Grave Intentions

by Isadora Brown, H. C. Cardona

A death mage. A bonebinder. A dorm full of blood.

Ivy Hawthorne didn’t come to Veilkeeper Academy to be a hero. She came to blend in—just a scholarship girl with no flashy powers, a medical background, and one inconvenient, arcane Bonebinding.
Her job?

Keep Lucien Ackerman—the last living necromancer and Veilkeeper’s most volatile professor—from slipping into magical madness.

No big deal.

Except now someone’s breaking through the school’s enchanted wards, cursed artifacts are going missing, and a bleeding Necro-agent just collapsed in Ivy’s dorm.And the worst part?

Lucien’s power is spiraling. His moods are unpredictable. And he’s starting to look at Ivy like she’s more than just his tether to sanity.

In a school full of magical prodigies, cursed relics, and whispered conspiracies, Ivy must untangle a deadly mystery before someone silences her for good.

With snarky best friends, secret pining, and supernatural clues, Ivy’s about to learn that surviving Veilkeeper requires more than spellwork—it demands bone-deep courage.

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2025

About the author

Isadora Brown loves all things dark, dangerous, and deadly. Things that go bump in the night and send shivers down backs are things she adores. She loves (and writes) sexy, forbidden romance, usually with some bite and a hint of magic. She is the author of The Somerset Series, The Dark Paradise Trilogy, The Stranger Trilogy, and The Neverland Trilogy.

Reviews

[Mackenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s nothing exciting about being one of the last users of an arcane gift, at least not as far as Ivy Hawthorne is concerned. After living the majority of her life ignorant of her magic abilities, Ivy is feeling entirely out of her element.

Thrown into a new life as a first year student at Veilkeeper Academy under the contractual condition that she also study under the personal tutelage of Lucien Ackerman, the last of the necromancers, specifically so that she can be trained to “take him out” should he go magically mad, is a lot. Ivy’s tired, and if she were to be totally honest, she’s really not sure it’s worth it at the end of the day.

Ivy’s desperate to know more about herself though, and with no known magical history in her family, Veilkeeper Academy is her only hope for answers. If that means putting up with Lucien’s complete inability to behave professionally, random Necro-agents bleeding all over her dorm room, and the entire student body whispering, not so subtly, behind her back about how she really got the clearance to be a student, well, Ivy’s current plan is to grin and bear it. With her friends Darien and Juniper, it’s a plan that’s going better than Ivy expected, and she’s determined to stick it out.

When Ivy finds her roommate, Rachel, dead in their dorm room however, it’s clear there’s something more sinister than mean girl gossip happening at Veilkeeper Academy. When it’s clear the administration has no intention of looking deeper into what happened, Ivy takes on the investigation herself. Forced to acknowledge that there was a lot about Rachel Ivy didn’t know after an initial investigation, Ivy and her friends have more suspects than expected. Rachel deserves answers though, and with Ivy’s arcane gift she might be the only one who can provide them.

This is billed as a cozy mystery, but this narrative is more focused on showcasing and developing the relationship between Ivy and Lucien, her direct supervising professor. Lucian makes several attempts to alienate Ivy from her peers and friends under the guise of flirting. He repeatedly behaves in direct contrast to Ivy's wishes without consequence, and with the not so subtle implication that Ivy is the unreasonable one. I do believe his continual refusal to respect her boundaries is meant to come across as endearing, but the attempt to spin him as a hero at the conclusion of this narrative didn't sit well with me.

While this is the first book in the Bonebinder Academy Mystery Series, it doesn't read that way. This narrative throws readers straight into the deep end of its world, and makes very few attempts to ensure that they are oriented. There were several narrative inconsistencies, most relating directly to the mystery, and frequent repetitions, particularly when it came to conversation.

