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A review by displacedcactus
The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This review contains spoilers for the end of Book 2 of the Scholomance, so don't read if you haven't read it yet.
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If you thought things would be a little more pleasant after El left the Scholomance, I had bad news for you. The entire magical world feels very much like an allegory for late-stage capitalism and everything is terrible, plus El is depressed about Orion's actions at the end of Book 2.
I found large chunks of this book to be a real slog. In the first two books it felt like there was a very clear goal: survive until graduation, and try to make sure your allies survive too. But for much of this book, El isn't quite sure of her goal, as she gets pulled in different directions. Then again, sometimes that's what it's like IRL after graduation.
Things get pretty dark in this book. I mean, the whole series has been dark, but there were some twists that showed that the outside world was really even worse than the school, and the real monster is humanity, etc etc.
If you've enjoyed the first two books of the series and you want to know how it ends, you'll probably enjoy this conclusion. But if you were on the fence about the first two, I think you can safely skip this one and make up your own ending in your head (or ask a friend who does read it for the condensed version).
.
.
.
.
If you thought things would be a little more pleasant after El left the Scholomance, I had bad news for you. The entire magical world feels very much like an allegory for late-stage capitalism and everything is terrible, plus El is depressed about Orion's actions at the end of Book 2.
I found large chunks of this book to be a real slog. In the first two books it felt like there was a very clear goal: survive until graduation, and try to make sure your allies survive too. But for much of this book, El isn't quite sure of her goal, as she gets pulled in different directions. Then again, sometimes that's what it's like IRL after graduation.
Things get pretty dark in this book. I mean, the whole series has been dark, but there were some twists that showed that the outside world was really even worse than the school, and the real monster is humanity, etc etc.
If you've enjoyed the first two books of the series and you want to know how it ends, you'll probably enjoy this conclusion. But if you were on the fence about the first two, I think you can safely skip this one and make up your own ending in your head (or ask a friend who does read it for the condensed version).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Sexual content