"The Audition" is a 17 page novella prequel to "Seraphina" about the brief scene in which Seraphina had to go through to become the assistant music composer and Princess Glisselda's music tutor. 
 The story started with Seraphina and Orma who was on the way to the castle for the final audition with the court's composer and the princess. Seraphina was nervous after Orma had predicted that she had 12% chance to succeed even after a grueling pre-audition and it does nothing but annoy her. When Orma didn't come back after a walk, Seraphina went to find him but instead she encountered a very rude girl with a pail of fish sauce and hell bent on mischief. 
 The prequel introduced the reader to Seraphina, a young apprentice with a gift of music who was under the tutelage of her music teacher Orma. Her chanced encountered with Princess Glisselda provided their first impression to one another and their eventual friendship that were apparent in "Seraphina". For a short scene, it gave a nice insight to the main character and enhanced the interaction with multiple of characters as should with the subsequent book. 
 I would recommend reading the prequel first before you start reading "Seraphina" to slightly enhance your readincg experience.