I really enjoyed Death Becomes Her! The story follows Rose Walker, a girl who can see the dead and is trying to escape her past by starting fresh at Banecroft University in England. But her new beginning quickly unravels when her roommate, Eleanor, dies under mysterious circumstances. Rose becomes haunted not only by Eleanor’s ghost, but also by doubts about her own abilities and whether she’s to blame.i loved how the book blended mystery, magic, and ghostly suspense with themes of self-discovery and friendship. The dynamic between Rose, Dawn (the clever outsider), and Val (the mysterious Mage Seeker) kept me hooked, and the tension never let up as more secrets came to light. It’s a dark, atmospheric read that asks big questions about guilt, trust, and what it means to carry a legacy of death.If you like supernatural mysteries with a touch of romance and danger, this book is a perfect pick especially if you’re a fan of The Ninth House or The Raven Boys.

For fans of dark academia and Ninth House - this one is it. Dark academia done so well. I loved, loved, loved it🥰

Rose and her twin brother score a full-ride scholarship to an elite school in the UK. Rose is a talented artist with an amazing swimmer roommate, but she’s also sweet, naive, and very innocent. So why can’t she remember what happened at last night’s party? And more importantly, what did happen?

This book had me glued from page one. It’s got those rich dark academia vibes mixed with horror and urban fantasy, and the pacing is perfect. If you liked Ninth House, you’ll eat this up.

The characters were fantastic, and the lore was even better! And I’m obsessed that the MMC is Bulgarian 🥰 The tension between the characters is electric, I loved their banter. Watching Rose grow through everything made me love her even more. I’m going to need book two immediately🤩

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

I absolutely loved this book. Kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat, adored the characters and the depth of the story and writing style. I am so keen for more in this series and wish the next one was out already as I’m already having withdrawals!!

really wanted to like this book because conceptually it is perfect for me. an urban fantasy about a girl who can see ghosts and detect whispers (which essentially are truths and lies) whilst studying at a prestigious exclusive university. it had everything.

i know this is marketed as y/a, but based off the author’s marketing of 16-18, i would have to strongly disagree. the writing felt so young, and the over-excessive use of words such as “smirk” really pulled me out of the story. seriously, he smirked every chapter, multiple times!!!! is his face okay? should we take him to the doctors?

i found the lore to be extremely confusing. the m/c - rose - is unaware of anything in the world, which is fine. but the way val (the mmc) described everything was often rushed or half assed. i understand that this is due to his character but when setting up a world for a series as this one is, it’s just confusing and nothing comes across clearly. granted, i do understand the lore now, but when they were solving the mystery and he was prattling about different ghosts and she was sat there like ???…. girl, same. (and no one even explained it to her!). even her use of powers at the end of the book made no sense. i still barely comprehend any of it.

which brings me to my next point! which version of england do they live in, because as a british citizen for… well my whole life! i am utterly confused what is going on. firstly, the dorm situation is just confusing and weird. they try brush past it by say none of it is legally enforced, but then why are there “rules”. i don’t get it. secondly, and this it a bit nitpicky, but no way this man is saying 18:00. come on. we say 6pm. i swear. i don’t know man.

i also find the relationship between rose and val very strange. i understand the idea of wanting to normalise virginity at the age of 18 (which is incredibly normal irl but sure) but i think harping on about her inexperience and innocence is adding to the stigma more than anything. especially when he is portrayed as this bad boy womaniser. like really? it’s a little stereotypical, and a little gross actually. i’m not a big fan.

all in all, i did enjoy some parts of this book. the horror aspect was really well done and i felt a bit spooked at times. i think this book just isn’t for me at all and that’s fine because i am definitely not the audience as i have learned.

I really really wanted to like this. The premise was so interesting. A young American girl living in a English university dorm can see the dead and hear whispers of people's secrets. She has to work together with a mystery guy (who knows more about her power than she does) to figure out what really happened to her friend who drowned at the start of the book. Great. Fantastic. Love that! The execution.. not as much.

I had a hard time figuring out what age this girl was. I assumed college aged but her actions screamed young teenager. This made me look up whether this is supposed to be YA, NA or middle grade. The fmc is already unlikeable. Then, every bit of dialogue she has with another character seems either forced or like the author has never had an interaction with another person ever. There are more cringey moments than moments that felt genuine. I couldn't connect to any of the characters.

The plot is what kept me moving up until about 40%. The scenes where she sees the dead are the interesting parts. I wanted to know more about her powers but it didn't seem like the fmc did. It felt like things were happening to her but she was not doing interesting things- if that makes sense.

