ARC Review // The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents

Lavinia “Vin” Lucas is out of control and out of options. Stranded by parents who would rather use their average magical abilities to study dung beetles than raise her, Vin's been on her own for years. But she’s never been able to corral her own powerful, unpredictable magic. After years of detention, suspension, and expulsion from magic schools far and wide, she’s now being sent to the Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents. If she gets expelled, it’s the end of the line.

Now, Vin is determined to behave. Except no one at Last Hope seems to want her to. Her new teachers—particularly the school’s kind headmistress—push her to explore her magic, and her mischievous classmates delight in every accident. And all the while, a mysterious fire sprite, a suspicious instructor, and her overwhelming abilities might just sabotage Vin. But for the first time, she is not alone.

So when a former student begins attacking the school, Vin must question just how much she knows about the headmistress and her new home. Is this place worth saving? And are her budding abilities—and every trick, trap, and deception in her friends’ delinquent arsenal—enough to protect Last Hope?

Vin's uncontrollable magic and many expulsions land her in the Last Hope School for Delinquents. Unlike her other schools, this one encourages her to use her magic and make mistakes. Although Vin starts off apprehensive of her magic, she learns to be excited about what she can do thanks to the headmistress, Ava Hope. She also makes friends with Gilly Reid (a water conjurer), Theo Singh (a replication expert), and Araminta Singh (an illusion caster) who are her first true friends. There's also Brucifer, a sassy fire spirit she summoned the first day who reminded me of Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle. After discovering a plot of deception, Vin must use her newfound abilities and friendships to save her new home.

Immediately loved Vin because she was getting bullied to use her magic which is what made her lose control so many times. Her genuine fear of hurting others, because her magic was unpredictable, endeared her to me. The magical system itself was very interesting although slightly confusing in the beginning. I enjoyed seeing Vin exploring what she could do through her magical lessons. I also secretly loved seeing her lose control because boy was she powerful! Her growth in confidence and determination was such a wonderful thing to see.

The story could drag a little but I also liked that it was so lengthy because by the end of the story, I got a sense of the world as well as all the characters' personalities and motivations.  Although the villain was obvious I liked how everything played out and look forward to the sequel. There's a lot of potential for this to be a great magical academy series that fans of Nevermoor and Harry Potter would enjoy. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents in exchange for an honest review.