Novik still excels at keeping the reader guessing what horrors the Scholomance will serve up next, to the very end. The relentless descriptions of mals and their effects make you squirm and she rises to the challenge of bringing admirable aspects to even the unlikeable characters over time. No-one could claim El's voice is not strong and distinct either and I continue to be impressed with Anisha Dadia's delivery of the audiobook too.

I rate this installment lower than the first book because the novelty of a school where even the mash can kill you started to wear a little thin when the whole book is so obviously focused around graduation. El also interests me less personally now that she seems to be trying to out-martyr Orion (whom she is still quite harsh with for some reason but, eh, teenagers). I preferred the anguish in her decision to tackle the maw-mouth in the first book. Nothing wrong with a YA book having a morally aspirational protagonist though. I do appreciate that she gripes while doing the Right Thing the way a normal person might.