The second book in the Scholomance trilogy comes out swinging. After the ending of book one, this one had a lot to live up to. Killing one of the most dangerous creatures in the fiction makes you wonder, what else can be done? Don’t worry, there’s a lot.

This story follows Galadriel’s senior year in the Scholomance. Her new class schedule leaves much to be desired, but since they fixed the cleaning machinery last year, there are way less maleficaria to deal with. The school is much safer than it used to be and with her newfound confidence, El is a force to be reckoned with. Though most of this story is the seniors trying to figure out the best way to graduate, the story does well to pace its surprises. El and Orion don’t get to interact as much in this story, but don’t worry shippers you won’t be disappointed.

Really the meat here is about how people’s preconceived notions prevent them from realizing things that are right in front of them. Many characters choose to see things a particular way and miss out on what the reality of the situation is. There’s a lot of people finding more truth in their lives and discovering what they can do for one another. It’s about building a community to unite against a common enemy. Because what else unites people?

The focus of this senior year is really to prepare the seniors for the graduation ceremony. They’ll have to fight through hordes of mals to escape and training will be the focus, instead of coursework. The school gym prepares practice runs with fake mals and obstacles to overcome. Through these runs, El takes charge and starts to make some game changing decisions for herself. These ideas are only possible because of her growth through her relationships though.

El’s friends, Liu and Aadhya, get a bit more development in this entry. Learning about their family situations help ground El and influence her to make more selfless decisions. Despite how she grumbles, she is a caring person and her friendships really highlight that. Chloe, Magnus and the other named characters don’t get much development that we get to see since the story is from El’s perspective. Their changes are through her pessimistic lens and really aren’t too substantial (though Chloe is infinitely more helpful than Magnus). Liesel is a character (I don’t recall if she’s from the first book or not) that pushes El in interesting ways that help her realize certain things about herself, though that isn’t Liesel’s intention. Other than Aadhya, Liu and Orion, the others exist for the purpose of developing El. It’s a choice that keeps the story focused, which would be a huge problem if it shifted perspectives or dove into too many character’s stories. The world is dense and many of the politics go over my head, so keeping the reader in the shoes of El makes an overwhelming situation more grounded since she’s level headed (most of the time).

Sometimes her emotions get the best of her and she acts on impulse, much like any teenager. In the grim dark world of the Scholomance though, showing emotion and compassion is a sign of weakness and it could potentially be lethal. As this story unfolds, more people realize that to survive, they’ll have to put their differences aside and work together. This entry in the series shows that it’s okay to rely on others and show real emotion. We’re all in this together and if the student body were to break out into song (which kind of happens), it wouldn’t feel out of place.

I like this series because of El’s perspective. There are many times where she will just go on and on about something in her head, and at times it’s even frustrating to read. The way she overthinks everything is relatable and feels accurate. This makes it funny when her internal monologue is interrupted by another character. Jostling her from her own thoughts is just another way they help her without either of them noticing. I loved the subtle writing here as it made El’s relationships have more substance. Since I see from her perspective, they feel like my friends too and I think that’s not a feat easily attainable in fiction.

For a follow up to A Deadly Education, The Last Graduate doesn’t pull any punches. Its reveals hit hard and I’m still truly onboard for the final book. It’s difficult to write a series that progresses the plot in meaningful ways throughout each entry but I think Novik really hit the nail on the head here. The setting of a school supplies a good narrative structure overall but the author really made it her own with the flow and pacing. Coupled with the first person perspective, the style that Novik uses is addicting and makes me want more. Though most characters exist to further the development of the main character, their building blocks come together to create a dynamic protagonist that is an amalgamation of their efforts. The “ensemble” cast here is represented in one character that is so unrelentingly pessimistic and brazen, yet is still a character that most people can understand. It’s a marvel that such a strange person can still feel earnestly understandable. There truly is no such thing as “normal” people, because we can all find small ways to identify with one another, even if they’re “weird”.