The Last Graduate
{4.5/5} “It’s never a good idea to get attached to freshmen, and doing it this early in the year was an invitation to misery, but after they’d saved me and Orion from blundering around almost choking ourselves to death, it had worn off enough of the cold-aloof-senior mystique I’d cultivated that they’d started talking to me. Even my most aggressive snappishness wasn’t discouraging them sufficiently anymore.”
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik, published in 2021
Galadriel’s mom warned her against Orion in a vague note. But Orion was her closest friend and she was sticking with him. She has feelings for him but she has resolved not to succumb to those, at least for now. When El recognizes that she’s not going to have enough mana to graduate, she reluctantly goes to Chloe for help.
This is the sequel to A Deadly Education.
I like how El figures things out by logically working through them.
It’s about imagining how things could be different, and working together.
Once again events build to a nice conclusion, with a bit of a surprise in the final line — you’re guaranteed to read the sequel.
I’ve read 2 books by Novik and I will read at least 1 more.