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 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?
Magic schools are a common concept in middle-grade fantasy fiction. What makes this story stand out is the inclusion of a school board system. Much like the school system in our world, the magic school system in this story is a mess. The students are taught as a whole and not as individuals, to control and contain their magic. Students deemed ‘dangerous’ or ‘unteachable’ are labeled a ‘delinquent’ and cast aside. They define a delinquent as “any student that causes trouble, no matter the severity or whether it is on purpose or an accident.” And poor Vin fits this definition.
I feel so bad for poor Vin. She doesn’t want to cause trouble, but her emotions build up until she loses control of her magic. The magic schools see her as a delinquent and expel her without bothering to understand why she does what she does. Poor Vin doesn’t even bother to explain herself. The poor girl spends half the book living in fear that her magic will explode out of her and she will be expelled once again.
But Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents operates differently from any other school Vin has attended. The students are encouraged to explore their magic, make mistakes, and fully embrace their power.
I had a difficult time understanding how the story’s magic system works. From what I can understand, there are Five Official Magecraft Categories, each one with several specializations. You’ll have to read the book to understand fully. Basically, each student has their own unique ability that fits into one of the five known Magecraft Categories.
There is so much more I’d like to share about this book and how it differs from other overused fantasy tropes, but I’ve already given away too much. I’m hoping all this detail will entice you to read this book.
Overall, this was a thrilling, magical fantasy read that I recommend to fans of The X-Men, The Owl House, and Wednesday. I can’t wait to read the sequel coming out at the end of September.