Series Review: The Beginner's Life To Necromancy by Hailey Edwards

OMG, It was love at the first chapter for me and this series! 

I'd been in a reading funk so wasn't expecting to get caught and dragged straight into a whole new world, that I couldn't put down and never wanted to leave, but that's exactly what happened!

As soon as I started reading I had one of those "click" moments when you just know you're going to love what's on offer and love it I did!
It gripped me from the very first book and each in the series just got better and better. All six books devoured between Monday and Saturday... Yep, less than a week and once I'd finished, I still couldn't let it go so spent the following week re-reading favourite parts and devouring the two epilogue short-novels. 

What can I say? It just ticked my boxes. 

The world created by Edwards felt fresh and different when compared to so many other Urban Fantasy settings. It's a world that contains a whole manner of different paranormal beasties but the focus of this series is on the necromancers.
It's not often I've read a series featuring necromancers but Edward's take on them, and the origins of vampires, felt fresh and original.

The series focuses on Grier, a young woman in her early twenties who starts off so vulnerable and broken but as the story progresses she heals, finds answers, grows strong and becomes utterly badass while falling in love with quite possibly the best book boyfriend I've ever encountered!
(Oh yes, I went there!)
Linus is a beautiful person who just respects Grier. He doesn't try to own her, he doesn't try to control her. He supports her completely and works with her to ensure she's safe and will survive whatever the hell she's up to and Grier does exactly the same for him!
They are partners. True partners. There's no fuckery or manipulation. Just love and caring... A truly healthy relationship!
And what's even better is Linus has no clue how awesome he is! The guy is good-looking, super smart, utterly lethal, rich, well-bred and he has no clue how anyone could want him for him and not for his status and wealth.
I loved him. I loved him on his own and I loved him for Grier... He was every bit as broken and damaged by what happened to Grier in the past as she was but just in a different way.
Their slow-burning romance was addictive and lovely and I treasured it.
It took Grier a long time to realise what she had right in front of her - her preoccupation with another guy who I loathed, btw - blinded her but the pay off was totally worth it.
These two characters will hold a special place in my heart for a very long time.

In fact, the entire series is full of characters who are memorable and full of quirks.
Some are infinitely likeable and some are most definitely not but all are wonderfully written and distinctive.

The books are atmospheric and masterfully crafted to deliver the perfect balance between action and the slower moments which a lot of UF books lack.
Each book adds layers to the world - avoiding messy info dumps - and each builds upon the mystery of the last leading to an epic conclusion.
There are no cliffhangers and each ending delivers something a little bit different.

I couldn't have asked for anything more than I got with this series for there was little I didn't like about it. If you're an urban fantasy fan who loves a good romance then this is definitely worth checking out!
(Trust me, you want to meet Linus!)

Book One - How To Save An Undead Life

Grier Woolworth spends her nights weaving spooky tales of lost souls and tragedies for tourists on the streets of downtown Savannah. Hoop skirt and parasol aside, it's not a bad gig. The pay is crap, but the tips keep the lights on in her personal haunted mansion and her pantry stocked with ramen.

Life is about as normal as it gets for an ex-necromancer hiding among humans. Until the society that excommunicated Grier offers her a second chance at being more than ordinary. Too bad no one warned her the trouble with being extraordinary is it can get you killed.

💬 “Make no apologies for surviving.” 💬

💬 “We all kept secrets. Some out of kindness, some in anger, and others to protect ourselves.” 💬

Book Two - How To Claim An Undead Soul

Life was simpler for Grier when she was flat broke and a social pariah. Now she's carrying the baggage that goes along with the title of Dame Woolworth, and shouldering that weight is giving her a serious crick in the neck. Her work as a Haint is the one thing that makes her feel normal, but even that's more paranormal than usual.

Spirits are vanishing from well-known hot spots on the ghost tour circuit, and vampires are turning up as shriveled husks. When Grier stumbles across the menace preying on Savannah's supernatural community, what she uncovers is bigger than a few flickering lampposts gone dark. It's a deadly threat unleashed by one of their own, and the cost of saving her city might be her life.

💬 On my way through the living room, I stopped to check on Keet, who hung upside down from his swing like a bat from a cave ceiling. I reached through the bars and scratched his cheek. "Stay weird, my friend.” 💬

Book Three - How To Break An Undead Heart

Grier finally has the one thing she’s always wanted: Boaz Pritchard. Too bad her dream boyfriend is keeping her up nights, just not in a sweaty or fun way. Boaz has dialed down the Southern charm and stopped returning her calls. His job forces him to keep secrets, but his radio silence is cranking up her suspicions. He’s a shameless flirt, but he’s her shameless flirt… right?

Soon an attack on Woolworth House leaves her with bigger problems than he loves me, he loves me not. Vampires are on the prowl, and they aren’t the only predators circling. A new threat has emerged, one with blood rights to Grier. With enemies closing in on all sides, she must choose her allies, and the decision could make or break her… and her heart.

💬 “All good partnerships ought to require both people to take turns being the damsel, like a team-building exercise.” 💬

Book Four - How To Dance An Undead Waltz 

Grier is nursing a broken heart after Boaz announced his engagement to another woman, but life goes on. Or it would if vampire assassins would stop taking pot shots at her every time she leaves Woolworth House. Seriously, who sends archers to deliver murdergrams these days?


To protect herself, Grier must pull out all the stops, even if it means revealing her darkest secret. All eyes are on her, and — for the first time — she begins to understand why Linus wears so many masks. But the target isn’t Grier, and when the archers single him out, it feels like one of their arrows might have struck what remains of her heart.

💬 “We all deserve someone who takes care of us, even when we don’t need it.” 💬

Book Five - How To Live An Undead Lie

When a fledgling vampire arrives at Woolworth House searching for his maker, Grier is forced to relive her time in Atramentous. Most of those years are as dark and empty in her memory as she was in her cell. She can't remember her progeny, or the night she resuscitated him, but she can protect him from the Society. As long as she's willing to barter with her grandfather to do it.

But Lacroix has plans of his own. He envisions the city--her city--under his rule, and Grier under his thumb. Now all he needs is the right leverage to force her cooperation, and he has just the person in mind. Grier is ready to trade her freedom until a grim truth is revealed that splits her heart in two. Yet another person she loves has betrayed her, and Grier is left agonizing over how much of their relationship is real and how much was a lie.

💬 “I will never cage you.” He took my hand and kissed my fingertips. “Not with love or otherwise.” 💬

💬 “I don’t need to prove you’re mine.” Linus skated chill fingers along my jaw, and prickling flesh rose in response. “You’re not a thing I possess. I hold no ownership over you.” 💬

Book Six - How To Wake An Undead City

Savannah has fallen to the vampires, and it’s up to Grier to take out their leader, Gaspard Lacroix, and restore peace. Lacroix might be more powerful and immune to her magic, but she’s got a plan. Too bad it’s got holes big enough for a new threat to waltz through while the city is on her knees.

Now Grier must risk her very soul if she hopes to slay her enemies and prevent her world from going up in flames. But salvation comes at a steep price, and she’s not the only one who will pay. The cost just might break her, and the man who owns her heart

💬 He was a remarkable man because of his heart, his mind, and the simple kindness and thoughtfulness that came so easily to him. 💬