ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I love books set in boarding schools, especially when they're full of mistery and magic; also it gives huge dark academia vibes!

November is a young girl who loves to climb. She has lost her parents when she was little and now lives with her uncle Mason, until one day she has to move out and live with some cousins she has never met (or better, never knew of their existence) before. Here, she gets to know a secret world full of magic, mystery and danger, the same dark world her parents kept November hidden from. Here, at the new school, she finally finds out her artistic power and she meets many people who are important for her life path.

I really liked the initial idea for this book and how the author talks freely about important topics we don't hear and read much about such as mental illness and how November tries her best for her mental health. However, what I disliked was how the story moves way too fast, which didn't allow me to grasp very well what was going on. Moreover, I felt as if there were some plot holes throughout the story: I would have appreciated if we had got more (detailed) explenations.
I expected something more from this book, either way I will keep reading the next books from the series as soon as they're published, hoping for the information we missed in book one.

Also I feel like I have to write a small appreciation for April and Vincent because I really loved this two characters: you're the best.

My rating: 3!

I am very partial to Academia books and will read all books in this genre. I felt at stages this book diverged off the path it was leading the reader down and was very heavy in its descriptions. I loved the premise of music and dance opening the veil.

I just felt the author had so much to tell us, but so little time and a slower information dump would have been easier to follow and flow.

eARC supplied by Netgalley.

Serenade takes place in a magic boarding school where teens guard the veil between worlds against dark spirits.

The novel is the first in a trilogy and had the potential to be good. The magic system established was interesting and the world, once fleshed out in further novels could be great. Unfortunately, the interesting premise wasn't enough to sustain through the novel. The narrative was confused and disjointed as the protagonist switched between love interests, angsts and plans sometimes on the same page.

Unfortunately I won't be checking out the sequels.

This book was definitely different. It was pretty intriguing but there were many times where the book just kind of dragged for me. I did like the idea of the story about the veil between the living and dead. I thought that was pretty cool. I think another main issue for me was the plot twist at the end where you find out stuff about Vincent. I was definitely not expecting it, but it was kind of weird to be honest. I did like the representation of mental health issues. It’s cool to see a character that struggles with mental health issues but can also be a hero who saves the world. This story was pretty intriguing so I might end up reading the second book.

This book is something different.

When I read the synopsis I was pretty intrigued. The fusion of the paranormal and the art is not something that can often be found in a book. In fact, I've never read anything like this, not even close.

Also the author did a great job as far as plot twists are concerned, because I didn't anticipate any of them. That idea with the names and what accompanies those events, pfff, the person they are looking for and then....amazing ... I didn't expect that at all.

I also liked that such an imaginative book mentions serious topics such as mental health and how it describes to us what a person suffering from it goes through. Because everyone is different, and through this we see how someone else copes with it.

One thing I didn't like in some situations was November. I used to find her too intrusive and irritating. It often seemed to me that she thought that the world revolved only around her and that she was the most important, other people were secondary, unimportant, which made me quite tired. And because of that it took me longer to read it.

This is a really good and promising story. I hope the following books will not disappoint, as this one exceeded my expectations.

I simply LOVED Serenade. The premise was brilliant, the characters were engaging, and there was so much personality in the world and people of Serenade. There were rooms filled with clocks and rooms with trees growing in them, a spirit world and powerful musicians and dancers, and an MC who rock-climbed professionally.
It is so rare to find MCs with unique hobbies and sports like rock-climbing.
I also thought the chemistry between the characters was well done and played. Though I do wish she ended up with Victor officially.

It was somewhat predictable in the plot, but most YA fantasies are, and it wasn't a deal-breaker for me as much as characters and world-building are.

All in all, I really can't wait to read the sequels and would definitely recommend this story.

Wasn’t for me! But I am truly grateful for the chance to read for myself! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing access to this title

It’s a really interesting concept! I love that there is an emphasis on mental health and there are some lovely plot twists in it. I think it fits into its genre really well.

It was quite a quick read but I can’t wait to see where it goes for November!

I’m a huge fan of books that take place at an academy/magical school setting, so I was excited to have gotten this one. Unfortunately I just couldn’t connect with the story or the characters. Not for me but hopefully others will enjoy it!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an early copy of this book. This book was definitely unique. I wasn't able to figure out all the plot twists like with most books. It was a quick easy read as well.

I absolutely loved this book, and was totally hooked from start to finish. This is definitely adult story with lot of heat and steam, interesting plot and loveable characters.

This review of Serenade by Morgan Shamy is courtesy of NetGalley. #Serenade #NetGalley #BookReview

Rating 2/5

The initial blurb for Serenade and eye catching cover drew me to pick it as a book to review. As with many similar books, it starts off with someone with a special destiny they didn't know about getting sent to a special (aka, magical) school. It's a mystery to November why and for more than half the book, we follow along with her confusion. For each partial clue at getting answers, we get thrown yet another mystery. Let's just say it wasn't a pleasant or enjoyable journey as that portion seemed to drag before we started getting a bunch of answers and the pace got very fast.

In between there's the triangle where November finds herself drawn to two guys.

It's fantasy and there's a prophecy that involves November. Like with many prophecies, the main character misinterprets the meaning initially. That's not a problem but the resolution of it is very lame.

Serenade is the first book of what looks to be a trilogy and while the world concept is interesting with music I don't see myself reading the rest.

This book was amazing, just not for me personally. It’s a nice easy read, loved the adventure in it and the storyline was fun to go along with. November has just broken up with her boyfriend, been rejected from her dream olympic dream and is now forced to go and stay at her long-lost family’s house and go to a new school. This school is for arts and November’s own dad was one of the greatest composers there. Athleticism and Musicians definitely don’t mix well! Overall, I think the book was excellent and a perfect fit for somebody else, just not my cup of tea.

This book was a doozy. I enjoyed it, but there was a lot. I feel like a lot of the themes were very vaguely explained, I’m not sure if the readers will be getting answers in the second and third book or not…. Here’s hoping!
I feel like the middle of the book was very slow, compared to the ending. There was so much that happened so fast, I did have to re read a few paragraphs over to make sure I was understanding what was happening.
I loved Vincent, and will literally be reading the next books to see what his story arc is 😂

The premise was intriguing and the plot was quite unique - a fantasy, mystery, and YA rolled into one. However, I tried, but this book wasn't meant for me. All the best to the author for the coming books.

Serenade is an immersive story full of magic, music, and mystery. Fans of Cassandra Clare's style of writing and characters will enjoy diving into this strange talent school and the dark secrets it's hiding.

What I liked:
- The mystery was present from the very beginning and with every answer you got, another question took its place
- The setting is really interesting (a school of musical students filled with tons of secrets) and it's something I haven't seen before in a book
- While the setting and magic system aren't similar in any way to Cassandra Clare's stories, the writing style reminded me of her books. I think young adult fans of hers will enjoy this. It's easy to read through at a quick pace
- The magic system was well thought out, fascinating, and complex. It was the main thing that pulled me in

What I didn't like:
- The main character is very much written like a young adult. She could be a little annoying and whiny at times, as well as changing her opinion very quickly. However, for teenage fans this shouldn't be a problem
- The sense of mystery was dragged out by utilizing "I'll tell you later" and "you don't need to know", which can get quite annoying when overused
- I personally am not a fan of love triangles but those who are will enjoy this one
- It was interesting to see a main character struggling with depression but I don't think it was shown in a way that went beyond surface level (which is understandably a hard thing to do without it taking over the plot)

Overall: This is a great read for young adults. As an adult myself, it wasn't my favorite but if I were younger, I would have been really immersed and bought the second one. The magic and setting really shines in this story.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4662347837

3.5 out of 5 stars

I think that this book was a very enjoyable read. There were some elements of the book that I wish had been just slightly more developed to make this a wow read for me personally but it was still very enjoyable.

This book had a bit of a slow start but I loved the characters right away. This book had some really great vibes with the dark academia and supernatural elements.

Highlights of this novel:

The main character November was amazing. I thought that she was a a resilient character whose mental illness struggle was relatable and realistic. Her relationships both the good and the bad are realistic and show how mental illness shapes how some people see you, including how she sees herself.

The supernatural concept that played out in the novel was interesting and made me want to know more about the world that the author was creating.

I really enjoyed all the side characters and the relationships that November was developing with all them.

Misses of this novel:

For me I wish that there had been more background/ lore building when it came to the reveals of the supernatural elements. It felt a little rushed and as a reader I felt like I still had questions in regards to the talents, the prophecy and I wish I had more of a foundation of the events that ended up leading to the main conflict.

I also think that at least for me there was a bit of a pacing issue. I wish as a reader I had more time to get to know the characters more before some of the major reveals

Overall I did think this was an enjoyable read and would recommend this book. I am interested to see how this series will progress.

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

Serenade is an interesting start to a new series. November is thrust into the secret world that her parents hid he from before their mysterious deaths. She discovers a whole new world, an unexpected talent, and a supernatural threat. I was initially drawn to the dark academia vibe, and the boarding school setting, both tropes that I generally enjoy. There is of course a brooding love interest, and the plot did manage to shock me a couple of times.

I strongly applaud the authors attempts to tackle mental health, I found them a bit heavy handed at times, but largely relatable without being 'triggery'.

I think prehaps, I have just matured past this type of YA. Some of the prose and dialogue was a little clunky or overdramatic, and elements of the world building were simply too far fetched for me to fully suspend my disbelief. Having said that, as a teenager I would have loved it, so I think the issue was largely with me and not the book itself!

I would recommend to mid-teens interested in fantasy and academia vibes, though I don’t think I will be picking up the next books in the series.

am i getting too old for YA? probably.

let's start off with things i did like about this story because, unfortunately, for me, this was not it.
i loved the dark academia vibe, the writing when it comes to descriptions, or setting the tone. i liked how the topics that are rarely used (such as climbing) are used here. i loved the music and dance aspect of the story, how everyone has a unique gift, and how fun it is to discover one. but for me, this is where it ends.

the first few chapters felt like i was reading an old 1D fanfic where the main character is sold to the group and has to go live with them. everything was going too fast & the reaction November had was ... annoying to say the least.
next, we have November, aka our main character, herself. insufferable and bratty, she does not think about anyone but herself - it felt so irritating and childish to me.
the way she'd scream like a brat, either for others to "shut up" or how much she hated everyone. her either running away or coming back, always changing her mind was irritating too.
she was just an overall annoying little kid who acts like she's above everyone. i did NOT vibe with her.

all the side the characters fell flat for me too. i felt no connection to the characters or between them. it all felt too fast for me to see any connections form between them.

most of the plot twists felt predictable (or i was amazing at picking up the clues)

overall, it felt like the dialogue was written by one person and the rest of the book by someone else.

i also felt like the mental health aspect was not woven into the story as well as it could've been.

3/5 stars, i wish i enjoyed this more but this was not my cup of tea. but that's okay and i hope more people than not enjoy this story. just wasn't for me.

I love dark academia and so I was really drawn to the blurb of this book, and that front cover is so stunning so I was so excited to be approved for this book. It was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. There was a decent amount of twists - some that were predictable, but then that is sometimes the case with ya fiction. I also really liked the paranormal element. An enjoyable read overall.