Rating: 4 STARS Genre: YA/Fantasy Series/Standalone: The Scholomance #2 How I got this book: ARC gifted by DelRey UK The dark school of magic has always done its best to devour its students, but now that El has reached her final year -- and somehow won herself a handful of allies along the way -- it's suddenly developed a very particular craving . . . For her. As the savagery of the school ramps up, El is determined that she will not give in; not to the mals, not to fate, and especially not to the Scholomance. But as the spectre of graduation looms -- the deadly final ritual that leaves few students alive -- if she and her allies are to make it out, El will need to realise that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules. This was another of my most anticipated books of the year.
I absolutely loved reading A Deadly Education last year and meeting El, Orion, and the gang. I loved the action, the snark and the danger, and following the cliffhanger ending, I was really looking forward to delving back into the story and finding out what other surprises were in store. Similarly to the previous book, The Last Graduate is mostly character, instead of plot, driven. It continues in the same vein, as El and her classmates are busy studying, building alliances and generally trying to survive and work out how to make it through graduation. El is her same fabulous, sarcastic self and her relationships really flourish in this book, both with her friends and with Orion. What I love about this book is how, amidst such a crazy, fantasy, out-to-kill setting, the characters are very real and vivid, and are realistic teens. Novik also gives more diversity through secondary characters in this book, and it's surprisingly sex-positive. I spent the entire book trying to guess where the cliffhanger, and the title of the book, would come into play and was rewarded with ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER that was just pure evil, if a smidge predictable. I am a tad frustrated by the ending, but mostly because I don't want to have to wait another year to find out what happens next!! Overall, this was a solid second book in a trilogy, providing a lot of character and relationship growth, with a cliffhanger that I have everything crossed WILL deliver in book three! Rating: 4 stars! Genre: Historical/Adult Fantasy Series/Standalone: Standalone How I got this book: ARC from the publisher Welcome to the Winter Garden. Open only at 13 o'clock. You are invited to enter an unusual competition. I am looking for the most magical, spectacular, remarkable pleasure garden this world has to offer. On the night her mother dies, 8-year-old Beatrice receives an invitation to the mysterious Winter Garden. A place of wonder and magic, filled with all manner of strange and spectacular flora and fauna, the garden is her solace every night for seven days. But when the garden disappears, and no one believes her story, Beatrice is left to wonder if it were truly real. Eighteen years later, on the eve of her wedding to a man her late father approved of but she does not love, Beatrice makes the decision to throw off the expectations of Victorian English society and search for the garden. But when both she and her closest friend, Rosa, receive invitations to compete to create spectacular pleasure gardens - with the prize being one wish from the last of the Winter Garden's magic - she realises she may be closer to finding it than she ever imagined. Now all she has to do is win. TW: slavery (mentioned), mental health (depression), rape, infant abuse (violence), infant death, drug addiction
I had no idea what to expect when going into this, aside from the fact that it's published by DelRey, who have quickly become one of my favourite book publishers - their books never disappoint! The blurb gave me Tom's Midnight Garden meets The Night Circus vibes, so I was excited, but it was only when I started reading that I realised how dark and creepy this book is, which was so fantastic! It's a female-led, feminist fantasy centring around two main characters, Beatrice and Rose. Two women, two friends, whose choices lead them down very different paths revolving around the mysterious Winter Garden that came to Beatrice as a child. My favourite part of this book was the magic, which was incredible and beautifully woven into the story, from magical flowers that only open when you're grieving and clockwork creatures with souls; to a tiger made entirely of stars. The lyrical prose is beautiful, and the plot and characters carry the story well. There was never a moment where I felt bored with the story. There was always just enough mystery to keep me interested throughout. As you can see from the trigger warnings, there are some heavy themes that made it a much darker story than I'd expected. However, saying that, it was unexpectedly funny in places; through Beatrice in particular, who has a great wit. The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of diversity, but overall, I couldn't get enough of this dark and mysterious fantasy that's brimming with the most incredible magic. Highly recommended for fans of The Night Circus, Caraval and The Starless Sea. |
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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