Last year, I reviewed Naomi Novik’s first book in the Scholomance series, A Deadly Education. I was eager to plunge again into the complex world of a closed-system school for burgeoning wizards, and the second in the series, The Last Graduate, did not disappoint.

As much as I enjoyed the flawed personalities and story arc, what I loved most was how the characters were constrained by the rules of the magic they wield – their cleverness evolved by working within the constraints of the world Novik had created. Spells and solutions to problems had to make sense, and there were always trade-offs and costs.

The end result is a book that is engaging, fun, and satisfying.