I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
How to Claim an Undead Soul
by
Hailey Edwards
It is part of the The Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy #2, series and is a in a Kindle edition on December 15, 2017 and has 286 pages.
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Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include How to Save an Undead Life, "The Redemption of Boaz Pritchard", How to Break an Undead Heart
Second in The Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy urban fantasy series set in an alternate world in Savannah, Georgia, and revolving around a world of snooty magic-users and vampires. The focus is on Grier Woolworth.
My Take
In this world, necromancers and vampires are unknown by the humans, which leads to some interesting encounters with Edwards using first person protagonist point-of-view from Grier’s perspective.
In some ways Linus is the ideal man: he cooks, he cleans, he’s powerful in his magic, oh, and he’s rich. He’s also everything Grier despises about High Society. It seems Linus’ field of study is necromantic evolution, so his agreeing to teach Grier is mostly self-interest. On the other hand, he appears to be open about giving Grier freedom.
Linus confuses me, although it isn’t fair on him. My view of him is colored by Grier’s interpretation, and yet he’s a decent guy interested in what Grier is interested in. Then again . . .
Grier, on the other hand, has been told since childhood that she only has enough power to be an assistant. It’s this lack of knowledge that determines the Grande Dame to insist on Linus educating Grier.
Another distraction is Grier’s growing anger at her beloved Maud, as she learns some unpalatable truths.
That belief is the main character arc for Grier as well as in the series. Poor Grier, she is so insecure AND her lack of background in her true power gives her all sorts of gaps that she fills with her own unique viewpoint. The education her guardian insisted on, her stint in prison and later exoneration into poverty, has given her a wholly different viewpoint on High versus Low Society versus humans. Then the time Grier spends as a poor person forever colors her use of her fortune. Of course, the lack of support from anyone in High Society has added to her contempt.
Hmm, I can think of a number of students who’d love a book that finished their homework, lol.
This world Edwards has created is vicious! The bigotry of the High Society against the Low, the High’s cutthroat approach to life — and each other — makes for a tense life filled with paranoia. Just as hard is Grier’s unrequited love for Boaz, who’s a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. Then again, Grier acts more like Boaz’s annoying little sister, which keeps Grier from being too pitiful.
Edwards gives this world an additional twist by making it matriarchal, which has me confused. If Society families are supposed to be about the women, with the mother being the Matron, why is it that Boaz is the critical part of the Pritchard bloodline? Oh, and this is gruesome — High Society makes a living resuscitating humans as vampires.
Timmy’s story is heartbreaking.
Oh, I love this!
”You learned appreciation when people proved your worth by spending time with you instead of money on you.”
It’s envy and insecurity that runs throughout the story backed up with plenty of action, both physical and mental with a range of characters both expected and not.
”Make no apologies for surviving.”
The Story
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. Grier takes it upon herself to uncover what’s preying on Savannah’s supernatural community, and what she uncovers is bigger than a few flickering lampposts gone dark. It’s a deadly threat unleashed by one of their own, and saving her city just might kill her.
The Characters
The history-loving Grier “Squirt” Woolworth is High Society, recently released from prison who has learned she’s goddess-touched. In How to Save an Undead Life, 1, Grier was reinstated as Dame Woolworth and her fortune restored to her. Eileen is the name Grier gives the many-eyed grimoire Linus gifts her. Keet is Grier’s psychopomp parrot. Jolene is the motorcycle Boaz sold to Grier. Maud Woolworth had been Grier’s guardian. Evangeline “Evie” Marchand had been Grier’s mother who had been disowned from her family. Woolly, a.k.a. Woolworth House, is sentient and communicates in interesting ways. Odette Lecomte is a powerful seer and Maud’s best friend. Gus had been Maud’s driver.
Amelie Madison Pritchard is a neighbor, Grier’s best friend, and Low Society. Boaz Pritchard is Amelie’s older brother and a horndog with whom Grier is in love. Macon is their younger brother. Their parents, Matron Pritchard and her husband, are against their children’s friendship with Grier.
The chilly Linus Andreas Lawson III is an Eidolon, a necromancer bonded to a wraith, as well as the Potentate of Atlanta. He also teaches at Strophalos University in Atlanta where he dabbles in giving tattoos. His mother (and Maud’s younger sister), Clarice Lawson, is the Grande Dame of the Society. Louie is a previous cook who let Linus help. Grier names Linus’ wraith Cletus.
The Society for Post-Life Management is . . .
. . . a group of magic-users split into High and Low Society. Ruled by a Grande Dame. High Society has the necromancers while Low Society have little to no magic and usually take on human jobs. The sentinels are their law enforcement; the Elite are the upper tier. The Undead Coalition is part of the Society, the organization for vampires. Truong is one of the Clan Masters.
Taslina “Taz” is a woman Elite whom Boaz knows, and she has a talent for self-defense. Heinz is a medic with the sentinels. Dame Severine Marchand is Grier’s maternal grandmother.
Cricket Meacham is a human who owns Haint Misbehavin’, a ghost tour company, for which Grier had been a guide. Cricket is looking to establish River Haints. Amelie is also one of the guides. Neeley Torres, a human, is a corporate accountant by day and wields an artistic brush on the guides. He’s also friends with Grier and Amelie. Cruz Torres is his human, lawyer husband who handles the human interests of the Society. Dom does janitorial work for Cricket.
The Cora Ann is one of River Street Steam’s ships that runs dinner cruises and is owned by Sean Voorhees and captained by Dale Murray. Marit Voorhees is Sean’s daughter. “Timmy”, a.k.a. Oscar Horrigan, is the escalating poltergeist.
Detective Caitlin Russo, a friend of Cricket’s, is with the Savannah Police Department and overly curious about Grier. Mallow is one of Grier’s and Amelie’s favorite restaurants? Rachel and the ticked-off Lisa Higgins are waitresses at the Black Hart. Dana Higgins is Lisa’s little sister. Esteban sells incredible churros.
Ambrose Batiste is a dybbuk. Danill Volkhov is a Last Seed vampire who had kidnapped Grier in How to Save an Undead Life.
Disownment means an irrevocable severance of the bloodline. There is no going back. Kevin Rood gave Amelie her first kiss aboard the Peachy Queen. Atramentous is the horrid prison. The Culmination is a sacred ritual used to send a necromancer’s soul on. A shade is the necromantic equivalent of a ghost, but bad. Really, really bad. A dybbuk is the worst of the necromantic shades, a devourer.
The High Society wife of the youngest brother of the Low Society Clan Peterkin took a disastrous step down. Desmond Peterkin is the third victim.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a black sky as part of the background. All the better to highlight the flames surrounding the Woolworth estate as the dark-haired Grier, in a white halter-back tank top and greenish blue jeans, holds a green Eileen in her left hand, her head turned back to look at us, with her right hand up to cast her spell. Grier stands on a misty lawn with pink flowers (or burning embers) flanking the title at the bottom, with the author’s name beneath that; both are in a pale yellow. At the top right is the series info in white.
The title refers to the necromancer who has bound a dybbuk in How to Claim an Undead Soul.
