The Last Graduate
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- Create Date：2021-09-10 08:52:08
- Update Date：2025-09-14
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- Author：Naomi Novik
- ISBN：0593128869
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Summary
A budding dark sorceress determined not to use her formidable powers uncovers yet more secrets about the workings of her world in the stunning sequel to A Deadly Education， the start of Naomi Novik's groundbreaking crossover series。
At the Scholomance， El， Orion， and the other students are faced with their final year--and the looming specter of graduation， a deadly ritual that leaves few students alive in its wake。 El is determined that her chosen group will survive， but it is a prospect that is looking harder by the day as the savagery of the school ramps up。 Until El realizes that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules 。 。 。
Praise for A Deadly Education
"The scholomance is the dark school of magic I've been waiting for， and its wise， witty， and monstrous heroine is one I'd happily follow anywhere--even into a school full of monsters。"--Katherine Arden， New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale
"Novik deliciously undoes expectations about magic schools， destined heroes， and family legacies。 A gorgeous book about monsters and monstrousness， chockablock with action， cleverness， and wit。"--#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black
"A must-read 。 。 。 Novik puts a refreshingly dark， adult spin on the magical boarding school。 。 。 。 Readers will delight in the push-and-pull of El and Orion's relationship， the fantastically detailed world， the clever magic system， and the matter-of-fact diversity of the student body。"--Publishers Weekly （starred review）
At the Scholomance， El， Orion， and the other students are faced with their final year--and the looming specter of graduation， a deadly ritual that leaves few students alive in its wake。 El is determined that her chosen group will survive， but it is a prospect that is looking harder by the day as the savagery of the school ramps up。 Until El realizes that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules 。 。 。
Praise for A Deadly Education
"The scholomance is the dark school of magic I've been waiting for， and its wise， witty， and monstrous heroine is one I'd happily follow anywhere--even into a school full of monsters。"--Katherine Arden， New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale
"Novik deliciously undoes expectations about magic schools， destined heroes， and family legacies。 A gorgeous book about monsters and monstrousness， chockablock with action， cleverness， and wit。"--#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black
"A must-read 。 。 。 Novik puts a refreshingly dark， adult spin on the magical boarding school。 。 。 。 Readers will delight in the push-and-pull of El and Orion's relationship， the fantastically detailed world， the clever magic system， and the matter-of-fact diversity of the student body。"--Publishers Weekly （starred review）
Reviews
Max Reads
，
Review coming soon！
ReadingInRedLondon
，
Not really sure how to rate this one， though I am happy to say I enjoyed it a lot more than the first one！ Debating between 2 and 3 stars but will leave it at 3 for now then see if things change when I write my review haha。
Gail Walker
，
I LOVED this book！！ This was absolutely one of the best books I’ve read this year， if not the best （and I’ve read quite a few hyped up/well rated books this year）。 The world building is amazing， the characters are both likeable and complex。 The intricacies of the plot and thought processes of the students and the school politics are so impressive。 I really enjoyed the first book and this one is even better。 The suspense， especially at the end， is so good， I didn’t even mind the cliffhanger endin I LOVED this book！！ This was absolutely one of the best books I’ve read this year， if not the best （and I’ve read quite a few hyped up/well rated books this year）。 The world building is amazing， the characters are both likeable and complex。 The intricacies of the plot and thought processes of the students and the school politics are so impressive。 I really enjoyed the first book and this one is even better。 The suspense， especially at the end， is so good， I didn’t even mind the cliffhanger ending。 It just made me that much more excited for the next book。 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion！！ 。。。more
The Hardcover Harpy
，
This sequel to A Deadly Education brings all the heart and humour of the first book – and then ups the ante。It’s difficult to say what I love most about this series， but vying for the top three are:- the witty sarcasm。- the characters – I would protect El， Aadhya， Liu， and Orion at all costs。- the comical， stream-of-consciousness writing style。And The Last Graduate surpasses A Deadly Education in each of these。In fact， this book really highlights what a skilled， seasoned writer can bring to a se This sequel to A Deadly Education brings all the heart and humour of the first book – and then ups the ante。It’s difficult to say what I love most about this series， but vying for the top three are:- the witty sarcasm。- the characters – I would protect El， Aadhya， Liu， and Orion at all costs。- the comical， stream-of-consciousness writing style。And The Last Graduate surpasses A Deadly Education in each of these。In fact， this book really highlights what a skilled， seasoned writer can bring to a series – Naomi Novik easily avoids the dreaded second-book （or middle-book） curse， and instead comfortably builds upon the foundation set out in A Deadly Education。 I became more invested in the characters as the story’s momentum continued to build – and by the end， I was at the edge of my figurative seat。 Not to mention that our supposed dark-sorceress-in-training El has nothing on Novik – that cliffhanger ending was evil itself。Let’s talk about the hardcoverI read an advanced digital copy of The Last Graduate on NetGalley， but I’ve pre-ordered a signed hardcover of the book from Forbidden Planet。There’s also an exclusive edition from Waterstones that has some amazing stenciled edges。VerdictIf you liked A Deadly Education， you’ll love The Last Graduate。 And you’ll soon be desperately waiting for the third and final book in The Scholomance series， because that cliffhanger was no joke。 。。。more
BecSoBookish
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If you liked the first book in the series， you're going to like this one too。 It does a good job of expanding the world and raising the stakes， though there is a bit of wheel-spinning as well。 Novik answered a lot of questions I had about the school itself， as well as introducing more information about the outside world。 There's also a good bit of character progression。 My one gripe with this book is the pacing - sometimes it feels like the plot has stalled out and other times it feels like it's If you liked the first book in the series， you're going to like this one too。 It does a good job of expanding the world and raising the stakes， though there is a bit of wheel-spinning as well。 Novik answered a lot of questions I had about the school itself， as well as introducing more information about the outside world。 There's also a good bit of character progression。 My one gripe with this book is the pacing - sometimes it feels like the plot has stalled out and other times it feels like it's accelerating too quickly。 If you're not fond of cliffhanger endings。。。well， be warned。 。。。more
A Book Lover's Emporium Book Blog
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A slow beginning， but a spectacular ending is the only way to describe the Last Graduate， book two in the Scholomance series。Naomi Novik’s writing style can be a bit intense or daunting at times。 She loves to paint details for the reader some of which is so thorough it can become quite tedious。 I often found my fingers itching to search for dialogue to make it through the first half of the book。 Once the action picked up， however， it did exactly that。 The story flew by and I found myself holding A slow beginning， but a spectacular ending is the only way to describe the Last Graduate， book two in the Scholomance series。Naomi Novik’s writing style can be a bit intense or daunting at times。 She loves to paint details for the reader some of which is so thorough it can become quite tedious。 I often found my fingers itching to search for dialogue to make it through the first half of the book。 Once the action picked up， however， it did exactly that。 The story flew by and I found myself holding my breath in the Scholomance world among the pages。El， once again， spends too much time in her head refusing to acknowledge she might need help from other students。 Her pride might just be her downfall。 Meanwhile， Orion is having a hard time excepting himself。 I found myself wanting to scream at the pages to make them finally take a step forward together。 While I was focused on the angst， the end of the book snuck up on me， kicked the chair out from underneath me， and left me with a loud gasp as I tried to process what just happened。Needless to say， book three cannot come out soon enough。 I need to know what happens next。 The wait for the next book is going to be torture。#TheLast Graduate #Netgalley 。。。more
Dana
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TL;DR: A solid second installment that brings fresh plot twists。 My rating 3 of 5 stars。The Last Graduate is a solid follow up to A Deadly Education。 I enjoyed the first enough to request an e-ARC of the second installment when it popped up on NetGalley。 That said， my feelings on the Scholomance series are merely mildly positive。 I enjoy reading them， but they’re not making my list of favorites that I recommend to friends and family。The Last Graduate opens with a reminder of the pretty ominous c TL;DR: A solid second installment that brings fresh plot twists。 My rating 3 of 5 stars。The Last Graduate is a solid follow up to A Deadly Education。 I enjoyed the first enough to request an e-ARC of the second installment when it popped up on NetGalley。 That said， my feelings on the Scholomance series are merely mildly positive。 I enjoy reading them， but they’re not making my list of favorites that I recommend to friends and family。The Last Graduate opens with a reminder of the pretty ominous cliffhanger of the first book--a grave note from El’s mother from the outside， warning her to stay away from romantic interest， Orion Lake。 While El occasionally ponders why her mother sent the warning， she largely ignores it and that question does not get satisfactorily resolved in this sequel。 Despite that letdown， Novik definitely brings new sources of excitement and conflict into the Scholomance。 As predicted， El experiences quite a rise in her social cachet after the events of book 1。 So while there’s still some repetitive talk of strategy for dodging mals in classrooms and cafeterias， the plot has graduated （heh heh） beyond questions of mere day-to-day survival。 From Day 1 of the new school year El notices some major shifts in how the mysterious school operates。 She eventually realizes that the school is trying to communicate with her and train her to aid in fulfilling its mission。Novik closes the book with yet another big cliffhanger that pretty much guarantees I’ll likely read the next book as well。 To be honest， I am intrigued where the plot will go and how relationships will hold up and develop after El， her allies， and her conclave frenemies are back in the outside world。 Why only 3 stars？ I still find El’s voice and tone pretty grating。 I hoped her change in circumstances would have mitigated her contradictory mix of self-importance and self-deprecation。 It didn’t。 The scale just shifted a bit more in the direction of self-importance。 Also， some may recall the controversy over Novik’s racist description of Black students in the first book。 While perhaps not as egregious， I still definitely experienced moments of discomfort in how non-white characters were portrayed。 In particular， the description of Liu （El’s maleficer-turned-strict-maliya ally and friend）’s family didn’t sit right with me coming from a white author。 It read like a caricature （and condemnation） of a domineering Asian family willing to prioritize the good of the family at large at the cost of the safety and survival of one daughter。 Let’s please get some BIPOC & AAPI editors to read for this shit in book 3！！！ 。。。more
Jodie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’m sorry what was that ending？！ That was not fair。 Don’t do that to me。 Especially when I have an arc and need to wait even longer for the next book。 I’m shook。 In book two we return to the Scholomance for El’s final year and the challenges she faces leading up to her Graduation。 I think I enjoyed this on the same level as book one。 The world building was so strong again。 I love the way that Novik builds up the contained world of the Scholomance。 We dove more into other characters in book two a I’m sorry what was that ending？！ That was not fair。 Don’t do that to me。 Especially when I have an arc and need to wait even longer for the next book。 I’m shook。 In book two we return to the Scholomance for El’s final year and the challenges she faces leading up to her Graduation。 I think I enjoyed this on the same level as book one。 The world building was so strong again。 I love the way that Novik builds up the contained world of the Scholomance。 We dove more into other characters in book two and I really enjoyed El’s budding friendships。 All in all this is shaping up to be a great series for me and I can’t wait for book three。 。。。more
Piper
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I liked this book I devored ithe frist book of the series and the second has been no different。 El and her peers are yet again in a race。 It's like Harry Potter turned Deadly and a bit lore sinisterThat ending wow。 I literally was crying like a banshee。 I liked this book I devored ithe frist book of the series and the second has been no different。 El and her peers are yet again in a race。 It's like Harry Potter turned Deadly and a bit lore sinisterThat ending wow。 I literally was crying like a banshee。 。。。more
Megan
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I was so excited to see this sequel to A Deadly Education because I couldn't wait to find out more about El's adventures at the Scholomance。 This novel did not disappoint。 Novik sucked me back into this magical world where El and Orion continue to be the heroes。 You may not be satisfied by the ending， but El's journey to graduation day is full of twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages。 I don't want to give any spoilers， but be assured that El makes some new friends and learns a lo I was so excited to see this sequel to A Deadly Education because I couldn't wait to find out more about El's adventures at the Scholomance。 This novel did not disappoint。 Novik sucked me back into this magical world where El and Orion continue to be the heroes。 You may not be satisfied by the ending， but El's journey to graduation day is full of twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages。 I don't want to give any spoilers， but be assured that El makes some new friends and learns a lot about herself and the school along the way。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC。 。。。more
Lora
，
The first book was definitely a favorite of mine earlier this year and after that ending I was dying for the sequel。 I'm pleased to say The Last Graduate didn't disappoint。 I still absolutely love El。 She's definitely not your typical heroine， but I just love her。 If you like magical stories set in a school， this is one you need to pick up。 It has a budding romance， but that storyline isn't the main focus。 Another great Novik book and I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment。 The first book was definitely a favorite of mine earlier this year and after that ending I was dying for the sequel。 I'm pleased to say The Last Graduate didn't disappoint。 I still absolutely love El。 She's definitely not your typical heroine， but I just love her。 If you like magical stories set in a school， this is one you need to pick up。 It has a budding romance， but that storyline isn't the main focus。 Another great Novik book and I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment。 。。。more
Etta
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The Last Graduate is the second novel in the Scholomance trilogy。 The novels in this series， for me， should be read in order to fully appreciate and understand the content。 This novel does end with a cliffhanger ending， so waiting for the next novel is going to be very difficult as I am anxious to see what happens next！ The story continues to follow El as she begins her senior year at the school。 With many secrets and dangers continuing to lurk around every corner， it will not be a dull year The Last Graduate is the second novel in the Scholomance trilogy。 The novels in this series， for me， should be read in order to fully appreciate and understand the content。 This novel does end with a cliffhanger ending， so waiting for the next novel is going to be very difficult as I am anxious to see what happens next！ The story continues to follow El as she begins her senior year at the school。 With many secrets and dangers continuing to lurk around every corner， it will not be a dull year for these magically gifted students。El continues to explore her relationships with her newfound group that was formed in the previous novel。 Her friends and alliance members， Liu and Aadhya continue to be a great support system。 Their dynamic provides a nice balance between everyday friendship dynamics/character growth navigation and the main plot of dangers in the school。 El also continues to navigate her complicated relationship with heroic Orion Lake。 Now that she has received a warning for being near him， she has a new obstacle to overcome。 Their relationship initially seems to be an enigma to the characters and to the reader， but their relationship grows a lot with the dynamics between them changing。 I loved reading about their complex relationship as they try to navigate their feelings and the many dangers around them。 This senior class has around 1000 students left after starting around 1600， which is vastly larger than the 800 （or less） that is usually present at this point。 I loved that these statistics were weaved into the narration as it reaffirms the dangers that the students face each year。 With the change in the number of students， they are not facing a huge unknown about how making passes the graduation test will go。 With odds seemingly in their favor， El starts to think about life after graduation for the first time。 The mal continues to pose threats to the students， but their attacks are different from the first novel。 In A Deadly Education， there is mal after mal presented to the reader， so it was very interesting to see how the dangers have changed based on the ending of the last novel。Overall， this is an excellent transition novel between the first and third novels in the trilogy。 I loved the amount of character growth and the journeys that the characters go through which helps this novel not feel like a “filler，” which can happen to some second novels in a trilogy。 I greatly enjoyed reading this novel with the multiple twists， endless dangers， and great characters to create an interesting story。 Although I loved El in this novel， there was a part of me that missed her being a very snarky loner as her being an outcast added an even greater layer to the tension of the story。 She is still sassy as a character， but it now is presented in a new way given her circumstances have changed。 This novel was an excellent addition to the series， but， again， the ending is very frustrating because now I really want to know what will happen next！**I give a special thank you to Netgalley， the publisher， Del Rey Books， and the author for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel。 The opinions expressed are completely my own。** 。。。more
Emma
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The world of the Scholomance is so well conceived- it’s a real pleasure to reimmerse myself in that world。 El is in a much stronger position now and negotiations for trade offs， alliances， producing and using mana remain the focal point of daily school life。 Be warned: there’s a big cliffhanger at the end- becoming somewhat a trademark of the series！ Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book。
Ayre
，
The Last Graduate follows Galadriel in her senior year at the Scholomance as she and the other seniors prepare to make the death run through the graduation hall。 Staying alive means you graduated。While I liked the snark in this book as much as I liked the first book the story in this one didn't hold up。 Most of the book was spent planning something that was hugely anti-climatic。 The big twist at the end of the first book still wasn't ever explained。 This book also ends on a cliff hanger that see The Last Graduate follows Galadriel in her senior year at the Scholomance as she and the other seniors prepare to make the death run through the graduation hall。 Staying alive means you graduated。While I liked the snark in this book as much as I liked the first book the story in this one didn't hold up。 Most of the book was spent planning something that was hugely anti-climatic。 The big twist at the end of the first book still wasn't ever explained。 This book also ends on a cliff hanger that seems truly unnecessary。 Overall this book felt like there was no real risk to any of the characters。Still good， would still recommend， but maybe wait until the whole series is out because the wait with the cliff hangers is killer。I received an early review copy of The Last Graduate from Netgalley。 I was not required to leave this review 。。。more
