I could not wait for this book once I finished A Deadly Education, which was one of the most compelling reads I’d read in a long time. I absolutely adored El, and her developing relationships. The world was interesting, and kept me intrigued, but it was really the characters that did everything for me.
When I started The Last Graduate, I had incredibly high expectations. I will say that it didn’t disappoint.
The Scholomance was always pretty dangerous, especially for El – a strict mana (no cheating) wizardess destined to be a dark, all-powerful sorceress. But this year, her last year, is even worse. Her schedule is beyond intense before you even get to the extra “work session” she’s assigned. It seems the Scholomance is trying to push her towards her enclave destroying destiny.
If there was one thing I could have asked for more of, it would be more time between El and a certain someone. But even saying that seems like asking for too much. Because El’s friendships and relationships developed so much in this book that I honestly feel bad asking for more.
I absolutely LOVE Aadhya and Liu. The friendship and relationship that continues to develop between these three is one of my favorites I’ve ever read. And it was so great to see them figure out how to succeed and try to ensure they actually graduate at the end of the year.
Though – warning – the cliffhanger here is the WORST. Y’all have The Golden Enclaves to jump right into (look for the review coming on that soon), so at least you don’t have a year wait, but damn. It was a harsh and painful way to end this book.
I am the type of person that spends the entirety of my time reading trying to figure out where things are going and what the twists are going to be. I can’t help it. It’s a large part of the fun for me. And I did that here too. Except there’s always at least one thing that surprises me.
Naomi Novik didn’t disappoint in this book. There were a number of things I didn’t expect. And more that I spent almost a year waiting – dying – to find out before reading The Golden Enclaves.
One thing I’d love to talk about is the audiobook and the wonderful narrator, Anisha Dadia. She absolutely IS El. I love her voice so much, and the way that she portrays the characters. It brings such depth and emotion to the story. I’ve honestly listened to this (and A Deadly Education) a dozen times each because it just brings me so much joy to hear her narration.
If you’re curious on how best to experience the Scholomance series, I give my absolute highest recommendation to the audiobook.
Leave a Reply