What do you think?
Rate this book
Lilies on Her Grave
Lilly Barnes was just nineteen when she was murdered, and buried deep in the woods, where no one would ever find her, and it was at that very moment when her life truly began.
Lilly finds herself trapped in Purgatory. A place between worlds. A place where spirits find themselves tasked with one final test, in order to prove their worth, and free themselves from the shackles keeping their souls tethered to their previous lives.
The young girl learns that she must complete the impossible. She has bring her killer to justice. To make him accountable for what he did to her. A bright golden ray of light beams down from the heavens above, guiding her to her unfinished business. Leading her to the front door of the very man responsible for ending her life, where she discovers something truly horrific.
She is not the only one.
Four other girls, just like her, are lost in Purgatory. They all share the same unfinished business, and to make matters more complicated, they all must be present when their killer faces justice. For the ones who are absent, will have no choice but to walk the world of Purgatory until the End of Days. And when Lilly thinks things couldn’t get any worse, she discovers that her killer has a new toy locked away in his basement.
Lilly sets out on a path toward her happily ever after life. A path, which will require her to find the lost spirits of the other girls, and return them to the place of their deaths, to not only save the life of their killer’s newest victim, but to save their own souls from an eternity of imprisonment within the Realm of the Dead.
Lilly finds herself trapped in Purgatory. A place between worlds. A place where spirits find themselves tasked with one final test, in order to prove their worth, and free themselves from the shackles keeping their souls tethered to their previous lives.
The young girl learns that she must complete the impossible. She has bring her killer to justice. To make him accountable for what he did to her. A bright golden ray of light beams down from the heavens above, guiding her to her unfinished business. Leading her to the front door of the very man responsible for ending her life, where she discovers something truly horrific.
She is not the only one.
Four other girls, just like her, are lost in Purgatory. They all share the same unfinished business, and to make matters more complicated, they all must be present when their killer faces justice. For the ones who are absent, will have no choice but to walk the world of Purgatory until the End of Days. And when Lilly thinks things couldn’t get any worse, she discovers that her killer has a new toy locked away in his basement.
Lilly sets out on a path toward her happily ever after life. A path, which will require her to find the lost spirits of the other girls, and return them to the place of their deaths, to not only save the life of their killer’s newest victim, but to save their own souls from an eternity of imprisonment within the Realm of the Dead.
- GenresThriller
307 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2023
17 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 12, 2023
I’ve included a few Trigger Warnings at the end of this review to keep in mind before picking this book up.
This book was truly an emotional rollercoaster, a superb blend of disgusting insight into the mind of a killer, and the more adventurous and humorous travel towards justice with Lily. At no point during this story could I predict what was going to happen next, and I felt pretty much every emotion possible while reading. I laughed, I was angry, appalled and utterly shocked. I can without a doubt say this book did not disappoint!
If you like crime stories with a quest for vengeance/justice you should consider picking this up, as it was a quick and entertaining read.
TW: Sexual assault, Rape, Violence towards Women, Suicide, Murder
Big thanks to NetGalley, and the author, L. N. Costley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was truly an emotional rollercoaster, a superb blend of disgusting insight into the mind of a killer, and the more adventurous and humorous travel towards justice with Lily. At no point during this story could I predict what was going to happen next, and I felt pretty much every emotion possible while reading. I laughed, I was angry, appalled and utterly shocked. I can without a doubt say this book did not disappoint!
If you like crime stories with a quest for vengeance/justice you should consider picking this up, as it was a quick and entertaining read.
TW: Sexual assault, Rape, Violence towards Women, Suicide, Murder
Big thanks to NetGalley, and the author, L. N. Costley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 3, 2023
This book was crazy...it wasn't what I was expecting to read, but it kept me entertained, and I needed to know what happened to Lilly!!!
There's no time wasted with the beginning of this story... I was immediately pulled in and felt connected with Lilly right away!! She was a girl who went out for a run and never got to go home!!
