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The Scholomance #3
The Golden Enclaves
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Fantasy (2022)Saving the world is a test no school of magic can prepare you for in the triumphant conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate.
The one thing you never talk about while you're in the Scholomance is what you'll do when you get out. Not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way. But it's all we dream about, the hideously slim chance we'll survive to make it out the gates and improbably find ourselves with a life ahead of us, a life outside the Scholomance halls.
And now the impossible dream has come true. I'm out, we're all out--and I didn't even have to turn into a monstrous dark witch to make it happen. So much for my great-grandmother's prophecy of doom and destruction. I didn't kill enclavers, I saved them. Me, and Orion, and our allies. Our graduation plan worked to perfection: we saved everyone and made the world safe for all wizards and brought peace and harmony to all the enclaves of the world.
Ha, only joking! Actually it's gone all wrong. Someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in my stead, and probably everyone we saved is about to get killed in the brewing enclave war on the horizon. And the first thing I've got to do now, having miraculously got out of the Scholomance, is turn straight around and find a way back in.
The one thing you never talk about while you're in the Scholomance is what you'll do when you get out. Not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way. But it's all we dream about, the hideously slim chance we'll survive to make it out the gates and improbably find ourselves with a life ahead of us, a life outside the Scholomance halls.
And now the impossible dream has come true. I'm out, we're all out--and I didn't even have to turn into a monstrous dark witch to make it happen. So much for my great-grandmother's prophecy of doom and destruction. I didn't kill enclavers, I saved them. Me, and Orion, and our allies. Our graduation plan worked to perfection: we saved everyone and made the world safe for all wizards and brought peace and harmony to all the enclaves of the world.
Ha, only joking! Actually it's gone all wrong. Someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in my stead, and probably everyone we saved is about to get killed in the brewing enclave war on the horizon. And the first thing I've got to do now, having miraculously got out of the Scholomance, is turn straight around and find a way back in.
407 pages, ebook
First published September 27, 2022
About the author
Naomi Novik
64 books33.3k followersAn avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, when she first made her way through The Lord of the Rings, Naomi Novik is also a history buff with a particular interest in the Napoleonic era and a fondness for the work of Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen. She studied English literature at Brown University, and did graduate work in computer science at Columbia University before leaving to participate in the design and development of the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadow of Undrentide. Over the course of a brief winter sojourn spent working on the game in Edmonton, Canada (accompanied by a truly alarming coat that now lives brooding in the depths of her closet), she realized she preferred writing to programming, and on returning to New York, decided to try her hand at novels.
Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers. Her website is at naominovik.com
Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers. Her website is at naominovik.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,737 reviews
October 6, 2022
Ask yourself: is it worth to sacrifice one person for the benefit of many? If you say yes, chances are you’re not the one being sacrificed. But it seems the people are willing to recognize that for some things a huge price needs to be paid — as long as someone else pays that price and they get to look the other way, justifying to themselves that someone needs to pay it after all.
Ursula K. Le Guin addressed this in her fable The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, and Naomi Novik does it here as well. And it makes this book dark and angry, and uncomfortable. Anger and resentment are well-earned, in this world that we discover hinges on pain belonging to someone else but those reaping the rewards, and even moments of friendship are often bittersweet, and there’s not a distraction of a budding love story full of sweet interactions.
Nope, it’s more intense than its predecessors as we leave the suffocating and yet insulating Scholomance walls for the world outside. Traumatized young adults, especially El who’s hopelessly trying to keep it together — since as we know, “anyone who’s made it out of the Scholomance knows how to keep their screaming on the inside.”
And yet after all the consuming desperate well-deserved anger it ended up a book about redemption and acceptance, love and cooperation. And a road to healing that cannot fix all the wrongs in one neat step, but at least puts a few paving stones on the road there. Because without that sort of ending this book would have been a well of depression, and I need my hope at the end of a journey like this, dammit!
(And I still maintain that El is basically Murderbot, feared by others but never even questioning self-sacrificing to save others. Reluctant grumpy hero full of pessimistic realism).
What I like about this series is subtlety when you need it. Amplified from the first two books, there’s not a neat good/bad division, and even the supposed “villains” don’t come with a big speech and a neat solution that leads to their erasure and ensuing happiness. Progress is not taking out the bad guys but rather working on the system that enables exploitation and suffering in the first place. It takes more than one or two heroic figures to bring about change — it takes work by many. And it takes sharing to power and responsibility as well.
Novik created a complex world where loose ends are neatly pulled together in the end, showing quite solid plotting that went into this trilogy. And despite having characters deeply scarred by their experiences and their actual nature, she avoids the entire melodrama that could have ensured, and I’m very thankful to her for that. And — thanks to all literary deities — there’s no lovestruck gazing and longing; El and Orion have more serious issues to face here; and if you expect heart-warming romance then you will do better walking away from this series, it’s NOT a romance story no matter how much people may want it to become one. Novik avoids the Young Adult pitfalls, confirming to me once again that this is written for adults, but just with younger characters.
All in all, this book ended up even better than I expected, and that’s a tricky thing to accomplish for any series conclusion.
4.5 stars. This is definitely one of my favorite series I’ve read in the last decade.
My review of the first book, A Deadly Education
My review of the second book, The Last Graduate
——————
Also posted on my blog.
Ursula K. Le Guin addressed this in her fable The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, and Naomi Novik does it here as well. And it makes this book dark and angry, and uncomfortable. Anger and resentment are well-earned, in this world that we discover hinges on pain belonging to someone else but those reaping the rewards, and even moments of friendship are often bittersweet, and there’s not a distraction of a budding love story full of sweet interactions.
“They pretended they saw a noble hero, because he’d tried so hard to fit himself into that picture, and they loved the picture: that made his power something for them, something that would help them. The same way everyone looked at me and my power and saw a monster, because I wouldn’t play along with what they wanted. But they’d loved Orion only in exactly the same way they’d hated me. Neither one of us were ever people to them. He just made himself useful, and I refused to.”
Nope, it’s more intense than its predecessors as we leave the suffocating and yet insulating Scholomance walls for the world outside. Traumatized young adults, especially El who’s hopelessly trying to keep it together — since as we know, “anyone who’s made it out of the Scholomance knows how to keep their screaming on the inside.”
“These strangers who were trying to murder my friend, these strangers who agreed with Ophelia in New York, with Christopher Martel in London, with Sir Alfred Fucking Cooper Browning and the rulers and founders of every other enclave in the world, that it was worth doing this one horrible thing to someone else, to avoid all the other horrible things that might happen to them.”
Image credit to https://jmaddalina.myportfolio.com/il...)
And yet after all the consuming desperate well-deserved anger it ended up a book about redemption and acceptance, love and cooperation. And a road to healing that cannot fix all the wrongs in one neat step, but at least puts a few paving stones on the road there. Because without that sort of ending this book would have been a well of depression, and I need my hope at the end of a journey like this, dammit!
(And I still maintain that El is basically Murderbot, feared by others but never even questioning self-sacrificing to save others. Reluctant grumpy hero full of pessimistic realism).
What I like about this series is subtlety when you need it. Amplified from the first two books, there’s not a neat good/bad division, and even the supposed “villains” don’t come with a big speech and a neat solution that leads to their erasure and ensuing happiness. Progress is not taking out the bad guys but rather working on the system that enables exploitation and suffering in the first place. It takes more than one or two heroic figures to bring about change — it takes work by many. And it takes sharing to power and responsibility as well.