Alicia Turner
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4。5 ⭐️OMGGG OMGGG。 Okay， this book definitely surpassed my expectations and I will say with all confidence that this book is soooo much better than A Deadly Education。We pick right up from the ending of A Deadly Education with that note。 （I will say after reading this book， I’m still unsure what it means）。Galadriel grew sooo much in this book。 She was still prickly and quick to anger， but that’s what we love about her。 We meet new characters and make new alliances。 I absolutely loved the friends 4。5 ⭐️OMGGG OMGGG。 Okay， this book definitely surpassed my expectations and I will say with all confidence that this book is soooo much better than A Deadly Education。We pick right up from the ending of A Deadly Education with that note。 （I will say after reading this book， I’m still unsure what it means）。Galadriel grew sooo much in this book。 She was still prickly and quick to anger， but that’s what we love about her。 We meet new characters and make new alliances。 I absolutely loved the friendship between El， Aadhya， and Liu。 I squealed a lot。 We get more monsters and even a couple familiars which I can’t wait to see more of in the next book。The romance definitely kicked up a notch; the banter was still *chef’s kiss* We get more of an understanding into Orion’s background and see some vulnerable parts of him。That ending。 THAT ENDING！ I got major anxiety reading the last 10% cause I KNEW。 I knewww that something was going to happen。 This definitely ends on a major cliff hanger and now I don’t know what to do with myself as I anxiously await for book 3 and pray to the literary gods I get selected to read an ARC。 。。。more
Jennifer Dawson
，
New York Times Bestselling Author Naomi Novik crafted a darkly beautiful version of our world， where dangerous creatures called Maleficaria swarm adolescent wizards to devour their magic。 To give their children a better chance at surviving puberty， adult wizards built a school in the void。 For four years， these teens learn spells， forge alliances， and do whatever they can to stay alive。 Because while the school is safer than the outside world， it is not safe。 Maleficaria do get in， and only twen New York Times Bestselling Author Naomi Novik crafted a darkly beautiful version of our world， where dangerous creatures called Maleficaria swarm adolescent wizards to devour their magic。 To give their children a better chance at surviving puberty， adult wizards built a school in the void。 For four years， these teens learn spells， forge alliances， and do whatever they can to stay alive。 Because while the school is safer than the outside world， it is not safe。 Maleficaria do get in， and only twenty-five percent of students make it through all four years and graduate。 The Scholomance is boarding school hell - more of a nightmare prison， actually - but if a student beats the one-in-four-odds of survival， they return home with the skills and connections to build their adult lives。 The Last Graduate picks up exactly where A Deadly Education left off。 Galadriel – or El – is now a senior at the Scholomance， and is no longer an outcast。 She has a graduation alliance。 She has friends。 She also has a half-healed gut-wound and a target on her back。 She did everything in her power to ensure the prior year’s seniors graduated safely， but they wouldn’t know if it worked until the end of the year when El’s class graduates。 She’d shown her power， though， and the school sees El as a threat。 So do other students。This year the Scholomance has given El an impossible schedule， stuck her in a secluded classroom with a bunch of helpless freshmen， and sent all the Maleficaria after her。 It appears as if the school is intent on taking El down， and it’s not alone。 Students don’t normally turn on one another， too busy fighting Maleficaria to openly attack one another。 This year， everything changes。The Last Graduate is the perfect follow-up to A Deadly Education。 It’s another stellar novel， and I couldn’t put it down。 In fact， I read it twice， and I know I’ll read it again because I not only pre-ordered a print copy， but also the audiobook。 Anisha Dadia did such a fantastic job narrating A Deadly Education， I know the audiobook for The Last Graduate will be just as good。 。。。more
Ashleigh （a frolic through fiction）
，
DNFed。 Sadly the writing style still grates on me - it’s as if to make our main character seem standoffish she has to talk in double the amount of words than is needed。 It’s tiring to get through a page at times and sadly I don’t care enough for the characters， plot， or setting to continue。 I might return to it eventually but right now I’m just not vibing。
Jennifer
，
This sequel to A Deadly Education is just as good as the first book。 Both books are set in the Scholomance， a high school for magical students， but a much darker one than Hogwarts， as most students do not live to graduate。 In this fantasy world， monsters are attracted to a magical force which is especially present in young wizards - so they are locked into the school for four years as they try to survive attacks from the monsters already living in and/or breaking into the school。 Our heroine， El This sequel to A Deadly Education is just as good as the first book。 Both books are set in the Scholomance， a high school for magical students， but a much darker one than Hogwarts， as most students do not live to graduate。 In this fantasy world， monsters are attracted to a magical force which is especially present in young wizards - so they are locked into the school for four years as they try to survive attacks from the monsters already living in and/or breaking into the school。 Our heroine， El， is very powerful but has always been a loner， and in this book is getting used to having actual friends and allies while trying to figure out a plan to get everyone safely through graduation。 Once again， a great story with great characters， great action， and an interesting and fully believable world。 If it sounds interesting to you， definitely start with the first book - this is definitely not a standalone novel。 My only issue - it barrels towards the ending only to end on an extreme cliffhanger - the kind that makes you wish you had waited til the whole series was published before starting！ But who am I kidding - I have been a fan of Naomi Novik since her very first book in her very first series 15 years ago， and was so excited to read this one I couldn’t even wait til it was published （it comes out September 28th）。 4。5 stars。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Nolwenn
，
