Excellent book, love it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

J. M. Miller (https://www.jmmillerbooks.com) is the author of more than half a dozen novels. Dead & Lovely was published last month. It is the 79th book I completed reading in 2024.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

Oleander is a lovely. These are people identified at birth as having the ability to use the stones to communicate with the Realm. Once identified, the lovely are indentured to the Kingdom for life, providing truth through readings made with the stones. Different stones enable unique abilities in a lovely. Not all stones can be used by every lovely. To Oleander’s credit, she has been able to use every stone she is given to try.

Oleander’s dream of being chosen for the Queen’s Garden is fulfilled, and she is relocated to the capital. But, once she arrives, she finds it is not the perfect setting she had expected. Two of the other Lovelys have been murdered, and two others are missing. The kingdom is in turmoil, with extra guards everywhere.

At Oleander’s induction ceremony, an attempt is made on the Royal family. Oleander detects it and moves to spill the poisoned wine being offered to them. Through her quick thinking, she saves most but not all of the family.

Clearly, there is serious opposition to the king and they are willing to kill to succeed. Lovely must be involved to use the power of the stones. Oleander wants to uncover who is behind the turmoil, though she knows that by seeking the truth. she is putting her own life in danger.

Oleander meets royal attendant Croft at the ceremony where she is chosen to become one of the Queen’s Garden. After moving to the capital Croft is assigned to her as her personal attendant. Oleander discovers she has a unique connection to Croft, and, as they spend more time together, their feelings towards one another grow stronger.

Can Oleander discover who is behind the deaths before she too becomes their victim?

I enjoyed the 11.5+ hours I spent reading this 383-page young adult fantasy. The book starts a little slow but it builds in excitement in the last third of the novel. The plot is filled with intrigue and acts of treason. While the cover art is relevant to the story, it is very dark. I give this novel a rating of 4.4 (rounded to 4) out of 5.

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This was the exact read that myself, a mood reader, needed right now as we gear up for spooky season! The magic system is one of the most unique I've read in a YA Fantasy in a hot minute. The idea of the lovelies was also interesting and I really liked the kind of status that comes with being a lovely. I fell for Croft RIGHT away and knew that he would be such a good protector for Olean. I liked how we discovered this world along with our FMC and really got to see it from her eyes and her understanding of what was happening, I found her to be a super reliable narrator throughout the book. There was also an underlying mystery plot that twisted up the story, and made me keep turning the page just to see what might happen next. Not easily predictable, and lovable characters.

Dead & Lovely was my first YA Fantasy by J.M. Miller that I have read. She has a way of bringing characters to life in a way many authors can't.

The world setting was something I didn't understand at first but as I kept reading it became clearer and made more sense. As for the magic structure, it was what I liked most about the book. The Lovely are able to connect to the Realm with stones. The Realm is almost like an alternate dimension. Though each Lovely can use multiple stones that have individual uses that are controlled by the crown.

Oleander, Olean for short, is the narrator of this story who is able to connect to many of the stones which makes her extremely valuable. Throughout the book we watch her navigate how she helps the royal family and her budding relationship with Croft the royal attendant who is both mute and deaf.

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Netgalley.

This was a unique YA Fantasy following Oleander, Olean for short, a talented Lovely who can connect to the Realm via the use of special stones. The Realm is kind of an alternate dimension and those who can enter it via the use of the powerful stones are called Lovely. Each Lovely can use one or multiple stones and each stone has a different use and they are all regulated by the Crown. Olean can connect with multiple stones, making her a valuable asset to the kingdom. She has recently relocated from the small village she was raised in to the castle to use her abilities to help the royal family help uncover some strange events that have recently occurred. She makes a connection, another unique character, as he is deaf and the Lovely can't use the stones on him. He is a trusted member of the royal family and Olean quickly comes to trust him as well. Olean and Croft's connection isn't just romantic, it is also driven by the Realm and the stones. Olean hesitates to come clean about their connection for fear that it may hurt Croft and their blossoming romance. Through her connection with Croft and her ability to use all of hte stones, Olean becomes a powerful member of Lovely society and a key player into what becomes a murder investigation. She quickly uncovers foul play and is able to uncover some major secrets within the castle and the Lovely society.

I really enjoyed this novel. It has a nice mystery element mixed in with a unique magic element that I haven't seen before. It made for a really entertaining plot. I enjoyed Olean as a main character and thought she and Croft had good chemistry. They have a bit of a slow burn but they figure things out despite starting out with a communication barrier and some secret keeping. I thought the world building and pacing was great as well.

Love love loved this book. The magical system is so interesting and how the lovely are important to the royal family. The way the lovely are named and their powers are also so cool. The story starts off slow but share a lot of important details and then the story is underway. Thanks netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

Dead & Lovely was a book that felt really weird at first, but with a unique magic system and a mystery on our hands, it got better really fast.

As I said, at the beginning I was really unsure about this book and it gave me more of a cult vibe, but soon enough I found out that that's not the case. The Lovely are humans with special abilities, and thus they are really important for the royal family. With names picked by the Empress after flowers and stones that help them use their powers, the whole idea of this magic system is intriguing and complex.

Another part I enjoyed was Croft. He's a royal attendee, but he's deaf and mute and the author did a great job portraying him and showing that while he may face some difficulties, he can still be a great character.

All in all, if you power through the first part, reading this book is really worth it in my opinion

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At first I did find it a bit slow, but soon enough it picked up the pace. I found the magic system quite different and complex. The Lovely are a group of people with an affinity with the Realm and the stones, with which they are capable of reading the memories of people, as well as be able to see dead people. It is extremely interesting how this magic works, and I loved it.
Olean is a great character. We learn everything from her point of view and believe in the same things she does. Her relationship with Croft and Ivy.
Croft is another character I loved, he proves that you don’t need a character to say a lot, in other to see how much he cares for everyone he loves.
Thank you Net Galley and J.M. Miller for providing an ARC of this book.

Dead & Lovely had a really interesting magic system that I really enjoyed. It was a quick and easy read that I stayed up far too late to finish.

Some of the plot points were a little predictable, however, but this didn't detract from the overall fun of the book.

This was such a great read! Olean was a truly great character to walk alongside during this story. I loved the magic system, it felt fresh and new. Would absolutely recommend!

Oleander or Olean is a Lovely that can harness the power of stones. On Girl's Name Day Ceremony, a startling truth is revealed which leads Olean to question it's mysteries. Croft has a blocked mind while being deaf and mute. Croft understands things very well and Olean has a strange link into Croft's mind. Lovely's have gone missing or died. Who is responsible? Can Olean learn the truth? Find out in Dead & Lovely.

I want to thank J. M. Miller for this ARC via Netgalley.

I really took my time on this read. It was such a loving and admirable story. It hit all the plot points in making a dark fantasy story also mysterious and informative. The world building was extensive and so effective, it was like walking as the FMC herself while experiencing everything first hand. J.M. Miller really captured Oleans character, bringing her to life, while also giving so many others such different personalities to counteract one another. The author also shed light on the male characters, showing us that the good guy didn’t have to show dark traits to capture Oleans hand. I think the love interests are an excellent representation of how relationships can truly blossom and that forgiveness is achievable. Dead & Lovely is a beautiful story and a great read.

This is a YA Dark fantasy while also a mystery. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I loved this book. I loved the magic system it was so unique. I loved the subplot of romance we got between Olean and Croft. YOU MUST READ NOW!

Dead & Lovely was such an amazing read for me. I recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can. I gave it 4 stars because I really loved it.