Novik created a complex world where loose ends are neatly pulled together in the end, showing quite solid plotting that went into this trilogy. And despite having characters deeply scarred by their experiences and their actual nature, she avoids the entire melodrama that could have ensured, and I’m very thankful to her for that. And — thanks to all literary deities — there’s no lovestruck gazing and longing; El and Orion have more serious issues to face here; and if you expect heart-warming romance then you will do better walking away from this series, it’s NOT a romance story no matter how much people may want it to become one. Novik avoids the Young Adult pitfalls, confirming to me once again that this is written for adults, but just with younger characters.
All in all, this book ended up even better than I expected, and that’s a tricky thing to accomplish for any series conclusion.
4.5 stars. This is definitely one of my favorite series I’ve read in the last decade.
“I didn’t want to get up and go on in the world, agreeing that it was in any way acceptable for the world to keep going itself.”
My review of the first book, A Deadly Education
My review of the second book, The Last Graduate
——————
Also posted on my blog.
September 22, 2024
Firstly, all of these likes are from before this book was even released.
-
Okay, I'm super late, but I finally got the time to read this book, and it was okay!
The first two books felt like they had much higher stakes, and I got so used to the world inside the Scholomance that it felt odd when they got out. Everything in this book occurs within a short period of time, and its pacing is nothing like what we're used to.
Loose ends are tied up, but it just feels like the characters were stagnant. Yes, one of them had a really great reason, but everyone else?
Three stars because it really was a well-written book that had parts I genuinely enjoyed reading, but by the end of the book, I just felt like, "Damn...is this it?"
I want a fourth book. I want this series to keep going because there is no way this is the ending I get.
Edit: No one told me this review I posted over a year ago had so many errors. :/
-
Okay, I'm super late, but I finally got the time to read this book, and it was okay!
The first two books felt like they had much higher stakes, and I got so used to the world inside the Scholomance that it felt odd when they got out. Everything in this book occurs within a short period of time, and its pacing is nothing like what we're used to.
Loose ends are tied up, but it just feels like the characters were stagnant. Yes, one of them had a really great reason, but everyone else?
Three stars because it really was a well-written book that had parts I genuinely enjoyed reading, but by the end of the book, I just felt like, "Damn...is this it?"
I want a fourth book. I want this series to keep going because there is no way this is the ending I get.
Edit: No one told me this review I posted over a year ago had so many errors. :/
October 7, 2022
Well…I’ve finished it and I have A LOT of thoughts. Will try to piece them together for a proper review soon.
***
I know nothing about this book, but I am DESPERATE for it thanks to THAT ending. How dare we get left on such a cliffhanger?!?
***
I know nothing about this book, but I am DESPERATE for it thanks to THAT ending. How dare we get left on such a cliffhanger?!?
December 18, 2022
all of my 2022 anticipated releases being terrible is my villain origin story 😭😭
this read like a second book in a sequel, i hate when characters are split up for majority of the book. i just feel like the series should’ve been a duology because this was… certainly a choice. Orion was barely in this book. i also loved El in the first book, even the second but i feel like the third she was just so different. i think characters don’t always need character development, the don’t need to be liked. i liked her just fine before.
this book just feels like such a slap in the face because it feels completely different than the first two. and what was that weird cheating plotline? idk chile… just very sad, wasn’t expecting to give this two stars i love the series so much but this was such a disappointment.
and this read like literally harry potter fan fiction, i know that it technically is but it was never so blatantly obvious before. i felt like i was rereading deathly hollows.
this read like a second book in a sequel, i hate when characters are split up for majority of the book. i just feel like the series should’ve been a duology because this was… certainly a choice. Orion was barely in this book. i also loved El in the first book, even the second but i feel like the third she was just so different. i think characters don’t always need character development, the don’t need to be liked. i liked her just fine before.
this book just feels like such a slap in the face because it feels completely different than the first two. and what was that weird cheating plotline? idk chile… just very sad, wasn’t expecting to give this two stars i love the series so much but this was such a disappointment.
and this read like literally harry potter fan fiction, i know that it technically is but it was never so blatantly obvious before. i felt like i was rereading deathly hollows.
October 3, 2022
after i had a couple of nights to think, i can finally talk about this book. spoiler warning: i’m about to go on a mini rant and it will have spoiler for The Last Graduate and The Golden Enclaves.
– SPOILERS –
the fact that this series is a ya fantasy, but i’m giving this book 1 star for the romance is pretty much everything you need to know that i might be focusing on the wrong things here, but i’m still so salty about this that i really don’t care.
initially, what drew me to this series was the whole dark academia magical school setting. while the magic system is pretty cool, i quickly lost interest in this series because i don’t like Naomi Novik’s writing style, specifically the endless monologues of the heroine El. the only saving grace for me was the romance between El and Orion and i’m blaming that on my obsesssion with male Heroes named Orion (sue me 🤡). when Orion sacrificed himself at the end of The Last Graduate to save El by pushing her outside scholomance while he stays inside with the monsters.. my heart was invested!!
it doesn’t even make sense that i’m so invested in the romance since the romance in this series doesn’t even come in 2nd or 3rd place. i’d prob even rank the romance between 5th-Orion hunting mals and 6th-El’s vast descriptions of all things like doors of the school. and still I HAD HOPES. 🤡
now onto my actual rant:
The Golden Enclaves starts right where The Last Graduate left off: El is outside and angry. She thinks Orion is pretty much dead and that he’s suffering inside the school. she’s grieving and in her grief she think it’s a good idea to hook up with Liesel (another girl from scholomance). That El had sex with someone else is not great, but i could understand it a little bit, cause she wanted to stop thinking about Orion for a couple of minutes and she thought he was dead. Liesel was the fastest rebound, but okay. at the halfway mark of this book El goes back to scholomance and finds out that Orion is still alive and saves him and takes him outside the school. Orion and El have sex outside the wood (honestly the best scene of this school book, don’t even argue with me). and then not even two chapters later El has sex with Liesel AGAIN on a fucking airplane bathroom!!! yikes. 🧍♀️ WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS?! I DON’T UNDERSTAND!!! 😭😭😭 El and Orion were never a couple so it technically wasn’t cheating, but for me it 100% was cheating. El and Orion romance was build from the first book and there is no doubt in my mind that they were the main couple. Liesel wasn’t even really relevant for the story in the first place so i don’t understand what was the point of El sleeping with her again when Orion was alive… Noami was super sneaky with how she handled that 2nd hook up scene with Liesel as if we wouldn’t get it duh. y’all 🙂 don’t 🙂 understand 🙂 how 🙂 mad 🙂 i 🙂 am. 🙂
Orion deserves so much better than how he was treated in this book. not only did his not-girlfriend-but-still-girlfriend cheated on him, but he was was barely in this book. and the time he was on page … no we’re not even talking about that. idk who that boy was, but that was not my Orion. #justicefororionlake
last but not least, what in the Crash-Landing-On-You was that ending?? Orion stays at the scholomance to protect the children and guarding the gates, while El is travelling the world to keep fighting monsters and they only see each other only for a certain short period of time a year… that ending took a Seri/Captain Ri & Elizabeth/Will Turner kind of turn i didn’t ask for. while i hated the ending it didn’t ruin my mood, cause that was already ruined after El randomly decided to cheat on my baby Orion. 🙂
Conclusion
the best part of this all is that i never have to read one of El’s inner monologues ever again. i’m free <3
┍━━━━━━━━━━━━━┑
THE SCHOLOMANCE SERIES
#1 A Deadly Education – 3 stars
#2 The Last Graduate – 2.25 stars (the extra 0.25 is for that cliffhanger)
#3 The Golden Enclaves – 1.25 (0.25 for that fade to black El x Orion smut)
┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙
– SPOILERS –
the fact that this series is a ya fantasy, but i’m giving this book 1 star for the romance is pretty much everything you need to know that i might be focusing on the wrong things here, but i’m still so salty about this that i really don’t care.
