Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange for a review.

I have such mixed feelings about this YA mystery. I wanted to love it. I wanted it to be the kind of book I devour in one setting, but unfortunately it took me a long time to finish, and I can’t quite pinpoint the reasoning.

The story follows November who is thrust into a bizarre school of young strategists, born into powerful families of assassins, spies, and impersonators. What’s not to love about this idea? It’s like John Wick, young adult edition.

The writing and characters felt somewhat lifeless at times, and I figured out the plot twist early on, so there wasn’t the exciting discoveries that accompany most mysteries. I stuck with it and was rooting for the main character to defy the odds stacked against her, but I felt little to no emotional pull to the characters, the story line, or the ending. I don’t foresee reading the second book in the series.

This was an entertaining and engaging boarding school mystery. November was raised in a quiet Connecticut town by her father and aunt after her mother died. Now seventeen and with her family in danger, she is sent to Academy Absconditi - a hidden and dangerous boarding school - where she learns many of the secrets of her past that the other students already expect her to know.

Worst of all for November is that someone is either trying to kill her or trying to frame her for the murders of some other students. Though she has more physical skills than she realized she had, she is totally ignorant of the politics and rivalries here at the school which trains the best of the best of the Strategia secret society.

She isn't totally on her own. Her roommate Layla and Layla's brother Ash are willing to make a deal to give her some information. Of course, trusting anyone in the school is dangerous. Everyone has an agenda that is hidden from November.

I liked the worldbuilding that creates a secret society begun in ancient times, a society whose members have manipulated history for all that time. I enjoyed learning about the ins and outs and rivalries in the world along with November. I really enjoyed November. She was smart, gregarious, and trained by her father to think outside of the box. She'll need all her skills to survive her time at Academy Absconditi.

Completely original and entirely compelling. I stayed up WAY too late reading this addictive book. Teens that visit our libraries will love this one! Cannot wait to recommend it.

Oh boy, this was a fun thrill ride. I absolutely loved the setting, the romance, the intrigue!

November wakes up to find herself in a bizarre, secluded boarding school in the middle of a forest. The school uses no technology, no phones, no electricity. More than that, the classes consist of knife throwing, deception, and poisons.

When a classmate is murdered, all fingers point to November. She has to figure out who the killer is, clear her name, and stay alive in a school filled with criminal masterminds.

Besides having a fantastic premise, this book was a blast to read. It was fast-paced and kept me reading well past my bedtime. The author used history and body language to give hints and spur the story along. The way it ended made me think that this is possibly the start of a series, so I'm really hoping that we get to have more adventures with November soon.

If you enjoy YA thrillers, murder mysteries, secret societies, and conspiracies, you're going to love this book!

Content: Some language (no f-bombs), kissing, violence, and suspense. Movie rating would be PG-13.

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book going into it, I wasn't sure if I would like this book based on just the premise so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Once I started the book I was unable to put this book down, the story completely drew me in and left me guessing until the very end. This book kind of reminded me of Ally Carter's Embassy Row series with the amount of political twists and turns, the amount of intrigue in this novel kept me on edge and engaged and I can't recommend it enough!

I enjoyed this book way more than I expected to enjoy it when I picked it up. Initially, I thought it would be a good read for my students, who like thrillers. I expected to skim through, find it acceptable and move on. Instead, I totally got sucked in to this book. A lot of it was predictable, but this was just so much fun to read. The pace goes very quickly from start to finish, and I liked the characters quite a lot. There could have been more development, and information reveals sometimes wound up piled on top of each other. In spite of that, I'm already anticipating the next book (which must be forthcoming, judging from the ending).

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

When looking at the cover and reading the description and actually reading this story I was expecting a different kind of story that what was read in a good way. First off, in my opinion, I am not a fan of using general words as names such as November or Saturday. It makes the reader totally confused. Anyways aside from that while reading into the book, I could not help but think that is is another young rendition of Carrie is which a student is murdered and they think another student committed the murder so the whole class turns against them. However, I am a huge fan of twists and unexpected endings and I was glad the book delivered with that.

We will consider this title for our YFantasy collection at the library and that is why we give this book 4 stars.

#KillingNovember #NetGalley
A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher of Killing November. I really enjoyed it. The novel has a little something for everyone. Desperate teenagers, death, assassins, and teen drama! The novel is fun, adventurous, and has great characters that you root for throughout the book. Defiantly, a must read for young adult fans.

Assassins, boarding school, stunning secrets, murder, and an eminently likable main character make this book compulsively readable.

November wakes up in a strange boarding school, where everyone seems to know what is going on except for her. She quickly learns that she will need to pretend to understand in order to survive. As she tries to learn why her father sent her there, she must choose friends and try to avoid making enemies. This story will keep you guessing until the end.