I'm not entirely sure how to rate this book。 It isn't bad but it isn't great either。I read A Deadly Education last year when it came out and already had problems with the pacing。 I almost gave up a few times but the cliffhanger at the end made me want to read book 2。 Now I'm facing the exact same situation: I had to power through the book， hoping the pacing would pick up and waiting for "the" cliffhanger at the end （despite my hopes last year that it would be a duology， it's become a trilogy）。 U I'm not entirely sure how to rate this book。 It isn't bad but it isn't great either。I read A Deadly Education last year when it came out and already had problems with the pacing。 I almost gave up a few times but the cliffhanger at the end made me want to read book 2。 Now I'm facing the exact same situation: I had to power through the book， hoping the pacing would pick up and waiting for "the" cliffhanger at the end （despite my hopes last year that it would be a duology， it's become a trilogy）。 Unfortunately， the pacing is still very slow and this time the characters weren't that interesting either。 I liked El in the first book but I didn't root for her in this one and Orion is now a secondary and under-developed character， The chapters were too long for my taste and when nothing happens， it's quite difficult to keep on reading。 I did finish and even though there was a cliffhanger at the end of The Last Graduate， I don't think I care enough to read book 3。2。5 stars。Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Rachel Simson
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We delve back in to the scholomance and straight in to El’s senior year。 Expect the unexpected and enjoy the ride through some incredible world building and a book that defies all expectations。 What I love about this series is that it’s so hard to classify， it’s unlike anything else I have ever read。 it’s a little bit fantasy， a bit speculative， with a splash of sci-fi and dystopia， it has levels of horror and humour and mystery， it’s got so many layers。 Naomi’s world building reminds me of clas We delve back in to the scholomance and straight in to El’s senior year。 Expect the unexpected and enjoy the ride through some incredible world building and a book that defies all expectations。 What I love about this series is that it’s so hard to classify， it’s unlike anything else I have ever read。 it’s a little bit fantasy， a bit speculative， with a splash of sci-fi and dystopia， it has levels of horror and humour and mystery， it’s got so many layers。 Naomi’s world building reminds me of classic science fiction authors， there’s a focus on information more than character and plot at points， and where I would normally see this info-dumping as a negative， when it comes to these books， I just want to eat up every single detail about the world that she has created。 I want to know everything about the Scholomance， it’s students and the Mals that prey on them。 It’s all fascinating and I am still in awe of Naomi’s creativity。 At times I did find her writing style a little hard to read， the sentences are very long and complicated which meant I had to put a lot more concentration into reading than I normally do。 But as soon as the action scenes kick in， all that goes away， and I am swept along with the dramatic scenes and compelling plots。 There are two distinct personalities in each of the Scholomance books， the first half of the book is full of the most incredible descriptions and world-building， and the second half of the book is full of twisting plot lines that are full of surprise。 And to add to this， Naomi really knows how to write incredible final chapters。 A Deadly Education’s final showdown was exciting enough， and then this book comes along and blows all of that out of the water。 I still haven’t got over how this book ends， and I continue to live in a state of shock that I feel like will last until I finally have the third book in my hands。 It’s DRAMATIC。 However， with the plot and the world-building having so much impact on this book， I did feel a little like the characters were lost。 El’s voice wasn’t quite as prominent as it was in A Deadly Education。 She’s such a big personality， that I was sad to see her lost in the thrum of everything else going on in this book。 I also lost sight of some of the supporting characters in The Last Graduate too。 There’s a lot of new characters mentioned， which took away some of the spotlight from the old ones， and I wasn’t always sold on their relationships。 One big exception to this was El’s friendships though， the friendships were such a highlight to this book， and emotional at times。 They gave the plot a lot more meaning， and completely overshadowed every other kind of relationship in this book。SUMMARYThe Last Graduate is a fantastic continuation to the Scholomance series， full of dramatic scenes， incredible world building， and gasp-inducing plots。CAWPILE: 8。43 。。。more
Somjai
，
Such an incredible sequel。 My body thrummed with adrenaline through the ending。 Last night I even dreamed I was running the graduation gauntlet。 I’m actually disappointed I read it so early and have to wait forever for book 3。 Oh the suffering I will endure。
ylenia
，
I waited for this sequel very impatiently after that plot twist at the end of A Deadly Education， but unfortunately， I had to put The Lat Graduate down 40% in， as I was really struggling to keep reading。Maybe it was because the hype dropped after a year of waiting even though I gave five stars to the previous book， but I found this sequel overly dense and even worse than the first book in terms of relationships between characters and their development。Leaving aside the particular style that the I waited for this sequel very impatiently after that plot twist at the end of A Deadly Education， but unfortunately， I had to put The Lat Graduate down 40% in， as I was really struggling to keep reading。Maybe it was because the hype dropped after a year of waiting even though I gave five stars to the previous book， but I found this sequel overly dense and even worse than the first book in terms of relationships between characters and their development。Leaving aside the particular style that the author has decided to use for this story， I have readapted quite easily to it even though I'm not super fond of it。 I found El， the main character， more unbearable and less human than before。 I understand that in the Scholomance， there are more alliances than friendships because the goal is to survive。 Still， I don't comprehend why El is so stubborn to be hostile and grumpy towards everyone， even her friends。In the first book， there was a better relationship with Orion， a character who was given special attention， but in The Last Graduate， he became a secondary character that isn't as present as I thought it would be。 The ending of A Deadly Education made it clear that more attention would be given to his character and his relationship with El。 Still， I got almost in the middle and very little happened， which is why I decided not to finish this book， as I don't feel like reading such a dense story almost devoid of plot and character development。 。。。more
Karen
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Review to follow
Mike
，