The premise presented was interesting, and I do think that this narrative has good bones. Unfortunately, the pacing was bogged down by repetitive and inconsistent scenes that distracted from some of its more promising elements.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m giving this 3.5/5 stars. First half of the book I’m 100 percent here for it. In the second half things get a bit scattered. The timeline jumped and it was difficult to keep up where the clues were coming from, when everything is happening and there were a couple jumps in logic that I found a bit hard to swallow. Maybe this got caught and fixed after the arcs one of which I was privileged to read and review. If not then for book two I think there needs to be a bit more attention to sequence of events and how they flow. I also found it strange that Ivy is so stricken after the death. I just think that the connection they had was superficial at best and while I cannot imagine how finding her would be it still seemed extreme. It seems like they needed something to drive the story but it was a bit forced.
Loved the academy setting and while Ivy is our protagonist and narrator Lucien steals the show imo. Larger than life yet vulnerable behind that Devil May care attitude gotta love the bad boys lol! I like the dynamic between he and Ivy and that is where this book shines no doubt about it. Loved Junie and her sidekick shenanigans. I am begging for a bit more background on the academy, the students and the world in general I hope that there’s more world building in future stories.
TLDR? Good beginning, some rough spots but compelling enough to want more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Laure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivy Hawthorne is a scholarship student at Veilkeeper Academy, a place she never wanted to be, but her rare arcane gift of Bonebinding is the reason she was accepted to the academy. Lucien Ackerman the last necromancer and a professor at the academy and is the reason Ivy is there because it is her rare gift that can save him from becoming mad.
Wow, a complex and fascinating new world with dangerous magics. In this book, a brutal murder will draw the FMC into an investigation of a fellow student. There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot that kept me guessing until the end. Wonderful characters that had me engrossed from the first page to the last. Fantastic book, I am already looking forward to the next book in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy provided by Book Sprout.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grave Intentions tells how
Mundane-raised witch Ivy Hawthorne has to take a dangerous path to evade human and supernatural dangers within the Bookbinder Academy.
She's watched over by her tutor, Necromancer Lucien Ackerman and supported by her friends Darien and Juniper, who between them bring out the best in Ivy -
but will that be enough when death strikes down someone close to her?

Grave Intentions by Isadora Brown and HC Cardona, will grip you firmly by the imagination throughout the twisty storyline and keep you in suspense as these engrossing and relatable characters investigate murder most foul in the darkest depths of the Academy they once thought was a safe haven.
Conjure up a copy today - and get ready for the spooky truth to emerge!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grave Intentions is book one and a great start to The Bonebinder Academy Mystery series. In this book we get interesting characters, murder mysteries, danger, suspense, unexpected twists, magic, romance, and a story that held my attention from the first page to the last. Ivy has a rare gift of bonebinding, and Lucien is the last necromancer and a Professor at the Academy. These two have an interesting connection, making this a page turning read. After that ending I can't wait to read the next book to find out what happens next. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the beginning of Ivy and Lucien's story with a few mysteries to solve, including a murder. Some angst, drama, trouble, but great characters I enjoyed. Loved the fact that while one mystery is solved it does lead to a few more that will keep this series fun and interesting. Liked the setup and the characters and overall feel of this new series. Plus the interactions of Ivy and Lucien were a hoot at times and should lead to fun times to come.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had that element that I was looking for as a opening chapter in the Bonebinder Academy Mystery series. The concept worked well overall and was invested in what was going on in the world. The characters were written so well and enjoyed going on this journey with them. Isadora Brown has a strong writing style and left me wanting more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivy Hawthorne just wants to keep her head down and attend Veilkeeper Academy. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen anytime soon as we join this wonderful world of magic, mystery, suspense and twists to keep us guessing and murder. Fantastic world building, wonderful characters and a storyline that draws you in and holds on tight. I cannot wait to continue this series!

[William Vegvari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the start of another great series. Great characters and storyline. Looking forward to book 2

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. It is an interesting start to a new series and universe. I liked how Ivy solves the murder that was because of secrets that may be revealed.

[Dawn Milligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this is so good! I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment. I love the characters—they are divine—and I absolutely enjoyed the story flow!