The wait is over! The anxiously awaited sequel to A Deadly Education, first book in the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik, has arrived at the library. Dark Academia is one of my favorite sub-genres, and this book is dark indeed! (Scholomance is like Hogwarts, if Hogwarts was run by Voldemort’s more powerful and more evil sibling…). Highly recommended but I strongly advise reading book 1 first if you haven’t already done so.

Library Journal review: “Keep far away from Orion Lake.” Galadriel “El” Higgins knows she should take her mother’s words seriously, but she has to survive her senior year in the Scholomance, and Orion may be one of the few allies (friends?) who can help. From day one of the term, El is up against deadly homework, the maleficaria that linger, and her destructive destiny for dark power. She must fight fate, feelings, and monsters to get herself and her allies out of this horrid school alive, and the stakes will only continue to rise. When El’s power is made public, she realizes that rules were made to be broken. In fact, throwing out the rulebook entirely might mean her survival…VERDICT Sardonic students, gruesome monsters, growing friendships, and a touch of romance create a highly readable story. Some questions remain to be answered in the trilogy’s last volume. The end of this installment ensures that book three can’t come fast enough.”