⭐⭐⭐⭐
👻🪦👩🏿‍🎨📝🏳️‍🌈

First of all, if you're into queer nuns who exorcise ghosts for a living, with a side of Nancy Drew (think CW) shenanigans then this book is for you. Secondly, if you're into falling in love with a dead (but is she really?) butch lesbian poet who was killed, and you've come up with a deal to help solve her murder, then again, this book is for you!

This book was great. I loved the characters, the storyline and the thoughts of our artist nun Meave. I love how we got to be inside her head as she started to feel feelings for Imogen. I loved the detective work done between the two main characters to find out what really happened to Imogen. I loved the found family, the support and the paranormal going on.

I wish Shivani could have told Maeve sooner what was going on with her. The whole fighting vibe between two best friends is so heartbreaking and could have been avoided :(

Grayson did a wonderful job with her queer characters, and I loved them all. (expect you know.)

Thanks, Netgalley for the ebook. I leave this review voluntarily.

I'm going to round up to 2/5 but I'd probably just be sitting under 2 if I could do 1/2 or 3/4 stars.

I was interested in the plot and the description, there was something about it, the writing and the characters that fell flat for me. I was hoping for a gothic, spooky, murder mystery and what I got was some minor murder mystery that ended up resolving in a weird, kind of confusing confrontation and a romance that didn't totally make sense to me.

I'll break down some issues, just based on the blurb to avoid too many spoilers.
"On the island city of Lenorum, Maeve serves the Sisterhood of Good Death, a convent whose purpose is to shepherd lost souls from one world to the next."
-I would have liked a lot more on this. The souls, hauntings and all that were actually quite minor despite being a big plot point for Maeve even in the blurb.

"But her life of devotion to the unquiet dead is upended by an encounter with the haughty poet Imogen Madrigal, who has mysteriously returned from beyond the veil, not in spirit, but in the flesh–and is determined to obtain justice, whatever the cost."
- It's not exactly fair to say 'Whatever the cost' because regularly Imogen says no to other people getting involved for their safety, doesn't pursue certain leads she is suspicious of and generally, like I said, this isn't really a murder mystery the way this sentence is making it out to be.

"Maeve agrees to help Imogen solve her murder, which propels her headlong into the hedonistic and heretical world of the extravagant and influential Poets’ Court."
- I don't actually have too many issues with that. That is more or less what happens but there isn't as much time in the court as you'd think. And it seemed like a good time.

Onto my own non-blurb opinions!
Weirdly I think this book could have been helped by a multi POV, like Maeve and Imogen, possibly even Orion. It also would have allowed for more on the murder mystery and maybe connected the weird confrontation scene where things kick off towards the end.

I want to be clear, this isn't a terrible book but it is a little bit of a push that I wasn't expecting. So many other reviews loved it. But there are some issues IMO.

I was confused by some of the interactions, events, pacing, character interactions, even era. The portable telegraph, which after a Google did determine was a real thing, sounded like a phone text message screen. Very much not a portable telegraph in actual, factual history. So that had me raising an eyebrow, especially when electricity was somehow a novelty for the rich.

The murder is really minor in terms of dramatic confrontations you'd expect from a book about a murder. But I've harped on that already. However! Because it's a bit minor compared to the budding romance, which also felt weirdly thrown in there, the big confrontation is confusing. How did a couple of the characters end up there? There's literally a whole island. How could they know, especially during a big party and apparently court confrontation with some of the sisters, exactly where to go? Again, here is where POV could have helped.

Maeve's faith vs romance felt like a hiccup that was quickly resolved rather than a real character struggle. The same goes for whatever the disconnect between Maeve and Shivani. Like 'We'll ignore this now and be friends again!' The whole Orion/Imogen thing was like 'Here's some life changing news, we cool?' And somehow the answer was yes...? It partly felt like dropping any character depth and also just rushing to wrap things up.

Despite all this, I'd again say it's not a terrible book but it also doesn't feel completely cleaned up and finished.

A wonderfully quirky, Gothic paranormal story set in an alternate New England. Spirit bothering poets and the ghost busting nuns (Sisters of Good Death) who try to sort out the poets' messes (amongst other things). Then there are the scientists who have their own unethical agenda.... A clever and very original story, with a sweet romance and fantastic characters.

I don't think this book was for me. I found it very dry and it was hard to get into. It also may have been a combination of failed execution, not connecting to the characters and the overall tone. This might just be for a very particular reader. It didn't have enough emotion in my opinion.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. It should have had all the elements, but failed in execution with a complete lack of emotion or connection. Let alone motivations for each character, then ultimately did not reveal much of anything - so it was a complete time-waste; in my opinion.

"The Untimely Undeath of Imogen Madrigal" by Grayson Daly is a captivating and immersive metaphysical mystery. Daly's writing is richly imaginative and beautifully crafted, creating a darkly fantastic and atmospheric setting that comes alive on the pages. The world-building adds depth and intrigue to the narrative, captivating readers from start to finish. The characters, particularly Maeve and Imogen, are complex and well-developed. Maeve's journey from a life of devotion to questioning her own path and understanding the true meaning of living a good life is beautifully explored. Imogen's mysterious return and her determination to seek justice lend an air of suspense and urgency to the plot. Daly skillfully balances the unfolding mystery with thought-provoking reflections, providing readers with a compelling and intellectually satisfying reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nosetouch Press, and BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I am really sorry but I gave up at 39% I skimmed from about 30%. It seemed to me like I was reading a lot but nothing was happening. Despite the blurb sounding interesting I just didn't find that I wanted to continue to read. I didn't think the characters were very interesting, even Imogen, despite being dead. I will probably give it another go in the future but for now I'm going to stop.

The Untimely Undeath of Imogen Madrigal was absolutely phenomenal! Daly creates a thrilling murder mystery, paranormal with a unique magic system. Maeve is a Sister of Good Death and her life turns upside down as she meets Imogen Madrigal, the not yet dead, but not alive, poet. The two team up to uncover the truth of Imogen’s murder, their relationship was absolutely gripping and had me rooting for them the entire time.

The characters are interesting, charming, and very well-written. The development of their relationship was paced well, I was hooked the whole time, and did not feel forced at all — I love a slow burn, especially if it is queer.

The plot and storyline was very unique, one of the many reasons that kept me hooked to the book — I could not put it down! The world building and magic system was also interesting and creative, unlike any I have read before.

Thank you for the opportunity to leave an honest review!

*I received an Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review

Grayson Daly's writing can be surprisingly immersive, and her characters are charming, if a little underdeveloped. Untimely is definitely worth reading, and this is an author whose books I will read in the future.

I'm struggling with how to rate this book. The themes never quite come together, there are massive plot issues, and the book never quite figures out what it's trying to accomplish. A book with such a long list of issues should earn three stars at best, but I *liked it* too much to only give it three stars. This is an actually GOOD book. But it's got some problems, most of which boil down to the author's indecision about what kind of book she was writing.

The sex scenes are largely glossed over, which is good, given that one of the people in the sex scenes has been dead for a year, is leaking ectoplasm from the gaping wound that flexes open when she isn't careful about how she moves her shoulders, and she was in a crypt for a year without any way to bathe- and Imogen only bathes once in the book. Add to this the repeated descriptions of Imogen as cold, descriptions that make it sound like she's rotting, developing liver mortis, etc., and it was hard to find the kissy bits charming. Imogen's bodily state is an ongoing continuity problem that clashes hard with the romantic subplot.

There's also the issue of Imogen's voice. The muscles that control the tongue form the front portion of the throat wall, so a cut deep enough to sever vocal cords would also sever the muscles controlling the tongue. Imogen would not have been able to articulate, kiss with tongue- which was definitely implied, if not explicitly stated- or make a number of faces that she produced during the story.

At times I found myself half cringing and half laughing at scenes that were supposed to be romantic, but...ick. The author (and the editor- this is trad pubbed!) needed to have made a clear choice about Imogen's body and how that was going to be handled. This seemed like the effect of multiple rewrites that were not quite thorough enough, and a bad case of hit-or-miss copy editing.

The book is billed as adult fiction, but the simplicity of the characters and the cutesy bits read more like YA takes on romance that the typical adult fiction exploration and growth through changing emotional arc, changing thought processes, and interpersonal tensions. In a sense, this is nice, as the normal plot issues of romance are avoided. But this introduces another aspect of Untimely's identity crisis.

The mystery aspect of this book doesn't pull its weight. This should have been the driving force throughout the book, especially as the practical aspects of the romance didn't pan out. But the investigations are minimal, just one trip to the library, and a visit to Imogen's ex. Far more time is spent on costumes and make up, trying different kinds of tea, and angsting over an inexplicably angry nun.

Then there's a weird bit where an injured person who is not in their right mind goes running off, and the person who supposedly loves them decides to sit down and have a big emotional conversation with the person who did the injuring, and then went someplace other than where the injured person was heading. Why? To borrow a ball gown. Then, once kitted out, they go in search of the injured party. This entire sequence was tough to slog through.

<spoiler> The antagonists are obvious from the beginning, and the "mystery" is solved when they confess, in the course of trying to kill Imogen again. They actually discuss that they have no further use of Imogen, but then it turns out that she has to die because it will cause them problems if she learns who she "really" is. But if the antagonists had just left her alone, she never would have learned this, and never would have found out who had killed her. Further, they knew that she didn't know what had happened to her. This non-mystery was both over the top and underwhelming.

