Author: Adriana Mather
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication date: March 26, 2019
Pages: 368
Source/format: ARC // The Horn Book
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Synopsis (from goodreads.com):
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.
M Y T H O U G H T S
November Adley, originally from Pembrook, CT, ends up at Academy Absconditi and is a late transfer at the age of 17-years-old. Although November has no clue where she is and how she arrived at Academy Absconditi, she learns that she must play to survive. She learns quickly to acclimate to her surroundings since it's life or death while she discovers many secrets regarding her family's history.
Adriana Mather has wowed me with Killing November. Not only does the synopsis of November being stuck at a boarding school for assassins is awesome but there is so much intrigue of how November ended up at the academy and who can she trust. The characters are all unique and they have traits that separate each apart despite the many characters mentioned in the novel. Ash is definitely my favorite character. He has a sense of pride in him but he likes to skirt the rules a bit. He values attention and is stunned when November verbalizes her beliefs that might be on the contrary instead of just accepting the way things they are. I love the banter between Ash and November. They argue like they are siblings but it's something closer and more personal than arguing with his twin sister, Layla. At first I didn't warm up to Layla but she grew on me. Layla is constantly researching and even though she is not as physically active in pursuing people like the others at the academy, she clandestinely undercovers many clues to figure out who's the killer amongst the students.
The romance between Ash and November is a slow burning one. They don't trust each other at first but they slowly become good friends to the point where Ash takes a flying knife to save her. I mean how many people will take a bullet or knife to save someone? They know they can not become closer than friends but they cannot deny their feelings for each other. Oh the forbidden love! Love can be a weakness for assassins and one a lot of people take seriously. It's hard to tell who your true allies and enemies are when everyone has a good poker face. Even some sworn enemies like Matteo and Aarya end up helping November at the end when they figure out who the actual killer is.
November asks too many questions but some people might see that as a tactic while others think she is plain naïve. November pieces a lot of information when she was a child to present day at the academy such as qualities of stuffed animals like her stuffed bear. She learns those subtle things that her parents did or said contributed to some of the family secrets her parents harbored. I enjoyed reading snippets of November's past woven into chapters of when she is conquering obstacles and everyday life at the Academy Absconditi. With no electricity and living in a very old world location, students at the academy have fewer distractions so they can focus on learning to master being assassins. These students come from old Strategia family lines. These families originated as the advisors to rulers of empires.
Killing November is an atmospheric, action-packed, secretive and deadly thriller. The novel is chock full of history, name meanings, major plotting and an intrigue that keeps the pace of the book moving. Digging deeper under the many layers, November finds out how her family connects with the history of the Academy Absconditi and the major families. With her own unconventional upbringing, she conquerors many obstacles at the Academy Absconditi seizing an advantage over her peers. Although she is not well versed in the family history of the Strategia, she is a quick learner of what she needs to do to stay alive.
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