March 26, 2019 – PowerLibrarian Book Reviews

Title: Killing November
Author: Adriana Mather
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Date of Publication: March 26, 2019
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

~Synopsis~

When November Addley’s father sends her away to boarding school because it’s too dangerous back home, she doesn’t know what to expect. But she definitely doesn’t expect to be sent to a school that’s completely off the grid–with no access to the internet or even electricity. Classes range from poison to dagger-throwing, and November starts to question who her father really is. But she doesn’t have much time to worry about that. Someone’s killing the students in the school, and November might be next…

~Plot~

This book is fast-paced and intriguing. There’s a lot of mind-games being played by the teachers and the students, and it’s all explained in detail and incredibly interesting. It’s definitely a major appeal that sets this book apart from the rest. The book has quite a few twists along the road, and Mather effectively instills a sense of distrust in every one of the characters, despite the fact that the main character is an optimist.

There are a few tropes present in this story, none of which that I can go into depth over without spoiling major plot points. However, despite these tropes, the plot is well executed (pun intended 😉 ) and not at all derivative of recurring themes you tend to see in young adult novels these days.

Like any young adult book, this one has a little romance thrown into the mix, but it isn’t the main focus of the story (no the main focus is training in the art of deception and murder and whatnot). The romance is cute and moves the story forward, rather than detracting from it.

~Characters~

It’s nice to read a young adult book where the main character is an extrovert. A lot of bookworms can relate to the introverted bookish protagonist, but it can get old pretty quickly. Killing November is a refreshing take on the student-training-to-be-an-assassin trope. (She’s a friendly extrovert who loves people!? Not exactly what you’d expect from an expert knife thrower.)

Because November is at a school where everyone is hiding their true selves, Mather employs an interesting writing technique to help us get a better sense of who November is. She frequently refers to her best friend Emily in her inner dialogue. The way that she talks about Emily and the things that Emily would say to her is very informative about November’s personality and past.

I recommend this book to those looking for a quick read about people training in the arts of poison and deception. There’s a lot of politics and deceit, and it’s nothing like your typical high school drama. I’m definitely looking forward to the next instalment in this series!