Picks up exactly where A Deadly Education left off, with prickly main character El still trying to figure out how to survive graduation while preserving what is important to her (and figuring out what is important to her, which is also a moving target). I still love the nerdy explorations of the nitty-gritty behind a monster-haunted self-study magical school, the tragic way it traumatizes sweet kids and makes them into steely tacticians who prioritize politics and survival over friendship, and the continuing exploration of class differences and its generational benefits. I really liked how the school itself developed into a character over the course of the story, and the buildup and climax were super satisfying. Warning: absolutely argh ending, and of course the last book of the trilogy isn’t out yet.