3.5/5 for me. This was a very well written book and I enjoyed reading it, but the story was just a little too far fetched for me. I loved the dark academia vibe and the mysterious boarding school setting but the plot twists felt very cringy and laughable at points. I really appreciated all of her talk about depression and mental health diseases. It was a slow starting book as well and there are a lot of technical climbing terms that, unless you’re a climber, you don’t understand. I appreciate the authenticity but it felt a little overdone. Again, really enjoyed the writing style and the characters, but some of it was just a lot outlandish for me.

New place, new school, and new friends. November's journey of finding her artistry is such a relatable experience that I'm sure a lot of readers will connect to! I loved the setting, the boarding schools, and the unique take on artistic talent. The author's use of ghosts added a really cool paranormal touch to the story. Despite it starting off slow, it was a very satisfying book!

After the death of her parents, November has been living with her uncle. Her only passion is rock climbing, and she uses it as a way to deal with her mental illness. But when her uncle ships her off to a house with cousins she never knew existed, November gets thrown into a world where the living and the dead collide. At the new school, she needs to find out her artistic talent soon if she wants to have a chance of survival, but when she also gets boy troubles, she needs to figure out if this world is the one she wants to live in.

This book made me curious from page 1. I felt like too much was happening at the beginning and I had so many questions, but going through the book, every mystery got untangled, and the truth about Cam and Vincent's relationship left me shocked. I wasn't expecting that at all. I'm curious to read what November will decide to do next.

This book had a new take on ghosts and artistic talents that I hadn't read before, and the author was able to pull me into the story alongside November, April and all of their adventures.

Serenade sets an evocative tone for the rest of the trilogy, despite it's slow start. Providing plenty of plot twists and turns, November battles not only her own mental illness, but also the trials that come with learning new gifts - all while being the new kid on campus.

I absolutely LOVE books that take place in boarding schools full of mystery and brooding characters. There is something about forced proximity that makes the relationships between characters develop in such unique ways. I thought the author did an amazing job setting up her world full of paranormal intrigue and I loved how the main character was able to be vulnerable in addressing her mental health. You don't see a lot of characters who delve that deep into their emotional state and I was 100% here for that. I thought the story line flowed great from beginning to end and who doesn't love a good twist right at the end of a novel?!

Overall I am very happy I decided to give this book a read!