The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

The quick cut: The final book in a trilogy centered on the Scholomance. A real review: We all have difficult situations to navigate throughout our lives, but what if yours were the fear of becoming a dark witch? In this final book of the Scholomance trilogy, these friends fight destiny to save their own. They've escaped the Scholomance, but it doesn't truly feel like the end. One of their own is trapped and left behind. So these friends want to do what no one has ever dared to before: go back to the Scholomance. Will they survive? Or cause more damage? I loved the first book in this series and have progressively liked each one less. While I'm satisfied by the ending, I wish the series as a whole stood up to my expectations. This final installation didn't really pick up the pace until the back half, but my excitement had wanted significantly by then. This is a book I definitely recommend you read the prior books recently to enjoy best. The plot picks up right from where the second left off, so it's easy to get lost in the plot if you're not familiar with them to begin with. The beginning is a lot of trying to get back, with the back half being more action oriented. There is definitely a shift in tone that I preferred at that point. An exciting trilogy weighed down by a page-heavy ending. My rating: 3.5 out of 5