by Naomi Novik
After Orion Lake saves her life for a second time, Galadriel wishes he’d go off and die himself. Instead he follows her around the Scholomance, saving her life again and again from evil creatures. She wishes he and his groupies would leave her alone, but she soon accepts him as a friend. Can they—and the rest of her small friend-alliance—save the Scholomance and all the students in it?
Not kidding, if book two had been available when I read this, I would have gone straight for the next book. I loved the voice, the magic, the world—Novik proves again that she’s a creative genius. A warning, however: there is some bad language and mature content.
Update: Books two and three have even more bad language and mature content, as well as some rather dark, horrifying elements. I still can’t fault Novik’s writing style or characters, but I personally wouldn’t consider books two or three suitable for YA readers, and even book one isn’t suitable for younger readers. Use caution.