The Last Graduate

Galadriel prepares herself and her classmates for their graduation battle royale.

Galadriel AKA El returns in the second book in the Scholomance series and is preparing for her graduation and the deadly battle that will take place while trying to exit the school.

The first book in this series was a study in fascinating world-building, but this second novel in the series slows the interest. With the world already established, the book lacks the hook that keeps you reading. There's a lot of politicking and trying to establish connections outside the school amongst the seniors.

El has a relationship with Orion Lake, the hero of her class. Her relationship with Orion is a side story that isn't well developed, making the reader question why they are together in the first place.

While the book is a slog, the chapters leading to the finale are quite exciting. I wish more of the momentum from the final chapters ran through the entire novel.

This is the third Naomi Novik book I've read, and I think "three strikes and you're out" applies here.

Recommended only if you loved the first book in the series.

Naomi Novik studied English literature at Brown and computer science at Columbia. She is a former video game developer/designer and is most well-known for her Temeraire series of fantasy novels. She lives in New York City.

Series: The Scholomance, #2

Publisher: Del Rey (print); Random House Audio

Narrator: Anisha Dadia

Running Time: 13 hours, 27 minutes

Length: 400 pages

Release Date: September 28, 2021

I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I also received a digital audio recording of this title from the publisher through Libro.fm and the Volumes App as a librarian review copy. I read the latter edition.