The Last Graduate
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Naomi Novik has achieved what so few can manage - a five star second book in a trilogy. Picking up immediately after the events of the first book in the series, The Last Graduate manages to maintain momentum while still raising the stakes for the kids. I was very impressed with how smooth it was - Novik maintained the tension so that I struggled to put the book down, but didn’t raise the stakes so far that it felt over dramatic or absurd in any way. Her writing style for this series feels more YA to me than her other books I’ve read, which had a much stronger fairytale vibe. (Spinning Silver, Uprooted). I’ve heard mixed reviews on those from friends who struggled to connect with the floral writing, but don’t write the Scholomance books off because of it. Novik maintains the wonderful storytelling skills but through a much more straightforward style.
One of my favorite aspects of The Last Graduate was the various friendships and rivalries between the young women. Watching the friendship of the main three slowly tighten as they each grow more confident in the relationships was great, but even better was watching them interact with a woman from a different group who they didn’t like. She came in, took one look around, and basically told them she’d be taking over as she could do it better. And she obviously could, so they all stepped back and let her. No backstabbing and minimal bitching. The level of professional courtesy was SO satisfying. There was no redeeming moment for the outsider where they all suddenly became friends, and no dark secret from her past revealed to explain why she was so abrasive. She was unlikeable from start to finish, and she was excellent at her job. I loved it. I want more characters like her, and I wish I’d read this as a college student heading into my first corporate job.
The third book came out a couple months ago and I’ve been slowly moving up the waitlist ever since. I can’t technically recommend the full series since I haven’t read it all yet, but I think that all three together would make a great Christmas/holiday present for anyone who loved Harry Potter or any other iteration of magical children coming of age. Its got a solid, fast moving plot for adventure lovers and an innovative (but logical!) magic system for fans of Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy. In honor of the mana generating system, I paired this with a Ramos Gin Fizz as one of the most notoriously difficult cocktails to make. You’re supposed to shake it for half an hour! I didn’t manage that long but I did shake the dang thing for 15 minutes. That’s why I added the cherry garnish - it added nothing flavor wise, I just wanted proof of how think the foam turned out. Not worth it for a regular drink, but it was good as a rare treat!
Ramos Gin Fizz
2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce heavy cream
1/2 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
3 dashes orange flower water
1 fresh egg white
Club soda, chilled, to top
Add the gin, simple syrup, heavy cream, lemon and lime juices, orange flower water and egg white into a shaker and dry-shake (without ice) vigorously for about 10 seconds. Add ice and shake for at least 15 seconds, until well-chilled. Strain into a Collins glass. Pour a little bit of club soda back and forth between the empty halves of the shaker tins to pick up any residual cream and egg white, then use that to top the drink.
After adding ice I shook for about 15 minutes just to be sure. I also swapped out regular gin for a lavender flavored one I’ve had sitting in the back of the cupboard forever. It was surprisingly delicious!