When reading books dealing with the afterlife, you never know how people will incorporate different aspects of death, and I found Fred and the reapers so funny for some reason! They were a little comedic relief in all of the dark, heaviness of the book.
There were parts especially in the mind (pov) of the killer where I wanted to skim or page flip bc of the content, but I was prewarned it'd be there, so it was okay.
This story was very easy to read and follow even with multiple povs.
I sometimes felt like there were maybe too many characters and side plots going on, but it made for a wild ride for Lilly to get where she was going.
Also the kind of plot twist at the end 😳 Whattttt????
I also wished for more closure at the end. What happened to Jackson? What happened to Norma Jean?
I definitely recommend this to those who are fans of Supernatural and enjoy true crime types of stories.
Thank you to Netgalley and the respective publisher for granting me early access to this read!! Will look out for more books from this author in the future!!!
There's no time wasted with the beginning of this story... I was immediately pulled in and felt connected with Lilly right away!! She was a girl who went out for a run and never got to go home!!
When reading books dealing with the afterlife, you never know how people will incorporate different aspects of death, and I found Fred and the reapers so funny for some reason! They were a little comedic relief in all of the dark, heaviness of the book.
There were parts especially in the mind (pov) of the killer where I wanted to skim or page flip bc of the content, but I was prewarned it'd be there, so it was okay.
This story was very easy to read and follow even with multiple povs.
I sometimes felt like there were maybe too many characters and side plots going on, but it made for a wild ride for Lilly to get where she was going.
Also the kind of plot twist at the end 😳 Whattttt????
I also wished for more closure at the end. What happened to Jackson? What happened to Norma Jean?
I definitely recommend this to those who are fans of Supernatural and enjoy true crime types of stories.
Thank you to Netgalley and the respective publisher for granting me early access to this read!! Will look out for more books from this author in the future!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2023
Because Goodreads doesn’t offer incremental stars, rounded up my 3.75 to 4.
CW: sexual assault, assault, death, suicide, murder, bodily fluids, disable parental care
I will start off by saying the synopsis really caught my eye - girls stuck in purgatory because they were murdered & need to work together to do their “last task.”
The journey takes the main character, Lilly, on an adventure where she learns she is dead, what purgatory is, meets her Reaper, and discovers there’s a man, a Seer, who is helping “Purgs” complete their last tasks. Lilly & Jackson become bffs & trek across Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana searching for the other Purgs to complete their final task - bring the killer to justice.
The story is filled with fun adventures in the afterlife, scenes where they meet some unfavorable ghosts & demons while uncovering what it’s really like to be dead.
L.N. Costley plotted out an easy to follow story with a range of characters and it was overall a fun read. There were a few times where the writing was a bit simple to me, but overall for a first time author, he wrote an original story that flowed well & I always enjoy stories of ghosts in their afterlife.
Thank you to L.N. Costley, NetGalley, and Quill and Ink Publishing for the ARC! Publish date is June 18, 2023.
CW: sexual assault, assault, death, suicide, murder, bodily fluids, disable parental care
I will start off by saying the synopsis really caught my eye - girls stuck in purgatory because they were murdered & need to work together to do their “last task.”
The journey takes the main character, Lilly, on an adventure where she learns she is dead, what purgatory is, meets her Reaper, and discovers there’s a man, a Seer, who is helping “Purgs” complete their last tasks. Lilly & Jackson become bffs & trek across Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana searching for the other Purgs to complete their final task - bring the killer to justice.
The story is filled with fun adventures in the afterlife, scenes where they meet some unfavorable ghosts & demons while uncovering what it’s really like to be dead.
L.N. Costley plotted out an easy to follow story with a range of characters and it was overall a fun read. There were a few times where the writing was a bit simple to me, but overall for a first time author, he wrote an original story that flowed well & I always enjoy stories of ghosts in their afterlife.
Thank you to L.N. Costley, NetGalley, and Quill and Ink Publishing for the ARC! Publish date is June 18, 2023.
June 1, 2023
I received this arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
TW: Death, sexual violence, rape, abuse, suicide, mental health
I absolutely loved this book. It reminded me of the Lovely Bones in a lot of ways but also was unlike anything I've read before.