The theory behind the fractured spirits also doesn't make sense. If Imogen's pain was causing the holes in the spectral veil, there should have been correspondences in time and location between Imogen's pain and the hauntings. And the fracturing thing was never addressed in any way.

Unfortunately, the denouement was the result of the nun performing a large magical working- something that had never been discussed as part of her repertoire before this- to save the day. This came out of left field. </spoiler>

I read the first two hundred pages in one sitting, and then had to force myself to slog through the next 100 over the course of several days before the pace finally picked up for the last few scenes.

And yet, at the end, I still really liked it. Four stars. Read it, let me know what you thought.

An original take on hauntings with charming characters, pacing issues, and some massive plot holes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sister of Good Death Maeve's life upends itself upon meeting not quite dead, not quite alive poet Imogen Madrigal. With the sisterhood struggling, Maeve will do whatever it takes to get them back on their feet. With Imogen's life (or, perhaps, un-life) hanging in the balance, she will use any means necessary to discover the truth of her murder. When the two girls' paths cross, they form a mutually beneficial bond to solve both of their problems.

This book was phenomenal-- as a queer reader, I've dedicated 2023 to finding the perfect sapphic novel, and I might have just found it. The characters are well-constructed, charming, smart, and so genuine. I found their development very well paced and loved that the romance had the perfect amount of slow burn. There was enough time for their relationship to develop without feeling forced, but it didn't feel dragged out either.

Though the novel deals with a lot of rather dark themes, I never found it overly heavy. There was a beautiful balance between dark and light, and I think that came from both the witty dialogue and from the author's natural voice. I will absolutely seek out more books by Daly in the future because of this.

The plot and overall genre of The Untimely Undeath of Imogen Madrigal is fascinating-- I've never read a book quite like this. It was a unique mix of fantasy, science fiction, with some paranormal aspects as well. Despite the mish-mash, it didn't feel overwhelming in the slightest. All of the pieces seemed to fit together really well and I think we can attest that to Daly's talent as an author.

I was scrolling through the list of books on NetGalley when the cover caught my attention.

Murder mystery, paranormal, and scitech? All were perfectly blended.

The Untimely Undeath of Imogen Madrigal tells the story of Maeve of the Sisterhood of Good Death as she helps Imogen solve the mystery of her death while discovering the true meaning of living.

Ack!!! Where do I even start? This is such a fun read that made me laugh, cry and anxious from the beginning until the end. Maeve is the perfect example of a character who has her flaws but still likeable. Who wouldn't love her for the first time as she carefully—and thoughtfully—picked flowers for the dead?

--She selected a white lily, and headed back over, her boots crunching on the gravel path. There—she placed the lily down carefully, said a quick prayer, and then took her broom back up and headed onto the next. This headstone was much smaller, with curly carvings, and a glance at the name and dates revealed it to be the resting place of a twelve-year-old girl. A daisy, maybe? Maeve swept off the stone, considering, and then made her way back over to the bucket. Perfect. A pretty yellow daisy, sitting right on top.--

Even to the extent of doing the exact opposite of what she'd grown to believe in, Maeve proved to be selfless—a quality which was both good and bad. Nevertheless, change is the only constant thing in the world. For once, she did the most selfish thing she'd ever done her life and it might be the one of the many paths that would lead to a meaningful and happy life.

--Mother Superior patted her back and leaned back out to face her. "I'm torn, dearest. As your abbess and as your guardian—I want you here. I want to keep you close and try to repair this. But it sounds like you've found something out there. As much as I want to hold you, I'd only be holding you back from it."--

Really, it's a tough choice to make, to choose something and to let go of the other. At some point in our lives, we've been in that situation. And I can relate with Maeve's struggle and somewhere deep in my heart was touched. This was the most emotional part of the story as this was the turning point in her life. I love how Bethel was more of a parent/guardian here than a Mother Superior. Instead of preaching about the Sisterhood's vows, she supported Maeve in this decision and that counted as something.

Imogen, on the other hand, was that one tough cookie but a soft dough on the inside. Her strength and resilience brought an impact to this book. I loved the chemistry they made together even before the romance started. I honestly didn't want them to be lovers. I wanted them more as a formidable duo or the bestest friends because I could not quite wrap my head around the romance idea. Thought it would be instant love because that would be the worst decision ever made by the author. But Maeve and Imogen treaded that water in a smooth pace. Maeve was given time to sort out the feelings she constantly denied, especially for someone who never experienced such romance before.

