The Last Graduate

by Naomi Novik

the second installment of the Scholomance trilogy picks up right where A Deadly Education left off.  I loved the first book, and the sequel did not disappoint! El may no longer be a loner, but her problems continue.  Although many of the mals (dark spirits/monsters that attack wizards to get their mana, a kind of energy that’s the source of their magic) were destroyed during the events in book one, enough are left that life isn’t exactly safe. The school has also started putting El in extra-dangerous situations, she’s torn between wanting a relationship with Orion and resisting to protect them both, and on top of everything the deadly graduation ceremony is coming.  El and her friends have got to figure out a strategy and alliances to increase their odds of surviving the mal-infested graduation hall, but the other students still aren’t keen on allying themselves with a dark prophecy hanging over her head and scary abilities to boot. I couldn’t put this one down – it’s a true page turner and kept me on the edge of my seat right through the end.  And now I’m impatiently waiting for the release of book 3, The Golden Enclaves, on September 27^th! If you like darker fantasy/magic set in the modern this one’s for you.

Likes: the world-building is detailed and unique. Novik takes every little horror of school and magnifies it with magic.  Horrible dorm room? At least yours doesn’t have one “wall” that’s an opening into a never-ending void. Bad food?  This cafeteria will literally kill you.  Having trouble making friends? You probably don’t have to worry about a dark wizard killing you. The pacing is fantastic. El’s romance with Orion is sweet without being treacly.  And El grows as a character without losing her characteristic cynical worldview and tart inner dialog, which I love.

Dislikes: not much.  There’s a lot of explication about the Scholomance and the magical world, which is helpful if you haven’t read the first book in a while and a little repetitive if you have. And the ending is a cliffhanger!!!  I don’t dislike it — I just hate having to wait.

FYI: violence, murder, sudden death. A few mild sexual situations.