The Last Graduate - the.me.uk

Hardcover, 304 pages

English language

Published Sept. 28, 2021 by Del Ray.

ISBN:: 978-1-5291-0088-4

(2 reviews)

Return to the Scholomance - and face an even deadlier graduation - in the stunning sequel to the ground-breaking, Sunday Times bestselling A Deadly Education.

The dark school of magic has always done its best to devour its students, but now that El has reached her final year -- and somehow won herself a handful of allies along the way -- it's suddenly developed a very particular craving . . .

For her.

As the savagery of the school ramps up, El is determined that she will not give in; not to the mals, not to fate, and especially not to the Scholomance. But as the spectre of graduation looms -- the deadly final ritual that leaves few students alive -- if she and her allies are to make it out, El will need to realise that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules.

4 editions

Matt K reviewed The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (The Scholomance, #2)

A Blast Graduate

4 stars

Ok - the previous book ends so well, and drops a huge cliffhanger in the final paragraph. I'm glad I was reading these after they were all done because I'd HATE to wait a year for the next book

This is the graduating year for El in the Scholomance, the murderous school for wizards with deadly monsters around every corner. It really starts to heighten the tension between the tenets of Realpolitik and Mutualism. The world of wizards is brutal realpolitik. Every thing is a dismal trade - no one will help anyone without a benefit because every resource is hoarded against the day of graduation, where every single advantage is needed to improve your odds of not dying or worse. Worse is definitely a real possibility. In comes El and she does not need to trade. She destroys the economics by being able to do more.

I really enjoyed …

Ok - the previous book ends so well, and drops a huge cliffhanger in the final paragraph. I'm glad I was reading these after they were all done because I'd HATE to wait a year for the next book

This is the graduating year for El in the Scholomance, the murderous school for wizards with deadly monsters around every corner. It really starts to heighten the tension between the tenets of Realpolitik and Mutualism. The world of wizards is brutal realpolitik. Every thing is a dismal trade - no one will help anyone without a benefit because every resource is hoarded against the day of graduation, where every single advantage is needed to improve your odds of not dying or worse. Worse is definitely a real possibility. In comes El and she does not need to trade. She destroys the economics by being able to do more.

I really enjoyed this - couldn't help but tear through it in a few days. I like seeing El slowly overcome the social obstacles, the economic obstacles and finally the school itself in a fantastic climax. One downer is that this really is only possible because El is a kind of chosen one. Absent El, no one else could have done this. No group of kids before her could have made her choices. But she does have a real set of choices and she DOES make good choices that are very hard.

And the ending isn't just good - it's a triumph. We are along for a hell of a ride.

And it's the second in the trilogy. So, you know, the very last paragraph comes hard again. Damnit.

Alex Cabe reviewed The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (The Scholomance, #2)

More Complete Than the First One

5 stars

I enjoyed how El continued to develop and grow in a realistic way, and it was great to see her with her friends. Some suspension of disbelief is needed to accept the logic of the Scholomance, but, hey, it's magic.

The only knock was that it dragged a bit in the middle.

This felt like far more of a complete book than the first one, and the story structure worked well to keep me hooked until the conclusion. I'm a bit concerned about how they'll top it being outside of the school in the next one.