The rundown: After escaping the Scholomance and breaking all of the odds for the magically gifted students breaking out of the institute, it was time to celebrate leaving by the skin of their teeth. Except for the maw-mouth destroyer, Orion, who saves El from fighting the monsters at the school. Now, the darkest witch of her time wants to save her not-boyfriend-but-love-of-her-life. But how?
Also, enclaves worldwide are attacked, and only El can save them and the families that live in them. With her magical books, her allies, and her friends, El goes on a journey to discover the truth behind the history of the enclaves and her destiny to save the people who doomed her at birth.
The review: After escaping the deathly school for witches and warlocks, reality hit El. The first two books circled the school's survival and fighting against mals that were after her and her classmates. Now that the threat is over, El has to figure out what's next for her. This is a great way to symbolize how many graduates feel after leaving school/university and entering the real world. What's next for the dark witch? Thankfully, love and destiny interfere and set her on a worldwide adventure to save her loved ones and those who shunned her and her mother. Of course, as any teenager, she goes through many emotions; anger, frustration, guilt, sadness, and grief. Add that to El being a powerful magical being, and you have a lot of dark, angry magic pouring out of the pages. Once you get past El's misery, the book is excellent. Secrets are revealed, a horrible truth comes out, and decisions must be made before the most remarkable enclaves in the world fight to the death to secure their family's seats in safety.
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Goes well with: Hell Bent by Alex Stern, Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, and Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Review by Krista Carver