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.

I'll admit that it took me a while to get into this one. I normally don't read YA books, as I want my FMC and MMC to be a bit older, but this book wasn't too bad. I wasn't expecting to feel satisfied with the ending to this book, but here we are.

I do believe this book had a satisfying ending, though I would have hoped for more books in this universe. I believe there are unresolved items in the book that could be solved with a follow-up novel, but that's just me.

I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that there was almost no romance in this book at all. I normally read books with a lot of romance and smut, but this book didn't need any of that. It was just fine the way it was, which isn't something I'd normally say either.

I'm fine with how things ended with this novel, and don't believe there needs to be a direct sequel, though I wouldn't be surprised if we did end up getting a follow-up novel, all the same. I wouldn't mind a follow-up and would read it if one shows up.

The writing style is also blessedly simplistic, which is the obvious way to go if you're writing a YA book. Again, this is not a genre I'd normally go for but I love the eerie atmosphere of the book. I also don't normally go for books set in school settings but I enjoyed this book, strangely enough.

I'd recommend this book if you don't mind the lack of romance and smut. There is one scene where the FMC and MMC are discussing a pornographic scene that she was sent by the ghost but that's the extent of the sexual content unless you include the teasing the FMC gets for being a virgin.

Ok I have to be honest, I DNF’d this book at 60%.
I was really excited, because I liked the premise, it did not live up to my hopes, however.
So, our main character Rose’s college roommate dies in a tragic accident. Rose keeps seeing her ghost around, and runs into our MMC Val, who is a “seeker,” a type of witch hunter/finder. He believes that she had something to do with her roommate's death. Rose has some, honestly, very cool gifts. She can see people’s “shadows” which whisper their secrets and can tell if people are telling lies. I think that’s a very unique power and was excited to see how it was utilized. Aside from some minor lie detector tricks though, it didn’t really come into play. (At least as far as I got.)
Anyways, as the plot progresses and they attempt to solve the mystery of her roommate's death/murder, Rose and Val find themselves spending more time together.
I honestly couldn’t stand their dynamic. That may just be a me thing, I’m not a fan of the “innocent” FMC and Mysterious older bad boy MMC. That was the main reason I DNF’d this. I was very interested in the plot, and it was getting interesting, but their dialogue just felt really juvenile to me and I was cringing every time they had a conversation.

Overall, not a bad plot, I think maybe the two MC’s relationship would have felt more at home in like a YA/high school setting though.

Ability to see the dead? Check. Trying to solve her dead roommates murder? Also check. This was mysterious and fun and so great.

I related to this book so much, as someone who struggled with bullying and low self-esteem. This book tackles these topics in a supernatural murder mystery style that feels unique. The book follows Rose as she is in the middle of a murder mystery, when her roommate is drowned at a party. A party Rose doesn't remember attending.

The author does a great job keeping the reader in the dark about the paranormal and giving clues little by little as the story goes on and the Rose (MC) explores her potential and reflects on what she is capable of, you start to wonder if you should cheer her on or be afraid for her.

Death Becomes her is a great book and the plot and the romance makes you keep coming back for more. Something I did not realize is that this is more of a horror/scary book. It is not my typical read, however, I still greatly enjoyed reading Val and Roses' romance story. I also enjoyed the dynamics between Val, Rose and Dawn. Overall, I enjoyed this book and definitely recommend reading it. I will be counting the days until the next book comes out!

I had a hard time reading this and only got five chapters in before putting it down. The premise was really interesting, I liked how Rose’s personality was displayed, and I love the cover art, but the execution was ultimately lacking.

I just couldn’t get over the fact that in the first two chapters, we’re supposed to believe paramedics brought an unconscious girl back to her bedroom without waiting for her to sober up or taking her to at least a clinic. It made everything that followed feel unnatural to me.

Instead of having Rose’s actual thoughts or emotions about things, the narration frequently makes statements spelling things out as if this were a book for younger readers.

The language Rose uses to describe her brother is also used to describe the love interest, which made me feel uncomfortable.

Being very picky:
There were multiple grammatical/sentence structure errors that threw me out of the story. For example, all in Chapter 2:
“As I left the dorm, I rushed down the marbles steps in Birdsong Park, the well maintained square green area between Nightingale and Lark.” > How is she already in a park if she is in the process of leaving the dorm building? Should say “After I left the dorm” or have an action she did while still in the building/act of leaving.
“I dashed at him, and before he could even react, I lunged into a tight embrace.” > If he hasn’t reacted, how is she in his embrace? She would be embracing him.
“My brother took a deep, heavy sigh.” > you could say “he took a deep breath” maybe, but you “let out” a sigh. This was also third in a chain of back to back sighs after a previous “deep breath”.

Review: Death Becomes Her by Ina Harrington

This story pulled me in with its eerie atmosphere, layered mystery, and complex, quietly powerful main character. Rose’s ability to see the dead is both a curse and a key, and her struggle to escape her past while unraveling her roommate’s death felt raw and real.

The dark university setting, ghostly tension, and hints of ancient magic made the world feel lived-in and unsettling in the best way. I really loved the slow-burn dynamic between Rose and Val—it added just enough tension without distracting from the emotional weight of the story.

