16 blockbuster September science fiction and fantasy releases to kick off Fall
By Lacy Baugher
September 2021 release: The Last Graduate – Naomi Novik
The highly anticipated second installment in Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series, The Last Graduate takes us back to the terrifying magical boarding school that teaches its students to use their powers – and dodge dangerous monsters trying to eat them at the same time.
It’s senior year for El Higgins at the Scholomance, but just because she survived the magical cleansing of the graduation hall during last year’s ceremonies and made it back to take her final round of classes doesn’t mean she’s safe – or guaranteed a future. As her class stares down the barrel of their own hall full of hungry malificaria that means only a fraction of the group will survive graduation day, El must decide what she’s willing to do to make sure that she and her chosen allies make it back to the real world.
But when she discovers that there’s more to the secrets of the Scholomance than she ever knew, that task may turn out to be even harder than she expected.
The official synopsis is surprisingly vague, but that usually promises a ton of surprises in store.
"At the Scholomance, El, Orion, and the other students are faced with their final year—and the looming specter of graduation, a deadly ritual that leaves few students alive in its wake. El is determined that her chosen group will survive, but it is a prospect that is looking harder by the day as the savagery of the school ramps up. Until El realizes that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules . . ."
The Last Graduate is available on September 28.