Review: 'The Last Graduate' (The Scholomance #2) by Naomi Novik

I adored the first book of the Scholomance series, A Deadly Education, when it came out. Although there was a bit of controversy around it, I think Novik dealt with it quite well by acknowledging the issues and adjusting moving forward. And The Last Graduate definitely moves us forward! 

Original Pub. Date: 9/28/2021
My Edition is from: Del Rey Books

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 . . . 

I think The Scholomance was meant to be a duology, so when I got to the end, which ends equally cliffhanger-y as A Deadly Education, I was curious. Imagine my excitement when I realised it was not over, that all the delicious hints and clues about a future throughout The Last Graduate would be worked out in The Golden Enclaves! Now I'm just waiting for the paperback version to come out, or for my bank account to have enough money left by the end of the month so I can get the hardcover! In my review of A Deadly Education I discussed some of the controversy that arose around it. I actually feel like it was quite a good example of how these situations should go. If a negative stereotype is used and readers point it out, then I think its completely OK for an author to acknowledge and apologise, and then move forward with a clearer eye in their next work. (It could be that I missed something here, but this is how it came across to me.) So I'm glad that not only The Last Graduate was so much fun, but also that The Golden Enclaves is coming up! I'm extra glad because I do feel that the Scholomance trilogy is quite diverse in its make-up of characters and world-building and I would have been sad if that had stopped.

El, short for Galadriel, has just saved the previous graduating class by fixing the school's cleansing system, removing many the monstrous mals that were hanging around. But now she is a senior herself and the question remains whether their graduation ceremony will be a massacre nonetheless. As alliances form and shift, as the real training begins, things become more and more dangerous as the school begins to mess with all of El's plans. I continue to really like El and her attitude. While she is all snark, sass, and pessimism on the outside, she actually has such a soft, gentle core, and The Last Graduate really builds on this in a way that made me like her even more. I also love the balance she tries to strike between her innate murderous skills and her kind heart. This book also gives us more of an insight into the other characters, revealing more of their backstories to make us understand their actions more. I also continue to like the way the relationship between El and Orion is explored because romance is not something anyone in a murderous school can really afford. 

I've loved Naomi Novik's writing since I read Spinning Silver in 2018. I love how she builds words, especially how much is shown through behaviour rather than is explicitly told. I did appreciate how the world is expanded in this book, since the question still lurked for me as to why people would send their kids here, why the enclave-system works the way it does, etc. These questions are answered very organically without every distracting from the story itself. There is such a broad cast of characters and yet I felt like each was differentiated in their own way. As I mentioned above, the diversity of the characters is something I really enjoyed. If students from all over the world come here then yes, I want to see all of those different people! The representation is, as far as I can tell as a white reader, pretty on-point. I also still love the tone of the book. We're told this story by El herself, through her point of view, and she is a fascinating mix between insightful and foolhardy. I actually did laugh out loud at certain points or rolled my eyes at her because of course she'd jump to the worst conclusions! Novik also has an eye for emotional story-beats which she allows to resonate properly, which means that there is a nice balance to The Last Graduate when it comes to the fun versus the depth. I'm definitely very excited for The Golden Enclaves, although I'll be sad when this series is over.

I give this novel...

4 Universes!

I really enjoyed The Last Graduate. Although I had put it off for quite a while, I was immediately sucked in and invested again. Naomi Novik remains one of my favourite authors.