The story follows Lilly who, after being murdered, goes on a hunt to bring her killer to justice, along with his previous victims. They're known as purgs, ghosts who are trapped in purgatory because of unfinished business they may have.
With the help of Jackson, a man who can see ghosts, the two race against time to bring her killer to justice, find his victims and save the latest girl he's kidnapped.
The book was harrowing to read at parts, due to being privy to the killers chapters and the latest victim and also reading how each girl was kidnapped. Fans of ghost stories and crime will definitely enjoy this.
TW: Death, sexual violence, rape, abuse, suicide, mental health
I absolutely loved this book. It reminded me of the Lovely Bones in a lot of ways but also was unlike anything I've read before.
The story follows Lilly who, after being murdered, goes on a hunt to bring her killer to justice, along with his previous victims. They're known as purgs, ghosts who are trapped in purgatory because of unfinished business they may have.
With the help of Jackson, a man who can see ghosts, the two race against time to bring her killer to justice, find his victims and save the latest girl he's kidnapped.
The book was harrowing to read at parts, due to being privy to the killers chapters and the latest victim and also reading how each girl was kidnapped. Fans of ghost stories and crime will definitely enjoy this.
June 13, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley and Quill and Ink Publishing for the ARC!
MIND YOUR TRIGGERS!!!
Supernatural and crime.
I enjoyed this book, though a bit dark. It does deal with heavy subjects ( MIND YOUR TRIGGERS!) but it also has a bit of comedy (The Reapers)
The story follows a group of ghost women who need to complete a last "task" in order to move on to the afterlife. I liked the way this was presented. Our MFC Lilly was written in way that you can feel her the roller coaster of emotions she experiences.
The unity that these ghosts had to build was done so well too.
I liked not every ghost we met was nice, we were given the opportunity to see what happens when they go "bad" or just give up on trying to move on.
MIND YOUR TRIGGERS!!!
Supernatural and crime.
I enjoyed this book, though a bit dark. It does deal with heavy subjects ( MIND YOUR TRIGGERS!) but it also has a bit of comedy (The Reapers)
The story follows a group of ghost women who need to complete a last "task" in order to move on to the afterlife. I liked the way this was presented. Our MFC Lilly was written in way that you can feel her the roller coaster of emotions she experiences.
The unity that these ghosts had to build was done so well too.
I liked not every ghost we met was nice, we were given the opportunity to see what happens when they go "bad" or just give up on trying to move on.
May 31, 2023
Thank you to #Netgalley , #L.N.Costley and #QuillandInkPublishing for this ARC!
This was a very interesting read that follow Lilly Barnes on her journey to free her soul from purgatory. the book had many spooky moments as well as some funny ones which I liked.
I will definitely look out for more of this Author's future projects , 4 out 5.
This was a very interesting read that follow Lilly Barnes on her journey to free her soul from purgatory. the book had many spooky moments as well as some funny ones which I liked.
I will definitely look out for more of this Author's future projects , 4 out 5.
June 4, 2023
“Lilly Barnes is dead, she just doesn’t know it yet”
We meet Lilly as she stands behind a man digging a shallow grave in the woods to bury her. With the help of Fred, a flustered bureaucrat working for the Reaper team, she understands that she can only cross over and out of purgatory when her unfinished business is finished. She encounters a human seer called Jackson, who eventually agrees to help her bring her killer to justice.
Special mention to Carol, what a legend of a character. Only involved in a few pages but absolutely steals the show!
This is a very dark and harrowing story, with some light humour worked in seamlessly. A really emotive story, certain points brought me to tears. I don’t have anything bad to say, characters were all great and had emotional investment in all of them, the writing was flawless and the story had me gripped from the start. I can highly recommend this book to all fans of dark fiction.
Please check all trigger warnings
We meet Lilly as she stands behind a man digging a shallow grave in the woods to bury her. With the help of Fred, a flustered bureaucrat working for the Reaper team, she understands that she can only cross over and out of purgatory when her unfinished business is finished. She encounters a human seer called Jackson, who eventually agrees to help her bring her killer to justice.