And Orion? Haha, I thought I would hate you forever! You're arrogant to no end and so full of yourself, but not once did you ever fail to make me laugh in each and every appearance you made in the book. Orion was another imperfect character (despite his claims of being a perfect and talented man), but managed to redeem himself in the latter part of the book.

Meanwhile, I saw myself more in Frances, mainly because of her being a worrywart and attentive to her friends' needs.

This is such a fun read and I plan to reread this book SOON! My guess on the murderer's identity throughout the book was either Camille or Marlene, so it didn't come out as a shock but the complicated story behind that murder was something I never thought of.

--"I think maybe sometimes we're quick to judge others who do things differently from us. But I imagine we could help each other."--

And to get rid of the villains, they all must set aside their differences just like how Maeve sought the help of a poet and the Academy.

Unique premise. Well-written characters. Exquisite worldbuilding. Heart-gripping plot.

Solid 5 ⭐ and a bonus HEART 💖!!!

Thanks to the author and netgallery for providing an arc.

Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me. I doubt I would have finished the book if it wasn't an arc and I wasn't stuck in a intercontinental flight without much to do(it is much more long winded than it needed to be, though if you needed to kill 7-9 hours, it might do the trick). It had a really interesting premise and has very interesting ghost-focused world building. However, I didn't expect this to be primarily a romance. That isn't an issue in itself, but I didn't really feel much chemistry between people Imogen and Maeve, so it resulted in the most important aspect of the book to fall flat for me. Aside from that, the mystery plot starts off strong, but really stagnates in the middle and ends up more like a scooby doo episode by the end.

I don't want to nitpick, but the overabundance of em dashes in the prose was very distracting as well. This book seemed interesting, but I don't really have many good things to say about this book outside of the world building.

*Received as a free ARC*
I wasn't totally sure what to expect from this book, but I was ultimately delighted by it! There was a healthy balance of spooky supernatural mystery and sweet romance. Maeve and Imogen's dynamic was fabulous. The magic/paranormal system was innovative. It felt like a stand alone, but I'd love to read more in this world, even if it wasn't about the same pairing. I'd absolutely recommend this for fantasy and sapphic romance lovers.

3.5 stars, but as I can’t give half stars, this is sadly going to be a 3.
And I say sadly because I actually did like the book. Maeve, a nun of the Sisterhood of the Good Death, agrees to help in the investigation of Imogen Madrigal’s death (or rather undeath). It explored not only the relationships between characters and their conflicts, but inner conflict as well – Maeve for example carries a lot of guilt throughout, balancing her religious devotion and the new side of life bought about through Imogen. The plot itself was (fairly) straightforward, but well-paced.
But for me, there was something that just made reading it a slog. I wanted to fully submerse myself into this world, and the mystery surrounding Imogen and her (un)death, but something about the writing style just didn’t sit with me and I had to keep on coming back to finish it. Maybe it’s a bit too YA for my normal fully submersed read (the book is tagged as Adult, but other than death, mention of adult relations and some reference of drugs, I wouldn’t really categorise it as Adult)

The atmosphere of this book is truly brilliant. It reminds me of gothic Classics of the 1800's while mixing in modern tropes, language use, and pace of current spooky reads. This reminded me instantly of The London Seance Society which was a 5 star read for me. This novel is 5 stars for me as well, and I knew I would love it from the first paragraph. The descriptive language immediately immersed me within the story.

I will be ordering a physical copy for myself on release day so I can further promote on my Tik Tok and Instagram.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy! Daly manages to perfectly combine sci-fi, thriller, religion, and romance, with arts and the occult to tell the story of sister Maeve and poet Imogen Madrigal. The writing style is elegant, with descriptive imagery that easily creates a world the reader can get lost in. With fully formed characters, an interesting blend of themes, and a heartwarming queer romance, The Untimely Death of Imogen Madrigal is a uniquely compelling story that will appeal to readers of any genre.

This book was captivating ! I really liked it ! All the themes present here were mixed perfectly for me.
I had so many questions during my raeding and I cannot put it down in hours !

Unfortunately I DNFed this one halfway through. I wanted to love it, and started off really enjoying it, the further I went through the more bored I got, and ended up having to force myself through to 50%. I will say the writing style was absolutely beautiful and the premise was interesting, it just wasn't for me

I could not make heads or tails of this book. A chapter in, I have no idea what is going on. It needed a lot more explanation and exposition at the beginning for the reader to find their feet. Please discard the rating due to my DNF in the first chapter.

I absolutely ADORE the premise behind this book.

The worldbuilding was top notch, and I felt that it was given to us without beating us over the head with big worldbuilding dumps.

I had to give this book a couple tries before I was able to finish it, but that’s no fault of the book’s.