initially, what drew me to this series was the whole dark academia magical school setting. while the magic system is pretty cool, i quickly lost interest in this series because i don’t like Naomi Novik’s writing style, specifically the endless monologues of the heroine El. the only saving grace for me was the romance between El and Orion and i’m blaming that on my obsesssion with male Heroes named Orion (sue me 🤡). when Orion sacrificed himself at the end of The Last Graduate to save El by pushing her outside scholomance while he stays inside with the monsters.. my heart was invested!!
it doesn’t even make sense that i’m so invested in the romance since the romance in this series doesn’t even come in 2nd or 3rd place. i’d prob even rank the romance between 5th-Orion hunting mals and 6th-El’s vast descriptions of all things like doors of the school. and still I HAD HOPES. 🤡
now onto my actual rant:
The Golden Enclaves starts right where The Last Graduate left off: El is outside and angry. She thinks Orion is pretty much dead and that he’s suffering inside the school. she’s grieving and in her grief she think it’s a good idea to hook up with Liesel (another girl from scholomance). That El had sex with someone else is not great, but i could understand it a little bit, cause she wanted to stop thinking about Orion for a couple of minutes and she thought he was dead. Liesel was the fastest rebound, but okay. at the halfway mark of this book El goes back to scholomance and finds out that Orion is still alive and saves him and takes him outside the school. Orion and El have sex outside the wood (honestly the best scene of this school book, don’t even argue with me). and then not even two chapters later El has sex with Liesel AGAIN on a fucking airplane bathroom!!! yikes. 🧍♀️ WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS?! I DON’T UNDERSTAND!!! 😭😭😭 El and Orion were never a couple so it technically wasn’t cheating, but for me it 100% was cheating. El and Orion romance was build from the first book and there is no doubt in my mind that they were the main couple. Liesel wasn’t even really relevant for the story in the first place so i don’t understand what was the point of El sleeping with her again when Orion was alive… Noami was super sneaky with how she handled that 2nd hook up scene with Liesel as if we wouldn’t get it duh. y’all 🙂 don’t 🙂 understand 🙂 how 🙂 mad 🙂 i 🙂 am. 🙂
That was much too sensible and kind, when what I wanted was to shriek at Orion in fury and claw his entire face off for having put me through all of this and having the gall to-not be okay. As he clearly wasn’t.
Orion deserves so much better than how he was treated in this book. not only did his not-girlfriend-but-still-girlfriend cheated on him, but he was was barely in this book. and the time he was on page … no we’re not even talking about that. idk who that boy was, but that was not my Orion. #justicefororionlake
last but not least, what in the Crash-Landing-On-You was that ending?? Orion stays at the scholomance to protect the children and guarding the gates, while El is travelling the world to keep fighting monsters and they only see each other only for a certain short period of time a year… that ending took a Seri/Captain Ri & Elizabeth/Will Turner kind of turn i didn’t ask for. while i hated the ending it didn’t ruin my mood, cause that was already ruined after El randomly decided to cheat on my baby Orion. 🙂
Conclusion
the best part of this all is that i never have to read one of El’s inner monologues ever again. i’m free <3
┍━━━━━━━━━━━━━┑
THE SCHOLOMANCE SERIES
#1 A Deadly Education – 3 stars
#2 The Last Graduate – 2.25 stars (the extra 0.25 is for that cliffhanger)
#3 The Golden Enclaves – 1.25 (0.25 for that fade to black El x Orion smut)
┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙
July 3, 2024
To start things off, the story in "The Golden Enclaves" (Audiobook) was simply enchanting. Naomi Novik built a deep and thorough world that was so easy to get lost in. The plot was full of twists and turns that made it impossible to stop listening. The characters were developed so well, and were so relatable. El, the protagonist, is a complex character who is tough and determined.
One of the highlights was the phenomenal world-building. The way that Novik described the magical enclaves, and how she laid out the magic system with so much detail, truly brought the world to life. I could picture the world and feel like I was there.
The second highlight was the well-rounded character development. El’s development throughout the story and her growth were so compelling and relatable. You really got to see her evolve and face her inner demons, which added layers to the story.
Another highlight was the narrator. The narrator did a fantastic job of giving the characters such distinct voices and emotional expressions that almost made it feel like I was there experiencing it.
I really enjoyed the themes about friendships and loyalty. The relationships between the characters felt so genuine and heartfelt. It was so nice to read a story where characters were genuine friends who cared deeply about each other. It was so nice and it added warmth to the story.
There was only one critique to add. Sometimes the pacing felt a little uneven, especially during some of the more slow and descriptive sections. The world-building was great, but it sometimes dragged in some of those parts and threw off the rhythm of the story.
One of the highlights was the phenomenal world-building. The way that Novik described the magical enclaves, and how she laid out the magic system with so much detail, truly brought the world to life. I could picture the world and feel like I was there.
The second highlight was the well-rounded character development. El’s development throughout the story and her growth were so compelling and relatable. You really got to see her evolve and face her inner demons, which added layers to the story.
Another highlight was the narrator. The narrator did a fantastic job of giving the characters such distinct voices and emotional expressions that almost made it feel like I was there experiencing it.
I really enjoyed the themes about friendships and loyalty. The relationships between the characters felt so genuine and heartfelt. It was so nice to read a story where characters were genuine friends who cared deeply about each other. It was so nice and it added warmth to the story.
There was only one critique to add. Sometimes the pacing felt a little uneven, especially during some of the more slow and descriptive sections. The world-building was great, but it sometimes dragged in some of those parts and threw off the rhythm of the story.
October 6, 2022
This isn't your childhood Harry Potter.
"I didn’t want to get up and go on in the world, agreeing that it was in any way acceptable for the world to keep going itself."
This is not a comfortable read. A friend noted that I had shown a lot of enthusiasm for this series, and it's true, I have. Novik blends intense emotion with unremitting danger, and the combination makes for an intoxicating, immersive read. Book three in the series is no different.
"But they’d loved Orion only in exactly the same way they’d hated me. Neither one of us were ever people to them. He just made himself useful, and I refused to."
But not always a fun one, as El is processing a lot of difficult emotions, and of the trilogy, this one will cut the deepest. Also of the three, this one felt like it had the most filler material. My thoughts on this are subject to change, as I discuss further with my buddies and as I go through a second, more leisurely read.
From here on out, there will be general/thematic spoilers. You have been warned.
Thankfully, this time there's no cliffhanger ending.
