Rockstar Book Tours: Hunting November

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the HUNTING NOVEMBER by Adriana Mather Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book:

Title: HUNTING NOVEMBER (Killing November #2)
Author: Adriana Mather
Pub. Date: May 5, 2020
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 368
Find it:Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N,
iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Rating: ★★★★☆

Surviving a few weeks at the world’s most lethal boarding school was one thing. But now comes the real test: Can November Adley find her missing father before her enemies find her? Subterfuge is the name of the game in this thrilling sequel to Killing November, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Hang a Witch.

After surviving a crash course in espionage at the mysterious Academy Absconditi, November has only one purpose: finding her missing father. Along with fellow student (and heartthrob) Ash, November follows the clues that her father left, embarking on the deadliest treasure hunt of her life.

The first clue is in her hometown, where old friends beckon and unexpected enemies lurk around every corner. The second clue is in Europe, where revelations about her family’s history will plunge her into an international web of deception, lies, and intrigue. The third clue is deep in enemy territory, surrounded by the most skilled assassins and master strategists, and where everyone wants her and her father dead. Can one girl with limited training infiltrate a centuries-old organization that is powerful enough to topple empires? November only knows that she’ll do whatever it takes to save her father . . . or die trying.

About Book 1:

Title: KILLING NOVEMBER (Killing November #1)
Author: Adriana Mather
Pub. Date: March 26, 2019
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Formats: Paperback, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 368
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Rating: ★★★★☆

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.  

Praise for Killing November:  

“Adriana Mather deftly combines cinematic action, relatable characters, and wicked twists in this riveting boarding school thriller.” — Karen M. McManus, New York Times bestselling author of One of Us is Lying  

“Mather has built a dark, intriguing universe. Between the boarding-school setting, the lessons in espionage, and the murder mystery, there’s plenty to grab readers.” —Booklist  

“Subterfuge is the name of the game at an elite and secretive prep school. Revelations are well-paced . . . . Anything is possible in this world of cloaks and daggers. A strong beginning that will leave readers hungry for
more.” —Kirkus    

Listen to an audio clip of HUNTING NOVEMBER!

PRH Audio · Hunting November by Adriana Mather, read by Cassandra
Morris

Nerdophiles Review:     There are some books that just feel cinematic. When you’re reading them, you see it all playing out in front of you at a theater. The characters on-page delivering snappy dialogue, pulse-pounding stunts, an effortless feeling of sitting back and watching it all unfold.    Killing November, and its sequel, Hunting November are two of those cinematic books.  

My favorite Young Adult books increasingly have this cinematic quality to them. There’s an ease in how they glide along, lending themselves to clear mental pictures.    Hunting November reminds me a lot of two of my other favorite, cinematic YA series: the Embassy Row books by Ally Carter, and The Fixer and Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

Each series depicts this secret world that coexists with ours, where political intrigue reigns and influential families have been pulling the strings to cause, or avert, major historical events. Each focuses on extraordinary teens, with hyper-developed skills, functioning as investigators and crime-fighters. Each series is magnificently plotted, paced, and executed.  

Killing November followed the main character, November, as she started classes in a mysterious boarding school for elite, mafia-type families (each family is named after an animal and is known for particular characteristics, think Harry Potter with knives.) While she learns deception, poisons, and knife-fighting skills, she also tries to solve the murder of a fellow student, learn about her family’s past, and keep herself alive in a school full of assassins.  

Hunting November picks up right where Killing November left off – November and her friend/love-interest Ash have just survived an attack at their school for children of elite families. November has discovered a dangerous plot involving her father’s disappearance and leaves school with Ash to track him down.   The rest of the novel follows November from scavenger-hunt type clue to clue across the globe tracking down her missing father. 

I loved being back in this unique, immersive world that Adriana Mather created. There’s a combination of mystery and old family lore gradually revealed throughout the books that makes the atmosphere intriguing without it ever feeling frustrating. I enjoyed every page of the first book. Unfortunately, the sequel felt a little rushed in comparison.  

It still had the same gritty, snappy, hilarious dialogue, and the wonderfully-sharp antagonists-turned-allies from the original, but the storyline and character choices felt a little erratic. In particular, November’s relationship with Ash could have been fleshed out more, and I found November’s naïveté to be a little unrealistic after the events of the first book. The behavior of her enemies-turned-allies, and November’s trust of those allies, seemed too convenient.

Also, the ending felt haphazard. It packed together a whole bunch of new details and rationale behind the family intrigue and fell victim to a kind of monologue explanation of ‘here’s how it all happened.’ The end of Hunting November fell victim to ‘telling’ and not ‘showing.’ It didn’t give the reader the information they needed to connect the dots, and it revealed a whole host of information that was new to both the reader and characters. Overall, it just didn’t fit with the tone of the rest of the novels. It was one of the only false notes in an otherwise symphonic series.

Those issues aside, go pick up this series! It’s one of my most-anticipated releases of the year and favorite series – it’s so beautifully unique, wonderfully mysterious, action-packed, fun to read, and I have no doubt that someone will pick it up for a silver-screen adaptation.     

About Adriana:

Adriana Mather is the New York Times bestselling author of How to Hang a Witch, with family roots that go back to Sleepy Hollow, the Salem Witch Trials, and the Titanic. She’s also an actor and producer best known for her role in the award-winning Honeyglue. She co-owns Zombot Pictures, a production company that makes feature films. 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, she has too many cats, and a deep abiding love for all things autumnal.  

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |Goodreads

Giveaway Details:   3 winners will win a finished copy of HUNTING NOVEMBER, US Only.

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Tour Schedule:Week One:

Week Two: