A review by mack_e
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Spoiler free: 
Genuinely loved this book series. It was easy to sink my teeth into and cruise through. Great cast of characters, interesting magic system, and I loved the way the romance was written, I only wish there was more of it. 

My only gripe truly comes from what I believe is just the writing style. I haven’t read anything else by her yet (I definitely will after this), but just based on this series alone, I would say she’s definitely a “teller” and not a “show-er.” This happened a lot in the other books in this series as well, but something will happen in the plot, whether that’s a revelation, something discovered, etc., and she will take the next couple paragraphs or pages to talk about the main character’s thoughts and/or add world building. There were points it got to be so frustrating, I couldn’t stand it. There was a big reveal in this last book and she took 5 - YES, FIVE - pages of thinking detour before she got back to the plot! Like I said, not enough to deter me from reading more, but definitely enough to bother me to mention it haha. 
That being said, a solid series and I have a lot of love for it.