A review by chezler24
The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

It has been quite the journey with Galadriel "El" Higgins and I was fairly content with how Novik decided to conclude her story. I tried to predict how it would end based on my guesses with Orion's nature and being, and, while I was on the right track, Novik played with her magic system in ways I had not yet dared to consider (no spoilers of course). I appreciated getting to see Enclaves around the world and realizing that the worldly wizarding hierarchy isn't that different compared to how social hierarchy functioned within the Scholomance pre-graduation.  Unfortunately, this global jumping around can sometimes come across as a bit disjointed while Novik attempts to spin out world-building at such a large scale. This along with a random sexual relationship with Liesel amidst her relationship with Orion left me wishing some threads had been edited more tightly for clarity. As a series, I really enjoyed the Scholomance trilogy, but this entry might be the least favorite of the three.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings