A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

A book that hits in the way a lyric does. It imprints upon you. Leaving you sitting blankly as it ends wondering how you will possibly move on to the next read.

Alas though I must. But I did sit still and silent with the book in my hands though. I let it linger for a while before I consumed anything else.

Serenade is a great dark Academia book with a lot of mystery. I also enjoyed the boarding school setting of this book. The characters were also well developed and the interaction between them were very interesting and kept my attention. The world building is something new and I liked how the author described the setting without it being too much. I felt the end of the book a to be a little rushed, which took some of the joy of reading it. I also thought the start was a little slow. I overall did enjoy the book though and I would recommend giving it a shot.

This novel is about a haunted boarding school. To be honest, I expected more from this novel. I was hoping for more paranormal activity with the main lead investigating the school. However, I did not really get that. Still, this was a simple story. I recommend this for fans of the paranormal genre!

This one took me a little bit too get into, but once I did, I enjoyed it. I think some of this has to do with the main character's interests - she was a competitive rock climber, a sport I've never really been particularily interested in. Also, the school she goes to is primarirly a classical music school, another thing I am not particulay interested in. I was horrible at all music related things in school., so it is hard for me to be excited about a music school.
The book does have a lot of dark acdemia vibes, and another world with ominous creatures, so I think fans of the dark academia subgenre would really enjoy it.

2.75 stars.
November Huntington was very "different" and sad, wich made her so boring and sort of predictable in a way. I found the other characters interesting, but the magical aspect was a bit so and so.

This book has everything! Amazing characters, page turning plots, many twists and turns that took my breath away! I am so glad the other books in the series are out so there is no waiting!

I quickly fell in love with this story!! November’s struggles are so relatable to me. The world building was the easiest for me to grasp so far in my reading journey, so great job on that!! I cant wait to read the rest of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book for the most part. It gave me a certain sense of nostalgia, reminding me of books I had read when I was a teen and I think I would have probably been obsessed with this as a 14 year old.

I enjoyed the world building a lot, I liked how the house had so many different rooms all focused on particular themes. And I did enjoy the fantasy aspect of this book a lot.

The downside for me of this book was the plot twist. It was shocking yes, but I don't think it made a lot of sense and seemed to just be for shock value mainly. However, I am interested to see where the author will go with this in the future book/s.

Overall, an enjoyable easy read that I would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Aethon Books for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book for its mysterious atmosphere, nice characters and good romance. It reads like a suspenseful murder mystery, set in a boarding school setting, which I always appreciate. The magic system was also really good and I liked the focus on music and the arts. The plot twists were kind of predictable, but still interesting to read about.

The writing style was rather average, although quite lyrical at times, but the book was easy to read and not too long. It's very fast-paced, which helped me get out of a reading slump. I enjoy this kind of storytelling; overall it was a nice, fun read.

The main character was a little annoying, and so was the love triangle, but I loved the romance. November and Vincent are great together, I was rooting for them the whole time. I can't wait to read more about them. Cam was alright too, but not my favorite. I also liked the mental health representation and found it to be quite accurate.

This is the first book in a planned trilogy, and I will make sure to read the next books when they come out. If you're looking for a short YA fantasy, with cool magic and a nice dark academia aesthetic, Serenade is definitely a good match for you.

Serenade was a well done YA about facing your depression and your fears as you step into a new world of magic. I liked November and Vincent, and the plot twists were good!

SPOILER WARNING.

Oh God, where do I start?

At first, I really, really liked this book. Dark academia, spooky overtones, ghosts, even the way the magic system was so unique... that appreciation quickly got lost in the most convoluted, weird, and nonsensical plot. The MC is selfish, all knowledge of anything useful is hidden from the MC even though it could have been super useful, a badly executed love triangle between brothers (father and son???) and an immortal being who sits on his ass the whole story knowing people are looking for him just to say not my problem dawg. And said immortal being has a thing for underage girls.

Oh, and the fact that the most powerful beings is the world are suddenly scared off by a group of ghost children? What.

I'm not trying to be mean here, I promise... I'm just so confused....

the main character was very relatable which made the story much more enjoyable. also, the world building was done really well and it was easy to understand.

personally, i didn’t enjoy the love triangle but other than that, it was a good read.

This is the first book in The Dark Nocturne series and the first book I e read by this author. This book captivated me so fast. Character development and world building were amazing.

So compelling. Full of mystery, secrets, love, drama, suspense, twists and so much more. And that cliffhanger!? OMG. I can’t wait for book 2!

This was such a fun read!

I haven't read a boarding school novel in a while, and this was so entertaining! November is such an interesting character. Her relationship with Vincent in swoon-worthy and there's also a murder mystery! It was compelling, fun, and the writing was easy to follow. The set-up of the school was so good and the relationships were well-written. I was kept hooked throughout.


The pace did slow a little in the middle, but it picked up by the end. I want to read more by this author! Thanks to netGalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

Serenade by Morgan Shamy is the first book in the Young adult fantasy series The Dark Nocturne. This book for me started off so slow to the point that I almost didn't want to finish it. I am so glad I did! The plot twists in this book are phenomenal and that ending....so Unexpected! The way the author details the main characters struggle with mental health issues is relatable. The paranormal aspect of the book was totally unique as academics of music and dance infused with magic. The love triangle was an added bonus to this great storyline. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book a lot! In many ways, Serenade reminded me of RoseBlood by A. G. Howard, which was my favorite read so far this year. Both of them feature musical academies, mysterious murders, and magical musicians/dancers! If you love fantasy and any performance art, I think you would love Serenade! The world-building was absolutely peculiar and unique! I had so much fun reading about the academy and the Huntington manor. The quirkiness of it satisfied my curiosity and fuel my imagination.

Aside from the musical theme, I loved the variety of social representation in Serenade. Featuring LGBTQ+ secret lovers and physically challenged side characters, it felt like everyone could find someone they could relate to in this book. The main character, November Huntington, suffered from bipolar disorder after her parents died a mysterious death. As her mental condition worsened after her breakup, she was brought to St. Paul’s Academy, an unusual musical school with secrets about her parents. As important as mental health is, it is seldom represented in fantasy novels, and I’m so glad Serenade addressed this issue with a wonderful storyline. November’s mental condition played a major role in her decisions, written in a way that felt realistic.

As much as I loved the characters and diverse themes, the execution could have been smoother. It was fast-paced, which I love, but sometimes the scenes jumped around a bit and could have used some more transition. Despite this, I was still able to immerse myself in the plot and enjoyed it!

The ending was quite surprising! It was super creative, though I’m still not sure how I felt about it…it opened up a lot more potential for the next book, so I’m really looking forward to the sequel!

Overall, Serenade is a refreshing YA paranormal fantasy for music and dancing lovers, as well as lonely souls that seek refuge. I liked it a lot and I can’t wait for the sequel, Etude!

*My thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the review copy*

I received an ARC from NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.
this book was really interesting, i really loved the main characters and how her mental illness was shown in the book. also, the forced proximity trope and the boarding school really had me !
the cover of the book is so beautiful, it honestly what made me want to read this book in the first place.
now i wouldn’t say i wish i hadn’t, cause it would certainly be a lie, though i must admit, even if i really liked it, it still wasn’t my favourite read. i don’t really know but some things just weren’t right for me and though all the paranormal and forced proximity and everything really got me, somehow i couldn’t really appreciate this book as much as i thought a would.
nonetheless i’ll definitely read the next book to be sure i don’t miss anything !
i still enjoyed it a lot and would definitely recommend it !

3.5/5

Um livro com vibes de dark academia! Gostei do enredo, do plot e da forma como a autora nos conduziu pelos mistérios.

No entanto, a protagonista deixou muito a desejar. Compreendo uma parte da inocência e da ingenuidade dela, caiu de pára-quedas num mundo em que não sabia nada, mas achei-a demasiado moralista e chata. Espero que não próximo haja uma evolução e um crescimento.

O triângulo amoroso para mim foi demasiado previsível e tornou-se chato. Senti alguma dificuldade em entrar na história, mas é uma leitura rápida e bem conseguida.

Estou muito curiosa com o que aí vem e quero, sem dúvida, ler mais da autora.

!! Foi-me cedida uma cópia avançada deste livro em troca de uma opinião honesta.

I know it's an ARC, but the formatting on this was so borked. There were really odd sections where the words were so jumbled and nonsensical that I started to feel like I was losing it. How weird to be reading something that makes sense for then only and the loving to be further down the Margaret happy dancing.

I'm not dropping stars for the formatting, even though it was irritating, and even though I had to change out of dark mode in order to read the text on the Kindle app because the text was nearly as dark as the background.

However, I am dropping stars because this was not well-written. It's meandering and boring and the plot twist was just weird. The ending was highly unsatisfying. I can appreciate the author trying to be inclusive with November seemingly having bipolar disorder, though that is never explicitly said (just talks about depression and mania), but it was entirely a plot device, and it wasn't given the attention that it warranted.

The characters weren't very well-rounded. November was kind of a crappy person. She's super selfish and treats people like garbage. Her behaviour is really childish. There's a point where someone close to her dies, and she pretty much acts like it never happened.

The requisite mean girls are also a bit over the top and unrealistic. They almost get November killed, and nothing really happens to them. They are rude and disrespectful, and the teacher does nothing about it. They bring themselves to tears laughing over the stupidest shit. It was really juvenile.

There are a few points in the story that were confusing to me. Like why Vincent tried to scare her away from the house. That isn't ever touched on that I can recall. Cam gives a bit of an explanation, but it wasn't sufficient considering information you hear later in the story. Vincent in entirety is a ridiculous character. So much about him makes 0 sense. (view spoiler) The plot twist later in the story makes the love triangle really weird, and the characters have some irredeemable traits/behaviours that make it so I personally have no interest whatsoever in seeing how that plays out.

In terms of the plot in general, why exactly is it that November is brought to the house, attends school the following day, and is told absolutely nothing about the school, it's purpose, or her family history? How would that be advantageous? Why wouldn't it make sense to have her try out instruments first? Is there some pressing reason she has to go there immediately? And please tell me why children are tasked with saving the world? It isn't explained. And why is it that the people who used to be the children saving the world age out of it? That isn't addressed. Like someone was the best whatever instrument player and hauled all the ass keeping spirits out, and then one day they just decided to become an accountant or something? Also, why is the school so massive when there is one class of students? Why is there only one teacher and the teacher is 21? What happened to all the other adults? Why does the quality of the music matter? These kids are musical prodigies, but it's never explained why exactly they need to be the ones who keep the spirits out. If they just don't like the sound of music, put the fucking radio on.

Solid meh. No desire to read the next one. Do not recommend.