This book is the second addition to Novik’s The Scholomance series, it details our protagonist Galadriel “El'' Higgins’ continued admittance to the legendary school called, as you may have deduced, The Scholomance. This story takes place in a world of magic and monsters; or mana and maleficaria as referred to in this novel. As previously introduced in the first addition to this series, there are two main ways one can gain mana in order to use it within this universe, method number one being physically or mentally tasking activities, a practitioner of this process receiving mana from the extra energy exerted by oneself as they undertake unpleasant tasks. Method number two being taking mana from your surroundings, this technique is strongly frowned upon by most however, since in doing this you're taking the risk of drawing too much, and accidentally or otherwise, taking life energy from a human or another living creature. El is what is known as a ‘strict mana user’, someone who only uses mana from method number one.
I’ve somehow forgotten to mention one, well actually a few, very important details. The scholomance is a school that teaches children mana techniques. These are vital to their very survival however because the school is constantly swarming with maleficaria that wouldn’t be repulsed whatsoever to kill or sometimes consume unsuspecting students. In order to graduate from this school, at the finale of their four-year stay they are required to battle thousands of blood-thirsty maleficaria simultaneously in their graduation hall in order to leave the school doors successfully.
This book was a refreshing and interesting read, especially for someone like myself who usually goes for more along the lines of your typical comedy or action novel. I was extremely impressed by Novik’s intriguing characters, complex world-building, and especially her almost masterful style of diction. The conflict and world-building don’t even remotely take away from the characterization, quite the contrary in fact. Novik takes everything into account while writing, and flaunts her distinctive style at every turn and fork, from witty humor and enticing discord, to romance just as magical as El’s home-world, Naomi Novik creates an almost effortlessly breathtaking collage of imagery before the reader’s very eyes. I had some minor issues with the first book in this series due to a few moderate contradictions at the very start, but she seems to have flawlessly mended past mishaps and even used these formerly confusing details to strengthen and enhance the plotline in ways I truly didn’t see coming. The only real complaint I have is that a third installation isn’t yet released.
I genuinely enjoyed this read and highly recommend it to readers in a multitude of preferred genres. I promise that at least in my eyes, I’m not exaggerating any of this book’s strong-suits.
Thank-you for taking the time to read my review, and I wish you absolutely amazing reading adventures in the future.
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