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

Title: The Last Graduate (The Scholomance #2)
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Publication Date: September 28th, 2021
Publisher: Del Rey
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨

“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 . . .” (Goodreads)

I was looking forward to finally continuing on with this trilogy. After the last one sent I needed to know what would happen after that massive cliffhanger! Even this one started with such an interesting first line. Although I overall liked the continuation of the plot, I did feel like it wasn’t as action packed as the first, especially in the beginning.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from El. She is still trying to survive in her deadly school but this time she has experience and isn’t the weakest link. On her journey to staying alive, she has to figure out what she wants from Orion, what her mother meant when it came to him, and how to keep the freshmen alive she has come to know through her classes. It’s tough out there!

I did still like El as a character. She is very selfless and wants to help as many as she can survive which isn’t always the goal of others. It doesn’t help that without deaths there isn’t much “magic” to use and that puts a dent in staying alive as well. Even with this problem, she still rises to the challenge and continues doing what she must. I admire her persistance.

I wouldn’t say that I was as invested in the sequel as I was in the first book. It felt like the plot was much slower and nothing too exciting happens until after the halfway point. It does give the reader more information about the school and even the enclaves. The ending did make up for a lot of the book though and it once again makes me more intrigued about the next book!

Overall, this was a good read. I wish there would have been a bit more to stay invested but I am still curious enough for the final book.

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