Hunting November by Adriana Mather.

from description: After surviving a crash course in espionage at the mysterious Academy Absconditi, November has only one purpose: finding her missing father. Along with fellow student (and heartthrob) Ash, November follows the clues that her father left, embarking on the deadliest treasure hunt of her life.

I hoped the second book would provide a little more depth, but it stayed surface and action oriented. The clues and their locations were amazingly difficult and dangerous, and I found it difficult to believe a loving father would put his daughter in such situations. My ability to suspend belief in the first book was difficult, but in this one...impossible. Not that I was tempted to abandon it--I wanted to know what happened.

That said, the reviews on Goodreads are extremely high.

NetGalley/Random House Children's
YA/Suspense. May 5, 2020. Print length: 368 pages.

This was a great conclusion to the Killing November duology! I loved reading the first book, especially because of the mysterious boarding school setting. Hunting November takes place across Europe for the most part, so while I did miss the setting from the first book, the sequel was just as engaging and fast-paced.
It seemed to focus more on the characters, giving more complex traits and background information about all of the characters, most notably Aarya and Ines. My favorite part of the book was probably getting to know Aarya, since in the first book she was more of a one-dimensional villain.
I also really liked Ash and November's relationship. Ash is probably one of my favorite YA love interests, and I love how he was always so attentive and caring towards November.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a DRC of this title for review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book. It is one of my favorites I have read so far this year and I might have even liked it more than the first book in the series. This book picks up from the MOMENT book one ends and it doesn't let up. November and her friends are on the hunt for Jag, the notorious leader of the Lion Families who has been dismantling the respect and camaraderie of the Strategia families. He has issued the order for November's father to be killed and she knows she has to try to save him, even if she is underprepared and overwhelmed by the thought of going up against not only the worst of the Strategia, but the man who is her grandfather. There are twists, turns, some cool strategies and interesting fights. Highly highly recommend this one. Appropriate for grades 7 and up.

I fell for this book hard and was immediately reminded why I loved "Killing November" so much. The plot is complex and twisted; the characters are unique, funny, and can't always be trusted; the travel aspects had me yearning for my own European adventure (especially now); and the writing itself is immersive and compelling.

The nonstop action throughout this book had me on the edge of my metaphorical seat and my thoughts kept coming back to this book when I was forced to put it down. That being said, there were a couple points that I think were rushed and/or under-explained, so I would have liked to learn more about those aspects of the story.

I will definitely be looking for more from this author!

Last year, I was in a bit of a reading slump. After seeing Killing November mentioned somewhere online, I downloaded the sample to my Kindle app thinking it would be like every other book I tried to get into. It wasn't. I couldn't put it down so I bought it and finished it in one sitting. It was perfect and I needed more.

Even though it's been a year, Hunting November did a great job of picking up where Killing November left off and pulled me right back into that fascination with all things Strategia and the frantic need to know what happens to November and her friends.

I was happy to see secondary characters Aarya and Ines get a little more depth and development, but would have liked to see more of Mateo and his relationship with November amid their family drama. I was also glad that the romance between November and Ash didn't overshadow the main plot.

Some of the plot twists were easy to figure out beforehand and the flashback scenes felt a little disjointed but overall Hunting November met my expectations for the most part and left me wanting more of the unique and complex world of the Strategia.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions are my own.**

Adriana Mather does it again folks!! This was even better than I hoped it would be! She really developed the characters even more coming out of the first book of the series. I could not be more impressed by the plot twists, thrilling moments and even romance. I can’t wait to see what she writes next, and I hope there’s another book in this series!

Welcome to the next chapter for November’s killing, heart pounding, brand new journey!
This is action packed, thrilling, mostly interesting sequel, starting from November’s hometown continues in Europe and finalizes at the lion’s den: fighting against brutal and the most powerful, skilled assassins, manipulative evil genius strategists. It’s all about finding the missing father before their enemies get him and learning the ugly truth about her family history.

The second installment turned into Mission Impossible waltz with Bourne Identity series with a little Kingsman series vibes without charm of Taron Egerton (nothing could be juicy and intriguing with this Scorpio actor’s sizzling charm!) Action packed parts were moving and gripping but I slowly start to lose my interest, especially the romantic involvement between November and Ash was the weakest element of the book in my opinion.

At the first book: I got intrigued with Hogswart meets House Night vibes that Academy Absconditi presented us and of course it was fun to read November’s discovering her qualifications and her secret family mystery.
But I think second book mostly lost its charm and the sacred secrets November gotta find out were not crucially captivating enough to drag me down from my comfort zone and bedazzle my mind with its enchantment.

It’s still fast, riveting, entertaining reading even though I didn’t like most of the characters and I lost my interest about the plot. It’s still promising and good read for genre’s fans but I thought the first book was only a warming up tour for our real crazy train ride journey and when I start the heart throbbing journey, I realized I didn’t get satisfied enough about the cause and motivation of the characters. I’m giving 3.25 stars. The author is still talented and she still knows how to pick the interest of the readers but I think I expected more about the story’s progression and I didn’t like this book as much as I liked the first installment.

So many thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers for sharing this action packed and interesting ARC in exchange my honest review.

‘I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.’

The book picks right up where the last one left off and it immediately hooked me! I have really been looking forward to reading this second installment of the Killing November series and I was not let down. I have been in a horrible book slump recently where I haven’t actually enjoyed anything that I’ve tried to read and as soon as I started this, I could not put it down. It is really well-developed, especially for an advanced reader copy.

The mystery is done so well I really didn’t know what to expect and it left me guessing until the very end. I actually gasped out loud with surprise at the final reveal. I also really love the relationship building, friendships and romance. The dialogue is amazing. Funny, sarcastic and witty banter is my favorite. The book is also action packed, from the first page to the very last. The action and anticipation of what would happen next left me dreading having to put the book down, but also dreading finishing it. The flashbacks were also used well and helped develop the plot and move the story along. It was so intriguing to see how everything came together at the end of the book.

I really hope there are future books about November and her friends because I could read at least 6. Please say yes.

When I read the synopses of Hunting November, I didn't expect to like it. The insular world of the Academy was so appealing in Killing November that I couldn't imagine Hunting November without it. I was wrong. Mather has once again managed to create a world that the reader can inhabit. November has left the Academy with Ash, careening through the UK on a mission to find her father. Along the way she and Ash meet unlikely allies and encounter diabolical enemies. While the naivety and ignorance of November is again stretched to its limits as in Killing November, it is not as grating and frustrating in this second effort. Overall an enjoyable read, one that has stayed with me. Mather has an incredible skill with descriptive text, allowing the reader to be so deep into the book that scenes replay like a movie. when remembered. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Hunting November is a dark mystery that does not disappoint! Great character and a strong plot line, definitely recommend this book!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Weirdly enough reading this book made me want to up my rating for Killing November.

“Hunting November” takes us on an adventure through Europe as November and Ash try to unravel the secrets left behind by her father as they struggle to outmaneuver Jag and see end end to his reign of terror.

So what I enjoyed in book 1 was that she was learning everything from poisons, fighting techniques and other skills to make herself a better Strategia and in this one it was less of that and more running around on a weird scavenger hunt and I thought it would focus more on the relationship ties between families but it fell back on the usual trope becoming something straight out of Borne Identity.

I never felt the chemistry between Ash and November so that stuff I just glossed over waiting for the action to kick in and it’s a shame that the characters and plot lines that were the most interesting were kept on the sidelines and like November I wanted nothing more than to see the original tale of the Lion and the Bear because those two and their story was the only thing that kept me around so long.

This isn’t a bad series but it is ultimately one you will forget.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**