Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

19 reviews

ashley_reya's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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

5.0

I took some time after finishing the first book in this series for book club to come back and read the next in the series. Which was exactly what I needed, because this time I picked up the story b/c I missed the characters/world. I missed Aadhya, Liu, Orion, The Scholomance, and most of all I missed El.

Novik did it again! Another beautiful story, a plot twist I didn’t see coming, and a cliffhanger that had me running to the library to pick up the next installment. Delightful dark academia…can’t wait to see what happens next!
(now that they made it out..for the most part 🤞)
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saskiahill's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.5

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scarlett_f's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A recipe of Hunger Games and Harry Potter, but with a pinch of sinister steampunk and dystopian stirred in. 
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whynotreadwithalex's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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

Firstly, I obviously loved this book — hence, the five stars. But here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

- This is the 2nd book in the series…so you’ve got a bit of a slower pace at the beginning, which I think stumps some people. However, the cliffhanger at the end of the first book is immediately addressed (which I really appreciated because oh my word that shook me the first time I read A Deadly Education). 
- And then we see El really struggling with the concept of no longer being completely on her own — she has to overcome a lot of fear, as well as her natural inclination to think only of her own survival. This makes the pacing of this book a bit slower right at the beginning because El hasn’t quite decided what kind of person she wants to be. 
- But once El decides, oh my word the action picks up like crazy! And it is definitely worth it! We see lots of character development, not just in El but across the board. Everyone is challenged — including the Scholomance, which makes for a really engaging story of struggle, sacrifice, and personal growth. 
- Remember, Novik is a world builder! And El isn’t necessarily a reliable narrator, which leaves the reader, well, reading between the lines to get at the truth. This creates a lot of suspense, and had me hanging on to the edge of my seat up until the final page. 
- And finally, that ending…I mean, we all knew there would be drama and heartbreak and probably some destruction…I think I just didn’t expect that it would be my own! Ahhh! I will be grabbing the final installation of this series ASAP. Send actual help. 

But seriously, this book is easily 5/5 ⭐️s
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blacksphinx's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

Just when I was complaining that a certain main character hadn't done anything all book or exhibited any sort of personality, we got some nice time for them to open up and bloom a bit before the brutal cliffhanger of an ending. 

It's lovely watching our protagonist grow as a person, opening up, learning to ask for help, and forming close friendships with other girls. (The unexpected LGBT+ representation was a nice bonus!) There was at least one plot point in here that didn't really make any sense to me, but the emotional through line and building themes stop me from giving it less than five stars. 
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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

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alicevicini's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
I’ve always had a problem with Naomi Novak’s writing style… I have to be super focused to be able to read her books so it takes me a while to finish them. However, I really like the plot and the setting. 

The first part of the book felt a little actionless but then it sped up and I really enjoyed the second part. The whole plan was intriguing and I loved seeing the training behind it and how the students put that into practice! 

The final cliffhanger annoyed me, though…  

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thequiltyreader's review against another edition

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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.
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squinnittowinit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A great sequel. This book had me on the edge of my seat so many times, and by the final chapters, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

4.75 for a couple very very minor annoyances:
Yes, I understand that El is traumatized by years of social rejection, but I got a little tired of her assuming that her new friends were going to ditch her all the time. I wish that growth had happened a little faster.

When El and Orion get together, they keep saying they can't have sex because of the risk/lack of contraception. I don't like how this assumes that the only way for them to have sex is the one way that would pose that risk. There are plenty of ways to have sex and have a good time without any risk of pregnancy.
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directorpurry's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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? No

4.5

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