4.5/5

For fans of: magical schools, rivals-to-lovers, found families

The Big Questions:

• What genre is this in? young adult fantasy

• Are there any swoon-worthy characters? Silver-haired, hero complex, golden boy monster killer extraordinaire Orion Lake and El Higgins, English Desi girl prophesied to destroy the world, can’t help but learn massively deadly spells, but has a heart of gold and deeply loves her found family

• Is it spicy? No, this is as slow burn as it gets but so worth it

• Is it violent or gory? Yes, lots and lots of monster killing

• Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? If you loved A Deadly Education or a fan of Naomi Novik’s work, absolutely buy it.

Synopsis: 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 . . .

Review: It’s time to head back to school and this was the perfect start to Year 13 of middle school education.

I didn’t realize how much I missed this crew of desperate young wizards trying to survive their education until I jumped in. Our unlikely alliance of outcasts have made it to their final year and the ultimate goal, graduation, is frighteningly close to realization. El has been thrust from the darkest of corners to the limelight as the lead in fixing the cleansing machines for the graduation hall last year and now officially dating Orion Lake, school hero. But making it through senior year will be the ultimate test for every part of all their lives. El’s arc here is so well done. She already grew in the first book from lonely outcast to establishing a core group of friends to now in this book, becoming a true leader. Her goal shifting from survival to defeating the school isn’t rushed or forced. Her relationship with Orion, while an excruciating slow burn, is so worth it. They both earned that love and affection after all they have done and all that they have gone through for other people. I loved the focus on them in the later half of the book.

The political dynamics really shined through in this installment of the trilogy. Skillfully crafting the cultural and political aspects of the wider wizarding world through the eyes of new freshmen and soon-to-be-returning-home seniors, we get a bigger picture of the history that built the Scholomance and world that awaits them. News of the outside coupled with deep seated drama between rival enclaves causes lots of issues between alliances that both strengthen and hinder everyone’s preparation for graduation. I love drama, so I ate all of this up. But let me tell you, this all leads to a final sentence that has not had me screaming in shock since House of Sky and Breath. Thankfully I don’t have too long for the final installment, The Golden Enclaves coming out September 27!