The TLDR version: This book is awesome， Naomi Novik is awesome， El is awesome， and I want one of my friends to read this book *RIGHT NOW* so I can talk to someone about it properly。Long form review: Bear with me。 I’m going somewhere with this。The Paladin class is probably the trickiest of the classic tabletop RPG classes to play *right*。 Setting aside details of stuff like armor class and weapon proficiencies and skill points， the heart of the class is that a character’s powers are directly tied The TLDR version: This book is awesome， Naomi Novik is awesome， El is awesome， and I want one of my friends to read this book *RIGHT NOW* so I can talk to someone about it properly。Long form review: Bear with me。 I’m going somewhere with this。The Paladin class is probably the trickiest of the classic tabletop RPG classes to play *right*。 Setting aside details of stuff like armor class and weapon proficiencies and skill points， the heart of the class is that a character’s powers are directly tied to them living according to a strict personal code。 Act against your code， and you lose your powers。Lazy players will treat that code as just another class requirement， and make sure their character’s actions fit a strict reading of that code。 Boring players make the code the central thing about their character， and the result is a kind of annoying religious zealot。 The really interesting players also make the code the central thing about their character， but they make it a point of growth and internal conflict。El is probably the best example of the Paladin character I’ve ever seen。To quote *Into the Wood*， “‘Nice’ is different than ‘good。’” El is not nice。 She is sarcastic， judgmental， self-righteous， and takes rudeness to places never before seen。 But she is also， loathe as she is to admit it， her mother’s daughter， and that central conflict is what makes both *A Deadly Education* and *The Last Graduate* so freaking compelling。 It’s not about the anti-Hogwarts nature of the Scholomance or fighting dangerous maleficarium or whatever cool spells El can pull off （though all that stuff is， admittedly， pretty great）。 What makes these books so compelling is seeing El trying to convince herself that she’s living according to the Scholomance’s selfish “every wizard for themselves” rules while being completely unable to actually do so。I promised no spoilers， and I’m going to stick to that， but we saw this conflict play out pretty well in *A Deadly Education*。 Her relationships with Aadhya and Liu and Orion。 Her realization that she wasn’t actually playing some kind of clever long game so much as unconsciously procrastinating what her “plan” required her to do。 Her determination to survive clashing with her refusal to let others die if she could prevent it。 Her longing for the safety of an enclave and inability to accept the fundamental injustice of their existence。 All of that carries on in this book， taken to the next level。I strongly suggest not starting the last quarter or so of the book unless you have the time to finish it。 The entire book was great， but that last portion building up to the climax was pretty much impossible to put down （the overall shape of the plot structure is pretty similar to *A Deadly Education，* actually）。 Those who have read aDE can guess what the climactic event is centered around。 This book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger in the traditional sense， but （like aDE） holy hell is there a sequel hook。Naomi Novik is， I feel， much like El herself: a once-in-a-generation-talent with the power to rock the world on its foundations。 Will she use that power for good or evil？ If *Uprooted* and *Spinning Silver* are any guide， probably for good， but （again， like El） I could well see her going to the dark side under the right circumstance。 I hope Naomi gets book 3 out soon so I can find out。Thanks to Del Ray for the ARC。 The book comes out on September 28。 。。。more
TBS
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A new standalone Naomi Novik novel or installation in a series is somewhat like the rare and elusive experience of continuing a very good dream after briefly waking up。 The seamless narrative continuity， the astonishing landscape of endlessly inventive but oddly familiar curiosities， and the equally complex snarl of relationships， are all steeped in the peculiar logic and emotional resonance of those heroic fiery stories that are forged in sleep。 And these are the most compelling stories， the on A new standalone Naomi Novik novel or installation in a series is somewhat like the rare and elusive experience of continuing a very good dream after briefly waking up。 The seamless narrative continuity， the astonishing landscape of endlessly inventive but oddly familiar curiosities， and the equally complex snarl of relationships， are all steeped in the peculiar logic and emotional resonance of those heroic fiery stories that are forged in sleep。 And these are the most compelling stories， the ones that are so all-consuming that the distinction between the story and the self， the person reading the book， is completely erased and you live the book while reading it， and the continuation of your next breath or heartbeat depends on turning or swiping the next page。 So yeah， The Last Graduate is one of those kind of books。To the benefit of the reader The Last Graduate picks up directly from the last line of A Deadly Education， when Galadriel or El has just unfurled the short cryptic note from her beloved mother， warning her to stay away from Orion， the socially oblivious， much adulated maleficaria killing machine who has appointed himself El’s personal protector， much to her scathing， clearly stated， and often hilarious irritation。 As detailed in A Deadly Education， Galadriel has spent her life lying low， resisting her natural inclination to lay waste to cities and vanquish her perceived enemies through horrifically imaginative methods of extermination， which seem to be only spells the Schoolmance will disgorge to her。 Her status as a rejected and somewhat feared social outcast/loner has been reinforced by a lifetime of ostracism， which has accelerated during the brutal survival mode trade economy of the 4-year Schoolmance education。 However， not everyone feels the brunt of imminent mal-inflicted death。 The Schoolmance and the outside wizard world are governed by enclaves， whichfunction as a blend of corporate power， mediating mana （life force magical power） and protection with entrenched legacy membership， protected by the labors of the wannabes in the hopes of a lesser affiliation and eventual membership for their offspring or family。 Novik exceeds at world building and world mirroring， as the structure of the enclaves uncomfortably resembles the elitism， entitlement， and stratified power structure between the haves and have nots in our own society。 In her growing and often reluctant self-awareness as an outsider， El’s desires evolve from her highest aspiration of an enclave invitation， to a realization and rejection of the system-wide inequity and corruption that this membership entails。 Much of her fury is directed at Orion for being a clueless hapless beneficiary of the enclave’s rewards， and yet， since Novik rarely deals in absolutes when developing her characters， El must also uneasily come to terms with the fact that Orion is also being exploited by his enclave， the extent of which causes another glass shake of the Schoolmance globe。 This is heady stuff and as El’s powers grow， along with the Schoolmance’s escalating attempts to thwart them， she is forced to come to terms with “the great responsibility that comes with great power，” while battling for her life with energetically persistent mals and even her fellow seniors。 The surprising decisions she makes in response to this， and the resources and help she receives in realizing them are unpredictable and often wrenching。 Initially El’s skirmishes take place in her new homeroom， on the nearly inaccessible 5th floor in a room rigged to be a mal paradise， which she shares it with freshman aka those she does not want to acknowledge or recognize to avoid grieving for their inevitable deaths。 This strategy does not hold for long， though the Schoolmance is far from finished with El。 As graduation day looms closer， the coalitions shift and crackle like loose electrical lines， especially evident during the simulation graduation day training exercises in the gym。 The previously unresponsive gym has some long dormant surprises for El’s class， causing the seniors to abruptly change factions and partnerships to better their chances， resulting in a near daily shake up of the power grid。 These rehearsal graduation runs with simulation and sometimes real mals unfold with such zest， terror， and high-powered adrenaline that Novik’s background as a video game designer is clearly apparent， as well as her delight in creating them。 Her nail biting battle scene choreography dizzyingly drives the twists and spins and zigzag escape hatches that often turn into the opposite。 It’s nerve-wracking and enchanting and makes a satisfying counterpart to El’s ongoing analytic， always critical interior monologues， and they play off each other well。 The plot threads are dense and intricate but never dropped， and overlaid with them are a raft of new characters including Liesel， a beautiful， terrifyingly ambitious fast-track valedictorian; Sudarat， a terrified freshman whose Bangkok enclave mysteriously dissolves before the first week; and El’s familiar， the mouse， Precious， who demonstrates some decidedly unfamiliar independent inclinations concerning El’s well-being。 Also vying for billing are the many mals from leeches to larvae to wicker basket men to the frightening mystery of the whereabouts of the maw mouth twins: Patience and Fortitude。 But next to the increasingly enticing forbidden fruit charms of a suddenly buff Orion Lake， the great love story of The Last Graduate is one of slow trust and friendship， between El and the members of her alliance， Aadhya， Liu， and seemingly privileged enclaver Chloe。 This territory is new and often emotionally dangerous for El。 And as with any BFFs that have your back， they also call you on your merde。 Aadhya， who is perhaps closest to El， is also her self-appointed social nuance coach: “You’d rather run away and wallow in angst than ask for help or anything else extremely horrible like that。” Of course El is hardest on herself and her relentless self-doubt， bouts of rage， introspection， honesty， and knife sharp retorts， make her one of the most engaging anti hero/heroes in recent literature。 And Orion？ Novik excels at a slow-building almost antagonistic sexual connection between her characters that unwinds almost in the background until extreme circumstances trigger its emergence; it happens here and she reinvigorates the wartime romance trope so effectively that you can almost feel the steam wafting up from the e-book。 The long payoff to the actual graduation day pays off， hugely。 The actual graduation scenes are so vividly conceived and written that the experience is almost more like watching a film than reading a novel。 And all of this occurs before El can really puzzle out the message behind the message in her mother’s short ribbon of a note。 The emotions are all earned here， often painfully， but never gratuitously and unlike the Victorian-era engineering wonders of the Schoolmance， we never hear the gears wheels and pulleys cranking in service of the plot。 Novick’s sly wit surfaces repeatedly through small， almost throw away details， such as the possible dinner offering of Shepherd’s Pie made from real shepherd。 And the ending， well it’s goes far beyond being a run of the mill cliff hanger， perhaps it's more like a cliff hanger located in the middle of an active fault line， and you could almost entertain the idea of going into suspended animation for a year or more to lessen the time until the final installment of this exceptional series is released。 Fortunately， Novik has other fine books to read and reread during this finger-drumming， thumb-twiddling time。 The best things are always worth waiting for of course， except at the conclusion of this book， it also feels as though you are time traveling to a childhood car trip， and focused entirely on a single question: “Are we there yet？” No， not for at least another year， sigh。 。。。more
Ella
，
A fantastic sequel for a series that has become one of my favourites。 Like in A Deadly Education， The Last Graduate is a whirlwind of a read。 A book that grabs you on a roller-coaster and refuses to let you off。 It makes for a quick， but intense read and impossible to put down。 I will say that the fast pace and many side characters often meant I kept forgetting who was who and mixing up characters。 I kept having to go back serval pages to figure out who El was talking too。 Once again， we are tak A fantastic sequel for a series that has become one of my favourites。 Like in A Deadly Education， The Last Graduate is a whirlwind of a read。 A book that grabs you on a roller-coaster and refuses to let you off。 It makes for a quick， but intense read and impossible to put down。 I will say that the fast pace and many side characters often meant I kept forgetting who was who and mixing up characters。 I kept having to go back serval pages to figure out who El was talking too。 Once again， we are taken to the Scholomance where a horrific death is around every corner and in every shadow。 But this time there is a more hopeful tone as El is no longer fighting to survive on her own but now has friends at her back and a plethora of allies。 The same themes of class inequality carry over as we see many enclave kids take their vast privileges as their due and expect independent kids to sacrifice everything while they dangle the very small chance of an enclave spot over their lives。 But this time， El carries more guilt as she is given enclave privileges now her power has been revealed。 This sequel certainly lives up to the explosive first book and I am now desperate to read the third book。 I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brittany （whatbritreads）
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*Thank you to DelRey for sending a copy my way for review！*The main problem I had with this one that brought my rating down significantly like the first book is that for some reason I can’t gel with the style of writing used here。 It just completely overshadows my love for all of the other elements and made it so difficult to read。 A slog of info-dumps and very intense internal monologue made for very slow pacing。 It didn’t help that the plotline in this book was very repetitive - they spent hun *Thank you to DelRey for sending a copy my way for review！*The main problem I had with this one that brought my rating down significantly like the first book is that for some reason I can’t gel with the style of writing used here。 It just completely overshadows my love for all of the other elements and made it so difficult to read。 A slog of info-dumps and very intense internal monologue made for very slow pacing。 It didn’t help that the plotline in this book was very repetitive - they spent hundreds of pages doing the same thing on repeat。 I’ve read that this book is sort of a bridge between book one and three and you can really tell， I’m not sure we needed 400 pages of it。 