Review: The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik
The Golden Enclaves is the third and last book in Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy. I reviewed the first book, A Deadly Education, a few weeks ago. I did read the second book in the series, The Last Graduate, but I didn’t write a review for it before I read The Golden Enclaves. And to be honest, The Golden Enclaves was such a wild ride that I feel like I can’t properly do justice to The Last Graduate if I write a review for it now, so I’ll only be talking about The Golden Enclaves. This does mean that there will be some pretty major spoilers for both The Last Graduate and The Golden Enclaves, so proceed with caution!
The Golden Enclaves picks up right where the previous book left off. El and her friends have successfully executed their world-saving plan, made it out of the Scholomance, and killed off most of the monsters in the world, but at a cost: Orion is now trapped in the Scholomance, floating in the void. Grieving and traumatized, El turns around and marches right back into the Scholomance, but all is not how she left it, because being trapped in the Scholomance has changed Orion. El, Aadhya, Liu, and Liesel (the newest addition to their group) set off on an epic quest to find a cure for Orion. On her journey to save her friend, El uncovers terrifying truths about enclaves, the creation of maw-mouths, Orion’s past, and her own family. El and her friends must overcome all odds to prevent an all-out war between the enclaves of the world.
The Golden Enclaves was an absolute roller-coaster of an adventure. The plot twists and revelations one after the other as well as the gripping story made this book impossible to put down. It was so satisfying how Novik tied up loose ends, building on clues and connections from the first two books that I hadn’t noticed to lead to an absolutely thrilling climax. I appreciated how much Novik lives up to the old adage “Show, don’t tell.” Whereas some books rely on rambling monologues and inner turmoil to push the reader to feel certain emotions, The Golden Enclaves shows you how to feel perhaps a little too well. It was absolutely horrifying (to say the least) when I finally found out the secret behind enclaves, maw-mouths, and Orion’s family. Even though the book does explore El’s inner struggle, it’s never overdone or dragged on, leaving the reader to form their own emotional response. Because of how expertly the plot of this book tied into those of the first two books to build up to the final conflict, I wasn’t resentful at all at the happy ending. After everything the characters went through and discovered, I thought they deserved it. And after investing so much emotional energy into this series, I thought I deserved to see a happy ending as well.
Something I’ve come to appreciate over the course of this trilogy is the author’s ability to create powerful and morally gray characters. Even though El plays the role of the stereotypical chosen one, she is not painfully modest or self-deprecating and knows exactly what she’s capable of. I’ve read so many stories where the main character is either wracked with self-doubt or just doesn’t even acknowledge their own power, so it was refreshing to finally see a main character who is aware of their own capabilities. And despite El’s confidence in her powers, she’s never arrogant, she understands her own limits and shortcomings, and she knows to rely on her friends. This already sets her apart from many other fictional heroes and makes the entire book more mature and realistic, because as a reader, I always get super annoyed when the main character is unable to get out of their own head and be practical. El, on the other hand, is the epitome of practical. She is affected by grief and trauma just like a regular person, but she is also smart and able to think through her decisions—or at least choose to surround herself with people whom she can rely on to stop her from being reckless. The maturity with which this book approaches these ultra-powerful characters allows the author to explore the stickier, more complicated sides of the situation. When a character is already so powerful, whether or not to use their abilities become a question of morality, which El struggles with throughout the books. I loved how her mother is a huge influence on her development, and how El chooses to take the same path her mother did, despite the two of them being so different, because she finally realizes what she truly wants.
Speaking of morality aned ethics, this book also does a great job at dealing with morally gray characters. The main conflict of The Golden Enclaves is basically a magical reimagining of the trolley problem: given the choice, would you choose to sacrifice one person to guarantee the safety of your family? Or would you choose to take the moral high ground and watch as your children are slaughtered by monsters? There’s no one “bad guy” in this book, which makes it so much easier to become invested in the story. Ophelia Lake, the main antagonist of this book, has done some pretty unspeakable things, but her actions are still understandable, because she’s just doing what everyone else is—trying to survive and protect her loved ones. This is actually more relatable and understandable than the typical villain with a sad backstory, because most people would do anything to protect their families.
Overall, this book was an absolutely wild and amazing conclusion to the Scholomance trilogy. The story is original, well-paced, and gripping, and the characters are just as snarky, smart, and fun as they have been for the first two books. Novik has created an incredible fantasy world with a magic system that is unique, intriguing, and oddly realistic. The Golden Enclaves was a truly fitting end to this unforgettable trilogy.
~Tania
