felt completely out of place and out of character.