Having said that， I absolutely love everything else about it and have basically no complaints。I loved the development we get to see in El here and I feel like we actually get to know her a lot better and get an opportunity to understand the complexity of her character。 Again， I loved her internal monologue。 She's great as a narrator - very witty and sarcastic which kept me entertained through the dry spells in the writing。 It was wholesome to see her interact with the other characters and slowly become more open。 There really is now an element of found family in tis series which I would like pushed further。 It’s one of my favourite tropes and if it’s opened up in here it would work so well。 Speaking of relationships， I loved watching the romance between El and Orion。 We finally got the content we deserved and though it’s such a slowburn the payoff was so worth it。 There was actual open and honest communication between the two of them and some real vulnerability。 They were my favourite scenes to read honestly。 The friendship development in this book was great but the romantic bits took the cake for me。 Again， it remained pretty back seat so it didn't overshadow the rest of the story but I really enjoyed it and can’t see where it goes in the final book。Gonna be honest I still don’t think I’ve grasped the fantasy or world of this at all and the logistics of what is going on baffles me， however I do really enjoy it。 I think it’s well done， it’s very creepy and just overall an enjoyable series。What on EARTH WAS THAT ENDING though？！？ Somehow， it was a worse cliffhanger than the first book。 I need answers。 。。。more
Kylie
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Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。I had such a love/hate relationship with this book。I loved the characters， absolutely loved them。 El was so gruff almost to the point of stand-offishness but I LOVED her。 She had Orion trying to make moves the whole book and she was like NOPE， I want to live and get through graduation and it was fantastic。 I loved the friendship she struck up with Liu and Aadyah in the first book and it just got even more wonderful in t Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。I had such a love/hate relationship with this book。I loved the characters， absolutely loved them。 El was so gruff almost to the point of stand-offishness but I LOVED her。 She had Orion trying to make moves the whole book and she was like NOPE， I want to live and get through graduation and it was fantastic。 I loved the friendship she struck up with Liu and Aadyah in the first book and it just got even more wonderful in this one。 They really had each other's backs the entire book and we just really got to know them better which was fantastic。 And they never gave up on El no matter how stand-offish she was。 We also got to know characters we only knew a little bit in the first book so much better in this one。 I think the characters were my favorite part of this book。The plot。 （This part will probably include spoilers！） At first we think， ok， this book is going to be about El， Aadyah and Liu trying to get out of this killer school and back to their families。 But really， it was about El realizing what her powers can really do and how she can use them （I will not say how she ends up using them）。 It was about changing your mindset。 For centuries， these students have been selfish， only thinking about getting themselves out at the end of 4 years。 That was literally the only way anyone got out。 Mal eating your friend？ That's fine， because it's not you。 El finds out that with her power she can turn this whole mindset on its head， but can she get everyone else to go along with it？That was the part of the plot/writing style I absolutely loved。 There was just SO MUCH info dumping。 All the time。 We would be in the middle of a one page conversation， have a 5 page info dump about something only slightly relevant and then go right back into the conversation and 99% of the time I didn't even remember what the original conversation had been about。 That totally took me out of the story and I really felt like I slogged through those parts。 The ending was absolutely fantastic。 Maybe a tiny bit dragged out， but it was amazing。 THAT CLIFFHANGER THOUGH。 If you don't like cliffhangers DO NOT read this book until the third one comes out or you will probably end up throwing your book at the wall！ 。。。more
Nicola Bennett
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Having survived the Scholomance this far is no guarantee that a student is going to be able to graduate。 This is a school where the final exams really can be final。The story picks up immediately after the last book finishes and the characters we followed before are now in that final year。 There is no break in the school year， or in the many various ways that people can die。 But the protagonist El actually finds herself in a better position than in previous years; she has managed to make friends， Having survived the Scholomance this far is no guarantee that a student is going to be able to graduate。 This is a school where the final exams really can be final。The story picks up immediately after the last book finishes and the characters we followed before are now in that final year。 There is no break in the school year， or in the many various ways that people can die。 But the protagonist El actually finds herself in a better position than in previous years; she has managed to make friends， and find a source of power for her magic， and she might possibly be dating Orion Lake， monster killer extraordinaire。 But the mals that lurk in the school seem to be seeking her out particularly， and somehow in spite of all her sensible survival instincts she keeps saving anyone else in the vicinity， including a gaggle of new years that she has been saddled with， as well as Orion who is not having such a good year。 As the final year students form alliances to get them through the final graduation test – a gauntlet of mals between them and the outside world - El starts to realise that she′s going to need a bigger alliance。 For a series that is full of people getting killed in horrifically ingenious ways， it is a joy to read。 El has a caustic approach to life and people which makes for a fun commentary， especially when she finds herself acting against her own best interests， and beginning to like people she has managed to despise for three years。 Characters from the first book get more development， and some new ones are introduced。 I was always pleased to see Liesel′s name appear （although a little guilty since she was a blatant racial stereotype） since she was at the centre of some of the funniest interchanges。 The book is full of imaginative creations in monsters and magic， with the accompanying black humour of how farcically some of the monsters are described。The book ends on an abrupt note， and for those who don′t like cliffhangers you might want to wait until the final part of the trilogy is available。 I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Last Graduate
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Last Graduate&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Last Graduate&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0