I tried to keep going but I got so bored waiting for the plot to get good, the dialogue to stop being so cringe-worthy that I cannot in good faith continue this book and recommend it to anyone. I'm sure this has it's target audience somewhere but it definitely was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ina Harrington for providing an E-arc. I'm leaving an honest review.
Death becomes her follows an interesting premise: a girl able to see ghosts trying to solve the death of her roommate and gain back her memories of that night.
What follows is an enthralling read that manages to be both really fun and deeply unsettling and horrifying.
The characters were really fun to read and get to know. I could relate to the main character Rose and her shyness, having been bullied for who she is and just recently coming out of a really strict religious environment. I loved Dawn and her optimism, her teasing and her friendship with Rose. And I also loved Val, he was such a lovable and at the same time exasperating man.

I will say I expected more romance than there actually was, but I didn't feel like it was needed either. Keep it in mind though, if you're looking for a romance.

The horror scenes were really well-written and atmospheric. And the magic system was cool, though I'd really have loved to see more of it. I felt like I didn't learn enough about it in some ways.

The ending is really satisfying, but I'd love to see a follow-up novel written someday, where I could hopefully learn more about mages, seekers and the other altered in this universe.

A satisfying mild supernatural Dark Academia novel starring Rose, a young woman who has always dead people. She hopes for a new start far away from her Colorado home at an exclusive university in England. But when her roommate dies under unusual circumstances and other paranormal begin happening, that dream shatters. Is Eleanor haunting her? What does the mysterious and handsome Val want with her? She will need all the help she can get to solve this mystery and survive her first few months at her new school.

Overall, a good read. The Dark Academia vibes are there but not too dark, too scary, or too sexual. If you like the tv show Supernatural, that is the kind of level of thrills and chills, maybe even a little lighter. There is the beginning of a romance, but the focus is more on the supernatural mystery, Rose finding out there is much more in the world than she ever dreamt of in her philosophy, and her friendship with Dawn. This is LGBTQ friendly.

I wish there was a bit more about the magic system and the framework of the organization of mage seekers and mages. Maybe that will be filled in with books later in the series. It ends with a lead in to more books.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The cover of this book is so breathtaking. The attention to color and the movement is just so good. I love a protag that can see the dead and all of the twisty adventures that that can lead to.

I think overall, the premise of this book is really interesting, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. I don't think there was an adequate amount of backstory or explanation of the relationships between Mages and Mage Seekers, and honestly, I didn't find it intriguing enough to care to know. The characters fell flat for me, I didn't feel especially connected to any of them, the most interesting I found was Val, but even then he was a bit of a grumpy broody bad boy stereotype with not much more substance to him.

The romantic relationship between Rose and Val just didn't hit, I felt like they had very little romantic chemistry. Additionally, I think it's obvious that the author isn't British, because the slang and conversations were borderline painful. Overall, while I think this book had a lot of potential, but we're just not given enough information about these characters or these secret society deals for the reader to feel invested.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Ina Harrington for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Ina, I am so impressed that English is your second language, your writing in this novel was fantastic.
I did enjoy this book. It was quite a mixed bag - A YA paranormal mystery in a fantasy academia setting. I'm actually going to rate this one 3.5 stars, with definite potential for a further book to exceed that rating.

The spookier aspects of the novel were fantastic and suspenseful. Any time a ghost was involved, I was completely engaged with the story and would not put the book down. The descriptions really did stir up my imagination, especially since we were often shown different glimpses of the ghosts here and there, rather than a complete image every time. This added to the creep factor.
I wonder about the book's potential, whether the author had come at this from more of a horror/mystery angle without the additional fantasy elements.

Bonus points for LGBTQIA+ supporting character being introduced, would like to see more of her in the next book. And additional points for the shy and awkward main character/bad boy pairing that stirred up some romantic undertones to the story. Their interactions were annoying initially, but ended up being really cute.

Unfortunately, I do not think there was enough of an explanation about the different kinds of magic users early enough in the novel for the story to make sense. Especially in a YA novel, I think it's important to ensure the characters and their motivations are easy enough to understand. The investigation process would have made more sense if these magic types were introduced and explained, rather than introducing individual characters as 'X type of magic user' with no further description given until later on.

I would certainly read the second book when that comes out - I had a few unanswered questions at the end. I do think there will be readers who struggle with this one.

I am a sucker for a "dark" university setting! Add a paranormal mystery plot on top of that, and it's instantly on my TBR!

I enjoyed the fact that the romance was not the main focus and was more of a subplot, leaving space for the mystery to be the central focus of the story. I also appreciated that it wasn't insta-love and was a true slow burn.

I did feel like it was a little slow to get in to in the beginning. Once you get a few chapters in though, the story really begins to pick up and you start flying through the chapters. While each genre does operate on a spectrum, and this book is YA, I did feel like it leaned really really YA in some of the writing and plot points. So just something to be aware of. However, I didn't feel like that took away any of the enjoyment for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and will be continuing with the series as the books come out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harrington Publishing for the digital advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I love fantasy novels, good mysteries, and well-written horror stories that immerse me in the environment. Death Becomes Her is an excellent mixture of all three.

Rose Walker has powers that haunt her (literally) and that she does not understand. When another mysterious death occurs around her, questions arise about her power, and she is introduced to the world of mages, seekers, and cursed. Rose, a powerful mage, is “paired” with hot, bad boy, mage seeker Val, and they work together to try to figure out what is behind the mysterious happenings on campus.

Rose, Val, and Tyler (Rose's twin brother) are all incredibly annoying as characters, but in the best way. They all just feel like real people. In many fantasy novels, especially those that deal with teenagers and young adults, have characters that feel like they are reduced only to their powers or abilities. This is not what happens here. They are complex, multi-faceted, and with detailed backstories. While there is more I wish had been explored, such as Rose's relation with her family's community and where the scholarships come from, I am sure the sequel will solve my questions. Dawn (the best friend) is just an absolute sweetheart and a great balance from all of the supernatural stuff going on.

The mystery kept me enraptured, and I could not put the book down until I had answers. I unfortunately could not solve it by myself, but I am giving myself a point for predicting what was the piece of evidence that broke the case wide open. But even more than the mystery aspect, what stood out to me the most was the incredible writing in the horror scenes. They felt extremely vivid; I was almost expecting to find a ghost hand coming out from under my bed. It is also interesting, but it felt like the scenes were writing as if for a movie (I'm not entirely sure this makes sense). I could feel the scene cuts and how the editing would work, and it made everything feel even more realistic for me.

The summary said this book would be recommended for fans of Supernatural, and I can definitely vouch for it. It feels like one of the episodes in which the boys find a monster, but it isn't the one actually responsible for the murders, so they all team up to catch the actual bad guys. Some parts of it also made me think of the game Phasmophobia, with the different lore bit about the types of ghosts. The scenes involving Rose's encounters with the ghosts reminded me of the Intertwined series, one of my favorites (although very unhinged) from my teen years. Caleb and Julian would fit right in the Death Becomes Her universe.

I can't wait to see what happens next in the series and what Ina Harrington has in store for us.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ina Harrington for the advanced copy. This review is left voluntarily and honestly.

This was one of those reads where I picked it up for the haunted college vibes and stayed for the twisty mystery and unexpectedly emotional character arcs.

Death Becomes Her starts with Rose. quiet, guarded, and just trying to outrun her past and the ghosts (literal ones) that come with it. What’s meant to be a fresh start at Banecroft University quickly turns into something darker, with a dead roommate, missing memories, and a growing sense that someone or something is watching. It’s got all the ingredients of a classic campus horror: strange occurrences, secretive magical societies, cryptic professors, and just enough dread to keep the pages turning.

I appreciated that this book leaned more into mystery and atmosphere than romance. There’s definitely chemistry (hi, Val), but it’s more of a slow simmer beneath the surface, which honestly worked for me. I also loved Dawn, who brings the perfect balance of humor and curiosity to an otherwise pretty tense story. The ghost scenes were creepy in the right ways: subtle, eerie, and just unnerving enough to keep me double-checking my shadows.

That said, I did wish the magical system had a bit more depth. There are hints of something much bigger going on especially with Rose’s abilities, but it felt like we were only scratching the surface. Then again, this is book one in a series, so I’m hoping the next installment expands on all the cool threads that were introduced.

If you’re into paranormal mysteries with a YA/new adult crossover feel, morally gray characters, and just enough darkness to keep things interesting, this is a solid start to what could be a really fun series. Definitely picking up book two.

I’m starting to get back onto the kindle (it’s been SO long!)

Thankyou so much Harrington Publishing and netgalley for this ARC.

Honestly this did take me a bit to get into, but once I did I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the paranormal mystery element to it, aswell as the magic system. our FMC, Rose is able to see the dead, when her roommate dies, she finds that her new beginning at University is starting to collapse before she even starts.

I wasn’t as engaged to the characters as I had hoped, but also i’m lowkey getting into another reading slump so that’s probably why😭

This is the first in the Deaths Legacy series, and i’m excited to see what will happen next!!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm always very happy about an ARC and being able to give it a review! <3

First of all; LOOK at this gorgeous cover!! 😍 I was instantly hooked. The blurb sounded super promising too, so of course I dove right into the story like there was no tomorrow.

Buuuut... the beginning was slow. Like, really slow. Felt like I was wading through plot molasses for a while before anything major started happening.

That being said, it was a good and intriguing story overall! I loved the mystery around her dead friend, her super cool ability (seriously, I want that), and the whole vibe at the school, especially the tension with her love interest. I definitely wanted to know how it all wrapped up!

All in all, it’s a solid urban fantasy read, just could’ve done with a few less pages dragging things out. But if you’re into slow burns with a bit of magic and mystery, this one’s for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harrington Publishing for the advanced reader copy.

I appreciate how stunning this cover is, and the premise is there, but it wasn't fully executed. What I did enjoy was the horror aspect and the descriptions we received when seeing the ghosts - I think that’s where the writing and story shone. I think leaning more into the horror aspect of the novel could have made it a better read for me. Rose’s magic in the beginning of the book was interesting and had promise, but I felt like the magic system was overall lacking throughout the story. I was left wanting to know more about why and how and what rules there were, but there didn’t really seem to be a rhyme or reason.

The writing was a little lackluster for me with the overly YA writing. It definitely felt like these were high school students, not college students. I noticed a lot of telling and not showing - tons of ‘which she felt because of this’, ‘happened because of this’, and a lot of ‘I felt scared’.

There were some parts of the book I just didn’t enjoy. For example, ‘Just like the movies’ was a phrase I read more than a few times, which referred to Rose being an American in England, but it was repetitive to the point where I kept noticing it. There was also a moment where she said ‘please’ to a food service worker because ‘British people ar very polite”. Another part was when she ordered a cider at a bar she was told that “British ciders have alcohol” and she was shocked- as an American every time I’ve ever gotten a cider it has been alcoholic so I’m not sure where the surprise came from.

Also, regarding the character of Dawn, I did enjoy her as a character, but the part where she came out to/was unintentionally outed to Rose. I get what the author was trying to do, but one of the first questions Rose asks when she finds out Dawn is trans is to ask her if she’s getting any kind of gender affirmation surgeries- kind of weird to ask anyone that, let alone someone you’ve known for a few days.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harrington Publishing for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I want to preface this review with the reminder that I usually would not reach for a YA book but I still enjoyed it nonetheless!

This book follows our girl Rose whose first year at university is anything but boring. Within her first week there she deals with the unexpected loss of her roommate and the mystery that surrounds it. Rose is anything but normal and the gifts she was once bullied for as a child aid her in unraveling this mystery.

*spoiler warning*
I absolutely loved the characters in this book, I think they were so well written. Dawn is so adorable and I absolutely loved Val. The author did a very good job at writing Rose to be sheltered, but she was so sweet and I felt so bad for her. The descriptions of the ghosts in this story were horrifying and I honestly felt like I was watching a movie while reading this book! It was very easy to get lost in the pages.

The only thing that is holding this back from being a 5 star review is the magic system and how little is explained. I understand the set up for the second book/ continuation of the series but I would have liked to know more about Rose’s powers and Val’s place in all of this. The ending was very ominous and I am a bit disappointed to not see Rose and Val become a couple.

Overall this was a great read and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next one!

Thank you to Harrington Publishing, Ida Harrington, and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I appreciated the dynamic between Rose, Dawn, and Val, I found it difficult at times to fully connect with any of the characters, which made parts of the reading experience a bit challenging.

What kept me engaged, however, was the central mystery—an intriguing thread that was ultimately resolved in a satisfying and well-executed manner.

It seems likely that this is part of a series, and I hope that future installments will offer deeper character development and stronger emotional connections.

I really enjoyed this book, the plot was well paced and the characters were well written. I look forward to reading more from this author.

TLDR: An engaging indie novel about a young woman with supernatural powers trying to find out who killed her roommate. First in a series.

Rose has always been able to see ghosts. As a child, the ability alienated her from her family and community. Now Rose has the opportunity for a fresh start as she and her twin brother begin attending an elite university in the UK. But when Rose’s roommate Eleanor dies under strange circumstances, Rose is haunted by Eleanor’s ghost. Can Rose, aided by a mage seeker moonlighting as a security guard, find Eleanor’s killer and assuage her ghost?

At the surface level, it’s a fast-paced, dark academia-tinged story about fish-out-of-water Rose solving a mystery with a handsome male antagonist at her side. Fun, but there’s more depth here. First, there’s some real creepiness– especially with imagery– that might please YA horror fans. The side characters, especially Dawn, are fleshed out and loveable. The mystery is surprisingly well-executed and rather brilliantly handles the question of, if the detective can see the ghost, why can’t she easily solve the murder? There’s a lot going on already, but the book also tackles themes of bullying and mental health.

I’m genuinely impressed, especially for a self-published YA novel without the resources of a publishing house. The writing style and plot are well-suited for a YA audience but quite enjoyable for this adult reader. While there are some hints at romance (that might be expanded in future volumes?), the majority of the relationships explored here are between friends and siblings, and they’re very thoughtfully done.

It’s the first in a series, so it’s not a surprise that a lot of threads are left dangling, but we do get resolution for the main plot. I’d love to read future volumes.