A review by saltt
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I liked this book so much more than the first in the series (A Deadly Education) because it felt like all of the info-dumped world-building finally paid off. The character development was fun to see, and I think with the smaller emphasis on explaining the magic system in this book, the characters were able to shine a lot more. I loved seeing the relationships between characters evolve and the El develop as the main character and the “hero” of the book. Overall, I think it was a solid book, although it got a little slow at times. I think the same issue of info-dumping was present in this book, but was significantly less evident, and felt worth it to get to the meat of the book, unlike in the first one. 

Hated the cliffhanger, however; I don’t like the use of cliffhangers and it was SO frustrating right after things started going right for El and Orion (her last minute realization that she wasn’t the only thing he wanted OMG). 
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