lisa_m's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I didn't expect this series to get that much better but it did! I loved the story in this one! All the friendships and working together because you choose to and not just because you need to hit me just right. The ending was amazing as well and I immidiately continued reading the 3rd book. I'm very excited for the conclusion of this Trilogy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Abandonment
Moderate: Violence, Classism, Death, Confinement, Child death, and Gore
Minor: Death of parent
katerina_l's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death, Body horror, Gore, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
kat1105's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Death, Grief, Sexual content, Vomit, Ableism, Body horror, Death of parent, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
thequiltyreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed it in the main but I felt some sections were a bit too protracted, whereas other areas were rushed through. Also I felt some of the characters lacked some depth. Though it ended with a lot of loose ends, and I enjoyed it enough to reach out and read the final book in thr trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Vomit, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Addiction, and Cursing
mythian's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Classism, and Gore
Minor: Sexual content
blackheart's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Great sequal. Major tension and an illegal cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Blood and Vomit
ultraviolet98's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If possible, I liked this book better than the last one. The suspense of the conflict is masterful. You're just waiting on the edge of your seat to find out how, and even if, the characters will escape the school. There's a lovely ebb and flow of tension; alternating the main conflict with the main character's social development, which is actually quite heart warming. For my thoughts on the ending:
Spoiler
I'm reading the back 1/3 of the book and everyone keeps living, nobody gets fatally wounded, all their solutions seem to be going just right. I'm reading and I'm thinking "listen, there's no way this all ends happily." I'm looking for signs of something going wrong, of a twist, but there's nothing. El is fine, Orion's good, Aadhya and Liu are achieving great success...I'm looking for twists and the author is giving me nothing, all the way until the last page. Then she drops the reader off a cliff with Orion choosing to stay behind. I was reading the ending and I was just stunned. It was a twist of the best variety, and it was shocking. text
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore
lennie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for this arc.
Full disclosure I did listen to the audiobook via the library though.
So I liked book one of the Scholomance series but I Loved book two.
In this one we see El is just as grumpy and hilarious as ever but that having friends has clearly rubbed off on her because now she's actively trying to save people and look out for them.
I think part of why I liked this book more than the first one was because the first one just explains in great detail how awful, oppressive, deadly, gruesome etc the Scholomance is and I felt constantly one edge, whereas this one had a very different vibe. I won't go into details because of spoilers but it's a much more optimistic book than the first!
I loved seeing El grow as a character and watch how her friendships blossomed. She was still the same spiky, sarcastic cow who I fell in love with in book one but in being allowed that breathing space, she's really expanded into herself and her powers.
Very much here for ElOrion romance, although they're maybe not the healthiest of examples... 😅
And that ending!?
I'm even more annoyed because the library copy of book three currently has a 6 week wait 😭 But I will be reading The Golden Enclaves as soon as I can get my hands on it!
Also, the audio narrator was absolutely fantastic and embodied El *perfectly*. I need to find more books narrated by Anisha Dadia.
Full disclosure I did listen to the audiobook via the library though.
So I liked book one of the Scholomance series but I Loved book two.
In this one we see El is just as grumpy and hilarious as ever but that having friends has clearly rubbed off on her because now she's actively trying to save people and look out for them.
I think part of why I liked this book more than the first one was because the first one just explains in great detail how awful, oppressive, deadly, gruesome etc the Scholomance is and I felt constantly one edge, whereas this one had a very different vibe. I won't go into details because of spoilers but it's a much more optimistic book than the first!
I loved seeing El grow as a character and watch how her friendships blossomed. She was still the same spiky, sarcastic cow who I fell in love with in book one but in being allowed that breathing space, she's really expanded into herself and her powers.
Very much here for ElOrion romance, although they're maybe not the healthiest of examples... 😅
And that ending!?
I'm even more annoyed because the library copy of book three currently has a 6 week wait 😭 But I will be reading The Golden Enclaves as soon as I can get my hands on it!
Also, the audio narrator was absolutely fantastic and embodied El *perfectly*. I need to find more books narrated by Anisha Dadia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Blood, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Death
athryn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Picks up right where the previous one left off, but managed to surprise me with subverting my expectations of where I thought it was going. Still darkly humorous, and hard to put down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Child death, Gore, and Vomit
Minor: Blood
lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Death, Gore, Child death, and Body horror