A haunting, emotionally charged paranormal mystery with found family, dark secrets, and a heroine you can’t help but root for. I’m already looking forward to book two.

Death Becomes Her presents a promising concept with an intriguing ghost, a semi-magical school setting, and a protagonist whose backstory offers real potential. The idea of magical houses within an otherwise non-magical school added a unique twist, and the haunting presence at the center of the plot was compelling enough to keep the pages turning.


However, the execution didn’t quite live up to the premise. The narrative voice felt overly juvenile—perhaps skewing too far into YA territory—and made it difficult to connect with the characters on a deeper level. The introduction of magic was chaotic and underdeveloped; by the end, I still didn’t have a clear sense of how the magic system worked or what its rules were. Additionally, the relationship between Rose and Val was muddled. Val’s personality, age, and maturity felt inconsistent, which made their dynamic hard to understand or invest in.


Overall, while Death Becomes Her has a few bright spots, it left me wishing for more clarity, stronger character development, and a more grounded magical framework.

Thank you NetGalley and Harrington Publishing the ARC!

3.5-3.75/5

This was such a unique and intriguing urban fantasy/paranormal story!

I thought this magic system was very cool and unique (and I always love coming across a new magic system that I haven't really seen before).

This is set in an English university and follows Rose, our main character and a loner. She can see the dead.

I loved how the characters interacted with each other and their dynamics, they were really fun. Especially when it came to solving the mystery of Rose's roommate. I think that's what made their relationships really shine.

There is also a touch of romance in this book!

This is the first book in a new series and I will certainly be coming back for the sequel!

And I think this cover is so pretty!

I don't want to say anything else because I feel like anything else will be crossing over into spoiler territory, but just know that I had a great time reading this (and was so close to giving it a 4/5, but some moments just felt a tad dragged out). I would definitely recommend. This is the kind of book that I think would be best if you knew as little as possible going in, let the mysteries and spooky whimsiness really surprise you.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Death Becomes Her was a compelling paranormal mystery, with an intriguing magic system and a romance sub-plot, which was the perfect amount for a book like this in my opinion.

Rose Walker is a social outcast, who moves from her small town in Colorado to Banecroft University in England. Rose has a life-long gift (or curse, depending on how you see it!) of being able to see the dead, and when just her roommate Eleanor dies, Rose finds her new beginning start to collapse before it’s truly even started.

At times I felt like the dialogue was a little drawn out and I wasn’t particularly engaged with the characters, although I really loved the dynamic between Rose, Val and Dawn as they worked together to unravel the mystery of what happened to Eleanor.

This book is the first instalment in the Death’s Legacy series, and whilst Death Becomes Her didn’t fully captivate my soul, it was a solid read and I look forward to finding out what comes next at Banecroft.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harrington Publishing for a complimentary early release copy of Death Becomes Her by Ina Harrington.

I didn’t really know what to expect going into Death Becomes Her, the premise sounded interesting but what mainly drew me in is the absolutely stunning book cover! I was also intrigued because it’s a mystery & thriller with fantasy elements and I just haven’t read many mystery fantasy novels. Death Becomes Her does not disappoint! I enjoyed all of our characters, I liked Rose and her brother Tyler, they made a good pair as an opposites attract kind of thing. I liked that they had positive relationship, I do however hope that we get more of Tyler in the next books. He seems like an interesting character, I liked how he stood up for Rose and was protective of her but I felt that we could have gotten just a bit more background with him. (I would love a perspective from Tyler!).

Val and Rose are a good pairing, I was a bit iffy about Val when things were first introduced but as the story goes on he really did grow on me! The broody mysterious personality of Val and the anxious & clueless personality of Rose worked well together. Both of them have some funny and cute scenes that made me smile, I definitely ship them together! The romance between them is teased a bit in this book but this series is definitely going to be a slow, slow kind of burn. The teasing tension between them is there though so it’s definitely worth it! I did find it just a bit repetitive that Val was so dodgy about things but I’m eager to learn more about him in future books.

The dynamic between Rose, Val, and Dawn is nice! I liked their whole group dynamic but I really hope Dawn is more included in the story in the next book. I loved her character but I would have loved to see her be a bit more involved with things.

The plot was intriguing, I found the mystery and fantasy elements to be interesting. I really liked Rose’s abilities and found them unique. This book was a page turner and it goes by rather quickly, there are so many things I found enjoyable about thing book. The characters, romance, friendships, abilities, and much more. While I did enjoy the story overall I think some of the fantasy elements with the mage seekers, veil, and the ending went a bit over my head. I still have some questions and stuff I feel a bit clueless about but I still had a pleasant reading experience with Death Becomes her. I would definitely be interested to see what the next installments would include, I need more of Val and Rose immediately! As a side note, The authors note and you matter message are so sweet. I really recommend reading them! This book touches on topics of bullying, grief, mental health, and self harm. Please read with caution if you are sensitive to those topics!

This book this book was bluntly refreshing I have so many emojis in my head for this lol it was juicy I live every single page