Four golden stars.
thanks to Jennifer, Nataliya, Samuel for the buddy read! And Emily and Emma for all the discussion!
"I didn’t want to get up and go on in the world, agreeing that it was in any way acceptable for the world to keep going itself."
This is not a comfortable read. A friend noted that I had shown a lot of enthusiasm for this series, and it's true, I have. Novik blends intense emotion with unremitting danger, and the combination makes for an intoxicating, immersive read. Book three in the series is no different.
"But they’d loved Orion only in exactly the same way they’d hated me. Neither one of us were ever people to them. He just made himself useful, and I refused to."
But not always a fun one, as El is processing a lot of difficult emotions, and of the trilogy, this one will cut the deepest. Also of the three, this one felt like it had the most filler material. My thoughts on this are subject to change, as I discuss further with my buddies and as I go through a second, more leisurely read.
From here on out, there will be general/thematic spoilers. You have been warned.
Thankfully, this time there's no cliffhanger ending.
Four golden stars.
thanks to Jennifer, Nataliya, Samuel for the buddy read! And Emily and Emma for all the discussion!
August 5, 2024
Pre-publication:
I'm gonna keep the tradition going,
read The Last Graduate today,
and somehow come to terms with having to wait a whole year for the next book.
Because I'm just mean like that.
Update: I just finished reading The Last Graduate. Condoning myself to a whole year of waiting was crueller than I could have anticipated.
Post-publication:
There were some darker themes lurking beneath the previous Scholomance books, but this book was much less Harry potter and much more "Those who walk away from Omelas". Inequality, privilege, the costs of capitalism and trauma were at the forefront and cute dialogue and fun world-building were way back in the background. And the romance, well, almost non-existent.
Now, as much as I liked the magic school settings and the El-Orion relationship, I would have been all for the shift, if the book didn't feel a little .... underedited.
All the wat material was there, the plot twists were good and it would have been a satisfying ending to the series if it was just better executed.
(If you like, come hang out with me on booktube: https://www.youtube.com/@UnfortunateA...)
I'm gonna keep the tradition going,
read The Last Graduate today,
and somehow come to terms with having to wait a whole year for the next book.
Because I'm just mean like that.
Update: I just finished reading The Last Graduate. Condoning myself to a whole year of waiting was crueller than I could have anticipated.
Post-publication:
There were some darker themes lurking beneath the previous Scholomance books, but this book was much less Harry potter and much more "Those who walk away from Omelas". Inequality, privilege, the costs of capitalism and trauma were at the forefront and cute dialogue and fun world-building were way back in the background. And the romance, well, almost non-existent.
Now, as much as I liked the magic school settings and the El-Orion relationship, I would have been all for the shift, if the book didn't feel a little .... underedited.
All the wat material was there, the plot twists were good and it would have been a satisfying ending to the series if it was just better executed.
(If you like, come hang out with me on booktube: https://www.youtube.com/@UnfortunateA...)
November 1, 2021
This is all some big joke about Patience.
![Profile Image for Namera [The Literary Invertebrate].](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1647896333i/31792110._UX200_CR0,96,200,200_.jpg)
September 28, 2022
⤅ Don't you HATE it when the finale of an amazing series doesn't live up to your expectations???
(Looking at you, Folk of the Air. But this is actually WORSE THAN THAT ONE).
So yeah, considering I gave raving 5-star reviews to the first two books, something has clearly changed. And it's to do with El and Orion. All specific details are in the spoiler tag, but there are some general spoilers throughout.
Even with that aside, the relationship between El and Orion takes an absolute nosedive. They barely speak for the entire book - he's physically on the page for maybe 1/5 of the book, he says something on even fewer pages than that - and it just feels like once he's actually back, El hardly ever thinks of him. My God, she lets him The ending clears up absolutely nothing, if anything IMO it makes things worse. I'm actually really upset by this, because I own the first two books in hard copy pretty much solely because the romance/fantasy combo was amazing. I'm definitely not buying this one. Orion's character has been gutted, as has the romance.
The worldbuilding is still amazing, but the grand climax was over way too quickly and easily. I mourn the lost magic of the first two books.
Romance means a lot to me, and the rating reflects this, but obviously (as with anything) YMMV.
September 29, 2022
Update: Apparently this is going to be called The Golden Enclaves, I'm................pls send help
*Gollum voice* GIVE IT TO ME
Actual review:
2.5 stars
Trust me, no one is more shocked than I am by this rating. The Scholomance was (is, idk, I'm CONFUSED) favorite series, I had a countdown for release day on my lock screen, I was SO anxious, and when I finally got my hands on it, it was... that.
Firstly, I want to say that I do not mind , which is what most of the lower-rating reviews I saw were focusing on. I was honestly happy with the crumbs of sapphic representation. What I did mind was that every single emotional aspect of this book felt flat and underdeveloped, which, unfortunately, includes them.
I was so happy we were going to meet Gwen officially in this last installment, just to have her contribution be minimal. She spills one important plot point, is absent for several chapters, helps with another plot point , and vanishes again. I get that El had stuff to do and wasn't about to take her mother as she paraded around continents the entire book, but I guess I expected more of their relationship by the way El talked about her during the other books.
I also missed El's friends! Her friendships were one of my favorite parts of this series and her allies felt more like plot devices than characters in this one. She has like one actual conversation with Aad in this, Liu faded into the background most of the time (when she was even there), and Chloe was present for all of two scenes where she barely spoke.
I also felt like was such a weak villain (in character development, not actual power)! She was one-dimensional and I had a hard time buying her level of absolute evil. I think it's a hazard of introducing the main villain (aside from, you know, magical capitalism) in the last book.
And Orion... oh, Orion.
I loved his character in the first book, I loved his dynamic with El. Some of it got lost in TLG as he became less human due to the lack of mana, but I hoped he would be further developed in this one. I was wrong. I mean, there's a bit of existential crisis and emotional damage that comes with but most of it was all tell no show. I usually don't mind the telling, because sometimes telling does the trick, but in this case, it very much did not. I wanted to be sobbing and I was just "oh, well, that's tough buddy" because I never felt the urgency of it (and that's coming from someone who is absolutely obsessed with these characters).
And lastly, some of the scenes in the book literally put me to sleep. I know that the info-dumps are a big source of criticism in this series, but I never minded it because I loved everything, I reveled in the details, they were all so interesting. Idk what happened in this one but I did not feel the same way about the world-building. The scene with was such a slog, it was way too long and convoluted IMO.
There is other stuff, but I'm tired and I'm sad so I'll stop now. I still recommend the series overall because the first book is honestly one of my most beloved reads ever.
*Gollum voice* GIVE IT TO ME
Actual review:
2.5 stars
Trust me, no one is more shocked than I am by this rating. The Scholomance was (is, idk, I'm CONFUSED) favorite series, I had a countdown for release day on my lock screen, I was SO anxious, and when I finally got my hands on it, it was... that.
Firstly, I want to say that I do not mind , which is what most of the lower-rating reviews I saw were focusing on. I was honestly happy with the crumbs of sapphic representation. What I did mind was that every single emotional aspect of this book felt flat and underdeveloped, which, unfortunately, includes them.
I was so happy we were going to meet Gwen officially in this last installment, just to have her contribution be minimal. She spills one important plot point, is absent for several chapters, helps with another plot point , and vanishes again. I get that El had stuff to do and wasn't about to take her mother as she paraded around continents the entire book, but I guess I expected more of their relationship by the way El talked about her during the other books.
I also missed El's friends! Her friendships were one of my favorite parts of this series and her allies felt more like plot devices than characters in this one. She has like one actual conversation with Aad in this, Liu faded into the background most of the time (when she was even there), and Chloe was present for all of two scenes where she barely spoke.
I also felt like was such a weak villain (in character development, not actual power)! She was one-dimensional and I had a hard time buying her level of absolute evil. I think it's a hazard of introducing the main villain (aside from, you know, magical capitalism) in the last book.
And Orion... oh, Orion.
I loved his character in the first book, I loved his dynamic with El. Some of it got lost in TLG as he became less human due to the lack of mana, but I hoped he would be further developed in this one. I was wrong. I mean, there's a bit of existential crisis and emotional damage that comes with but most of it was all tell no show. I usually don't mind the telling, because sometimes telling does the trick, but in this case, it very much did not. I wanted to be sobbing and I was just "oh, well, that's tough buddy" because I never felt the urgency of it (and that's coming from someone who is absolutely obsessed with these characters).
And lastly, some of the scenes in the book literally put me to sleep. I know that the info-dumps are a big source of criticism in this series, but I never minded it because I loved everything, I reveled in the details, they were all so interesting. Idk what happened in this one but I did not feel the same way about the world-building. The scene with was such a slog, it was way too long and convoluted IMO.
There is other stuff, but I'm tired and I'm sad so I'll stop now. I still recommend the series overall because the first book is honestly one of my most beloved reads ever.
Want to read
October 27, 2021obviously.
(naomi thinks she's funny or something after pulling that ending.....)
(naomi thinks she's funny or something after pulling that ending.....)
January 15, 2024
I felt nervous going into The Golden Enclaves because I was delighted with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate with their much more complex, unconventional and gritty perspectives on the magical school trope and I really needed the final instalment to deliver.
So did it?
The truth is that I read this during the holiday chaos, knee-deep in festive vibes and margaritas. Admittedly, my focus might've been more on spending cherished time with friends than the book and I probably wasn’t as immersed as I should have been. Maybe I should have read it when I could have given it the focus it deserves, because it’s not necessarily an easy read. It’s uncomfortable, dark and tightly woven.
Nonetheless, I still really liked it and it was a worthy conclusion. If I met El/Galadriel in real life, I feel like we would be friends, and for me, she’s relatable on so many levels. Again, I know she’s not for everyone, yet I have grown to love her stream-of-consciousness snarky dark-queen narration and the way she challenges traditional notions of heroism.
Like its predecessors, The Golden Enclaves still retains all the same funny, profound, clever and savage parallels to life and capitalism. I can’t really talk about much else without spoiling this book and the previous books, however, I will say, I was surprised, shocked, amused and delighted.
I guess there are some plot directions that are super extra and I caught myself thinking what the hell am I reading, but in the end, I found when I let it go and embraced it, the story came together really nicely for me and this overall was a satisfying conclusion to the series.
Also, I have decided I too would like a sassy mouse familiar named Precious who keeps my best interests at heart and occasionally bosses me around.
The Scholomance trilogy blog
1. A Deadly Education - 5⭐️
2. The Last Graduate - 5⭐️
3. The Golden Enclaves - 4⭐️
______
Please be gentle with my emotions Ms. Novik.
So did it?
The truth is that I read this during the holiday chaos, knee-deep in festive vibes and margaritas. Admittedly, my focus might've been more on spending cherished time with friends than the book and I probably wasn’t as immersed as I should have been. Maybe I should have read it when I could have given it the focus it deserves, because it’s not necessarily an easy read. It’s uncomfortable, dark and tightly woven.
Nonetheless, I still really liked it and it was a worthy conclusion. If I met El/Galadriel in real life, I feel like we would be friends, and for me, she’s relatable on so many levels. Again, I know she’s not for everyone, yet I have grown to love her stream-of-consciousness snarky dark-queen narration and the way she challenges traditional notions of heroism.
Like its predecessors, The Golden Enclaves still retains all the same funny, profound, clever and savage parallels to life and capitalism. I can’t really talk about much else without spoiling this book and the previous books, however, I will say, I was surprised, shocked, amused and delighted.
I guess there are some plot directions that are super extra and I caught myself thinking what the hell am I reading, but in the end, I found when I let it go and embraced it, the story came together really nicely for me and this overall was a satisfying conclusion to the series.
Also, I have decided I too would like a sassy mouse familiar named Precious who keeps my best interests at heart and occasionally bosses me around.
The Scholomance trilogy blog
1. A Deadly Education - 5⭐️
2. The Last Graduate - 5⭐️
3. The Golden Enclaves - 4⭐️
______
Please be gentle with my emotions Ms. Novik.
September 30, 2022
This comment section consist of people who are dying after the Last Graduate- and I'm one of them.
January 23, 2024
I need this. I finished The Last Graduate about 3 minutes ago, and I NEED this.
November 24, 2022
Well, it wasn’t what I expected from this book. Though in some instances it was quite a twist. Still, I feel a little bit let down by the whole maw mouth horde. You could have done bettet, guys.
So, judging by the annotation, she is going on a quest to save her one true love (i was hoping for that, yay), and in the process turning into darker El, I hope. I love my characters to be served morally grey.
~~~~~~~~
I am ready to turn into a maw-mouth and devour Naomi Novik if she does not deliver a happy ending after the shit she's thrown at us at the end of the previous book.
April 18, 2023
It's no secret that Naomi Novik and I don't really get along.
But, unfortunately, El and Orion's story was interesting enough to make me stay and now here I am, with the same exact issues of a year ago or so, and very less will to deal with it.
To be completely honest, the first book was about finding out if Orion was really evil and the second book was about how is it possible that Orion killed himself - kind of.
The third one, the one right here, is about knowing he's not dead and waiting for him to show up, for El to finally stop angrily speaking at people and instead do something about it, and for the answers that were promised to us.
But what you're looking at is a lot of pages with a very little story.
Were Novik’s writing skills a problem two books ago? Yes.
Were they a problem a book ago? Sadly, yes.
Are they a very big big issue here? Definitely.
Some of you may think I'm happy about it, that I'm hate-reading her books or whatever, but I'm not. I didn't expect to like the story in the first place and she hooked me with the sequel. I thought this could have been the grand finale of a pretty good trilogy.
But it's not. And it's her fault, no one else’s.
From the very first page, you can predict everything is gonna happen. Orion is not dead, something is wrong with him, El wasn't the bad guy all along, big - disgusting - plot twist, the evil witch is gonna come out clean from all of this and happily ever after.
It's annoying, but it's what we all know it’d have happened. In the meantime, you have to deal with pages and pages of enclaves descriptions, spell lessons, facts nobody cares about and El’s long reflections about herself, the guy she loves, the prophecy, her mom and every damn thing that has ever happened to her.
And do you wanna talk about the desperate attempt to include every single character of the previous books?
If you incredibly don't care about any of this, the story is nice. Too much El and Orion don't really behave like himself, but they are together and this is all that matters.
We have our happily ever after, now you can go read well-written books.
↠ 3 stars
Thanks to Del Rey Books, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
But, unfortunately, El and Orion's story was interesting enough to make me stay and now here I am, with the same exact issues of a year ago or so, and very less will to deal with it.
