CW: violence, murder

Well that was a good young adult murder mystery with secret spy families that go back generations. The spy boarding school setting was a lot of fun and there was quite a challenging curriculum. The ways of being assessed were literally life threatening. The romance didn't feel too out of place and thankfully no excessive yearning occurred. It took a while for the story to pick up but I particularly enjoyed the family feud drama and look forward to seeing how that plays out in the next book. ( )

An edge of your seat thriller. Reminded me a little of a female HP, similar to the fact that she does not understand her abilities and is ill-prepared for the world she is thrust into. There are some very creepy scenes mixed into the story, along with ones that leaving the reader questioning who November can truly trust. Looking forward to the next in the series. ( )

I didn't enjoy this like I thought I would. I didn't care about any of the characters, especially the main character who was far too naive for my liking. The plot itself was pretty predictable and not very interesting. Pretty disappointing. ( )

After spending most of her life in a small town called Pembrook, November's dad enrolls her in a private school for a couple of weeks while he helps her aunt after a break in at her home. While on the way, November blacks out and wakes up at Academy Absconditi, where there is no technology and everybody seems out to kill her. When she begins to take classes, November realizes that the games that her father and aunt played with her as a child were meant to prepare her for what she would face in this school as the stakes get higher by the minute. Learning more about her family's history and her mother's death makes her conscious of the fact that her problems are bigger than just what is happening in this school and that there is nobody she can trust.

Killing November combines aspects of both the Harry Potter and Hunger Games series. Student interactions are Machiavellian to the point of being absurd. Also, it is hard to believe that any father, especially one in this situation, would leave his daughter as unprepared as November's father does in this story. Other than November's frustration and disbelief in her situation, other emotions don't come through as clearly, making it difficult to care about the characters. Overall, this is a well developed plot with lots of twists and turns, but it is a little difficult to connect with the characters. ( )

Really fun read, I haven't read many assassin/spy type novels so this was a really good introduction. Looking forward to picking up the sequel. ( )