A few weeks ago my family and I unfortunately came down with COVID-19. As I sat in my room dreading my symptoms and wondering if my taste would ever return, I was thankful to have my trusty TBR (to be read) pile at my side, given that it is always far too large and only seems to grow no matter how much I try to limit my book-buying. While I despised Covid, it did give me time to finally tackle a few of the books in my stack. My growing excitement to finally read Naomi Novik’s The Last Graduate (2021) stems from my love for her fantastic fantasy retellings of Uprooted (2015) and Spinning Silver (2018). She is a master storyteller, and this novel was no exception. I highly recommend The Last Graduate, especially to those who enjoy fantasy. It definitely comforted me as I stayed curled up in my room and waited out the end of isolation.
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
Rating: 16+—some swearing, violence, suggestive romance scenes
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik is the second novel in her Scholomance series. The first book is A Deadly Education (2020). The series follows the escapades of Galadriel “El” Higgins, a half-Welsh, half-Indian sorceress, as she struggles to survive the Scholomance, a magical school for young wizards that is as opposite from Harry Potter’s Hogwarts as possible.
If you are someone who likes fantasy and/or stories of magical schools, you’ll enjoy this book. And if you find magical school stories unappealing, you will probably still be intrigued by this series, as the Scholomance often feels more like a Hunger Games-esque survival story, rather than anything resembling Harry Potter. The Scholomance is a monster-infested school with no adults whatsoever, students are constantly on the alert, and death (whether by monster or fellow students) is an expected part of the education. As she fights to stay alive, El’s first-person narration throughout the books is witty, snarky, and cynical. I found the first novel slow at the beginning, as it is heavy with exposition, but extensive world-building is required as Novik establishes the universe of the Scholomance—its alliances, the monsters or “mals”, and the other dangers students face. Though it took a while for me to become invested in A Deadly Education, the overall pacing of The Last Graduate is much faster and more exciting when compared with the first book.
Although this series lacks the almost lyrical flow of Novik’s fairy tale retellings such as Spinning Silver, the story and the relationships between characters keep you intrigued. While I personally wish there were more illustrations to help with visualizing the mals and some of the settings, I really enjoyed these novels.
Another reason these books are acclaimed is for their social commentary. Novik critiques the distinct advantages that wealth and privilege afford over those who come from lower-income backgrounds, as symbolized by the children who come to the Scholomance from the enclaves, or organized communities of wizards that are typically housed in major cities like New York and London, versus children like El who come from families outside the enclaves. Those from enclaves arrive equipped with tools to help them survive, and allies to watch their backs, while those like El usually have to survive by their abilities alone. Disparities of wealth, privilege, and even different countries shape the struggles of El and other students as they attempt to make it to adulthood.
Spoilers Ahead: If you’re interested in reading the books for yourself, I recommend you read no further.
This sequel picks up where the first book leaves off, with El reading the dire warning from her mother that instructs her to “Stay Away from Orion Lake.” Despite her mother’s warning, El and Orion only grow closer as the novel progresses. However, now that El is a senior, she and her allies begin to plan how they will survive the dreaded graduation day and finally escape to the outside world.
It is gratifying watching El progress from loner to having growing relationships with friends and allies, such as Aadhya and Liu. El’s eventual decision to rescue everyone, regardless of her own safety, regardless of their status or if they’ve tried to harm her, is such a contrast from the El at the beginning of the series, who was desperate to merely escape with her life. Novik is excellent at crafting realistic character growth, as readers see how El’s compassionate nature has been repressed by the basic need to survive, especially when she has been an outcast and pariah for so long. In addition to strong character development, this book also has excellent twists. Discovering that all the mals in the graduation hall had been destroyed was not something I had expected. Nor that the focus of the sequel would shift to turning the Scholomance into a way to destroy almost all mals and hopefully save future magical children–an actual destruction of a repressive system that aligns with Novik’s social commentary.
However, as someone who hates cliffhanger endings, to say I was upset at the conclusion is an understatement. I get it, cliffhangers keep us intrigued; they keep us waiting on the edge of our seats for whatever happens next–but this ending? I had a funny feeling that El and Orion’s relationship might parallel what happened to El’s parents–with El’s father sacrificing himself so her mother could survive the Scholomance. Yet while The Last Graduate ends with El escaping and Orion remaining behind, Orion does not stay back in order to prevent El’s death. It is not a noble sacrifice–it is a fool’s decision. I cannot comprehend how Orion’s desire to destroy monsters would conquer his desire to build a life with El beyond the Scholomance, particularly since he could have continued to destroy the remaining mals left in the world. Personally, it makes no sense to me, and this twist was as frustrating as it was heartbreaking. Part of me wonders if Orion is really dead, given his incredible fighting abilities. Perhaps the next book will feature a rescue mission to retrieve Orion from the Scholomance. Maybe Orion will escape on his own, or will Orion’s death be what triggers El into becoming the evil sorceress of prophecy? It would be both interesting (and depressing) to see a possible character regression after El has come so far in this novel.
I can only wait with anticipation for the next book in the series, especially since we will finally be exploring beyond the Scholomance and entering the world of the enclaves. After being trapped in the confines of the school with El and the other students, it will be interesting to see the bigger wizarding world. Will El reunite with her mother, or will she go to one of the enclaves, such as New York? The description for the next book, The Golden Enclaves (2022), indicates that El will aid in trying to prevent the enclaves from being destroyed by an unknown enemy.
Whatever awaits in the final book (coming September 2022), I am waiting and ready for answers.