Special mention to Carol, what a legend of a character. Only involved in a few pages but absolutely steals the show!
This is a very dark and harrowing story, with some light humour worked in seamlessly. A really emotive story, certain points brought me to tears. I don’t have anything bad to say, characters were all great and had emotional investment in all of them, the writing was flawless and the story had me gripped from the start. I can highly recommend this book to all fans of dark fiction.
Please check all trigger warnings
June 30, 2023
Wow! That was such a good read. I did not want it to end. The storyline was executed perfectly. It moved along at a good pace with characters you became invested in, plenty of action, and it wrapped up neatly, but still left it open for the story to continue. I do hope there will be more books in the future following Jackson and the reapers.
April 19, 2025
4.25/5 stars! This is one of those stories that sticks with you long after you finish it. This book reminded me of The Lovely Bones and allows the reader to explore both the mind of a killer and the soul of one he killed. Lily was so strong as a character and following her journey in purgatory was haunting and amazing in equal measure.
June 14, 2023
I loved this book. Read in a little over 24 hours.
June 15, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.
This book follows Lilly, a girl who was murdered and is in purgatory. She has to fulfill her unfinished business to escape it.
This book felt like The Lovely Bones meets Supernatural. While it wasn't a bad book, I felt it wasn't well fleshed out. I thought the book would focus more on Lilly having to discover the identity of who murdered her and move on from there, but instead, it gave the answers away almost immediately. I thought the flashbacks were a little superfluous and didn't do a lot to move the book forward. I got what the book wanted to do, but I don't feel as if it fully got there.
This book follows Lilly, a girl who was murdered and is in purgatory. She has to fulfill her unfinished business to escape it.
This book felt like The Lovely Bones meets Supernatural. While it wasn't a bad book, I felt it wasn't well fleshed out. I thought the book would focus more on Lilly having to discover the identity of who murdered her and move on from there, but instead, it gave the answers away almost immediately. I thought the flashbacks were a little superfluous and didn't do a lot to move the book forward. I got what the book wanted to do, but I don't feel as if it fully got there.
June 14, 2023
3.5 stars. The rating is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. Maybe I will come back after some time to change it, maybe not.
Start of the book was great. One of the most interesting ways to start of mystery or a thriller book. After seeing the killer burying your body, where do we go? We find out more about afterlife and what our main character needs to do. In this journey, we will meet with A LOT of interesting characters, all whose stories I would gladly delve into. However, my main issue with this story line was that I didn't feel the stakes. It was fun easy story with some gory ghosts. A really nice book.
But this is not the whole story. We have the POV of the killer also. Which was interesting and also SOOO DISTURBING (please check out the trigger warnings!!!!). My problem was that this story line was much deeper, darker and disturbing (like I mentioned before), even up to a point that I was uncomfortable to read it. And I feel that the stories did not feel one complete whole together.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are, as always, my own.
Start of the book was great. One of the most interesting ways to start of mystery or a thriller book. After seeing the killer burying your body, where do we go? We find out more about afterlife and what our main character needs to do. In this journey, we will meet with A LOT of interesting characters, all whose stories I would gladly delve into. However, my main issue with this story line was that I didn't feel the stakes. It was fun easy story with some gory ghosts. A really nice book.
But this is not the whole story. We have the POV of the killer also. Which was interesting and also SOOO DISTURBING (please check out the trigger warnings!!!!). My problem was that this story line was much deeper, darker and disturbing (like I mentioned before), even up to a point that I was uncomfortable to read it. And I feel that the stories did not feel one complete whole together.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are, as always, my own.
June 19, 2023
This book keeps you on edge in the best way. You will find yourself fascinated with how the mind of a killer works, even while it disgusts you just a little bit. Lily is a character that grabs you for so many reasons but the one that stands out the most is that she is a ghost. You'll find yourself trying to guess what happens next but you will be surprised.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews