I wasn't sure about this book when i first gave it a try as its not my usual type of read..I loved meeting November and seeing her progess into her new school and making new friends along the way. I loved the school and the location the book was set it was so magical. It was really intriguing to read about her dealing her mental health.

A great book!

The dark academia feeling this book contained was great. I was intrigued from beginning to end, especially with each of the characters. I can already tell from this book alone that this will be a great series. It was unique and complex in the best way possible. I recommend this book to every fantasy reader!

First, the cover is gorgeous. This is a YA novel about a girl named November who is a rock climber. She lost both of her parents. When her uncle that she lives with has to go on some mysterious trip, he leaves her with cousins that she's never heard of before. Not only does she has to live with strangers, but she has to go to a school for the musically gifted when she doesn't sing or play an instrument.

I can't say to much about what I liked and didn't like without giving away the plot, so I'll try to be vague.

What I liked:
The book discussed mental health, the same way someone would talk about a physical ailment.
The book covers various treatments and coping strategies for mental health.
The premise of the book is original and interesting.
There are multiple female characters that interact and are not defined by romantic relationships.

What I didn't love:
The narrator is unreliable due to receiving information as the reader does and that information is delivered slowly.
November seems a bit unrealistic to me. She's given these outlandish circumstances and she goes with it a little too quickly.
It sounds like the main character has bipolar disorder and she continuously refers to it as depression but frequently talks about her manic episodes. I would have liked the book to delve a bit deeper into her mental health diagnosis. There is such a stigma regarding bipolar disorder that I would have liked for it to be spoken of more freely.
The love interests. They both kind of sucked and love triangles are not my favorite trope.

I believe this book is the first in a planned trilogy. It has a lot of potential and I think since most of the background information was covered in this novel the next one will have a faster pace.

This was a very well written and interesting story. I loved the elements of dark magic and the mysterious boarding school setting intrigued me! I’d definitely recommend this book if you like short and fast reads with lots of plot twists and a slow burn romance!

November's parents died, leaving her in the custody of her uncle. When he needed to go somewhere, he sends her off to live with relatives she didn't know she had. She also has to attend a school for musical prodigies. Unfortunately, November is not at all a music person. She is an athlete. When she starts attending the school, November notices how different it is.
Opinion
I cannot believe how vested I became in this book! The story is so different from all of the other paranormal books that I've read. Parts of it are a bit scary but overall, I was enthralled by it. If you like ghost chasers, you will love this book.
This book is the first of three. It had a solid ending so I am excited to see how the next book starts.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Aethon Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thank you to Aethon Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Serenade by Morgan Shamy is a YA fantasy that will appeal to fans of Shadowhunters or the CW's Legacies. The story revolves around November, who has been sent to St. Paul's Academy of the Arts. But this isn't just an ordinary music school for the gifted. Instead, it's a school for students with magical powers. When a series of deaths occur at the school, it's up to November to figure out who the killer is before they come for her!

Here is a gripping excerpt from Chapter 1:

"November Huntington dug her fingers into the rock, pulling herself upward. She shifted her weight inward, her climbing shoes jabbing into the large boulder. With her tendons flexing, she traversed to the side, before she pressed her legs down, preparing for the jump. She closed her eyes, the rock cool beneath her hands, the quiet sounds of the forest behind her. This was her first time on this problem, and she was determined to flash it.
Breath in. Weight down. And jump. She floated in the air only for a split second before her fingertips grabbed onto the hold above her. The sharp rock bit into her skin, and pain jolted down her fingers, but she held on."

Overall, Serenade is a YA fantasy book that will appeal to anyone who is a fan of academy books. One highlight of this book is how interesting the plot is. I liked how there was a mystery and a twist. As a fan and avid reader of academy books, I can attest to the fact that this is one of the better academy books out there. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that the large cast of characters sometimes made it difficult to keep track of who was who. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!

first of all i’d like to thank aethon books and netgalley for sending me an arc of this book!

serenade is the first book in the dark nocturne trilogy. it had a lovely dark academia aesthetic and setting, and the magic system was intriguing and satisfactory. it took me a while to gel with the main character - she was a little unnecessarily annoying at times. the love triangle was interesting, and i definitely wasn’t expecting a few of the plot twists, but some were kind of predictable as well. that being said though, i feel like this book was also trying to set up the world and the characters for the next two books. overall, if you like a fast paced YA fantasy with an interesting magic system, mental health and lgbtq+ representation, and some very poetic writing in parts, serenade is definitely worth reading.

trigger warnings ;
• gore
• death
• loss of a parent
• paranormal activity
• depression
• blood

representation in this book ;
• disabled mc
• mentally ill mc
• gay side characters

I love the dark academia vibe this story had and the magic system was interesting enough; however, I wasn't a huge fan of the love triangle and the main character- she was constantly complaining about everything and how she didn't want to be there the entire time. I appreciate the mental health representation as well but I feel like it wasn't incorporated into the story as much as I thought it would given the number of times it was mentioned.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aethon Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF-d. The characters were uninteresting and November, the main character, was nothing but whiny and unmotivated. More could have been done with the world building, but the lore and backstory was fine.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Aethon Books and NetGalley for the eARC.

I truly loved the premise and setting of this story. From the lore, intrigue, magic systems, and dark mysterious characters, this had elements that I absolutely love in a story. However, for reasons I can't pinpoint at the moment, I had a hard time loving it. Perhaps it was the editing or narrative itself, how the story was executed, or maybe even the confusing holes in the plot that lacked explanation, that made me struggle to finish this book. It could have been that it was doing too much for such little page space that it left a lot of holes for questions. Regardless, I was intrigued enough to want to keep reading. I give it a lot of props for being so unique. And I love how it tackles mental health and mental illness I hope the plot and story get more fleshed out in the following books.

Serenade is a dark, intriguing book set in a boarding school with mysterious characters. The supernatural world that Morgan Shamy creates is intricate and detailed and I found the characters to be fleshed out well. Overall, this book was different from any other YA paranormal story I've read before and I'm glad I was able to read it.

Thank you NetGalley and Aethon Books for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I would like to firstly thank NetGallery for this ARC.

3.5/5 - Dark academia, mystery and magic.

Not only was the start of this series fun and exciting, but it is also very fast-paced. Devoured this book in the space of 3 hours in one sitting and it had me hooked from the first chapter. When November’s life is turned upside down and finds herself in a mysterious boarding school her whole life changes. Battling her mental illness, November finds herself in an environment not only outside her comfort zones but also in a space of mystery and magic. I would have never expected the twists and turns that came with the book and the ending is something that left me both shocked and excited for the next book in the series. The dark magic and boarding school vibes, paired with the mysterious monthly names and special talents made this book different and stand out from the rest. Prepare yourself for slow-burn love and the development of new friendships. Overall I really enjoyed the book but some parts felt too rushed and paired with the magic and all the plot, it seemed to get confusing at times. Looking forward to the next book!

Serenade is a beautiful story that is very well written and has a wonderfully dark storytelling vibe to it. I found the story to be a tiny bit predictable but overall worth the read!

3.5/5 stars

I read through the entire novel in one night, though I am a fast reader, I usually take a little longer to get through a novel. This one was interesting, especially more so towards the end, enough to keep me hooked and stop me from putting the book down and going to bed.

Overall, it was a very engaging read, with enough plot twists to keep it interesting. The world that the author builds has the potential to become a very rich world. I will be reading the sequel when it is released.

There were a few things that I think could use some improvement. The story had a very slow start. It made it hard for me to get into the book right at the beginning, though the pacing at the end made up for it. There were also some mechanics of the magic world that was set up that I think need a little more fleshing out and explanation, though I hope this is solved in the next portion of the series.

So book one of a series and it had the issues of a first book i found.

Yes it was well written and the story line was okay if not a little out there. it had a good dark academia kind of vibe to it with the boarding school etc but the plot line twist fell flat at points and predictable. there was good mental health reps in it but this book was mainly world building for the second book i feel

Serenade by Morgan Shamy was an interesting read. I enjoyed that it had a steady pace and kept moving forward. The ending left me wanting to pick up the next book and continue the story. I want to know what happens next.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The combination of the afterlife and supernatural worlds Morgan created was really interesting.

The story was well paced however, there were a couple of info dumps which were necessary but were sometimes a lot to take in.

The characters are all well developed and likeable (when you’re supposed to like them) and the twists are fun and unexpected for the most part.

As far as stories go, this was interesting. It had the outlines of potentially fascinating story arcs and even more potentially fascinating characters and I was engrossed right until the end. Like what was that ending??
Definitely unexpected! And a teeny bit grossed out 🤏 ( maybe I just prefer vampires 🤷🏻‍♀️😜)

However, the book is hopeful and I'd recommend it for the uniqueness of it's story.

My thanks to @netgalley for giving me the opportunity for my honest review and legitimately unique opinions.
@morgan_shamy can't wait for the next one 💗

#Serenade #netgalley #immortality #theveil #ghosts #paranormal #spooky #hauntedmansion #music #girlpower

This was a fresh new take on paranormal young adults. I enjoyed the idea of the veil between life and death and that music was the way to keep the veil closed.

I felt at times the book dragged and the characters often seemed much older than the ages the author gave them. Years seem to pass for characters and yet they are 16-17

I enjoyed this book and will read the next one just to see how the story unfolds.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Premise was interesting but I didn't find the protagonist strong enough to carry it through; and I am not fond of love triangles (although a fan of a good Kelly Taylor moment). I think more needs to be fleshed out going forward in the sequels to help make this book work. I'll prob check it out just to see if it expands it where I hope it does.