To be completely honest, the first book was about finding out if Orion was really evil and the second book was about how is it possible that Orion killed himself - kind of.
The third one, the one right here, is about knowing he's not dead and waiting for him to show up, for El to finally stop angrily speaking at people and instead do something about it, and for the answers that were promised to us.
But what you're looking at is a lot of pages with a very little story.
Were Novik’s writing skills a problem two books ago? Yes.
Were they a problem a book ago? Sadly, yes.
Are they a very big big issue here? Definitely.
Some of you may think I'm happy about it, that I'm hate-reading her books or whatever, but I'm not. I didn't expect to like the story in the first place and she hooked me with the sequel. I thought this could have been the grand finale of a pretty good trilogy.
But it's not. And it's her fault, no one else’s.
From the very first page, you can predict everything is gonna happen. Orion is not dead, something is wrong with him, El wasn't the bad guy all along, big - disgusting - plot twist, the evil witch is gonna come out clean from all of this and happily ever after.
It's annoying, but it's what we all know it’d have happened. In the meantime, you have to deal with pages and pages of enclaves descriptions, spell lessons, facts nobody cares about and El’s long reflections about herself, the guy she loves, the prophecy, her mom and every damn thing that has ever happened to her.
And do you wanna talk about the desperate attempt to include every single character of the previous books?
If you incredibly don't care about any of this, the story is nice. Too much El and Orion don't really behave like himself, but they are together and this is all that matters.
We have our happily ever after, now you can go read well-written books.
↠ 3 stars
Thanks to Del Rey Books, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2023
This was such a satisfying finale! All of the various threads made sense and had payoff. Even if there were elements that didn’t wrap up in a perfect bow, they made sense and I prefer those kinds of endings anyway. The entire arc of this story flowed well and I continue to adore El as a character.
April 24, 2023
Still hate the writing style
Still love El
Still love El
September 30, 2022
This...was not the third book I was hoping for. In the immediate aftermath of the evil cliffhanger of book 2, I imagined that The Golden Enclaves was going to consist mostly of El kicking enclave ass / righting all the injustices of the System with Orion at her back. Post-dramatic rescue, of course, and with lots of snarky exchanges between El and the people she's come to love and depend on.
Yeah, no. This story is a lot darker and heavier than that, and the stakes are so much higher outside the Scholomance than El and her friends could have guessed. All the secrets that Novik has been hinting at throughout the first two books - about the school, the maw-mouths, the enclaves, El, and Orion - come slowly to light, and the truth is worse than expected.
And of course all the kids have PTSD after their experiences in (and getting out of) the Scholomance. El's anger and grief loom over the entire story, and it's kind of a hard and weird step back after she found friends, love, purpose, and some level of happiness in The Last Graduate. Her friends from school make appearances, but they live all over the world now and are dealing with their own traumas, and the close chumminess of boarding school friendships is gone.
I'm still digesting this story. The third book makes it clear how deliberately the first two books were plotted, and I appreciate that, yet it was noticeably not fun to read. I need to reread parts to understand the mechanics of the plot, which I admit I skimmed over because I am more of a character than a plot reader (and they went on a bit, no?), but I'd really rather reread the first two books.
Hmmm...3.5 stars for now, subject to change.
Yeah, no. This story is a lot darker and heavier than that, and the stakes are so much higher outside the Scholomance than El and her friends could have guessed. All the secrets that Novik has been hinting at throughout the first two books - about the school, the maw-mouths, the enclaves, El, and Orion - come slowly to light, and the truth is worse than expected.
And of course all the kids have PTSD after their experiences in (and getting out of) the Scholomance. El's anger and grief loom over the entire story, and it's kind of a hard and weird step back after she found friends, love, purpose, and some level of happiness in The Last Graduate. Her friends from school make appearances, but they live all over the world now and are dealing with their own traumas, and the close chumminess of boarding school friendships is gone.
I'm still digesting this story. The third book makes it clear how deliberately the first two books were plotted, and I appreciate that, yet it was noticeably not fun to read. I need to reread parts to understand the mechanics of the plot, which I admit I skimmed over because I am more of a character than a plot reader (and they went on a bit, no?), but I'd really rather reread the first two books.
Hmmm...3.5 stars for now, subject to change.
October 11, 2022
This is an amazing series that I really loved. Some parts were a bit heavy and I'm not sure the end was *quite* what I wanted, but it was still overall incredibly worthwhile.
October 9, 2022
Woooooooow... in a shocking turn of events I hated this.
I don't think it entirely came out of nowhere, but this last book truly felt so far removed from everything I adored about the first book that they could have been two entirely different stories. I am just stewing in disappointment.
Overall this just felt like a spin-off to the original story where everything is boring and romance is dead. I know I'm being a big cry-baby about it, but I run purely on emotions, not logic. It should have been a duology.
I don't think it entirely came out of nowhere, but this last book truly felt so far removed from everything I adored about the first book that they could have been two entirely different stories. I am just stewing in disappointment.
Overall this just felt like a spin-off to the original story where everything is boring and romance is dead. I know I'm being a big cry-baby about it, but I run purely on emotions, not logic. It should have been a duology.
September 30, 2022
I thought this was a duology. Now I'm in pain.
Edit on Sept 30, 2022: It was so worth the wait!
Edit on Sept 30, 2022: It was so worth the wait!
October 3, 2022
Incredibly disappointed.
The first two books are perhaps my favorite books ever. I LOVED this series. I was so, so excited for the third book. I wasn't expecting to hate it.
A list of unforgivable things, in no particular order:
Overall it gets 2 stars, because the last 40% was interesting enough, but it wasn't enough to fix this mess.
The first two books are perhaps my favorite books ever. I LOVED this series. I was so, so excited for the third book. I wasn't expecting to hate it.
A list of unforgivable things, in no particular order:
Overall it gets 2 stars, because the last 40% was interesting enough, but it wasn't enough to fix this mess.
September 22, 2024
The last thing Orion said to me, the absolute bastard, was El, I love you so much.
The Golden Enclaves takes off with this and is a superb conclusion to the Scholomance trilogy. The most satisfying aspect, to me, is to see El and Orion's character arcs complete and stable, making space for each other. Naomi Novik has done a few fantastic fairy tale retellings before (Spinning Silver and Uprooted), but in my head I think of this story as The Beast and the Beast retelling - where, spoilers, neither is a Beast, not really. A perfect short quote that made me think of this again - But they'd loved Orion only in exactly the same way they'd hated me. Neither one of us were ever people to them. He just made himself useful, and I refused to. I loved that their character arcs started in very different places and have been complementary to each other, evolving beautifully since the first book.
El's snarky sarcastic sassy voice brings it's own unique flavour to this book, and series; her thoughts and analysis just makes her more relatable to me though the exposition might be too hyperactive for some people. Novik writes masterfully - of complex young adults in one layer, of a brilliant fantasy tale in another and of moral philosophy as the foundational layer. The premise of the series, as El finally recognizes in this book, is paraphrasing the trolley problem - is it okay to save many people by sacrificing one person? And what are the consequences of this decision?
Everyone has to decide for themselves, and El more than anyone as she's a budding dark sorceress (a tertiary order entity really). Intent and belief are more important than the words of any spell, and El finds that she has to keep deciding to not be a dark sorceress every step of the way as she races from one place to another. Because once she takes a step down that path, it'll be so much more difficult to stop. The story is paced well, weaving together action, magic and all the good intentions behind the worst politics.
The intricate magic system and the world-building also support the central question of this series; it dwells not just on the mechanics of the magic, but more on ephemeral concepts like overarching balance in the universe, hard earned mana and easily stolen malia.
Overall, a definite recommendation to pick up this series!
Scholomance #1: A Deadly Education Review
Scholomance #2: The Last Graduate Review
Thanks to NetGalley, Naomi Novik and the Random House publishing group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters; One star for the writing; One star for the story; One star for the world-building - Five stars in total.]
The Golden Enclaves takes off with this and is a superb conclusion to the Scholomance trilogy. The most satisfying aspect, to me, is to see El and Orion's character arcs complete and stable, making space for each other. Naomi Novik has done a few fantastic fairy tale retellings before (Spinning Silver and Uprooted), but in my head I think of this story as The Beast and the Beast retelling - where, spoilers, neither is a Beast, not really. A perfect short quote that made me think of this again - But they'd loved Orion only in exactly the same way they'd hated me. Neither one of us were ever people to them. He just made himself useful, and I refused to. I loved that their character arcs started in very different places and have been complementary to each other, evolving beautifully since the first book.
El's snarky sarcastic sassy voice brings it's own unique flavour to this book, and series; her thoughts and analysis just makes her more relatable to me though the exposition might be too hyperactive for some people. Novik writes masterfully - of complex young adults in one layer, of a brilliant fantasy tale in another and of moral philosophy as the foundational layer. The premise of the series, as El finally recognizes in this book, is paraphrasing the trolley problem - is it okay to save many people by sacrificing one person? And what are the consequences of this decision?
Everyone has to decide for themselves, and El more than anyone as she's a budding dark sorceress (a tertiary order entity really). Intent and belief are more important than the words of any spell, and El finds that she has to keep deciding to not be a dark sorceress every step of the way as she races from one place to another. Because once she takes a step down that path, it'll be so much more difficult to stop. The story is paced well, weaving together action, magic and all the good intentions behind the worst politics.
The intricate magic system and the world-building also support the central question of this series; it dwells not just on the mechanics of the magic, but more on ephemeral concepts like overarching balance in the universe, hard earned mana and easily stolen malia.
Overall, a definite recommendation to pick up this series!
Scholomance #1: A Deadly Education Review
Scholomance #2: The Last Graduate Review
Thanks to NetGalley, Naomi Novik and the Random House publishing group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters; One star for the writing; One star for the story; One star for the world-building - Five stars in total.]
October 6, 2022
This is hands-down my favorite series of the last decade, possibly my entire adult life. And I enjoyed this final volume a lot. Not quite as much as the first book, which isn’t unexpected, and I have some quibbles, but I had a ton of fun bingeing it, and expect to enjoy lots of discussion and probably re-reading in the future.
El is finally out of the Scholomance, so we get to see the rest of the wizarding world here and deal with the larger issues that have been percolating throughout the series. The book gets off to a bit of a slow start—I was impatient with the London enclave episode early on, about which I didn’t care that much—but ultimately adopts a frantic pace, full of globetrotting action and with most of the novel taking place over the course of about a week. So it’s fun and addictive, though personally I’d rather it had slowed down a bit to explore how the characters will adjust to being out in the real world and to adult relationships and how they’ll deal with their trauma, instead of simply plot plot plot. El also doesn’t seem to me to experience nearly as much growth or change here as in previous books, which may be because she’s already undergone the growth appropriate to her character and can’t keep changing and still be herself, which is a hazard with series.
But with that out of the way, El is still a fantastic character with a strong and occasionally humorous voice, and it really is a fun and exciting and satisfying plot, with a lot of big, expert reveals that make complete sense and were clearly set up all along, but which for the most part I had not guessed.
I also appreciate what a mature story this is, not going the easy route of Big Bads whose defeat will automatically fix the world, but instead targeting the system that encourages the haves to exploit the have-nots. Throughout the trilogy, Novik has refused to place the blame on individuals, instead looking at the way everyone is operating within a system, and within the flaws of human nature, and people generally will do right and help others when given the chance. And at the same time, almost everyone will also participate in an exploitative system when it suits their interests; opting out often isn’t realistic. Making a better world isn’t a matter of killing bad people, but of creating an environment in which our better natures can thrive. It’s such a biting indictment of capitalism, without ever taking the easy way out. Some commentary on the ending:
Otherwise, I really like the way this volume gives the ladies time to shine; much of the book consists of El running around with her girl posse, without gender ever being an issue. But I would have liked a little more depth from these characters and their relationships. Perhaps complex interpersonal relationships were never what Novik was trying for, and overall the characters are enjoyable and believable, even those with small roles. And I was pleased with the romantic resolution:
At any rate, I’m sorry it’s over, but it did have to end, and it ended strongly enough that I’d have no hesitation recommending the trilogy to new readers. This was a fabulous experience all around, and my heartfelt thanks to Novik for writing it.
El is finally out of the Scholomance, so we get to see the rest of the wizarding world here and deal with the larger issues that have been percolating throughout the series. The book gets off to a bit of a slow start—I was impatient with the London enclave episode early on, about which I didn’t care that much—but ultimately adopts a frantic pace, full of globetrotting action and with most of the novel taking place over the course of about a week. So it’s fun and addictive, though personally I’d rather it had slowed down a bit to explore how the characters will adjust to being out in the real world and to adult relationships and how they’ll deal with their trauma, instead of simply plot plot plot. El also doesn’t seem to me to experience nearly as much growth or change here as in previous books, which may be because she’s already undergone the growth appropriate to her character and can’t keep changing and still be herself, which is a hazard with series.
But with that out of the way, El is still a fantastic character with a strong and occasionally humorous voice, and it really is a fun and exciting and satisfying plot, with a lot of big, expert reveals that make complete sense and were clearly set up all along, but which for the most part I had not guessed.
I also appreciate what a mature story this is, not going the easy route of Big Bads whose defeat will automatically fix the world, but instead targeting the system that encourages the haves to exploit the have-nots. Throughout the trilogy, Novik has refused to place the blame on individuals, instead looking at the way everyone is operating within a system, and within the flaws of human nature, and people generally will do right and help others when given the chance. And at the same time, almost everyone will also participate in an exploitative system when it suits their interests; opting out often isn’t realistic. Making a better world isn’t a matter of killing bad people, but of creating an environment in which our better natures can thrive. It’s such a biting indictment of capitalism, without ever taking the easy way out. Some commentary on the ending:
Otherwise, I really like the way this volume gives the ladies time to shine; much of the book consists of El running around with her girl posse, without gender ever being an issue. But I would have liked a little more depth from these characters and their relationships. Perhaps complex interpersonal relationships were never what Novik was trying for, and overall the characters are enjoyable and believable, even those with small roles. And I was pleased with the romantic resolution:
At any rate, I’m sorry it’s over, but it did have to end, and it ended strongly enough that I’d have no hesitation recommending the trilogy to new readers. This was a fabulous experience all around, and my heartfelt thanks to Novik for writing it.
October 4, 2022
orion lake is harrowhark nonagesimus for people whose homestuck was harry potter
September 28, 2022
I liked this book, but there are some things in it that probably shouldn’t have made it through editing.
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
The first thing is that I wish there had been a little more misdirection about the major reveals. I’m not usually one to guess the twist ahead of time, but after the reveal that enclaves are built on maw-mouths, it was really obvious what El’s prophecy actually meant. Her realizing it a few chapters later kind of felt redundant when it was spelled out pretty clearly beforehand, and I think Novik should have leaned harder into making the audience believe it was Orion’s mom who was secretly the rogue maleficer if she wanted us not to realize until El did that she was the one behind the destruction.
Also, I’m pretty sure no one thought that Orion was dead before the first trip to the Scholomance, so it was not as dramatic as it could have been when it was revealed he was alive. Orion had already been established as being on par with El as far as killing mals, and we had previously never seen anything get close to harming him except those walls of mortal flame. It’s not even that plausible to think a maw mouth could kill him. The only way around this for the author would have been to do more to convince the reader he was dead (a Herculean task if ever there was one), or for El to refuse to believe he was dead right along with us. If Novik had done that, I would’ve been very anxious the whole time to find out if he was okay (which he wasn’t) and all the more horrified to learn that he had essentially turned into a monster while he was killing the mals.
The second thing is the ‘cheating’ with Liesel. Was it really cheating? I don’t know. Technically, the bounds of El and Orion’s relationship had never been discussed in great detail, and one of the times she thought he was dead (the other time she knew he was alive and had recently been intimate with him, though, which is mildly infuriating.) The only narrative purpose it seems to serve is to leave a slightly bad taste in my mouth and raise a lot of questions about the main romantic relationship that unfortunately are never addressed in any meaningful way. Also, this is petty, but Liesel is kind of annoying, and El sleeping with her makes me like her less, not more. This could have easily been left out and I would’ve felt a lot better about the book in general.
The third thing is that El and Orion’s relationship and banter is largely missing from this book entirely. Their scenes were a joy to read in the first book, and, to a slightly lesser extent, the second. I get that El is an independent, badass young woman on her own, but it was already a fairly plot-heavy series, and this only serves to make it heavier, with fewer moments of reprieve / levity. Orion was also a really good character on his own, and it pains me that we see so little of his struggle against his own nature. Its so similar to what El went through with the prophecy, too, that I just don’t see how it wasn’t more of a connection between them.
The last thing is kind of a pet peeve about the ending. The main problem to be resolved is that El can’t kill the maw mouth in Orion without killing Orion, until suddenly she just does and that’s that. I wish that had been explained more. Everything else in the book is explained to the Nth degree, but for some reason not that. I like a happy ending as much as the next gal, but normally they’re a little more work involved.
I still really liked the book overall, but kind of the way I still like my favorite meal, even if someone gets the spices a little wrong. I’d still prefer it any day of the week over another food, but I’m spending a lot of time thinking about all the ways it could’ve been better. It’s still one of the best series I’ve read in a long time, and I’m looking forward to see what Naomi Novik does next.
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
The first thing is that I wish there had been a little more misdirection about the major reveals. I’m not usually one to guess the twist ahead of time, but after the reveal that enclaves are built on maw-mouths, it was really obvious what El’s prophecy actually meant. Her realizing it a few chapters later kind of felt redundant when it was spelled out pretty clearly beforehand, and I think Novik should have leaned harder into making the audience believe it was Orion’s mom who was secretly the rogue maleficer if she wanted us not to realize until El did that she was the one behind the destruction.
Also, I’m pretty sure no one thought that Orion was dead before the first trip to the Scholomance, so it was not as dramatic as it could have been when it was revealed he was alive. Orion had already been established as being on par with El as far as killing mals, and we had previously never seen anything get close to harming him except those walls of mortal flame. It’s not even that plausible to think a maw mouth could kill him. The only way around this for the author would have been to do more to convince the reader he was dead (a Herculean task if ever there was one), or for El to refuse to believe he was dead right along with us. If Novik had done that, I would’ve been very anxious the whole time to find out if he was okay (which he wasn’t) and all the more horrified to learn that he had essentially turned into a monster while he was killing the mals.
The second thing is the ‘cheating’ with Liesel. Was it really cheating? I don’t know. Technically, the bounds of El and Orion’s relationship had never been discussed in great detail, and one of the times she thought he was dead (the other time she knew he was alive and had recently been intimate with him, though, which is mildly infuriating.) The only narrative purpose it seems to serve is to leave a slightly bad taste in my mouth and raise a lot of questions about the main romantic relationship that unfortunately are never addressed in any meaningful way. Also, this is petty, but Liesel is kind of annoying, and El sleeping with her makes me like her less, not more. This could have easily been left out and I would’ve felt a lot better about the book in general.
The third thing is that El and Orion’s relationship and banter is largely missing from this book entirely. Their scenes were a joy to read in the first book, and, to a slightly lesser extent, the second. I get that El is an independent, badass young woman on her own, but it was already a fairly plot-heavy series, and this only serves to make it heavier, with fewer moments of reprieve / levity. Orion was also a really good character on his own, and it pains me that we see so little of his struggle against his own nature. Its so similar to what El went through with the prophecy, too, that I just don’t see how it wasn’t more of a connection between them.
The last thing is kind of a pet peeve about the ending. The main problem to be resolved is that El can’t kill the maw mouth in Orion without killing Orion, until suddenly she just does and that’s that. I wish that had been explained more. Everything else in the book is explained to the Nth degree, but for some reason not that. I like a happy ending as much as the next gal, but normally they’re a little more work involved.
I still really liked the book overall, but kind of the way I still like my favorite meal, even if someone gets the spices a little wrong. I’d still prefer it any day of the week over another food, but I’m spending a lot of time thinking about all the ways it could’ve been better. It’s still one of the best series I’ve read in a long time, and I’m looking forward to see what Naomi Novik does next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2022
if i had a nickel every time one of my most anticipated sequels this year turns out to be shit and ruins the wonderful characterization of the previous books, i would have two nickels, which is not a lot but it's weird that it happened twice, right???
September 15, 2023
re-read whole series over the last few days. i definitely appreciate the book more the second time around.
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debating whether this should be a 4 of 5 star read, will have a re-read later on and may bump up. my book store had the books on the shelf early so i was able to read it a bit before release - i did not receive an arc, i have the published wide-release copy.
i wanted to address the issue that seems to very contentious with this book in spoiler section below, but non-spoilery; please don't decide to not read this book just because people have stated they weren't happy with their understanding of events that happened. These events are complex, and in order to understand why they happen, you need to read the book! And if afterwards you're still angry, then maybe try reading the below. please don't read if you don't want to be spoiled for the entire book! please !!!:
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debating whether this should be a 4 of 5 star read, will have a re-read later on and may bump up. my book store had the books on the shelf early so i was able to read it a bit before release - i did not receive an arc, i have the published wide-release copy.
i wanted to address the issue that seems to very contentious with this book in spoiler section below, but non-spoilery; please don't decide to not read this book just because people have stated they weren't happy with their understanding of events that happened. These events are complex, and in order to understand why they happen, you need to read the book! And if afterwards you're still angry, then maybe try reading the below. please don't read if you don't want to be spoiled for the entire book! please !!!:
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