Review: Killing November by Adriana Mather

Title:  Killing November 

Author:  Adriana Mather
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publishing Date:  March 26th, 2019

Pages: 368
Genre: YA Mystery Thriller

Series:  Killing November #1
Source:  Audio

 

It’s a school completely off the grid, hidden by dense forest and surrounded by traps. There’s no electricity, no internet, and an eye-for-an-eye punishment system. Classes include everything from Knife-Throwing and Poisons to the Art of Deception and Historical Analysis. And all of the students are children of the world’s most elite strategists—training to become assassins, counselors, spies, and master impersonators. Into this world walks November Adley, who quickly discovers that friends are few in a school where personal revelations are discouraged and competition is everything. When another student is murdered, all eyes turn to November, who must figure out exactly how she fits into the school’s bizarre strategy games before she is found guilty of the crime…or becomes the killer’s next victim.

I really enjoyed this book. I think the synopsis kind of keeps it vague on what it is about or I just didn’t get it by reading it. I thought it would be a prep school murder mystery. It was so much more than that. This book had some good character development and a great mystery. The story was very interesting and I found myself wanting to know more than what was given at any one time. There are basically three mysteries in this read… who the murderer is and what the school is really about and who is November. Tons of mystery and over all a very unique and ominous read. I really enjoyed it.

November gets shipped off to a strange school in the middle of nowhere (location undisclosed) after her aunt had had a break in. November’s father is very worried and ships Novmeber off with no information about the school. Once in the school she finds some very strange behavior. First off the classes are not normal classes, there are strange questions asked, and the rules and punishments are quite extreme… oh and there is no modern technology… not even electricity. Trying to figure out what is going on within the school and in her won family becomes harder once a body shows up and November is the main suspect. Someone is trying to get rid of November, who or why are unknown.

I very much enjoyed this book. It wasn’t what I prepared myself for but that is okay because I think it was so much more interesting that what I was expecting. This read had so much to offer, interesting characters, intriguing story, an immersive setting, and lots of mystery. There were times I found myself with a little whiplash because there is so much in this book, but for the most part it was easy to follow and questions were being answered as quickly as they were asked. There were just so many questions. November goes into this strange school knowing absolutely nothing… so of course so did I.

November is an interesting character. I did find her easy to like. She was a strong independent girl who was able to overcome almost anything that was thrown at her. Her father has spent her entire life teaching her these insane lessons that didn’t seem to be important to her life. She always thought they were just to keep her from getting bored. Little did she know he had been preparing her for a just in case situation because of her family background.

There were many characters in this book but the author did a great job ensuring they were easy to keep up with. Many of the students seemed welcoming and nice at first… but they all have an agenda. November is able to make a couple really good friends and even find some romance. I have to say that Ash, the love interest, was a great character. I did love him. He was really hard to read and I learned early on when reading this book that you don’t know who you can trust. Which is hard for November too. Like I said everyone had an agenda. The romance was there and the build-up was nice. Nothing rushed or forced and it wasn’t the focal point of the story at all. In fact it was hard to really invest in any of the relationships because like I said… trust no one.

The murder mystery and the mystery of the school kept me on my toes for sure. I was never bored reading this book. The murders are there and are important but I spent most of my time wanting to know more about the school and the students there. The story behind the school is so very interesting and I just enjoyed know more. I can’t wait to find out even more in the next book.

It was all very well written and I have found that I quite like this author. I will continue to look forward to many of her future books.

A great mystery read!

Adriana Mather is the 12th generation of Mathers in America, and as such her family has their fingers in many of its historical pies – the Mayflower, the Salem Witch Trials, the Titanic, the Revolutionary War, and the wearing of curly white wigs. Also, Adriana co-owns a production company, Zombot Pictures, in LA that has made three feature films in three years. Her first acting scene in a film ever was with Danny Glover, and she was terrified she would mess it up. In addition, her favorite food is pizza and she has too many cats.